Falling Stars (Starstruck Series Book 2) (6 page)

“After-after party at my house, darling; you should come.”  Christian’s presence was so slimy. She wanted nothing to do with him.

“No. I’m good, Christian.”

“What’s that mean now, love? You too busy for a little shindig at my place? Come on, it’s the after-after party.”

“I heard you the first time.”

“Easy, love.”  Christian raised his eyebrows.

“It means …” Logan finished off his drink. “It means she’s not going tonight, Chris.  She’s got a trip to plan.
She’s good
.”

“Logan, don’t do this.”  Alisa pleaded, speaking a million words in one glance.  There was no way she wanted to leave on such terrible terms.  

“Have a good flight.”  He said sternly.  Logan’s features were so cold.

She was chilled to the bone.  To her, the room was void of anyone except her and Logan at that moment, and she was fixated on him walking away.  Each step he took away from her tugged so hard on her heart she felt it breaking.  It took everything in her to maintain her composure and stay on her feet, but inside she was dying.  She hated this.  He was walking away from her, leaving her feeling numb.

What had she done? Nothing. But it was exactly that,
nothing
.  Withholding something important to him had pissed him off, and now he was gone.  Alisa couldn’t even state her case.  He probably wouldn’t hear it anyway.

Evie gulped.  “I’m so … so sorry.”

Chapter Five

Two hours at the party and one hour of packing later, Alisa was at LAX getting ready to leave.  She religiously checked her phone, only to catch a handful of apologetic texts from Evie and a gloating text of “you’re missing out” from Christian. He even sent her pictures.  Ray, Joann, Dawn, and her mother wished her a safe flight out.

Unfortunately, there was nothing from Logan.

TMZ was all over it, though; leaked photos from the party attendees with the headlines about trouble in paradise littered her twitter feed with some angry and jealous fans chiming in with some choice words she would have done better not seeing. God, she hated the internet sometimes.

It was a long walk from the terminal into the plane, so when she took her seat, she immediately buckled in and closed her eyes.  It was only a little bit until takeoff, and Alisa didn’t feel like talking to Evan, not now. She had never flown First Class before, and the accommodations were a dream.  The lighting was dim, but Alisa managed to jot down a few ideas on her notepad while everyone was reclined, sleeping, or fiddling around on their tablets.

As nervous as she was flying alone, Alisa felt the flight over was a breeze.  Having slept through most of it, Alisa’s main goal was to leave for the hotel, and quickly.  Luckily for her, she was a smart traveler and only had her 2 carry-ons with her, so she didn’t have to wait at the carousel.  They were only going to be in the city for a week.  A couple of fans stopped her along the way, with whom she gladly took pictures.  The hustle of the New York pace hit her suddenly as she made her way to the pick-up area outside JFK. She held her bags tightly and looked from side to side.  It was nearing 7:00 a.m., and the city was already wide awake.

It was a lot to take in, but she needed to keep up.  Throwing her hand in the air, she hailed the next taxi coming her way, and to her surprise, they stopped.  Alisa jumped in without hesitation.

“Hold the taxi!”

Ultimately, she was afraid she would get shoved into a taxi with a complete stranger on her first cab ride in the big city.  However, Alisa noted that the man who jumped in with her was no stranger at all.

“Thought you could get away from me that easy?”

Alisa said nothing.  She had no intentions of talking to Evan, not yet at least, so she remained silent.

“Where to, miss?”  The cab driver, who had Bob Marley stickers along the partition on the passenger side, puffed on his cigarette before tossing it out the window.

Before Alisa could answer, Evan chimed in and gave the address to the driver.  She sat back quietly.  She had nothing to say to her companion, and quite frankly, she just wanted to take in the sights in peace.  Alisa was grateful that the ride over was quiet, other than the instrumental reggae music playing through the cab speakers.  The driver hummed along to the tunes.

It wasn’t until the cab started over the bridge into Manhattan that Alisa’s eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning.  The sun, from what you could see of it as it started to rise, illuminated the high-rise buildings unlike anything she had ever seen.  Over the last year or so, she had grown accustomed to the view in Los Angeles, but it was very different here.  Her heart was in overdrive.  It was such a dream come true, and uplifting, considering the night she had just been through.

“How’d you enjoy the flight?” Evan finally spoke up.

She refrained from giving an answer.

“Me? You know, coach wasn’t so bad.  I usually fly First Class, but since we had to fly out so quickly, this flight was all booked up, and I had to offer up my first class seat.  I enjoyed the snack. Listened to some music.  My phone is pretty old, so it died in the middle of my favorite playlist … kind of a bummer.”

   She couldn’t help but smile.

“There she is.”  Evan smiled, looking over at Alisa rather than out the window.

“What?”  Alisa cracked, arching a brow at the overly outspoken director.

There was apology written all over his face.  Figuring that he may have cracked through the ice of her resentment and silence, Evan just pointed out the window, knowing how ecstatic she was over her new surroundings.  “Welcome to New York City, sweetheart.”

“Aha, is it yer first time here in de city, miss?”  The cab driver finally decided to speak.   Alisa could tell by the inflections in his voice that he was amused by her awe.

Alisa mustered a nod, her eyes bugging out like a kid in a candy store.

“Let me be de first native to welcome you, den.  Just don’t believe everythin’ you see on the television, though sometimes it comes pretty damn close.”  He was a jovial sort, smiling from ear to ear.  If she ran into people half as kind as he was, she would be set, but she knew that wasn’t the case.

After exchanging a glance with Evan, she looked at the cabbie and smiled.  “Thank you, sir.”

“No need fer thankin’ me, and no need fer formalities, mum. I am no sir.”

“You are to me, sir, and thank you for your warm welcome.” Alisa boldly replied.  There was a similar exchange in an older movie she’d watched, and she went for it.  The scene she was in mirrored the movie so well; she had a hard time telling fiction from reality.

They reached their hotel just outside of Times Square.  Their cab driver took the fare and helped them unload their bags onto the sidewalk.  When they opened the door, she heard the roar of the street just outside, horns honking, sirens blaring, people chattering everywhere.  It was definitely like the movie she’d seen.

“Just down the street ‘ere is a nice little restaurant, be servin’ I-talian food with no rival.  Up de street you’ll find a few nice romantic sights, and if you feel up to a stroll in Central Park, it’s just around de corner ‘ere.  Are you two on a vacation or maybe yer honeymoon, then?”

Looking over at the driver with wide eyes, she was instantly dumbfounded.

Evan cleared his throat, “Not exactly, sir.  We’re here for a few days on business.”

He laughed a hearty laugh, “Okay den, yer business is yer business, son.  No matter what you do, enjoy yourselves, please.  Enjoy the city.  Have a blessed time here in New York, then? Take care.”

When the driver took off, Alisa was left standing there awkwardly.  Evan was holding his bags and even courteous enough to take Alisa’s bags, other than her purse.  There was an uneasy silence before they both began to talk at the same time.

“I guess we should
   
”                                   “That was interesting.”

“Time to check in?”                                         “Do you want to
  
?”

“Okay you go first.”                                        “Okay you go first.”

After a second, the two broke into laughter, breaking through the glacial barrier that had been exponentially growing between them since their first meeting.

“Let’s get inside.” Helping her with her bags, Evan got them all checked in at the front desk.

Alisa was amazed not only by the exterior, and what she had seen out on the street, but by the interior of the hotel as well.  It was the most extravagant hotel she had ever seen.  The decorations, the lighting, the well-dressed staff, the structure and design … everything was so exquisite, she had found no other word to describe it other than amazing.

Ultimately, the swanky hotel instantly made her think of her dear friend, Alex Santos.  He once worked at a fancy hotel in Los Angeles, where she’d met him during her early days with Logan.  He became involved in her life while Logan was in pursuit, and he came to know the others from the show, including his now-boyfriend, John Damien.

I’m in New York!
Alisa sent him a text, slipping her phone into her pocket as she boarded the elevator with Evan walking in beside her.

“Who’s Alex?”  He peeked over at her phone before she put it away.

Alisa offered a mock-annoyed glance at her spy before she gave up her answer: “An old friend.”

“Ah.  An old
boyfriend
?”  Evan was surely reaching.

“Jealous?”

“Curious.”

She snickered.  “Something like that.  I haven’t seen him or his partner in a long time.  He and John came out here to vacation for a few months.  John was … or is my assistant?”  She wasn’t sure anymore.  John had ‘left the nest’ to pursue screenwriting and ended up with another production company for the better part of the last year. Alisa had managed to wrangle him in as her assistant while he was assisting for Logan, and when he left, she lost touch.

“An assistant?  Fancy.”  Surprisingly, he seemed intrigued by this news.  Maybe to hear that her close friend was gay, or that she had an assistant. “Ah, here we are.  14th floor.”

The elevator bell rang on cue, and the doors slid open, revealing an incredibly majestic sight.  A speechless Alisa was awestruck at how wondrous this hotel truly was.  It was historic, comfortable, beautiful, and so many other descriptions she couldn’t find in her mind.

“You’re right here, and I’m across the hall.” Evan handed her the key to her room and pointed at both doors accordingly.

It came as a surprise to her, however, as she half-expected him to book a single room. He seemed that type.  She opened the door, and he stepped in only a few feet to set her luggage down and stopped.  Evan knew Alisa would be blown away for a third time by the room, so he just let her explore.

And explore, she did.

Her first instinct was to open the curtain, and with that, she looked over the city, more than ten floors below her.  It was a good thing she wasn’t afraid of heights because the view was stunning.  Looking at the sunrise hit the high-rise buildings was marvelous, and Alisa had to take a few minutes to enjoy it.  She folded one arm over her chest and the other hand reached up to her neck, holding tightly to the pendant she was wearing.  It was a gift her mother gave her a few years ago, which she wore every time she traveled out of the city.  Her fingers absently brushed over the stone as she breathed in and out slowly.  Part of her couldn’t believe it.  Alisa was actually in New York City.

“Ahem.”  Evan stood at least two or three feet behind her.  “Well, I guess I’ll let you get some rest.  You had a long night.”

Alisa didn’t turn, but she looked down and off to the side where she could see him in her peripheral vision.  Indeed, she had one of the longest nights of her life, it seemed.  Even with the hour or so she managed to sleep on the flight over, she was still exhausted.

“Rest up, and if you need anything, you know where to find me.”  His footsteps were light, though audible, as he retreated towards the entrance.

“Evan.”  Alisa spoke up, making him turn heel to face her once again.

His piercing blue eyes were so pale against the sun peeking through the hotel window.  “Hmm?”

A faint smile graced her lips, one of the first genuine smiles she could offer the director.  “Thank you.”

With a nod, he grinned, though this time it wasn’t the cocky grin she could not stand.  It was a genuine smile.  “Get some sleep, princess.”

***

It was hard to sleep.  

The television was on and the volume lowered to 3.  The voices were faint, and the soft buzzing of the TV set was all that was keeping her company.  She was restless and tossed and turned in her bed.  It wasn’t that the pillow wasn’t fluffy enough or the linens weren’t inviting enough.  Alisa had already spent a good part of the morning in tears as she idly fiddled with her wedding ring.  

It was 1:00 p.m., and she had just gotten out of a nice warm bath, when she heard the faint vibration of her phone on the bathroom counter.

I’m really sorry about last night.

It was Evan.

Alisa wasn’t sure how she wanted to respond.  She left the message open, got changed, and was blow drying her hair when she heard it go off again.

I understand if you hate me.

Again, she left it alone.  She harbored a lot of ill feelings against Evan for being the way he was.  She was so mentally and emotionally exhausted; there was nothing he could say to her at that moment which would ease her pain.  

Once she was satisfied with what little makeup she applied, Alisa propped herself back in bed with her laptop, ready to jot down more notes for her newest novel.  She was in the outlining phase of the story; a new supernatural drama, and the characters were almost all thought out.  

I hope you’re okay. :/

As she was retrieving her phone to answer, it rang in her hands.  Much to Alisa’s surprise, it was Alex.

“Well hello, babe!”  Her face immediately lit up as she answered.

“Do you know how amazing it is to hear from you?”  Alex squealed.

“How have you been?”

“Wonderful!  I have so much to tell you. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming into town sooner?”  Alex spoke quickly, and Alisa could tell he was just as excited as she was to finally be back in contact.

“I’m sorry, sweetie, I barely found out yesterday morning and … well, everything has been kind of a rush since then.  How are you?”

“I’m fantastic! I miss your face. How long are you in town, and can we meet?”