The Write Stuff (Write Stuff 1)

"You don't know me that well. Maybe I decided during summer break, since I don't have to worry about classes, I might try writing during the day and actually sleep at night."

"Right. I'll believe it when I see it. You're a habitual night owl."

I sighed. "True." I had always been more of a creature of the night. Even when I was younger I would stay up past my bedtime reading under my blankets with the small flashlight my oldest brother, Tony, had given me.

"I still think you should go out with us. You've been holed up in your apartment every weekend for so long I'm surprised someone hasn't come in and swapped your college ID for an AARP card. You need to get out occasionally. Let your hair down. Go wild."

"Seriously?" I snorted. "In all the years we've known each other when have I ever gone wild?" I shook my head as I wiped sour cream from the corner of my mouth.

"Well, you're still young. There's never been a better time to start. Come with us, Nicole. You'll have fun, and it'll be good for you to get out."

I pondered her words heavily as we continued our meal. I couldn't deny her point. These were the years in my life when I should be living it up a little. Besides, I enjoyed hanging out with Olivia. We had been close since middle school when she kicked Kara Miller's ass for picking on me. From that day forward, we became best friends. We had a yin-and-yang type of relationship. I was shy and reserved; she was confident and in your face.

Olivia had the type of features any girl would kill for. She was tall and had a beautiful face with long shiny black hair and drop-dead gorgeous eyes. Then there was awkward me with my pale skin, lanky hair and murky, mud-colored eyes. Olivia had always told me I was full of shit; that I was more attractive than I thought and she would kick my ass for thinking otherwise. That was why I loved her so much. She had always been a loyal friend above all else.

"Hello, Nicole. You're zoning out again." Olivia snapped her fingers in my face, getting my attention. Everyone who knew me had gotten used to my occasional zoning out. Most times it was because I was thinking about my current work in progress. My brothers would tease me, claiming they could actually see smoke coming out of my ears.

"Sorry," I said, dunking the quesadilla in guacamole.

"So, tomorrow? You in?"

I nodded. "I guess. I can always write when I get home."

Olivia smiled with satisfaction. For the rest of the meal we discussed my new cover. I managed to dodge the Alec issue by refusing to acknowledge any more of Olivia's comments on the matter. Eventually we came up with a game plan on how to handle the reshoot. Ironically, after everything that happened on the beach this morning, she admitted it was all for the best because the pose she had envisioned for the models had been overdone and she already had another idea—if she could get the lighting perfect, of course. That was her standard worry for every shoot. At least she was back on track, which was all I cared about.

We left the practically frigid temperature of the restaurant for the sweltering heat outside. I was surprised I didn't get sick more often. "Well, what's the verdict? Si or no on the taquitos?"

"Not bad. It wasn't SoCal good, obviously, but maybe we'll keep it in the rotation. Me and Taylor will swing by your place at eight tomorrow to pick you up."

"Okay, but no sushi this time." The last time Olivia had tried to expand my palate I ended up gagging and nearly vomiting on the waiter's shoes. It wasn't something the staff at the restaurant took too kindly, but lesson learned.

Olivia chuckled. "Fine, but who knew you would be such a baby?"

I stuck my tongue out at her as I climbed into my jeep.

Chapter Four

By two o'clock the following afternoon I was regretting my snap decision to go out with Olivia and Taylor. My groove had returned and I stayed up all night writing. I'd likely suffer the consequences later, but for now I had a euphoric feeling as all the pieces of my story began to click together. I knew if I didn't want to be a complete zombie when I went out later, I needed to get a couple hours of sleep in. Tearing myself away from my manuscript was tough, but at three o'clock I forced myself to shut it down.

Placing my laptop on the empty side of my bed, I laid back against my pillows, hoping my eyes would become heavy quickly. The problem was, after a long writing session I couldn't turn off my brain immediately, so I usually just laid there full of adrenaline. I figured if I was in bed I was technically resting. That was the reasoning I had used on my parents when I was younger. Thanks to the blackout curtains I had bought, my room was plunged into darkness after I shut off my lamp. I set the alarm on my cell phone for six thirty, resisting the urge to peek at Facebook or check my emails.

Severus had been waiting patiently at the foot of my bed and now walked up my legs, taking his customary spot on my stomach. He wasn't exactly fat by cat standards, but he was solid. I grunted under his weight as he made bread dough on the blanket until he was satisfied he would be comfortable. I closed my eyes while petting Severus on the head. I must have been more tired than I realized because I felt myself drifting away to the steady rumble of his purring.

Sometime later, I was startled awake by the sound of pounding on my front door. Severus meowed his displeasure when I abruptly sat up, dislodging him from my stomach. I felt disoriented. My room remained dark regardless of what time of the day it was because of my curtains. Groping around my desk, I managed to find my phone and tapped the button to light up the screen. Another series of pounding on the door echoed throughout the apartment. I groaned when I saw that it was eight o'clock. >I rolled my eyes. Olivia loved to make everything a little more dramatic than it actually was. "Please, if anyone had it bad, it was me. I bet I came across like a complete moron."

"Yep," she agreed, signaling the waitress.

Unable to help myself, I kicked her under the table. "Isn't there a friend clause where you're supposed to lie and tell me it wasn't all that bad?"

"Lies won't get you laid, sweet cheeks," she answered, turning to the waitress. I blanched as the waitress grinned at me. Great, why not just announce to the world that I had no man warming my bed? "I'll take another, and bring one for Cheese Puffs here too," she added.

Olivia grinned as I flipped her off. The problem was she knew I was all talk and no bite.

"So, what was your deal this morning?" She scooped salsa onto a chip and popped it into her mouth. "I know I pulled you away from one of your writing marathons, which explains the grunge-rock look, but you seemed downright flustered."

I shrugged. "I don't know. How's Natasha, by the way?" I still felt terrible for taking her under the water.

"She's cool. You definitely shocked the shit out of her though when you tackled her."