Valerie P.O.V.

Two words.

Carter Bryson.

Carter Bryson was standing outside my apartment door.

"Hey Valerie," the fine-looking specimen said as he stepped inside, planting one hand on my hip and a kiss on my temple, as if this was a normally occurring, everyday thing.

I turned around to see him walk further into the apartment, casually observing his surroundings.

"Cute place, you should come decorate mine some time," he said, sending a light-hearted smile my way.

"What?" was all my blank mind could spit out.

He chuckled at my reply before walking over towards where I stood at the door.

"You ready to go?" he asked tilting his head to the side.

I scrunched up my face in question. Huh? Someone call the damn fire brigade to hose the flames burning down all my brain cells!!!

"You're cute when you make that face," he chuckled again as he tapped the tip of my nose.

"Carter, what are you doing here?" Finally. Only took you like 5 minutes to speak Valerie!

"I'm picking you up to take you to Kean's," he responded matter-of-factly.

"What?"

Wow okay. Now I'm back to a 2-yr old's vocabulary.

"Oh didn't Ellana tell you? Maybe check your phone."

Of course. A text was sitting unopened in my inbox from Ellana, saying that she had stayed the night at Kean's house, so she would already be there before the party and if I could please pack her yellow bikinis and some clothes, that would be great. Oh, and one last thing; "P.S. Carter is coming to get you." I hadn't checked my phone since this morning because I was working and it was now almost 3pm. Major face-palm.

"Right, sorry haha," I mumbled nervously. Now that I think about it, he was standing in a stripey shirt and a pair of navy swimming shorts... "Give me a moment, and um... take a seat on the sofa! I'll be out soon." I basically shoved him into the direction of the living room and ran into my bedroom.

I flung on a mint-coloured bikini, some blue denim cut-offs and a cropped graphic tee, before slapping on some SPF tinted moisturiser and chapstick which I also shoved into a bag for Ellana's use. I grabbed two towels and an outfit for Ellana before slipping on some slides and skipped out into the living room.

"Okay I'm done," I said, puffing out a breath. Standing up from the sofa, he gave me a once over before snatching the bag straight out of my hands.

"Let me carry this for you Madame," he said, giving me a boyish grin.

"Like you even gave me a choice!" I playfully scoffed. I couldn't help but feel my heart swell at how kind of adorable it was, and the way he did it was oh so Carter-like.

~

We pulled up to the same gigantic house that previously held Carter's birthday party. It turns out that this was Alec's parents' house, but Alec and Kean both lived here as it was close to Hollywood and they grew up together as family friends.

"Sup Carter, nice to see you again Valerie," Alec said cheerily, giving us a head nod, as we stepped into the living room.

"Hey Alec," I grinned, happy to see a friendly face. Loud, bouncing steps drew closer as Kean and Ell rounded the corner looking extra jolly.

"Happy Birthday!" I greeted Kean with a big smile.

"Thanks Val," he grinned, giving me a quick hug, before Ell came skipping over to say hello.

"Aye it's your birthday old man!" Carter shouted boisterously, before handing Kean a gift and a friendly slap on the back.

"I'm not that old," he shook his head amusedly.

"Still older than all of us daddy," Alec teased lightheartedly with a wink as we burst into laughter.

After the greetings wrapped up, Ellana decided to promptly steal me away. I threw Carter a "guess I'll see you later," look as she dragged me arm in arm up the staircase and into one of the guest bedrooms, so she could change and gossip about her night. I didn't want to go into Kean's room. Period. Beats echoed throughout the house from the large speakers as we headed back downstairs to help the boys whom were busy setting up the party.

I was designated to kitchen duty. Don't worry, I would totally protest against this misogynistic stereotype, but Ellana was assigned to organise pool toys and outdoor furniture, whilst Alec and Carter set up the place and Kean did an alcohol and catering run. It was fair.

After prepping a ton of fruits up as snacks, I proceeded to plate up some lemon and lime slices I had cut for the drinks, when two toned arms slid their way around my waist, and a firm chest pressed to my back. I spun around to face the prime suspect, otherwise known as Carter.

"Hi there," I said softly, looking up to his enchanting eyes.

His tall frame overshadowed mine, as he gripped the counters on both sides of me, effectively caging me in.

"You know I've been thinking about you Valerie," he whispered huskily as his pupils dilated, dimming the golden orbs.

I've been hypnotised.

"Me too," I murmured under my breath, leaning forward to wrap my arms around his neck, as my eyes lowered towards his lips, dreaming of their touch. He lifted me up gently by the waist and sat me on the counter before leaning closer, so close that our breaths mingled and my eyes began to drift to a close.

"HEY Cart..." a loud voice boomed from behind us before dropping off. I abruptly pulled back from Carter as if he was on fire, turning red in embarrassment at being caught in a very interesting position.

I didn't even have being intoxicated as an excuse! It's like I'm now totally infatuated after just one kiss.

"Err, well, carry on," the boy said, fighting back a grin. "Valerie." He nodded. "Carter." He nodded once again in acknowledgement with an evil smirk before scrambling away.

"Sorry that was Xavier," Carter explained with a laugh. "He's a good friend of mine."

Ohh, so that was Xavier.

"That's okay," I squeaked, my lips pressing into an awkward attempt at a smile. "I should take these out now," I motioned to the platters, quickly stacking them in my hands before hightailing it out of there. Letting out a deep sigh, I decided to make myself a drink to get rid of the crazy jitters I was feeling.

What am I doing?

~

Summer was in full swing. The dazzling L.A sun was as bright and hot as ever, shining high in the cloudless blue skies. A ton of young, beautiful people were splashing about in the pool, laughing boisterously and freely as drinks were flowing and music was playing. The vibes were effervescent.

I decided I was going to take a dip in the pool, the heat of the sun and the burn of the alcohol in my body was turning me into a sweaty mess. I pulled off my shirt over my head and discarded it, before unzipping my shorts and wiggled it down my legs. Glancing up, I noticed Carter had his gaze on me, travelling down my body before licking his lip and biting down on it. I visibly gulped as I returned the favour by eyeing his shirtless chest. The Hawaiian sunshine had given his complexion a nice golden tan, and drops of water drizzled down his sculpted torso, making his skin glisten under the sun's rays. I don't often curse, but fuck. I felt completely flustered by just looking at his glorious body. Pulling away from the growing magnetism between us, I ran and dived into the pool, relishing in the cooling effect of the water.

The party raged on as we watched the day set into night, and more guests continued to spill in and join the fun. I was feeling incredibly stress-free and upbeat, thanks to being a couple of margheritas deep. What can I say? I was on break from college and I wanted to celebrate the end of another semester, so I loosened the reins a little for tonight.

"LET'S TAKE SOME SHOTSSS!" Xavier bellowed, dragging Sommer with him as a bunch of people followed suit.

"Whelp, if I'm going, you're going!" Sommer wrapped her hands around my arm as I stumbled after her to join the others at the bar.

"Ever take a body shot Val?" Alexys teased from beside me, holding up some shot glasses.

"Nope, but here's to nothing!" I cheered daringly as I took one from her and grabbed the other essentials. I may or may not be quite tipsy... how hard can it be though right?!

I slowly wet the space between Alexys' neck and collarbone with my mouth, staring straight into Carter's eyes whilst doing so.

I felt dangerous tonight.

I picked up the salt and sprinkled it generously onto the moistened patch as she held a lemon wedge between her lips. I then licked up the salt, threw the tequila shot back and clasped onto the tip of the lemon wedge with my teeth, removing it from her hold before sucking it in, letting the juice coat my tongue to counter the taste. A chorus of whoops and wolf whistles erupted from our audience, as another line of shots were poured.

"Damn Val, you're a bad B," Alec chuckled as he gave me an appreciate high five, before I grabbed another glass and downed the pink liquor. Oh that one was sweet!

Carter strode over quickly, took my hand and yanked me away from the crowd to the inside of the house. I'm being manhandled a lot today... two times of which, were actually by girls in fact...

"Do I get a turn?" he murmured as he loomed over me.

I trailed a finger down his chest. "Hmm, I don't know handsome..." I purred, "you might have to convince me." I winked at him and giggled obnoxiously. Who am I?! It's like I turned into this confident bold vixen overnight. Or maybe it's the tequila speaking.

He studied me for a second before changing his tone into that of amusement. "I think you're a little bit drunk, gorgeous," he remarked.

"What! noooo.... I had like maybe only one shot... or two," I slurred, holding up a few fingers, I think it was two?

"Come on, I think we should get you home," he shook his head at me.

"But... but, we can't! We didn't blow out the cake Carter!!!" I whined, horrified at the thought of missing out on some dessert.

"We already did Val, like three hours ago," he chuckled. Wait what? We did? Oh yeah, you got Ell to cut you a big slice. Huh. Shit. Am I drunk?

"Oh what's the time?" I frowned confusedly.

"It's midnight." He chuckled.

"Ohhhhh," that tidbit of information registered in my foggy brain. "Yeah it's late! We've been partying since the afternoon!"

"Yes," he acknowledged amusedly, taking my arm.

Carter helped me up into his car and buckled my seatbelt in before leaving. We arrived back to my apartment, and always being the absolute gentleman that he is, accompanied me up to the door.

Unfortunately, however, the universe was playing tricks on me. After realising we couldn't get in because I forgot to bring my keys during the mad dash to pack this afternoon, Carter had said he'd take me to his and blabbed on about something I don't recall...something about spare water... I nodded without a fight. I didn't really care. I was pretty drunk and tired. I just wanted to sleep in a big comfy bed.

~

A gentle rocking motion awoke me from my peaceful slumber. Slipping in and out of consciousness, I half blinked my eyes open to see why I felt like I was moving in my toasty cocoon.

"Shh, sleep princess," a deep familiar voice coaxed.

"Carter?" I mumbled incoherently.

"Mhmm we're almost there." After a few moments and a bit of rattling with the door, he laid me out on a soft comfy surface, to which I let out a big stretch and a groan.

"Here drink this," he whispered as he handed me a bottle of water. I guzzled it down eagerly, feeling it soothe my scratchy throat before flopping back down on the bed. He walked over into the closet and ruffled around before coming out in a clean set of clothes and a T-shirt in his hands.

"Do you want to change?" he asked me quietly coming over to sit on the bed. Closing my eyes, I wordlessly nodded my head and raised my two arms up. Taking that as a cue, he helped me remove my tee and slid his shirt gently over my bikini clad body, pulling it down to its full length. I then went to go unzip my shorts, tugging them down my legs haphazardly, before kicking them off fully. I curled up to my side in bed to try and get comfortable.

"Good night Val." He said, softly kissing my forehead and got up from the bed.

"Wait... will you stay with me please Carter?" I whispered as he stopped and turned around at the door. "Until I fall asleep again? This room is so big and empty." I timidly asked, peering up at him.

"Yeah... of course."