"Flight to Los Angeles, California now boarding... Final call for Los Angeles, California."

Dray gives me a quirky smile before he kindly picks up my carry on luggage and the two of us get in line with our boarding passes in palm. The cellphone in my back pocket starts vibrating for the seventh time and I know that it's Nathan, again. He would have finally read the post-it note I left behind.

"Maybe I should answer the call before I get on the plane?" I turn around and find a disapproving look on Dray's face.

"He'll talk you out of leaving. Call him when we land." We shuffle forward and have our boarding passes scanned before we step into the wide tunnel that walks through into the plane.

I think back to the non-descriptive message I'd scrawled out after packing my bags as quickly as I could and wince with regret.

"I probably should have left a better note."

Hey Nathan. Gone to Cali to visit CalArts. Be back in a couple days. Love ya.

"Coulda, shoulda, woulda." Dray smirks with a bored tone. "Forget about it. Call him when we land. It's only another two hours. He'll live."

We find our seats and I don't even offer Dray the window seat, I push past him and dive into it so fast that he almost trips over his own feet. He gives me a look of concern and then sits down beside me.

"Sorry, I've always wanted to sit in the window seat if I got the chance," I explain with my eyes on the tarmac outside.

"Is this your first time on a plane?"

I turn around and sheepishly grin. I'm not embarrassed at the fact, but it's definitely a little heat-inducing to admit that I've never flown before. His eyes widen as he takes my silence as admission.

"Damn cheer." He nudges me with his elbow. "You excited?"

"Well I'm about to lose my flying virginity," I give him a little wink. "So I'm pretty excited."

"First time with me huh." He leans in and oozes charm as he adopts a seductive voice. "Don't worry then, it'll be great. It always is with me."

His heated gaze starts to turn me inside out and being in such close proximity to his lips reminds me that we should probably have a conversation about last nights almost kiss in the pool. We'd both acted as though it had never happened. But it had and I desperately want to know what it meant to him. However the question gets caught in my throat the longer I think about it and I start to worry that it won't sound quite the same coming out of my mouth as it does in my head.

His lips, which I've been staring at with a flashing series of vivid images running through my mind for the last thirty seconds, start to move and I realise that I haven't actually heard a word he's said.

"Huh, sorry, what?!"

"I asked if you were thinking about last night?"

He always knows. He has some telepathic insight into my every thought and I don't know if it's just me that he can read or if he's in tune with everyone else he meets as well.

Whatever it is. It freaks me out.

"Don't think about it." He orders with a casual tone before I have the chance to answer him. "It's better that we don't make things uncomfortable by talking about something that didn't happen."

Well that sounds like a shut down if I ever heard one. I want to pout. I want to stomp my foot and accuse him of playing with my feelings, but technically he hasn't done anything wrong. So while I fight the instinct to pack a tantrum, I use my nature to steer me away from the volatile feelings and accept that while he may not want to talk about an almost kiss, he clearly wants to be my friend, or he wouldn't have asked me to hop a plane with him to California.

Friends it is then. Not that I wanted anything more anyway.

"Yeah of course." I shrug as lightly as I can. "That's what I was going to say."

He gives me a tight smile and leans back into his seat. Which is how he stays for the remainder of the flight. With each silent, passing moment I begin to regret agreeing to this impulsive trip. I'm not sure what I'd been thinking in the first place. Deciding to fly to California without telling anyone, packing and boarding the plane within three damn hours. I've never done anything so erratic in my entire life and while I wanted to create more memories in high school, I wonder if this may have been taking things too far.

•

By the time we land and get off the plane, Dray seems more relaxed and back to his usual self. Not that I'm entirely sure what his 'usual' self actually is. He's not brooding and stone-faced, he's just content. I find myself a little disturbed by the in-depth analysis and focus on finding my luggage on the rotating conveyer belt.

"Alright," Dray huffs once we're on the busy footpath outside of LAX. It's dark but the car park and surrounding areas are illuminated by large fluorescent and neon lights. "What now?"

"What do you mean, what now?!" I stare up at him, becoming a little frustrated by the way his uncaring demeanour is so enticing yet so irresponsible at the same time. "This whole thing was your idea. We're here for four days and you have no plan?"

"Plans are shit." He shrugs. "Have you ever noticed how some of the best nights of your life are the ones you didn't plan? When you just go out with no expectations and let the flow take you wherever you go."

"That might be all well and good if you're out on the town or within a safe distance of your bed! But we're in another fucking state Drayton!"

He just continues to smile at me with little regard for the fact that it's late, we have no form of transport, neither of us has eaten except for a few plane crisps and we're miles away from home.

The road for shuttles and cabs in front of us is backed up, people are fighting to get the closest taxi, suitcases are rolling along the footpath, scuffing shoes and loud chatter resonates through my head which is starting to pound with stress.

But he's right and despite how chaotic everything around me seems, I can't deny that he is right. Some of the best experiences, come from spontaneity. If I wasn't so in love with being curled up at home, I might be able to see this entire situation the same way he does. With excitement and the potential for adventure.

I'm about to suggest that the first thing we do is find food, because I'm starving, when a grip on my forearm startles me.  I whip my head to the side to find a frantic looking man staring at me with wide eyes, his hold on my wrist beginning to hurt. He starts pulling me towards an idle car about ten meters away, with another man sitting in the driver's seat.

"Viens, viens, come. Your car? Oui!"

He doesn't make it more than a step forward before I'm aggressively tugged out of his grip and placed behind Drayton's large body. "Don't touch her!"

I peek around the side of him and spot the French man looking frustrated and strung out as he rambles on in his native tongue. He's probably in his late forties with receding black hair and a wispy beard. His eyes are sunken in and he bears the resemblance of a drug user. "She need ride. Oui? She come with me?"

"Not a fucking chance," Dray growls and takes an intimidating step forward. "Get the hell out of here. Now."

The man scowls and turns around, walking away with fumbled footsteps. He doesn't go back to his car though, he looks as though he's searching for another girl he can give a ride too. Drayton keeps his back to me and his glare on the man until he's out of sight. When he's gone Dray turns around and huffs in frustration.

"Are you okay?"

I quickly nod. "I'm fine!" I assure him.

"Fucking traffickers," he mutters and picks up our bags, slinging them over his shoulder effortlessly before he laces our fingers together and starts walking us across the road. "They target young beautiful girls. Take them, sell them or pimp them out. I dunno. They've all got different motives. He's obviously desperate because they're usually a lot smoother about it."

"Oh wow," I mumble. I wouldn't have gotten in that car even if I was alone but I'm glad Drayton had deterred him without making too much of a scene. He signals a uniformed man that I assume is security. He's just stepped out of a marked car and was walking towards the airport. Drayton has a quick word, explaining what happened before we continue on our way.

"Security will get him." He confirms as we trek through the huge car park towards the highway.

I hope he's right, because I'd hate for anyone else to become victim to that scum. We walk quietly, hand in hand, which is making my tummy go a little crazy. Drayton is clearly just in big bad protector mode though. His expression set in a hard line as he takes purposeful strides through the idle vehicles around us.

"So any ideas yet, cheer?"

"I was gonna suggest food actually," I tell him as we finally get on to the wide footpath that runs along the highway. "Valencia is like a two-hour drive from here. Maybe we should find somewhere to stay tonight and go in the morning?"

"Valencia?" he questions, slightly shaking his head.

"That's where the college is. The one you promised to take me to."

He ponders it for a moment and then nods in agreement, dropping my hand and turning around so he's walking backwards.

"What are you doing?" I ask as he waves his tattooed arm through the air.

"Hailing a cab." He shrugs.

"There were a ton of cabs back where we were!"

"Yeah but they're almost impossible to snatch unless you're willing to physically fight your way into one." I turn around when he smiles triumphantly and spot the yellow cab pulling into the emergency strip. "Quick, get in." He opens the door, throwing our things into the furthest seat and sliding in after me.

"Fairfield inn please," Drayton tells the driver who nods and merges back into the traffic.

The hotel that he chose is only about a mile from the airport. I'm relieved because the need to eat and wind down is real. I feel like it's been forever since we were sneaking out of the hotel back in Ridgeview, but in reality it's only been about twenty-four hours. And in that time I've been skinny dipping, spent the night in a park, been suspended and let Dray convince me to board a flight without a single person knowing. It's been a whirlwind and I could really use a bed and some downtime.

"So how was your first time?" Dray asks, slinging his arm around my shoulder in the back of the cab. The sides of our bodies are flush against each other due to our luggage taking up most of the back seat.

"It was awesome," I tell him honestly. Taking a plane for the first time was exactly as I'd expected it to be in the best way. The minor distraction of Dray's attitude doesn't need to be mentioned.

I do my best to ignore the intoxicating scent of Drayton's masculine musk and pull out my cellphone, clearing the home screen of the forty-two missed calls that accumulated during the plane ride. I also don't even bother to check the text messages from Nathan. But I do read the ones from Spencer.

Where are you?! Why'd Nathan ring me saying that you've left the country with Dray?

Oi text back.

Girl your brother is losing his shit.

Never mind. Just talked to Grayson. He said you and Dray went to CalArts for a few days. I'm literally gonna hit you for not telling me when you get back. But as your best friend, please utilise this time and get you some Dray. Wanna hear all about it when you get back x

I groan and lock the phone, sliding it into the front pocket of my bag. I don't even want to look at Dray to find out if he'd seen that message, although, my guess is, he had. I'm saved from the internal pain when the cab finally pulls up at our destination and I can untangle myself from Dray's clutches.

The hotel is nice. It's not five-star but it's definitely nicer than anything I've stayed in before. A light timber and blue theme runs through the foyer with a few quirky but classy couches set up on the dark carpet. Large pot plants occupy the corners of the room and lights with intricate shades hang from the ceiling. Drayton takes care of booking the room while I take a much-needed breather and seat on the couch.

When he's finished making the arrangements, we hop on the elevator and go up to the fourth floor and find our room around the bend of the corridor. It's much more spacious than our Ridgeview room. A sliding door on the far left wall leads out into a patio. The kitchen nook to our direct left has basic appliances and a small fridge as well as a wee dining table and chairs. What I assume is a bathroom is on the far right wall and in the middle of the room is one king-sized bed.

"Uhhh, why didn't you book a double room," I ask as Dray drops our bags at the foot of the bed.

"Thought I'd save money where I can." He winks as he sits down on the edge of it and I resist the urge to slap the smug smile off his face. "It's only for one night."

"Mhmm and what about the other three nights?" I fold my arms and give him a challenging stare.

"Well I'll probably do the same at the next hotel too." He laughs lightly as I roll my eyes. "Oh come on, we've shared a bed before. You'll be fine."

"You won't be. I'm gonna smother you."

He gets up and walks around to the bedside table, shuffling through the drawer as he speaks.

"Yeah, yeah." He waves his hand dismissively. "Your threats don't scare me anymore. Here" - he passes me a laminated booklet - "order some room service. I'm gonna take a shower. I'll eat anything."

I slap my hand over my mouth when a totally inappropriate joke springs to mind. Dray turns in the doorway of the bathroom and gives me a curious expression.

"You all good?"

I nod my head and turn away so he can't see the blush creeping over my cheeks. Sex doesn't embarrass me. Thinking about sex doesn't embarrass me. But thinking about it with him, well that does bring a slight heat to the cheeks.

He shrugs with an amused glint in his eyes and shuts the bathroom door behind him. I groan and sit on the edge of the bed so I can use the phone that's sitting on the side table drawer. How am I supposed to get through an entire four days of this undeniably heavy tension? I shake my head, knowing that it's probably all in my mind and I'm overthinking the entire thing.

I most likely order more food than either of us need or will eat. And when Dray comes out of the bathroom in his towel, body still glistening from steam and water, his tattoo shining from the moisture and his hair in a disheveled state, I almost lose my appetite entirely as a craving for something else takes over.

"What'd you order?" He saunters across the room towards his bag. Seemingly unaware of the effect that he's having on me. It gets worse every time I see him like this.

"Um - oh, heaps."

He cocks a brow and stares, waiting for an elaboration that he most likely won't get because my brain has literally gone on an immediate hiatus. He pulls a handful of clothes out of his duffle bag and starts walking back to the bathroom.

"Were you about to call your brother?" he asks, gesturing his head towards the cellphone in my hands. I'm reminded of the daunting task that I was contemplating before Dray walked out of the bathroom looking like a damn main dish.

"Oh yeah." I laugh nervously and stand up off the bed. "I'm gonna go out on to the patio and call him. You don't need to hear the inevitable dispute."

He laughs loudly and shuts the door, leaving me a little disappointed that I won't get to see his shirtless beauty anymore. I mentally slap myself and hop off the bed, walking out into the warm night air.

The city is beautiful and I wish I could have appreciated it earlier, but instead I'd been stressing out for no good reason. I can see the LAX sign from where I stand. Cars move through the highway, the lights blurring together. Palm trees line the walkway below me and the streets are littered with excited people. Neon store signs create a magical atmosphere and I do my best to soak it in without the stress of my impending phone call bringing me down.

When I finally dial Nathan's number, I barely hear the ringing next to my ear because my senses are being flooded with nerves and my heart pounding is louder than anything else around me.

"Dallas!" his voice comes booming through the line before its rung more than twice. "Tell me that note was a joke and you're still in Colorado at the very least."

"Um, well-"

"If you ran off to Vegas to marry that kid I'll literally kill you both."

"Are you out of your mind!" I snort, the nerves being replaced by disbelief. "I did not run off to Vegas to get married. Sheesh. I'm in California. I'm visiting CalArts okay. You know I've always wanted to and the opportunity came up so I took it."

I take a deep breath and wait for his response.

"You mean that kid with all the money just so happened to get you both suspended and then conveniently offered to take you to California. Sounds like a setup."

"You're delusional. And I already told you, the suspension was my fault." I roll my eyes seen as he can't actually see me and lean against the iron fencing. "Also he said he was going to California to check out some colleges while he's suspended, so I asked him to bring me."

That of course, isn't true. But I'd rather Nathan didn't start accusing Dray of all these wildly outrageous plans that he's not responsible for. Sure, this trip was Dray's idea and he did persuade me, but I know that he would have left it alone if I'd put my foot down and demanded him too.

"Well still," Nathan snaps. "You can't just take off to California without a single word! I've been worried about you all afternoon!"

"Aw that's sweet," I tease. "But you don't need to worry. I'm perfectly safe and I'll be home on Wednesday."

"Can you please call me if you need me." He sighs with defeat. "And don't get pregnant for the love of God."

"Yeah okay bye Nathan."

I hang up the phone and rub my temples as I exhale loudly. I felt the conversation had been going well until that last comment. He really doesn't know when he's taken the parenting too far.

When I walk back inside, Drayton is kicking the door shut with his foot and in each hand is a tray of steaming hot food. Fried chicken. Fries. Potatoe and gravy, sodas, burgers and more. But the best part of the picture is that he's only wearing a pair of low hanging sweats and no shirt. He looks so good. He looks too good. This is literal torture. He grins as he saunters towards the table and his biceps bulge as he carries the food trays.

"Hungry?"

• • •

Much love. Until next time x