It's 3 am.

Nate is fast asleep. I hear him breathing heavily, not quite a snore, but I can tell he is completely relaxed now and in a deep sleep. I scarred the poor guy for life, I just know it.

For a good fifteen minutes, he tried to get me "to remember" my dream to tell him. I played like I couldn't, but of course I could. It plays on a constant loop in my head.

I think he knew I just didn't want to talk about it. He gave up the fight after a while but still continued to console me. He was genuinely caring for me, making sure I was ok. He didn't run out the door once I woke up. He stayed. We never let go from our hug, and out of complete exhaustion, I felt Nate drift off.

He didn't sign up for this.

Slowly, I shimmy out of his arms. Unconscious, he rolls over to his side with a sigh. His hair fell in his face. His unshaven jaw pushes into the pillow a little more as he tries to get comfortable. I glance at his right arm, resting on the side of his body. Red marks all around up where his t-shirt sleeve ends. I can't believe I did that. I must have been holding on so tight. I lean over Nate just a little and push his brown locks away from his eyes without waking him. He looks so peaceful right now and I notice I'm staring at him, watching him sleep.

There's no way I'm falling back asleep. I'm up for good now regardless of it being the middle of the night. I also don't want to wake the sleeping man in my bed with the light of the TV or my phone. I can't just sit here in silence in the dark. All I will end up doing is running through the facts in my head, and that is actually worse than my dreams.

Changing out of my previous attire and into a pair of black leggings, a T-shirt, and sneakers. I grab the book I borrowed from the hotel office area and a key. Before quietly leaving the room, I glance in the mirror. My eyes are still slightly swollen, along with my lips from crying. There's nothing I can do about it right now. I run my fingers through my hair and exit the room.

I just need a place with a little light to read. I know next to the lobby there's a large sitting area, with a fireplace, TV, a few chairs and tables and two couches. But how am I going to bypass the lobby to get there? I haven't seen James since... earlier. After the night I've had, I'm not sure I can handle seeing him now. Especially with my swollen mess of a face. His shift is the overnight shift. I know he's still working.

Bite the bullet, Julia. You still have many hours ahead of you .

The elevator doors open, and I get out, slowly heading down the hall to the dreaded lobby. My heart beats a little quicker, and I start to feel anxious.

"Hey."

I swivel to the voice behind me. Coming out of a supply closet, holding a pack of printer paper is James. Without looking directly at me, he leans in a little to talk quietly.

"What are you doing down here? You're not sleep walking, are you? The kitchen's closed Ma'am." He jokes with a smirk, straightens his back, and walks away from me back to the front desk. Still never making eye contact.

I can't help but feel a slight smile on my face. Nothing seems awkward. It's still the same joke cracking Zac Efron. I let out a sigh of relief and follow him, glad to have someone to entertain me. He doesn't really have a choice now, though, does he? His shift isn't over. His back is turned away as he fidgets with the printer. He must sense I'm still standing around. Continuing to load the paper, he starts chatting.

"So what brings you down here anyways, " Back turned to me still, "You get bored with your boyfriend already?"

"What? He's not -" I start but quickly get interrupted with the man clearly having issues with the printer, pressing random buttons while also trying to hold a conversation. His back straightens, and I can tell he's looking straight ahead at the wall or something.

"Don't even deny it, I saw Hollan walk in. He gave me a wave before heading straight to the elevator." James pauses, "There's no other reason for him to be here,"

I let James continue until he's ready to face me. "And......He hasn't come back down yet."

There's another pause. Ok. That probably doesn't look good. Clearly, I see this.

"It's none of my business anyways... I'm just -" he turns around to look at me. The expression on his face changes instantaneously.

"Are you ok?! Did something happen?" His voice rose two octaves higher. Right. My red swollen eyes and lips make it obvious I've been crying.

"No!" I cut James off fast. "God no.. Nothing happened. Seriously. I just had a bad dream and wanted to come down here to read." I set my book and key down on the counter I'm now leaning on.

"A bad dream. Right. " James sits in his swivel chair with disbelief written all over his face. None of this sounds believable.

"Yes, I'm dead serious, James, nothing happened."

I don't know what else to say. This night has been turned upside. I don't want to have to relive the details to explain what the last few hours looked like, but I need to clear the air before any rumors start. That's all Nate needs. Bad media attention.

"So why do you look like you've had a rough night, and why is Hollan still up there and you down here with me?" He scoffs . "Hmmm?" Swiveling in his chair like a child. "You know what, actually, don't tell me. I don't want to know the details. So long as you're being honest and you really are ok, that's all I care about, Julia. What you do with your time is not for me to know." James picks up his phone to scroll as a distraction.

"James..." Ok, now he's just going to ignore me? "Can I sit down here with you?" I look over to the vacant chair next to him behind the desk and back at Efron.

"Be my guest, but you're not getting paid..." He replies still looking down at his phone.

"I won't get you in trouble, though?"

James sighs and puts his phone near the computer as I walk around the desk to sit down.

"No, no one will be here for a few more hours. Besides, I've been here forever, and no one else wants this shitty shift.. I can do whatever."

"So why DO you work the overnight shift? Sometimes you're here by 6 pm relieving other staff early." There have been a handful of times I've seen James in this exact spot well before his shift begins. All I get is a shrug of the shoulder and slight swivel of his chair. I'm not going to get an answer. Ok. That's fine.

"Listen, James, we should talk about earlier." That got his attention.

"Hmm," His lips curve up into that same little smirk. "Yeah, we probably should..." he wheels his chair closer for our conversation.

"Did you mean to -" I start, but before I could finish my sentence, James leans in close.

I look up at him, stunned and confused when he moved so fast, to feel a hand on the side of my face. Once again, I feel like everything is in slow motion. My heart races when we make eye contact.

With one hand on the arm of my chair as he slowly leans over, the other holding the side of my face. I close my eyes for a second, feeling the warmth of his touch. Our lips connect, and I freeze for a second. My face feels hot, and my body feels on fire, yet I'm still frozen like a statue. He continues kissing me. And I let him.

I want to kiss him back. At the same time, I don't. I come to my senses and push him off me, disappointed with myself for not moving away faster, only to turn and feel my heart drop like a brick at what I see.

Nate.

Standing in the hall by the elevator. Eyes wide and dark. Staring right at us. His eyes darts back and forth to both James and I.

"NICE." is all I hear him say sarcastically before turning away and pressing the elevator button a few times in a row, waiting to go back in the elevator he just got out of. He watches the numbers impatiently, waiting for the elevators to reach the lobby level.

Fuck.

"Nate, wait!" I jump out of the chair and practically run to him, disregarding James completely.

*****

*Nate*

"No? Because it looks pretty obvious to me." I keep my eyes on the numbers . Why is the elevator taking so damn long?

I fucking can't believe this. I stay and help her through something, whatever the hell it was, and she goes downstairs to make out with an employee. That's just great. Fucking unbelievable is what it is.

But I can't make a scene. My face needs to stay calm in case anyone comes out of the elevator. I've been trained well over the years. Hold it in until you know for sure no one is near. One thing I'm sure of is I don't need to see this shit all over the internet in 2 hours. Twitter alone is notorious for getting news out in a flash.

Why do I even care? We are not together. I never let this shit get under my skin. Why is it any different with Julia? I don't know, but watching her kiss someone else... I suddenly want to punch a wall. Or that lad in the face. And I'm not a violent man. At all.

Hell, after this disaster of a night-
if she's gonna kiss anyone, she should be kissing me.

I press the elevator button again. Feeling Julia's eyes burning a hole in me. She picks up on it fast now, by my que of completely ignoring her, not to say anything until we are private. She's a smart woman. She must know this. Management always said, "Eyes and ears are everywhere."

The elevator door opens, and we both get in, Julia pressing the button while staring at me. We both wait for the door to shut completely, for some sort of privacy.

"I pushed him away, Nate, you HAVE to believe me. It was a mistake. He got the wrong impression, that's all. But I pushed him away..." Julia softly pleads her case.

I've been here before. I don't need this shit right now. But after everything that went down earlier, I felt the anger rising up to my face. I break my stare at the closed elevator door once I feel us going up.

"Nate..."

I lost it. In the small space with little room, I hover over her.

"God, Julia, I came down here to FIND YOU!" I yell, glaring down at her.

"Because I woke up and you were fucking gone and I was FUCKING WORRIED ABOUT YOU!"

I'm really yelling now and showing my temper. Christ.

Aware of my surroundings I lower my voice once the elevator stops and run my hand through my hair in frustration.

"You know what Julia, it doesn't even fucking matter.."

I take a deep breath and watch the elevator doors open . I can't help but quickly burst past Julia and walk out as fast as I can to room 427. I had pulled the latch inside the door out to keep the room unlocked since I didn't have a key. Once inside I start pacing. I need to pull myself together.

I need to calm down.

I can't be like this in a public place. I can't walk out of this room and show any emotion until I get home. It doesn't matter what time it is, day or night- it's too risky. Unlike a normal person, my every move is practically documented for the world to see and pick apart.. twisting each scene into whatever the hell they want to believe. Especially here in L.A. of all places.

I stop myself from pacing and sit on the couch, resting my arms on my knees , hanging my head low letting some of my hair fall in front of my face.

This entire night was a huge mistake . I notice I'm clench my jaw and my fists at the same time.

I should have fucking stayed home.

What's the plan Hollan......

Tomorrow is Friday. I'll cancel the session and go away for the weekend. I can get away missing one day. Trisha is good with coming up with excuses for me. Unfortunately, I know I can't run away for long. I'm stuck in this contract management had me sign. I know the way it works. I have no choice but to follow through with the remaining time I committed to. All of the obligations are clearly stated. It is a legally binding document with my signature on the bottom in agreement.

She's making me bend the rules.

*****

*Julia*

I storm into my room, letting the door slam behind me, not caring about the time of night. There he is, sitting on the chair next to the couch, leaning over with his elbows on his knees and head hanging low. The sight breaks me to pieces. I've already put him through hell tonight. Now this.

He didn't ask for any of this.

Unsure of what to do next, I walk to the chair and kneel on the floor in front of him to try to make eye contact. His hands are clasped together, elbows resting on his knees, which are spread apart. Eyes down out of my reach.

I sit down on my knees on the carpet, practically in between his own, and take both his hands into mine. He doesn't back away, but he doesn't move or look up at me either. The tension in the room is strong. I know I'm a disheveled mess, but I don't care. I need to fix this.

"Hey" I wait. No response. "Look at me...please. I pushed him away," I whisper, feeling that lump in my throat again. "Do you hear me?? It was a misunderstanding."

He doesn't budge. He continues looking down at the ground below him. Focusing on nothing. Completely ignoring me. I lift my hands off of his and slump down a little in defeat.

"You have to believe me, Nate. I didn't kiss him back. I pushed him away." I sniff, also now looking down at the floor for a few seconds before back up to him. With little hesitation, I swipe up the locks of hair that fell on his forehead, unsure what his reaction will be, but do it anyway. I continue to run my fingers through his hair slowly, brushing his locks away with my fingers. He doesn't move away, but again, he doesn't look up either.

"Nate...look at me."

I'm losing him. I didn't even know I had real feelings for him until now.

My other hand finds its way to his jawline, lightly rubbing my thumb back and forth, feeling the stubble on his cheek. I have the urge to comfort him, to make sure he knows what he saw wasn't what he thinks.

He raises his eyes up to me. They're dark. Showing so much anger and disappointment in them. Holding his stare, I repeat the same phrase once again in the smallest whisper.

"I pushed him away."

Nate grabs both my wrists to stop me from touching him and abruptly stands up, still holding on to them, roughly yanking me up with him, to make me stand to my feet as well. Unsure if he is going to forcefully drop my hands and walk out of here or hold on to them and stay, so I stand still and let him make the choice. He presses both my hands to his chest hard to feel his heart beating through his thin T-shirt and looks down at me, letting a few waves of brown hair fall back down.

Nate is the one to break the silence this time.

"For Chrissakes, Julia, do you feel what you do to me??"

I can feel his heart beating rapidly.

I stare into those blue eyes, not breaking eye contact. Is this his way of saying he also suddenly feels the same way as I do? He drops his hands off mine, but I keep mine on his chest, where he placed them, hoping he will stay.

"Nate.."

He still hasn't answered me if he believed that I really did stop James. He's just standing here, looking down at me, our distance just inches apart from each other.

My body is so close to him, but I feel so far away wondering what's going through his mind as he remains silent. His cologne is faded, but the scent still lingers on him. I can smell mint from gum he was, at some point, chewing. But his lips still not on mine.

I don't wait any longer.

With the 8 or 9-inch height difference suddenly feeling like 20, I reach up and place a hand on the nape of his neck to pull his head down to me, staring at his lips and parting my own. I brush my lips against his and begin to slowly kiss him, taking the chance that he wants this too. I feel his hands slide down to my hips, but his face remains emotionless.

He doesn't kiss me back.

I'm not giving up. Moving my own lips from his bottom lip, to his top lip and back down to his bottom slowly, waiting for a reaction. Internally begging to feel his lips come alive and move against mine. Without looking up at him, I kiss the corner of his mouth and back to lips again, So softly, I'm barely even touching his mouth.

I repeat it all one more time before I decide if I should give up and step out of his grip altogether.

Right as I think I'm making a mistake, Nate gives in. He starts moving his lips, softly kissing me back slowly, and then more passionately. His hands grip my hips a little, letting me know he wants this.

Thank God.

I realize that's why I didn't kiss James back. He wasn't the one I wanted. It was Nate. My whole body feels electric in this moment with his lips on mine and hands holding my hips. Without warning, Nate pulls me in entirely so my body is up against his. I realize he's still angry but quickens the pace, kissing my mouth then letting his lips travel down my neck, and back up to my lips, like he's been waiting for this all his life. Like he can't get enough. I feel his breath on my skin, lighting me on fire. His grip keeping my body in close to him.

I can feel every muscle of his against my body, his hardness is already growing and pressing against me. With his body against mine, he starts walking forward, mouth still on me as he is moving my body backwards, pushing me hard up against the wall behind me. I gasp in surprise, with his mouth still on mine and take a breath in the middle of his kiss.

He's pissed at me, and he's going to make me pay for this, isn't he...

His fingers are digging into my hips hard, knowing full well he's leaving marks to remind me later. He's mad, but... he's here. He open mouth kisses down my neck, not stopping to take one breath. He pulls my leg up to wrap around his waist and starts rocking his body into mine, making me ache for more. Everything about him feels so good, I can't control myself. My hands glide up and down his back and pull him in more. He works his way back up my neck to settle on my mouth again.

And then he stops.

I open my eyes in disappointment, trying to catch my breath, focused on his lips, unable to look up at him. In my head saying -Please don't end this here.-

Nate rests his forehead on mine and closes his eyes for what felt like eternity. With a deep inhale, the pressure of his grip holding my leg around him loosens, and he looks at my mouth.

"Nate." I try to get his attention, but he lets go of me, forcefully pulls my hands off of him, and pushes himself away. The intense coldness from the loss of him up against me is too much to handle.

"Wait.." I feel plastered to the wall. Unable to move. He says nothing.
Just turns and storms out of the room, letting the door slam loudly, echoing down the hall.

I'm left speechless, still up against the wall where he had me pinned 20 seconds ago, now unable to breathe.

I slide down the wall to hit the floor and stare straight ahead.

What the hell just happened...

*****

*Nate*

With less than 4 hours of sleep, I'm fully aware that today is going to be rough. Julia may be able to function on  little sleep, but I bloody can't.

"Would you like a refill, sir?" I realize I've zoned out in the café and snapped out of it.

"Please." I nod at the the waiter, and he proceeds to pour, now my third cup of coffee in an hour. I sit alone at an empty table in my favorite small café, mainly because it's across the street from Starbucks, so it doesn't get as much attention drawn to it. Very few customers come in and out, and I