Carter P.O.V

I just finished up having lunch at Urth Caffé with Lacey; an old mutual friend of Sommer's and I, before hopping in my car to drive to Kean's. She reached out to me last week asking to meet up, and since we all used to hang out together in our early L.A days, I thought it would be nice to catch up. I don't really keep in contact with her and we don't run in the same circles any longer, it's just what happens when you grow up over time and go on to do different things. I believe Sommer doesn't speak to her either.

I pulled up to the house and let myself in as usual. It was nice and quiet, Alec was probably down in the studio working on some new music, and his parents weren't here often as they were constantly travelling. This place was basically a large bachelor pad and party venue.

"Hey, what's up Carter?" Kean asked, giving me a bro handshake as I came in to the rec room.

We were going to chill for the afternoon and probably play video games, before heading to Ellana and Val's apartment for dinner. It'd been a while since we'd spent quality time hanging out together, as he had a busy filming schedule.

"Same old, I went to Miami last week to do a photoshoot and then I collaborated with Jason Kaye while I was there as well." I said, sitting down on a bean bag on the floor.

"Oh sick, he's a good videographer." Kean nodded before turning on the PlayStation and TV, collapsing on the bean bag next to me.

"Yeah he's awesome. How's work? This is the final season right?" I asked him as he handed me a controller.

"Yeah, the first episode of the season is airing like next week. There's a celebration for the cast & crew, you should be my plus one, pretty sure Ell's asking Valerie."

"Yeah I'll talk to Val and see if I'm free," I nodded my head. "So... what's going on with you and Ellana now?" I smirked at him from the corner of my eye.

Kean was a bit of a womaniser in his early teenage days, so it was nice to see him start to form more serious relationships. He was a good guy and deserved someone who understood and supported him.

"We're officially dating..." he replied modestly.

I turned around to face him in surprise. "What?! Happy for you dude. She seems really nice."

"Thanks, she's fucking awesome!" he grinned as we fist bumped each other.

I know the feeling.

"So.... you know since I know Ell... which is how you met Val, that means I'm totally like Cupid." Kean remarked with a pleased smile, as we started up the game and selected our characters- just like the good ol' days.

"Yeah yeah I'm aware," I chuckled, twiddling my thumbs on the controller.

"So is this thing between you guys legit? Or is the expiration date coming up cause you've become uninterested?" he raised an eyebrow at me questioningly.

I thought about it for a moment as I absentmindedly moved my player around, shooting the bad guys. I haven't been invested in someone else in a long time...

"It's definitely legit. Well I hope she thinks so too... and I mean I don't know what's going to happen in the future, but I don't see myself losing interest in her anytime soon." I concluded thoughtfully.

I'm definitely infatuated, but it hasn't been that long, could this infatuation quickly fade over time? I really don't see that happening with her though. She was just so different to anyone I'd ever met. Whatever I felt, had to be more than infatuation, much more. It felt too real, especially in a place where connections can be all too fake and short-lived.

"That's good then, Carter. You tend to drop girls, although in a nice, friendly way, you drop them quite quickly after a few weeks," Kean noted interestingly, whilst watching the game on the screen.

I cringed a little bit, that made me sound like terrible person, but I mean I didn't wanna lead anyone on, or waste anyone's time. There's someone out there in the world that would be better for them than me.

"Yeah haha... I do make it clear to them at the start that I don't want a relationship. I just wanna see if we'd get along really." I chuckled as I ran my hands through my hair.

"That's fair," he chuckled amusedly. "I think Valerie's good for you though. She seems very genuine, and unlike the other girls you've dated in the past... they were some real pieces of work," he nodded his head slowly with widened his eyes, as we both reflected on some of the not so nice girls I've been with. They seemed cool until you get to know them, and then their true colors and intentions come out.

"Tell me about it," I laughed, shaking my head in shame at falling for the act, as he slapped me on the back and chuckled.

~

Valerie P.O.V.

"Taste this Ell!" I took a small spoonful of the mince and three-bean mixture I had been sauteeing and reached over to pop it into her mouth.

"Oh wow that actually turned out so good!" she nodded enthusiastically, whilst chopping up the avocados.

"Yeah I know right, turkey isn't too bad as a substitute for beef." I wasn't vegetarian or vegan, but I had been trying to refrain from eating any sort of red meat and mostly stuck to poultry and seafood.

"Sweet! I can totally shove the fact that we can cook in Kean's face," she grinned wickedly.

"You know, he probably only teased you just so he could get you to cook for him." I noted with one eyebrow raised at her sprinkling in some seasoning.

"Yeah maybe... but it will be good to prove him wrong! Also, I can show him I am totes no basic L.A girl! People can't just post-mate meals when we live in a random town called Spackenkill. I am like wifey material." she ranted sassily, squeezing in some lemon juice a little aggressively.

"You are in no way average Ell," I reassured her, amused at the way she was furiously whipping up the guacamole. We were having Mexican tonight, tacos in particular. We set up our small dining table with all the essentials; sour cream, salsa, shredded cheese, pico de gallo, lettuce, beans and the hot mince all ready to go in colourful little bowls.

"Okay! Ze guac is ready and so are the corn tortillas! Yummm!" Ell cheered, bringing over the last two ingredients.

"Looks amazing." I commented appreciatively whilst she grabbed her phone to take a snapchat of the mouthwatering spread.

Moments later, there was the sound of tapping on our front door.

"OH I'll get that!" Ell skipped over towards our living room.

Kean stepped inside, greeting Ell with a big hug and a kiss on the lips, before Carter came in to give her a hug hello. Like always, my heart literally stopped at the sight of Carter. I've been listening to his words over in my head about not letting things get to me, he was so sweet about it. I just needed a bit more time to fully let it sink in. For now, I'll try to be unaffected.

"So what'd you make me?" he smirked, tugging me against his chest.

"It wasn't for you. It was for Kean." I said, nodding over to him, as he waved hello before walking past us to the dining table with Ell. "You're just lucky I invited you." I poked my tongue at the boy holding me by the hips tightly with an unimpressed scowl.

"Ouch, you don't play nice," he feigned hurt, as I tried to escape his grasp on me.

"Come on Carter, let's go have dinner," I chuckled a little too pleased with myself, feeling like I've one-upped him here.

"Okayyy," he let me go with a slight smirk, before I turned around. "Mmm, I can't wait to have a taste," he bent down to whisper against the shell of my ear as I walked away.

I sucked in a breath and almost tripped over the floor. Was it just me? Or was there a clear double meaning behind his words. Note to self, Carter literally always has the upper hand.

"Everything looks and smells delicious, I can't wait to dig in." Kean remarked with an impressed grin, as Carter and I came over to seat ourselves at the table.

"Told ya, Val and I are like Master Chefs together honestly," Ell leaned back with her arms crossed over her chest and a proud grin adorning her face.

"Yep." I nodded in agreement, before we got to constructing our tacos.

The trick with tacos, is that you can't overfill them too much or it all falls apart when you go in for a bite.

"Okay... I see I've been hanging out with the wrong people. You do know how to cook well." Kean admitted with a moan, after taking a huge bite out of his taco.

"Thank you." Ell turned up her chin smugly at his confession.

He swung an arm over her chair, before going to nuzzle her affectionately with his nose. "Sorry baby," he smiled sheepishly, earning a small giggle from Ell.

Carter and I shared a knowing look at our two best friends. They were so incredibly cute.

"What's that now mister? number 5?" Ell raised an eyebrow at her boyfriend amusedly.

"Yeah, I'm addicted." Kean replied with a chuckle, dusting off his hands on the napkins.

"I think I did 4." Carter added, "They were really good," he turned to face me with a smile, placing a hand on my thigh under the table. He had a habit of doing that, but I'm not complaining.

"Not bad fellas... one time Val got to 6," Ell boasted, looking at me with a wink.

"Woah nice!" Kean commented surprisingly, whilst Carter just raised his eyebrows at me as if to ask, what else can you do?

"Yeah I hadn't eaten all day and they are definitely addictive," I shrugged with a chuckle.

Carter leant over to murmur quietly in my ear. "I like girls with a big appetite," he said under his breath, squeezing my thigh. I froze at the contact, before proceeding to act like nothing happened. I swear, that was another double meaning. He was being very cheeky tonight, and I was actually pretty grateful for the light-heartedness because it brought out that playful side in me too.

"I respect that." Kean nodded, and gave me a high five, as Ell and I giggled at each other. It's definitely a good sign when you can get along well with your best friend's significant other.

Carter softly drew patterns with his hand on my inner thigh, sending what felt like millions of tiny sparks all throughout that region. I bit my lip and glanced over to him out of the corner of my eye, witnessing the smug look in his eyes. I subtly shifted my arm and popped my hand on his sturdy legs, resting it there.

Two can play at this game.

"So how was... Miami, right Carter?" Ell asked.

"Yeah, that's right, I just got back like two days ago," Carter nodded.

I firmly palmed my hands from side to side across the width of his leg, sipping casually from my drink of water as he shifted in his seat.

"Yeah.. It was fun, super hot weather and there's like people partying all the time on the beaches in summer there..." he chuckled, drawing his hand up my thigh in retaliation. I clamped my legs together to stop him from going any further into dangerous territory.

"Is it like that movie Bad Grandpa?" Ell questioned interestedly, oblivious to our actions.

I moved my hands further up in response to his, closer to the inside of his thigh. Too bad boys sit with their legs stretched wide open.

What a shame.

Carter cleared his throat before speaking. "Nah it's not that extreme, but it was still quite busy." He withdrew his hand from my leg and clamped it over my moving hand tightly, bringing it to a firm stop. I fought back the huge smirk creeping onto my face. I definitely won.

"We should go on a fun road trip one day," Ell turned to Kean excitedly.

"Sure thing," he smiled back.

The two boys offered to help us pack up and clean everything away before we said our goodbyes for the night. Where on earth do these people come from seriously? They weren't what you would typically expect from handsome, young men in this day and age. It definitely restored my hope in humanity. There are nice guys still out there.

"What am I going to do with you Val?" Carter said, shaking his head at me.

"You started it." I grinned before pecking him on the lips. He pulled me back into him, before continuing the kiss, moving his lips slowly against mine.

"Night gorgeous," he murmured between kisses, "thank you for cooking," he kissed me one last time before finally drawing back.

"Thankyou for dinner Ell," he nodded over to Ellana before stepping outside.

"Yeah, thankyou for dinner again!" Kean added, as they left the apartment.

Well I think that was a successful night.