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Chapter 1 - "She's back!?"

    I pulled the front of my sun hat down further, attempting to block out the sun's rays beating down on me. My eyes were squinted, trying to adjust to the sunlight since I'd had a sleeping mask on during my plane ride over. My nerves were on high alert, reminding me of what was to come - seeing my family again for the first time in four years.

So much had changed since I'd been gone; they updated me periodically on the changes taking place. The biggest change was the fact that my brother, just twenty-two years old like myself, was engaged to be married to my best friend, Gia. The news was shocking at first considering they'd hardly spent any time together while we were growing up, but I couldn't be happier for them both - out of anyone, I knew Chris would treat Gia right.

I'd gotten updated on Chris' friends too and learned Owen was a famous actor now and Luka had joined the army shortly after high school, opting to go to school with his GI Bill if he so chose. So after all the times he tried to convince me to stay, he left anyway. I was so glad I went with my gut feeling and went to college out of state anyway. He was off for the summer though, waiting for his next deployment from what Gia had told me and I hoped he didn't share a house with my brother anymore, since that's where I'd be staying until I got my own place.

I looked completely different than I did when I left; I'd lost weight, my hair was longer and had more body and bounce and my aura of confidence had sky rocketed. I never visited for holidays like I said I would because I made friends in Vermont I spent time with and even had a boyfriend, but that ended sourly and soon I realized it was time to come home. As frustrating as the kids I grew up with were, nothing beat home and I couldn't stand the memories associated with Vermont anymore.

I let my gaze sweep over the awaiting people by the terminal, looking for any familiarity. I had just about convinced myself that my brother forgot to pick me up until I saw the tuft of blonde hair and blue eyes that rivaled my own and a grin broke out on my face. Even though Chris and I hadn't gotten along as teenagers, we'd grown amicable after I left and soon I was looking forward to seeing him again.

I bounded over to him, noting the fact that he had his head in his phone as he texted furiously. I tapped his shoulder thrice, waiting four seconds before he glanced up from his phone and back down. As if realizing someone was standing in front of him he looked back up, shock taking over his features before he smiled a wide smile. "Lolo?"

"Rissy," I mumbled the childhood nickname I'd given him, grinning as the recognition took over his features.

He practically dropped his phone, wrapping his arms around me and scooping me into a tight hug. He pulled away, looking me up and down and smiling. "You look so different! Did you do something different with your hair?"

I shrugged. "Something like that."

Chris started walking, pulling my carry-on with him and I followed blindly. I'd scrapped most of my belongings, only bringing what I absolutely needed with me so that I could get some clothes more suitable for California weather. Most of my Vermont clothing was suited for the winter and they wouldn't work here, so I made a mental note to ask Gia and Zoey to go shopping with me.

"I missed you, Chloe," Chris admitted honestly, glancing over at me before opening the door for me. I followed him with a thanks and we came upon a red Toyota Tundra truck. I checked his car out, whistling about it and earning a chuckle from him.

"I missed you too Chris."

Once we were seated in the car with our seatbelts on, Chris pulled away from LAX and started towards his house. They'd moved to LA shortly after Owen got famous, saying he needed to live close by for his acting career to take off and it did. In just two short years he was a household name, and I was hoping he was still the same Owen I grew up with - sweet, kind and caring. He always had a soft spot for me and I had a feeling it had diminished in the four years I'd been gone. The press frequently caught him cozying up with different actresses at various different clubs, and from the interviews he did he seemed cockier than I remember. I could only hope fame hadn't gotten to his head.

"So, some updates," Chris suddenly stated, glancing over at me before looking back towards the road. "Owen, Luka and I still share a house." I gulped, a worried look overtaking my features before he rolled his eyes and chuckled lightly. "Relax, high school shenanigans are over and I don't know why you ever had a problem with Luka to begin with."

"You want a list?" I asked rhetorically before offering one up anyway. "He's arrogant, cocky, annoying-"

"Flip flop them."

"Huh?"

"Flip flop Owen and Luka," Chris insisted, shaking his head. "Luka always acted arrogant, but he never was. Owen always was, but never acted like it. Now that he's famous, he's one hundred times more cocky, but they both missed you a lot. They always talk about you."

"Really?"

He nodded. "All I hear is, 'I miss Chlo bo' 'When's Cheese Puff coming back?' Cheese Puff this, Chlo bo that, it's disgusting."

I laughed, putting a hand over my mouth before calling his bluff. "Liar."

"I'm serious!" He demanded lightly, chuckling to himself. "Just wait til they see you're back and staying with us, they're gonna go nuts."

My eyes widened and I slapped Chris on the shoulder. "You didn't tell them!?"

He shook his head, a dementedly amused gleam in his eyes. "Their reaction will be twice as hilarious, I wouldn't ruin that for myself. Oh! And Gia lives with us now. Obviously she wanted to move in before the wedding in a month. She moved in last month. She didn't tell you because she wanted to surprise you."

I grinned, clapping like a seal before glancing out the window. "Now that's exciting, I missed her so much."

"She missed you too, but I don't see how. All you guys do is talk on the phone, and when you're not you're texting like a married couple," he grumbled.

I laughed, pinching his cheek. "Aw, is someone jealous?"

He slapped my hand away, grinning widely. "No, shut up stupid."

We pulled up to a nice two story house that looked a little more expensive than all my possessions combined, but I guess that came with living with someone famous. It extended far back into a field that turned into a beach, and suddenly I was reminded of my childhood home. They sold it the year I left, opting to move into a one story house about an hour away from San Diego. They'd done it when Chris was still going to college in San Diego, but when he transferred to LA they were just lucky they'd moved north. Now they were an hour from here and were supposed to come by this week to come see me.

I noticed a large garage which was currently opened and four cars sat in it. One was a light blue Lamborghini, one was another truck similar to Chris' but in black, one was a dark blue Lexus and one was a white Mercedes. My eyes widened at the amount of cars in the garage, all being high dollar models and Chris noticed the look because he clarified it for me. "Most of those are Owen's. The truck is Luka's, and the two of them have their other vehicles with them because they're both gone right now."

"Where do you keep your car?" I queried, noticing the absence of his police car. Chris had joined the LAPD when they moved here, and from what he told me they kept their cars at home. He was so proud to be a police officer and I was proud of him for it.

"In the back," he told me. "Wasn't enough room in the garage. Gia's car is back there too."

I nodded, taking it all in before following him to the front door of his house. He unlocked and opened the door and I was immediately hit by the scent of peanut butter cookies wafting through the house, my favorite since I was a kid. I beamed, running towards the smell and completely ignoring my surroundings; the cookies were a telltale sign of who was in the kitchen.

I came upon a giant kitchen with stainless steel appliances and dark grey marble countertops paired with light grey cabinets. There was an island in the middle of the kitchen that my best friend of seventeen years was currently seated at, typing at her computer. Gia had went to college for a liberal arts degree and was currently a published author of three bestselling novels and more on the way. I read all her work, I was the first to read every book before she sent it to her publicist to send in for publishing.

Gia heard my pattering of footsteps because she looked up, the biggest smile she'd ever worn taking over her face before she engulfed me in a bone crushing hug. I laughed, hugging her with equal force and squealing with her. "I missed you!"

"I missed you!"

"My ears," Chris mumbled, throwing his keys in the bucket of keys against the wall in the kitchen and leaning in to give Gia a peck on the lips. "Missed you babe."

"Missed you more," she mumbled dreamily, looking back towards me. "Girl, you got hot. Not that you didn't look hot before, but damn, look at you."

I laughed, letting her pull away to sit on a stool situated adjacent to the kitchen island. "It's alright, G. I wasn't hot before, but I am now."

"No no, you were definitely hot before," she informed me matter-of-factly before taking her seat at the computer. "I'm almost done with this novel and then I'll let you read it. I'm at the point where-"

I covered my ears. "Don't spoil it for me!"

"Okay, okay," Gia murmured with a wave of her hand. "Whatever. Anyway, how was the flight?"

"Long," I mumbled, taking a seat next to her. "But thank you guys for bumping me up to first class."

"Wasn't us," Chris told me with a shrug.

I raised an eyebrow. "Owen?"

Gia shook her head. I raised my other eyebrow. "Then who-"

"I told Luka you may be paying us a visit before starting work in September. I didn't give away that you were moving in, but I told him you may come for a visit. He told me to bump your ticket up to first class if and when you do and just use his card. I just didn't tell him you were coming so soon, or that you had decided, or believe me him and Owen would have fought each other tooth and nail to be the one to pick you up."

"I wonder why," I murmured, confused. I'd never been super close to either guy, albeit I was a little bit closer to Owen but I was never best friends with either of them so I didn't know why they wanted me back so bad.

"Yeah, I wonder," Gia muttered under her breath, a knowing smile on her face as she tapped away on her computer. She had a ear bud in, I suppose listening to music while she wrote. I didn't know how she did that - I wouldn't be able to concentrate.

"Come on Lolo, I'll show you your room."

I bid my goodbyes to Gia, telling her I'd be back before following Chris through the foyer towards the spacious living room. There was two staircases on either side of the room leading up to the second floor and they curved fancily. There were chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling and I wondered just how much this house had costed them. I knew Owen and Gia were famous, but Luka and Chris weren't. I saw pictures along the wall of Luka, Owen, Chris, Gia and Zoey, and some of our families as I went. There was a couple old pictures with me in them, but not very many; I wasn't much of a picture person back then.

We passed eight doors before we finally came to one Chris pushed open, pulling my suitcase in behind him and putting it by the door. I glanced around the room, a genuine smile crossing my face as I took it all in. There was a king bed pushed against the wall in the dead center of the room, an end table on each side of it and at least a fifty inch TV across from the bed mounted to the wall. There was an elegant dark brown wood dresser against one of the walls, and the only natural light coming in was from the sliding glass doors leading to a balcony that overlooked the sand and shore. There were two doors in this room, which Chris pointed out as my own bathroom and closet. This room was one hundred times better than I imagined.

"Make it your own," he told me, shrugging his shoulders. "Since I didn't tell them you were coming, I couldn't exactly decorate it for you, but I'll give you my card to go shopping with Gia and Zoey tomorrow so you can get what you need. Zoey lives right down the road."

"Thanks Chris," I mumbled, pulling him into a chaste side hug before looking around again. "This room is... wow."

"It's actually one of the smaller rooms, but I thought you'd appreciate the balcony."

"This is one of the smaller rooms? This could house a hundred of me!"

He shrugged. "It's what comes with living with a bestselling author and Oscar winning actor."

"Right..." I trailed off, taking it all in. It was actually pretty overwhelming since I was never one to need a bunch of possessions - to me it was all about the company you kept with you. The people in your circle that were there for you when you needed them were what mattered. Chris excused himself to let me get settled and I packed the couple pairs of clothing I kept, putting them in the dresser and closing the door. I decided to check out the bathroom, opening the door and gasping at what I saw.

It was my dream bathroom, complete with a double sink and spa bath tub with jets. There was a shower head hanging over it and a sliding glass door that went around the square tub. It could fit three of me and suddenly I wanted a bath. I looked in the cabinets, smiling when I saw my usual shampoo and conditioner - ocean mist - was underneath of it with my favorite cucumber melon hand soap. It was like I lived here all along with all my favorites in here.

I ran and jumped on the fluffy duvet atop my temporary bed, sinking into the gigantic plush pillows and breathing in the smell of the ocean wafting through the cracked balcony door. The salty ocean smell was like a reminder of home and I wondered why I ever left, until the door opened and slammed shut and voices pulled me out of my reverie.

"Hey man!" A deep, husky voice I recognized as Owen's called through the house.

"Hey guys, how was the grocery store?" I heard Chris ask and the sound of keys rattling could be heard reverberating through the house. I presumed the only reason I could hear them was because my door was open and the house was echo-y, seeing as it was so big. I wondered if the walls were soundproof, knowing the guys used to love blasting music to get ready in the mornings four years ago. But of course, everything was different now and maybe the guys I grew up with were too.

"Paparazzi everywhere," Another deep voice stressed, and I noticed the slight Spanish twinge to the accent. That was definitely Luka. Even though he was raised in the USA, his family often visited Spain on holidays and he'd picked up the slightest accent from many summers spent there as a kid. It wasn't very prominent, and sometimes you could hardly tell, but I could; I grew up with him for goodness sake.

"It wasn't that bad," Owen defended and I could imagine him shaking his head.

"Why's the car we got for Cheese Puff pulled out of the back?" Luka queried in a curious voice. "Was the inspection due? I didn't think it was."

"Chlo bo," Owen corrected.

"Cheese Puff."

"Chlo-"

"The inspection isn't due for a couple more months," Giana cut in and she sounded amused.

"Then why-"

"Chloe!" Chris called up the stairs and I felt my heart racing in my chest, reaching all the way into my throat. I didn't know why I was so nervous to see the two guys I grew up with; it was just Owen and Luka, but still my nerves were shot. "Come down and tell me what you want for dinner!"

"Wait-"

"She's back!?" Luka exclaimed excitedly. Suddenly the sound of two pairs of footsteps sounded through the house and I held my laugh in, wanting to see how long it took for them to find me. The sound of doors slamming open sounded and I could tell they were on the second floor, haphazardly going along with their new quest to find me. They went to open the door to the one I was currently in but stopped when Luka's hand paused mid-air, not meeting a door handle.

I glanced up, simultaneously checking out both guys. I noticed Luka first and that he was more muscular - he had his time in the army to thank for that, I'm sure. He was wearing a camouflage t-shirt that hugged his muscles tightly and a pair of cargo shorts on his hips. He had one sneaker on, and I chalked it up to him taking them off when he was told I was here. His dark brown hair was curly and left unkempt on the top of his head and his bright green eyes had a twinkle in them as he looked at me. He had the biggest smile I'd ever seen him possess.

Owen wasn't a surprise to me in the looks department since I saw him in movies and doing frequent interviews. He looked the same as he did when we were growing up, his blonde hair was cut short and his brown eyes had a spark of happiness as well. He had a matching grin to Luka as he saw me sitting on the gigantic bed. He was clad in a white muscle tank and khaki shorts with socks on his feet. Both of his shoes were off.

"Cheese Puff!"

"Chlo bo!"

Both men ran towards me but Luka got to me first, wrapping his arms around my now small frame and breathing me in. I could feel his heart racing in his chest, beating against mine and I figured it was because they'd just ran so fast. Owen pushed him off, interrupting our hug and pulling me into one of his own. His heart was racing equally as fast and his arms were more familiar, since I'd given him plenty more hugs than Luka - we'd been much closer growing up.

I giggled, pushing Owen off and grinning up at both guys. "Cheez It. Owe bo."

"I missed you Cheese Puff," Luka expressed, his elation transferring over to me in waves. He looked me up and down before a small frown took over his face. "Why'd you lose weight."

I faltered slightly. "Uh, I just-"

"You look great," Owen cut me off, shooting a glare towards Luka before offering me another smile. "Gorgeous, as always."

"I didn't say she didn't look great, Owen," Luka shot back, looking annoyed. "But her being chubby made her Chloe. Now she's skinny and it's weird. Of course you look great, but you looked great before."

"But she looks better now."

"No, Owen, she looked great before."

"Okay she did, but now-"

"Guys," I cut them off, putting my hands up. "Thank you for the compliments. I know I look different. I just wanted a change."

Owen's phone beeped and he glanced at it before groaning. "I gotta go meet with my publicist. I'll be back Chlo bo, I'm so glad you're back."

I accepted his farewell hug before watching him leave. I felt my childhood crush returning to me and pushed it down to the depths of my soul. Owen was different now, and I had to remind myself he had girls falling all over him even worse than high school - this time they were famous.

"Cheese Puff, you didn't tell me you were coming back," Luka accused, taking a seat next to me and pulling me into another hug. I hugged back, noticing how he shifted to smell my hair and my nose crinkled. It probably smelled like airplane or something. He pulled back, taking my hand in his and playing with my pinky finger - his signature move. Luka was always messing with my hands.

"I thought Chris did," I admitted sheepishly. "Sorry."

"How long are you staying for?" He queried, staring down at my hand as if committing it to memory once again.

I smiled, waiting until he glanced up at me before shrugging. "I'm moving back."