Gravity Happens (Forcing Gravity)

by Alexander, Monica

  He was the worst with bad jokes, but Nora had laughed, so he’d elicited the response he wanted from her, and I knew that made him proud.

  “Can we help at all?” Nora asked.

  “Oh no, we’re fine in here. Tom’s finishing up the bacon, but other than that everything’s done. E, there’s orange juice outside and coffee, so help yourself to whatever you want and whatever Nora wants.”

  “No Bloody Mary’s?” I asked, and my mother shot me a look. She knew I drank, but she didn’t like it, and she didn’t condone it.

  “No,” she said crisply.

  “I’d love some coffee,” Nora said to me then.

  “Okay, we’ll be outside getting non-alcoholic beverages,” I said to my mom, and she shot me a look.

  “Lovely. While you’re out there, can you tell your brother I need to talk to him, so if he could come in here, I’d appreciate it,” she said coolly.

  “Ooh, what did he do?”

  “Nothing you need to be concerned about. Mind your own business unless you have something to confess,” she said, talking to me like she had when I was little.

  It was her tone that had always made me tell her things I wanted to keep secret, like the time I’d broken a vase in the living room or the time I’d dropped a few dozen army men into the toilet in the spare bathroom that no one ever used because I was having them parachute into the ocean and ended up clogging the toilet. I’d confessed and gotten grounded. Her tone always got to me, but I’d learned my lesson over the years.

  “Nope, nothing to confess. I’m an angel.”

  “Yeah, I don’t buy that for a second,” my mother said. “You were always my devil child. You’re lucky Nora puts up with you.”

  “She thinks I’m angelic,” I told my mom, and I put my arm around Nora.

  They both laughed.

  “That’s what I thought,” my mother said, as I started to lead Nora back outside.

  “Your parents are nice,” she whispered to me.

  “I told you.”

  “My dad won’t be that nice,” she cautioned, and I swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in my throat.

  “Great. Hey, Gare!”

  Garrett looked up from where he was talking to Devin at the table. “Yeah?”

  “Mom wants you.”

  “Ooh, what did you do?” Kelly asked, taking a seat on Devin’s lap. We all knew too well what it meant when our mom called us inside.

  Garrett sighed. “I might have knocked over her Ohio State garden gnome when I parked this morning. And she might have just found out.”

  I laughed out loud. “You knocked over Buckeye? Did you hurt him?”

  We all knew how much our mother loved all things Ohio State since she’d gone to school there, and her garden gnome, nicknamed Buckeye by all of us, had been around for years. She was going to kill Garrett if anything happened to him.

  Garrett sighed. “I decapitated him,” he said, and we all laughed. We couldn’t help it. It was a fucking lawn ornament, and my mom was attached to it. “I already ordered her another one online, and I’ve got a guy who’s going to fix Buckeye just in case she doesn’t like the new one.”

  “Smart man,” Devin commented, as Garrett headed inside to grovel.

  I reached across the table and poured coffee into two cups. I added sugar and cream to mine and just cream to Nora’s, handing it to her.

  “He knows how you take your coffee,” Kelly commented as Nora took a sip from the cup I’d handed to her. “Impressive. How long have you two been dating?”

  I looked at Nora. I wasn’t sure what the official timeline was. Were we counting from the first time we’d kissed or when she’d asked me to be exclusive?

  “About a month,” she said, smiling behind her coffee cup.

  Kelly nodded. “That’s a record for E, so nice job.”

  “Thank you,” Nora said, nodding once.

  I figured she was pretty proud of herself, but then she reached over and kissed my cheek, taking a few seconds to whisper in my ear.

  “I’m just glad you didn’t give up on me,” she said, making my cheeks heat. “Because you’re the best guy I’ve ever dated.”

  Damn, what the hell was I supposed to say to that? Nothing, that’s what. I just turned my head and kissed her, happy to be able to do it.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Logan

  “Logan!” Henley said breathlessly when she tore into our room a week later. “There’s a package for you downstairs. You need to go sign for it.”

  I looked up from where I had been furiously typing on my laptop, trying to finish my term paper and shot her a glance that told her I thought she was insane. “Um, okay. What is it?”

  She shook her head and gasped for breath. “No clue. The kid working the desk told me to tell you, so I’m telling you.”

  She took a deep breath and started to kick off her running shoes, and then she yanked her sports bra over her head, baring her very large breasts to me. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the first time I’d seen them. We’d been living together for seven months, and she wasn’t modest.

  “Henley, what are you doing?”

  She took another deep breath. “I went running, because I was feeling fat, and then I decided to run up the stairs for some extra cardio, and now I’m late. Chris is picking me up in thirty minutes, and I have to shower.”

  Before I could respond, she ducked into the bathroom we shared with Tracy and Whitney, our suitemates, and I heard the water come on.

  I finished typing the paragraph I was working on and then decided to head downstairs to see what had arrived for me. My dad sent care packages frequently, so it was probably one of those. And if it was, I’d be excited, because he always included fun size Snickers in the packages, and I was completely craving some chocolate, caramel, nut, nougat goodness.

  I walked over to the guy at the desk who was texting someone. He worked the desk pretty regularly. “Hey Jeff.”

  After a few seconds he looked up at me. “Oh, hey Logan.”

  “Henley said you have a package for me?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, here you go,” he said, handing me a FedEx envelope that was too thin to be a care package from my dad, which was disappointing, because now all I could think about was a Snickers bar.

  I opened it as I walked back up the stairs. All that was inside was a piece of paper with a note that was scrawled in Jase’s handwriting. I smiled as I read it.

  Your Mission, If You Choose to Accept It

  I frowned at the title, because it was really confusing. Then I remembered Jase loved Mission Impossible, so it seemed sort of cute after that, so I kept reading.

  Pack a bag. Include only essentials (wallet, cell phone, laptop, gum, condoms, etc.)

  I laughed at the mention of condoms. He was such a dork.

  Meet Gary at my house. He’ll have your next clue.

  I turned the note over, but there wasn’t anything else written. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed Jase.

  “Hey baby,” he said when he picked up.

  “Is this a joke?”

  He laughed. “No joke. Are you accepting the mission?”

  “Do I have to have sex with Gary, film it and upload it to the Internet all while chewing gum?”

  He laughed even harder. “Holy shit, no! Why would you think that?”

  “I don’t know. Cell phone, laptop, condoms. What the hell am I supposed to think?”

  “Not that. You’re not having sex with my very gay assistant.”

  “Okay good, then I’m in.”

  “Excellent. Have fun.”

  Then he hung up before I could ask him what it was about. Jerk. Yeah, not really. He was way cute, and this was going to be fun. And I needed a study break anyway.

  I packed what he’d told me to grab, jumped in my car and headed for his house. Gary met me outside with another note from Jase.

  Thanks for humoring me. Your next stop is Neiman Marcus. Go see Vivian on t
he second floor and take your pick. She’ll have your next clue.

  I looked up at Gary. “What’s going on?”

  He shrugged and smirked at me. “Hell if I know, but have fun. I’ll see you Sunday.”

  “Sunday? What’s on Sunday?” I asked, as he started to walk away from me. I wasn’t surprised when he didn’t respond.

  So I got back in my car and drove to Neiman Marcus, went to the second floor and found Vivian, the personal shopper Jase used.

  She smiled at me and promptly held out five bikini’s for me to look at.

  “Pick your favorite,” she said, and I pointed to one that was navy blue with white polka dots. I didn’t even want to look at the price.

  “Okay, thank you,” she said, and then she put the suits away and handed me another note.

  Excellent choice.

  At that I looked around just because I thought Jase might be nearby, but I didn’t see him anywhere, so I kept reading.

  Now, your next assignment is to go to the Target in West Hollywood and purchase twenty things that you would use at the beach. This will make sense when you check out. Go to checklane five, and your next clue will be waiting there.

  What the hell was this? I had no clue what he was up to, but it sure was fun. I got in my car and drove to the Target Jase and I always shopped at when we were at his house. I filled my cart with suntan lotion, a fun hat, a boogie board, just because I enjoyed boogie boarding, a towel, a set of beach toys, because I wasn’t sure who I was shopping for, Chapstick with SPF, a beach bag, and thirteen other like items. Then I grabbed a bag of fun size Snickers, because I was still craving them. When I finished shopping, I took my cart to checklane five and couldn’t believe who was standing there.

  “Sloane!” I said, running forward to hug her. She hugged me back.

  “It’s so good to see you, Logan,” she said, her arms tight around me. Then she pulled back. “What did you get?” She peered into my cart. “Why did you get two pool noodles?”

  I shrugged. “I ran out of things to buy, so I grabbed those. My best friend Ethan and I used to beat the crap out of each other with them when we were kids. They were fun.”

  “You’re weird,” she said, as she looked through my other items. “But that’s kind of why I like you so much.”

  “Okay, so should I pay for these things?”

  I was chomping at the bit to get my next clue.

  She shook her head. “No, I’ll take care of it, and I’ve got your next clue.”

  Awesome.

  She winked at me as she handed over the piece of paper that I read eagerly before taking off to my next destination. Jase had me going to 7-Eleven to get two Slurpees, and then I had to drive to an address. I fought the urge to MapQuest it, because I wanted to be surprised, but when I put it into my GPS, I realized it was the small airport that Jase used when he flew privately, and I started to get excited. I wasn’t sure why, but I hoped it was because he was surprising me with a visit. But that couldn’t be it. He was shooting all weekend. Maybe he was flying me to him?

  I smiled and my heart started pounding when Charlie met me in the parking lot, took the Slurpees from me and escorted me out to the jetway where I saw a small plane waiting. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

  “Go on up.”

  I looked back at him. “Are we going to New Orleans?” I asked excitedly.

  He just shrugged and took a long pull on the cherry flavored Slurpee.

  I walked up the stairs wondering if I really was taking a trip with no luggage. That would be weird, and inconvenient.

  The plane was empty when I got on-board, so I settled in one of the seats and sat there anxiously wondering when someone was going to tell me what the hell was going on.

  Then two hands covered my eyes from behind, and I smiled, because I recognized his familiar, clean scent. I flew out of the seat and spun around, and there, standing two feet from me was Jase, looking smug as shit. I didn’t even wait for him to say anything. I just wrapped my arms around his neck and held on as tight as I could.

  “How?” I finally asked.

  He was hugging me back equally as hard. “Half the crew is sick, so they cancelled filming for the weekend. I decided to surprise you.”

  I pulled back and looked at him. “It totally worked! I’m so glad you’re here!”

  “I’m not staying, though,” he said, and my face fell as he looped his arms around my waist. “But neither are you, so it’s okay.”

  I looked at him confusion. “What do you mean?”

  He smiled. “I’m taking you away.”

  My jaw dropped. “What do you mean?”

  “How do you feel about Mexico?”

  I looked down at my jeans and Converse sneakers. “Um, fun, but I’m not really dressed for it?”

  He smiled again. “I took care of that.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, but I got distracted when Sloane and Charlie boarded the plane, followed by Ethan and Nora. They all had luggage. I looked back at them in surprise, not sure what to say or what to do. I was dumbfounded. Then I looked back at Jase.

  “You’re taking us to Mexico?! Like all of us?”

  He grinned and pulled me close. “Si, Senorita,” he responded.

  “Jase, that’s amazing, but I have no clothes. Seriously. I can’t go to Mexico.”

  “I’ve got everything you need right here,” Sloane said, as Charlie hauled in another suitcase, and I looked back at Jase.

  “Vivian took care of you. You’re all set.”

  “The bathing suit,” I said, everything suddenly clicking into place.

  He nodded. “She had five weekend getaway wardrobes picked out. I just needed you to pick the suit, so she could match it to the right clothes.”

  “Jase, this is too much. I could have packed my own stuff.”

  He shook his head. “Then you would have missed all the fun. By the way, good call on the pool noodles. Those will come in handy,” he said, smirking.

  I shook my head at him. “You are sneaky, but I love you for it.”

  He pulled me close and kissed me. “I just wanted to do something special for you, that’s all.”

  “Yeah, well, mission accomplished,” I said, and he just laughed.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Ethan

  Okay, maybe it was time for me to start liking this guy. He was flying me and my girlfriend, albeit, his sister, to Mexico for an all-expenses paid weekend. And he’d done it all for Logan. Maybe I needed to cut him some slack.

  “I told you he was a good guy,” Nora whispered as she came up behind me in the hotel lobby. She wrapped her arms around my waist and rested her head on my back.

  We were waiting while Jase checked us in to a resort that was right on the ocean with rooms that sat right on the beach. The views were incredible, and the waves were insane. I was glad that when he called he’d told me to bring my board and Logan’s. We’d definitely be doing some surfing.

  “Yeah, I’m beginning to think you’re right,” I murmured, as I watched Logan standing as close as she could get to Jase without being right on top of him.

  Nora slid around to my side, so I tucked her under my arm and looked down at her. She gave me a look that I’d become all too familiar with as her eyes glanced up at me. I smirked back at her which made her chuckle.

  “I can’t wait to get you alone,” I murmured, my head ducked and my lips close to her ear, because I was honestly afraid of saying it too loud.

  I wasn’t sure if Jase knew we were sleeping together or not. I mean, he had to know. He knew my reputation all too well, and it wasn’t like his sister was under age. But if he suspected for one minute that I wasn’t ravaging her on a nightly basis, I wasn’t going to be the one to announce it to him across a loudly echoing hotel lobby.

  I hoped he wasn’t getting Nora and me separate rooms. The thought hadn’t occurred to me until then, but that might be just the thing he’d do if he wanted to keep us apart.
<
br />   When he’d first called and told me about his plan, and that it included Nora and me going on a mini-vacation with him and Logan, I wasn’t a huge fan. Going on vacation with your girlfriend’s protective older brother didn’t exactly feel like a vacation. But it was for Logan, and I’d do anything for that girl, so I’d agreed.

  And since we’d boarded the airplane, I’d been doing what I could to play nice – if not just for Logan, but for me too. A part of me figured if Jase and I started to get along, it would be one more person in the Brady family on my side since at that moment, Nora’s dad wasn’t my biggest fan.

  I’d met her parents the weekend before. We’d gone to Spago for dinner, and not holding true to her word, Nora hadn’t invited her sisters, Tara and Mia, so it was just the two of us and her parents – which was probably ten times worse. Although her mother was great. She was down to earth, and she seemed to like me right off the bat, but her father made it obvious that he didn’t feel the same way. He’d grilled me all throughout dinner, and I wasn’t sure if he was ever really satisfied with my answers. I think he honestly thought I was a punk.

  He probably would have preferred it if I was more clean cut, like my brother or Jase, but that just wasn’t me. I had shaggy blond hair, and I’d worn gray Van’s with my dress pants to dinner, because I couldn’t find my dress shoes and didn’t have any better options. Nora said she liked my look, but I was pretty sure her father disagreed.

  In the end, I’d made it through the night, and she hadn’t broken up with me, so I guess that was good. But now it seemed I had yet another hurdle to overcome when it came to her family. The game had definitely changed since I’d last seen Jase, and I knew he wasn’t thrilled that his sister and I were dating. On the plane, while Nora and I had been sitting close to each other, talking and laughing and sometimes kissing, he’d looked over a few times with what I could only assume was wariness.

  I knew he thought I was a dirtbag, but Nora and I hadn’t talked about her brother’s opinion of our relationship, since he’d been a nonissue all the way in New Orleans. Of course now that he was walking toward us holding a set of room keys, we probably needed to have a conversation. And I probably needed to be on my best behavior.