Lost in Your Eyes

Chapter One

I looked out of the window of my apartment, drifting off into another daydream about Tori Vega. I can't stop thinking about that girl. She's made a home in my head and my heart, which would be fine, but I have my boyfriend Beck. I just can't seem to decide between the two of them. Besides, what if I end things with Beck to be with Tori, only to discover that she doesn't love me? I don't want to take the chance unless I know for sure. There's a knock on my door, interrupting my musing. When I opened it, I almost slammed it in the face of the person who had knocked, simply from force of habit. "Hey Tori. What brings you here?" I asked her, stepping aside to let her into my apartment. "Well, I was kinda wondering, maybe I could stay with you?" She asked. "What about your house?" I asked her somewhat dryly. "Well, my parents gave it to my older sister Trina, and she basically kicked me out so she could have the place to herself. I totally understand if you don't want me to stay here, though," Tori said. "I don't mind if you stay. I'd actually appreciate the company," I replied. "Thanks Jade," she said casually. "Don't you have stuff to get?" I asked her. "No. I was in a rush when I left, so most of my stuff is at my old house," she said. "Well, I can go get it for you, if you want," I offered. "Nah. I don't want you to have to deal with my annoying sister," she said. "Okay, you can use some of my stuff if you want," I said. "I don't want to be a burden on you," she said. "I wouldn't offer it if I wasn't serious about it. What was the phrase? Oh, yeah. My home is your home," I said. "Are you alright? You're usually not this nice to me," she said. "I'm not heartless. You need somewhere to stay, and I have room. I wouldn't turn away someone who needs a place to stay just because of what I thought of them in high school," I said. "Well, thank you. I really appreciate you letting me stay with you," she said.

Beck came over later that day, almost an hour after he told me that he'd be here. "Where were you?" I asked him. "I got stuck in traffic. There was a crash when I was on my way, and it took a while to clean it up. Sorry I'm late," he said. "It's okay. It's not like you can control what other people do," I said, but inside, I was wondering. I didn't live too far from the police station and the fire station, but I hadn't heard any sirens. Tori probably didn't know that he was here, either, considering that she was taking a shower. "Is someone else here?" He asked me curiously. "Uh, why do you ask?" I asked him. "I can hear the shower running," he replied simply. "Yeah, that's just Tori. Her sister kicked her out of her house, so she came by earlier and asked if she could stay with me. I told her it was fine, since I have enough space and she needed somewhere to stay," I said. "Huh. I would've thought that you'd shut the door in her face," he said. "I almost did from force of habit. Still, despite how I was with her in high school, I do consider her a friend," I replied. I heard a door open, and I figured it was probably Tori leaving the bathroom after her shower. Sure enough, after a few minutes, she joined Beck and I in the living room. "Hey Beck. How are you?" She asked. "I'm doing good," he said. I yawned and laid my head in his lap, and I noticed Tori flinch ever-so-slightly, but I didn't think much of it.

After Beck left for the day, Tori and I sat and talked for a bit. "You know, I don't think he was being entirely honest with you about why he was so late today. There was a crash, but it was closer to Anaheim than here. What would Beck be doing in Anaheim?" She asked. "That is a good question. I know that he's got some friends that live out there now, but they're all girls," I said, then I met Tori's eyes, and I could tell that we were thinking the same thing. "So... what should I do about it?" I asked her. "I don't know. Only you can make that decision," she said. "Gee, you're a big help," I said sarcastically. "Look, I don't have a whole lot of experience with cheating boyfriends, so I probably won't be much help," she said a little heatedly. "I'm not looking for a fight, Tori. I was being sarcastic. I was thinking more along the lines of working through this as a team," I said. "Oh. Sorry," she said. "Don't worry about it," I said, and I was already starting to think about what I wanted to do about Beck. Something inside of me was telling me that this could be the perfect time for me to get a sense of how Tori felt about me, which gave me an idea. "I might have an idea," I said. "Okay. Let me hear it," she said. "What if we acted like we were together? Like that fake date that Sikowitz made us do to help us act more like a couple for the one play, I mean," I said. "That... I like that idea," Tori replied. "Well, since it would be for a bit longer than that, we might have to... you know... kiss," I said. "Kissing is something that couples do," she said. "And we have to act like we're enjoying it when we kiss," I said, and I could've swore I heard her say, "I won't need to act for that," under her breath. "Well, we should probably start working on it now, since Beck is coming over again in a week," I said. "Yeah, that way we'll have time to perfect it before he comes over," Tori said. "Are you alright? You've never wanted to do anything like this before," I said. "Well, I figure that if Beck is cheating on you, then he doesn't deserve you, and I don't want to see you hurt because of him," she said. "So, you're doing this in part to keep me from suffering too much? 'Cause I've suffered from a breakup before," I said. "But have you ever been with someone for as long as you've been with Beck?" Tori asked. "I see your point," I said.