Gravity Happens (Forcing Gravity) (8 page)

“You
always look beautiful, Lo, but tonight you look stunning,” he said, just as Jase finally turned around and joined our conversation. He had been talking to one of the producers of
Sons of Sovereignty
when Garrett had walked up to us.

Jase’s arm snaked around my shoulders, and he pulled me close to him.
“Don’t even think about it, Lewis,” he said playfully, and Garrett laughed.

Jase knew he had nothing to worry about with this Lewis brother, but I knew he was still iffy about Ethan’s feelings for me.
After almost breaking Jase and me up by telling me he loved me, and then kissing me in front of Jase back in October, Ethan had told me a few weeks later that he really wasn’t in love with me. Although I’d played along with him in the moment, I wasn’t sure I fully believed him. I saw the way he looked at me at times, and I had a strong suspicion that if I asked him to be more than my friend, he wouldn’t tell me no.

“He’s taken anyway,” Ellie said, sidling up to Garrett and threading her arm through his.

“Aww, I love that you guys are still together,” I gushed, so happy for my friends. Garrett was the nicest guy, and he couldn’t have found someone better for him than Ellie Carlisle.

She reached out and hugged me with the arm that wasn’t attached to Garrett. “You look fabulous, babe.”

“You too,” I said, taking in her long, one shoulder, bright pink Marchesa gown.

She’
d told me about the edgy design that hugged her curves and flowed down to the ground in uneven layers. It was beautiful, and with her pale skin and dark brown hair that her stylist had curled so it flowed over her shoulders, she looked gorgeous and striking. I felt so sweet and demure in comparison.

Jase and Garrett
immediately launched into a conversation about the upcoming press tour they had for
Vacation From Hell.
They’d filmed the movie together the summer before, which was how they’d met and become friends, and subsequently how Jase and I had met. The week-long tour kicked off at the beginning of May. Jase had wanted me to go, but I had conflicts with school that would keep me on the west coast.

“Incoming,” Garrett mumbled then, interrupting Jase, and we both turned around to see my mother and Luiz walking toward us.

“Darling!” she gushed, as she air-kissed me, careful not to smudge her lipstick. “And Jason. How are you dear?”

Jase and I had both told her numerous to call him Jase, but she never did. She and Luiz both called him Jason, which
I thought was so formal.

I loved my mother
she didn’t even wait for me to answer before she pounced on Jase. Of course she would place more of her attention on him, though. It was his night, and she wanted a piece of the action. She wasn’t nominated, but she’d won two Golden Globes during her career. She’d never won an Oscar, though, and I wondered how she’d feel about Jase if he won one in a few weeks. He was nominated again for
Radio Riot
. Would she be jealous, or would she try to align herself to him even further?

“I’m fine thanks, Alana.
It’s so nice to see you.” They air-kissed before he turned to Luiz. “Luiz, how are you?” he asked, shaking his hand.

He was set to star in one of Luiz’s movies later in the year. It was a Vietnam War biopic
called
Charlie Rising
, and I knew Jase was excited to work with him. Luiz had made quite a name for himself in Hollywood over the years.

“Hello, Jason. It’s good to see you,” Luiz said,
his Brazilian accent wrapping around the words. He turned to me and smiled. “Logan, you look beautiful tonight.”

I beamed at him until my mother interjected. “Yes, well, we know where she gets her looks,” she said
, as she fluffed her styled blond locks. She never missed an opportunity to flatter herself or interject herself in a moment.

Yeah, I look more like my dad,
was what I truly felt like saying, as my mom turned to fawn all over Garrett, who she’d known for years, and Ellie, whom she’d met at one of Luiz’s parties a few months ago. The conversation was incredibly fake and forced, and I was ready for them to leave. My mother drove me nuts most of the time, but when she was in her element and she was ‘on’, I really couldn’t handle her.

Thankfully
after a few minutes of polite chit chat, she and Luiz flitted off to meet and greet more important people.

The four of us picked up the conversation we’d been having before my mother and Luiz had stopped by, and b
efore we knew it, the lights were flashing to alert us to take our seats. Jase and I made our way to our table, and the nerves really started to kick in.

* * *

Even though Jase didn’t win the Golden Globe, he was still having a great time, and I was glad to be there to enjoy it with him. He’d been a gracious loser when Harrison Cross had won, and he’d smiled and applauded along with everyone else. I knew he’d enjoyed Harrison’s portrayal of a slave in the drama
Frost Wise
, so there were no hard feelings.

But
it had been so stinkin’ cool to hear them call Jase’s name as a nominee and show his picture on the big screen. He’d looked so calm with his small secret smile on his face. Then I’d held his hand until they didn’t call his name. And I think I was actually more upset than he was. He told me later that deep down he knew he wasn’t going to win, but he’d still appreciated the consideration.

Then h
e’d gripped my hand tightly as we walked around one of the after parties, repeating the same process we’d done earlier in the night when we’d first arrived at the event, expect now everyone was much drunker and much more relaxed. Jase took the opportunity to shake hands with Harrison and congratulate him on his win. We talked to Ellie and Garrett some more, and I was introduced to some people I’d never met before but had been watching in movies or on TV for years. They all seemed to know who I was, either from my connection to Jase or my mom. Hollywood really was a small town.

Halfway through the night, Ellie came up and
tucked her arm into mine. “Bathroom,” she said in my ear, and I nodded. I’d had to go for a while, but I hadn’t wanted to drag Jase away from the conversation he was having with some of the guys he’d be co-starring with in
Sons of Sovereignty.

I whispered in his ear that I’d be right back, and
he stopped talking to kiss me before returning to his conversation.

“Are you having fun?” Ellie asked, as she
linked her arm with mine.

I was glad since my feet were killing me, and my ankles were tired from the four inch heels I was sporting
. I’d also had a few cocktails, so it was nice to have someone to hold onto in case I started to falter.

“
I’m having as much fun as you can have at an event where everyone is schmoozy and boozy,” I told her, and she threw her head back and laughed.

“I know, this isn’t really your scene
, is it?”

I shook my head. “Definitely not, but it’s Jase’s, so I’m supportive.”

“He is a great guy,” she said. “And he adores you.”

I couldn’t help grinning. “I know. He’s amazing. Although, you didn’t do half bad yourself with Garrett.”

She sighed as we entered the ladies room. “I know, right?” she said, her eyes crinkling in delight. “How on earth did you and I land the two most laid back, down-to-earth guys in Hollywood?”

“I don’t know, but we’re lucky.”

She winked at me. “You’re telling me, sister.”

There was only one stall open,
so I went in, and as I closed the door behind me, I heard someone shriek her name.

“Oh, my God! Hi!” she responded
.

“How’s the album coming?”
the voice asked.

“It’s going so well,” Ellie gushed.

She was a pop star and had released her first single to rave reviews. Her first full-length album was coming out in March.

“That is so amaze!” the girl shrieked, and then I only caught snippets of their conversation as a toilet flushed and Ellie went into the vacated stall.

I was washing my hands when she came out, and we left the restroom together. We’d walked about ten feet when she stopped short. “Oh, shit. I left my clutch in the stall,” she said, looking back at the restroom. “I’ll be right back.”

So I waited for her, and I sort of wished I hadn’t since Chloe St. James emerged from bathroom as Ellie was entering. Then her laser focus somehow honed in on me, and she charged forward on
her six inch platform heels.

“Lauren, right?” she said, and I knew she was just doing that to get under my skin.
She knew my name.

“Logan,” I corrected her.

She waved her hand in dismissal. “Whatever,” she said, and I fought the urge to widen my eyes at her casual brush-off. “Are you having a nice night?”

“Yes, I am,” I said politely. “How about you?”

“Fantastic. How’s Jase?”

And I see we’re cutting right to the chase.

“Jase is great,” I responded curtly.

Her eyes narrowed. “I’m sure he is. He told you the good news, right?”

Of course he had, but it wasn’t like I wouldn’t know even if he hadn’t told me. The news had been plastered all over the Internet the day it was announced, and the tabloids were having a field day with the fact that Jase and Chloe were starring in a movie together.

“Well, I wouldn’t consider it
good
news, but it’s news just the same.”

She gave me a haughty look. “Well, you’re also not standing in my shoes, now are you?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

I couldn’t help but ask. As much as I wanted to remain cool and aloof with her, I couldn’t do it.

She smiled, as she tucked a stray lock of her long blond hair behind her ear. She’d recently cut bangs, and they didn’t really suit her. The sneer on her face only made her look less attractive.

“I consider this a golden opportunity to get back what’s mine,” she said, and my hackles instantly rose.

“What’s yours?” I asked, cocking an eyebrow at her in question.

“Yes, he was mine for two years,
so don’t even try to stake a claim. You’ve been with him for like two minutes.”

“Funny,” I said, working to keep my cool since there were photographers
and influential people all around. “I usually don’t get rid of things that I cherish, and it seems to me that if you truly wanted Jase, you wouldn’t have let him go so easily and so publicly.”

Her expression frosted over. “You cannot believe everything you read, Logan,” she said
coolly. “Haven’t you learned anything in the past six months? Besides, what happened between Jase and me is none of your business, especially when you don’t know the truth.”

I crossed my arms in front of me. “Oh, I know the truth,” I responded defensively. Jase had told me everything.

She smirked again. “Sure you do.”

And I hated that she suddenly had me questioning what Jase had shared about their break up. Had he not told me
the whole story?

No,
I would not do that. It wasn’t fair to question what he had shared. He had no reason to tell me anything but the truth. And I’d seen the pictures of Chloe and Samuel Klein kissing. That was all the evidence I needed. I would not listen to this jealous girl. She was just pissed that she’d lost Jase, and she was making things up to freak me out. But I did believe that she wanted him back, and because of that, I didn’t trust her as far as I could throw her.

“Hey, what di
d I miss?” Ellie asked, coming back with her clutch in her hand.

“I was just saying hello to Logan,” Chloe chirped, her tone friendly and jovial all of a sudden. “But I need to get back to my date. Great seeing you both.”

If I was Ellie, I probably would have assumed that Chloe and I had been having a lovely chat by the tone of that goodbye. She was a damn good actress. And I realized, as Chloe leaned forward then and air-kissed Ellie’s cheek, that she was the girl Ellie had been talking to in the bathroom.

“Good to see you, hon,”
Chloe gushed. “Call me this week, and we’ll do lunch, okay?”

“Bye sweetie,” Ellie responded, and I didn’t say a word
as Chloe flounced away.

I turned to Ellie once Chloe was out of earshot. “I didn’t know you were friends with Chloe St. James.”

She made a face. “I’m really not. I mean, I know her, but we’re not friends. We used to be but then I realized I couldn’t stand her. But, I also would never cross her since she’s vindictive as hell when she wants to be. In my book, you keep your friends close and your enemies closer, so I pretend to be her friend out of self-preservation.”

“Isn’t that annoying?”

She shrugged. “Not really. We get together once in a while for lunch, she mostly talks about herself, then we go shopping, and since she’s a big deal in this town, stores close for her, so that’s pretty cool, and she always finds cute stuff for me to buy, so it’s not one hundred percent awful. I try to see the silver lining in the whole process.”