Copyright – All Rights Reserved 2012

Chapter 28

Urghh. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before I ran downstairs, straight past the kitchen and into the living room. Ari was lying across the sofa, Katy Perry was on MTV playing in low sound and he seemed to be flicking through a script, before he chucked it in the ‘reject’ pile and picked up another one.

“ What cha doing?” I asked, wandering over to the sofa and lifting his calves so I could sit under them.

 Ari sighed, “ Trying to figure out if al these scripts aren’t completely crap.”

“They can’t all be rubbish.”

“ The last one I read was called ‘Love detective’” he told me , one eyebrow raised.

“ Wow, sounds great. What was it about?” I asked sarcastically.

“ You don’t even want to know.” He told me running a hand through his hair before he reached for another one.

“ I have to finish half this pile today so I can tell my agent tomorrow and tell him what I like. Apparently some of them have asked for me and the others casting calls are coming up really soon so I have to decide what I’m auditioning for.” He waved a hand over the high pile of script beside him.

“ Ok, then. Hand me a script and let’s get cracking. It’s going to be a nice day and afterward we can hangout in the garden.” I told him, theatrically snapping my knuckles.

“ You don’t have to read my crappy scripts, watch tv and relax.” Ari told me, looking at the pile like it was an opening to hell.

“ I know I don’t have to, but I want to, besides if some of them sound half as good as ‘Love detective’ did, than I’m in.”  I told him, holding out my hands as he reached besides me and gave me one.

“ Fine but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Some of them stink.” He told me with a smirk.

“ Ok, well how do I know if I read one that doesn’t stink?” I asked as I held the heavy script.

“ You’ll know, cause you’ll think that you’d actually want to see that movie.” He said, he winked before he went back to reading his own.

An hour and a half later I had skim read five scripts, two of them had been action movies with really cardboard dialogue and a lot of stuff blowing up, the other two had been romances that had been ok but a little formulaic for my liking – I could predict the ending before it began.

Now I was reading the fifth one and was absolutely hooked. It was about a young man in his twenties and was set in late 1950’s New York, it tracked his life in a week and it was about how his perfect life seemed to unravel through a sequence of events. The characters of his family and friends had funny, sharp dialogue that had made me laugh out loud a couple of times and envision them in my mind.

It was half comedy, half drama and I knew I would pay to see this film if it was made.

“  This script is really good!” I told ari, pointing to it in my hands as I sat across the sofa from him curled up.

“ At least you found on good one, the seven I’ve read haven’t exactly been jewels. What’s it called?” Ari asked

“It’s untitled. Though the alterative title is the ‘ Zach Rackinski’s shadow’, Zach is the main character by the way.” I handed over the script, watching Ari start reading through the script for twenty minutes and laughing out loud at the first and second scenes.

“ This seems good Ellabear. I mean, really good. I’ve been looking for a film like this, the lines are sharp, the dialogue is interesting, and the plot is the kind of dark that makes films great.” He looked at the cover and took a breath “ you have to be kidding me! Did you look at who’s directing? One of my favourite all time directors is signed up and he’s a genius. Jeez, I’d be crazy if I didn’t try out for this!” he said, looking in awe at the script.

“ So you’re going to do it?” I asked hopefully, watching his face as he shook his head in disbelief, looking at me like I’d just told him Christmas would come twice this year.

“ I’ll have to audition, but I’m going to try like hell.” He said, his smile making his face light up. I laughed and then Ari sat up and took my arms in his hands pulling me to him on the sofa, so I sat half on top of him in a huge bear hug.

“ Yay! I hope you get it.” I squeaked in his crushing hug, savouring the feel of his strong arms wrapped around me and the soft thrumming of his heartbeat.

“ Snap.” Ari whispered before he lifted me up in his arms, pulling me into a fireman’s lift as he stood up, announcing, “ Now, were half way through the scripts and I’ve found my movie, out to the garden!” as he mock marched like an solider, opening the sliding doors and striding out into the garden that was bathed in sunshine.

“ You know I could have walked!” I told him as I hung over his shoulder, my hair falling over my face in a blond curtain.

“ Yeah, I know” he replied as he marched across my garden, and all I could see was the bright green manicured lawn and the back of his bare feet in his sweat pants below me.

Then slowly I felt myself being lowered onto the long grass at the back of the garden slowly. The grass back here is about as high as my thighs and it formed a mini green wall around us as Ari lay down beside me. He rolled onto his back so he was lying beside me and I shifted closer so the whole right side of my body was flush against his.

He smirked at me and I lifted my head as he stretched out his left arm so it slid under my neck like a muscled pillow, and he set his warm hand on my back as he pulled me into him so we were half hugging one another. He dropped a kiss on the parting at my hair and I felt myself blush slightly.

It was much less physical that what we’d already done, and it’s not like he doesn’t always kiss my hair, it just seemed more intimate than usual.

“ Very smooth.” I murmured.

I felt Ari’s stomach muscles tighten as he smiled, his real – I –make- you- weak- at-the-knees- without even –trying-kind of smile.

“ Hell, yeah. I’ve been smooth for years, your just slow on the uptake.” He said, looking at me like I was the funniest thing he’d seen for a while.

Then his hand ran down my back softly over my top, before his hand travelled under my top and up the sensitive skin of my back his touch achingly slowly. I felt my lower abdomen pool with heat as I bit my lip.

“ True,” I said “but now you’ve got my attention.” I said softly.

Then Ari had rolled us over so he was above me, his hands had some how taken my wrists hostage as he held them above my head in his large hand, as he hovered over me on his knees, his legs bracing my hips.

God this was torture. It was so sexy that he was so completely in control and I realised how much I trusted him. I hadn’t felt so comfortable being dominated like this by the few other guys I’d been with, I’d always had that slight nagging feeling at the back of my mind to be alert.

“ is that so?” Ari asked above me, his jaw was clenched and he stared into my eyes mischievously before I felt his eyes drift down my body leisurely, making my toes want to curl under his gaze.

“Mhmm” i murmured.

Ari smiled “ That’s not an answer” he fake told me off as he leant down and kissed my neck, nibbling over the skin where he’d given me a love bite.

I stayed silent as I felt my body arch slightly into him, as if I couldn’t bear to be away from his body heat and the hard planes of his chest. I closed my eyes and breathed in his soft lemony scent that I love as he kissed my lips, like a whisper. The prelude to a kiss.

Then he ran his tongue along my bottom lip, making me sigh before I gladly opened my mouth to him, letting the kiss deepen. I felt my whole stomach erupt in butterflies as our bodies pressed together and his tongue ran over mine in perfect sync.

I sighed into his lips and arched further up into him so our torsos were touching, which made me smile into our kiss as it earned me satisfied groan from Ari and he pulled apart and smirked down at me, his blue eyes were drowsy with lust.

“ Im likeing this whole, -kiss -you -whenever- I- want- thing.”

I laughed, feeling my face blush traitorously as he leant down and kissed both my cheeks lightly, “ I especially like the way you blush around me more now.” he whispered.

“ Why the hell would you like that? I look like a five year old” I complained.

Ari smiled and covered my mouth with a kiss, making my whole body arch in satisfaction and I considered trying to get out of his hand that held my wrists so I could touch him. This just wasn’t a fair arrangement!

“ I like the blushing, in fact I think I love the blushing. You only do it when you like something very much.” He whispered suggestively and I felt my face heat up.

“ Don’t get too big headed, there. I could just be using you for your body.” I teased.

Ari grinned, and in an instant I was rolled over so I was sitting on top of him straddling his waist as he said with a Cheshire cat grin, “ Please, use away Ella bear.”

I chuckled and leant down to hiss him, letting my hands run over the warm, hard planes of his chest as I did so, feeling him tense deliciously underneath me.

Mmm yeah, I was really going to like this invitation.

Ari held my head and the side of my waist as we kissed, holding me to him like he thought I would disappear. I could feel myself blushing annoyingly as I felt that Ari’s incredible chest wasn’t the only thing hard. I felt this little rush of happiness that I actually had the power to make Ari feel that way, that little old me was actually turning on someone as hot as Ari – inside and out.

“ You seem very happy.” I whispered and he chuckled, making his muscles move underneath me.

“ Yeah. Guess I am.”

I pressed my chest against his so he could feel how my two peaks had pebbled tightly from his kiss under my thin lace bra. “ Me too.” I whispered and kissed him back hard. Then, frustratingly the sound of a shrill ‘BRINNNGGG..BRIINNNGG…BRINNNNGGG!’ Interrupted them and Ari sighed, murmuring “ shit. Great timing” under his breath as I lifted myself up onto my knees to let him dig to the back pocket of his sweats to retrieve his mobile. When he looked at the screen he frowned and his eyes gave off that angry, serious look and I could tell he was trying to control his face so I wouldn’t see how pissed off whoever was ringing him made him.

He looked at the phone like that for a second as it let out another shrill ‘BRIIINNNG!”

Which made me want to wince. He silenced it, chucking it on the grass beside him like he didn’t want to touch it and looked up at me with an apologetic smile. His dimple wasn’t quite showing and I could see the frustration in his darkened blue eyes as his eyebrows creased in the middle slightly, which is Ari’s universal – I’m -pissed off- but – I’m – trying – not – to be- face.

 “ You could have answered it, I wouldn’t mind.” I told him

Ari frowned, “I know. I didn’t want to answer it.” He said tightly.

I could see the slight tensing of the muscle in Ari’s jaw and how the frown line in between his eyebrows remained and decided I would get rid of it.

“ Any particular reason why you didn’t want to answer whoever was on the phone?” I asked, letting myself settle back down so I was sitting over his hips, trying to ignore the very hard part of his anatomy that was encased in his jeans. Just feeling it pressed against my sensitive area made my stomach pool with heat, but I knew I should focus on finding out what had Ari all riled up.

He closed his eyes, “ It was my agent. Again” he said quietly and I could hear the hardness in his voice. Ari hardly ever spoke in such brittle tones so I knew that he must really not like this guy.

“Oh. Is there a problem? He’s being over agenty?” I asked, with a light smile ans I tried to make him laugh.

Ari looked like he was trying to smile but it hadn’t quite reached his eyes as he ran his hand through his hair angrily. Making his biceps distractingly larger beneath his t-shirt sleeves.“ Over agenty? Yeah I wish it were just that. He used to be okay, a semi relaxed kind of guy, but over the last year or so he’s become like this publicity mad monster – trying to get me do all this work I don’t want.”

This guy sounded like an asshole. Especially since in the space of a second Ari was looking pretty stressed just talking about it.

“ Have you tried saying no?” I asked tentatively.

He sighed, “ Yeah, I have. That’s part of what we’ve been arguing about lately. He keeps creating this unnecessary publicity I’m not happy with and I don’t particularly need. I mean, he’s just not listening to me and doing stuff behind my back … the whole situation is just so stupid.”

“ Can’t you fire him?” I asked softly, hoping it would remove the worry line on his forehead.

Ari sighed again, “ I wish I could, only my contract doesn’t end for a month and a half. I’m just waiting for it to be over and then I’m going to re-sign with someone better, more discreet. I’ve already had talks with this other agent and she’s a lot less demanding. She seems to be more focused on helping my actual acting career than filing tabloids pages.” He said and his face looked lighter. Like he was hopeful.

“ Have you told anyone else how you feel?” I asked him, reaching over and smoothing the skin between his eyebrows softly with my index finger, which made him grin.

“ Yeah, I told my mum and she thinks it’s a good idea. She never really liked my agent anyway.” He said and then he seemed to shake off whatever was on his mind before.

“ Anyway, lets talk about something more interesting, or just not talk.” He said.

I pretended to think, “ well I was going to tell you about these really great shoes I saw in the mall the other day”- I said putting on a fake bimbo voice and Ari chuckled as he pulled me down against his chest with my hands.

I smiled and I looped my arms round his neck and kissed him on the lips lightly, letting my eyes close as the kiss got more intense and my stomach erupted in butterflies and my whole southern area got warm and I felt Ari’s hands travel down to my butt, gripping me against him.

“ Mmm” I sighed and kissed him lightly on the lips, a sweet peck.

His eyes looked up at me with drowsy warmth and he gave me a lazy grin,

“ I don’t know how you do it.” He said softly and pushed a tendril of hair from my face.

“ What?” I said gravely, focusing on his lips.

“ You just make things seem better.” He said and I felt my lungs stop as my heart started beating over time. I felt this warm bubble in my chest and all I could do was smile before I crushed my lips against his.

When I came up for air I let my face nuzzle his soft neck, loving being able to relax into his body, enveloped in his warm, strong body.

We lay there for a while and then I rolled over onto my back next to him and we looked at the few clouds, and talked about everything and nothing in the sunny garden grass.

Too soon, Ari lifted his arm and groaned, “ it’s nearly four, and we really need to start getting ready to go to my friends grad party, well actually it’s kind of a glorified beach barbeque” he told me with a smile.

“ It’s not dressy right?” I asked, looking down at my casual shorts and plain tank.

“ Nah, I’m just gonna change into jeans, trainers and pull on a jumper in case it gets cold later” he asked.

“Yeah, but you’re a guy. Guys don’t have to worry about that stuff as much. You just roll out of bed and put on anything.”

Ari raised his eyebrows, “ You saying I look bad ella bear?” he asked in fake offence.

I slapped his chest “ You know I’m not. Unless we smear you in green goo , I think your good to go. I’m just jealous that I can’t slob around in whatever I want and get away with it.” I said with a chuckle at the thought of Ari covered in thick green goo.

“ I actually was covered in goo at one of the MTV awards a few years ago. The stuff stunk.” He said with a smirk. “ One of the guys a year or so above me in highschool got a pie in his face a year or two ago on one of the sketches they do. That was so funny, his face was classic.”

I turned and looked at him smiling up at the sky, I knew exactly who had been pied in the last awards and he was a super hot guy who is pretty well known for doing action movies and some pretty decent romantic comedies. He always got the lead role and was always near the top of the ‘top 100 hottest list’. Marissa had told me he was number 16 this year.

“I know shouldn’t be shocked, but you know him?” I asked.i felt like a true fan girl,

Well , just beccause i had stopped myself from crushing over Ari hadn;t meant i was blind.

“ Yeah. It was a small school. He’s a really funny guy, great impressionist.” Ari said as if he was talking about the weather.

“So it’s official. You have hot friends.” I told him matter of factly.

I already knew this.

I’d seen a few pictures of him with school friends, hanging out on a sofa in someone’s house when they were about sixteen. One of the guys had gone on to be the super hot one on gossip girl who has no personality, I was pretty sure one of the girls in the photo was a young famous movie actress and, when Marissa was showing me a picture of a bra she wanted in a Victoria secret catalogue, I realised the model wearing it was another girl I’d seen in the photo.

Maybe now it’s obvious why I had never considered Ari would even look at me.

I’d never been to Ari’s school, but I’d watched one of those video recordings of a theatre play he did for the school once, a few years ago and even then I could tell all the girls were beautiful and all the guys were super hot. I remember asking him if there was something in the water that made the guys look so hot and he had frowned at me…. Maybe he had been annoyed that I found the other guys hot.

 “ You think he’s hot?” he asked, his face had an amused yet sweetly serious look on it.

“ Yeah, I’m not blind.” I said off hand, sitting up and dusting off my legs.

“ You know he’d probably really like you- you’re kind of his type. Your both sarcastic as hell.”

I turned to see him looking up at me with a funny look on his face, Oh my god? Was Ari a little jealous? 

 Nah.

“ Yeah, sure.” I said with a smile and rolled my eyes. “ Because I’m a supermodel and trees are made of candyfloss.” I replied sarcastically.

Crap, maybe I do need to tone down the sarcasm…

“  Not too far off if you excuse the weird candy floss trees part.” Ari quipped ad I felt myself blush.

“Liar, now come on lets go change. Does the barbecue start soon?” I asked changing the subject as I stood up and offered Ari my hand.

He took it in his warm grasp, picked up his phone and stood up, linking his arm over my shoulder comfortably. I leant into him,