I See Stars

Chapter 4

Tobin POV

"Oh god no!" Alex says as Kelley walks out of the dressing room wearing a pair of shorts with a floral pattern and a blazer with polka dots.

"Kel, what are you doing? Are you trying to blind us?" I ask while shielding my eyes.

"Yes." Kelley says as she adds a pink fedora to the mix. "Is it working?" I laugh and shake my head.

Kelley, Alex, and I are at the Santa Monica Promenade doing some summer clothes shopping, and somehow we end up in the "Clothes for the Blind" section at Anthropologie. We've already been to Nike and Quiksilver, upon my request, so now I am being dragged along to Alex and Kelley's favorite stores. Suffice it to say shopping is not my thing.

"Hey Tobs, you should try these on," Alex says as she holds up a pair of bright white skinny jeans.

"Her calves would probably tear the fabric if she tried them on," Kelley says with a smirk.

"True," Alex says, putting the pants back on the rack. I smile and roll my eyes.

"Hey Alex," Kelley says once she changes back into her regular clothes. "How are things with Serv?"

Alex hesitates for a second and briefly glances in my direction. "Um, okay I guess," she says uncomfortably.

"Have you guys talked much recently?" Kelley prods, aware that Alex would rather not have this conversation right now.

"Not really since I left Portland," Alex says, flipping through a rack of shirts. "We've both been pretty busy."

"You're on vacation with absolutely no obligations," Kelley says, indicating their surroundings. "I'd hardly call that busy."

Alex shoots Kelley a half-sarcastic, half-serious glare. I decide now would be a good time to change the subject.

"Um, are you guys ready to meet Ash and Kling?" I ask, trying to ease the tension. We had made plans to grab lunch with Ash and Kling after our shopping expedition, and I needed an excuse to leave this store.

"Sure," Kelley says, grabbing her purse.

"Actually, I think I'm gonna skip lunch," Alex says. "There's something I gotta do. I'll meet you guys back at the house. Tell Ash and Kling I'm sorry."

"Uh, okay," I respond, slightly confused as to what just happened.

The three of us walk out of the store and Alex heads in the direction of the beach.

"How much do you wanna bet she's calling Servando?" Kelley whispers as we head to the restaurant where we're supposed to meet Ash and Kling.

"Come on, Kel. Give her a break," I say, though I am curious as to what Alex is doing.

We get to the restaurant and see Kling and Ash waving at us from a table on the patio.

"Hey guys," I say, sitting down next to Kling. Kelley takes a seat across from me and next to Ash.

"Where's Alex?" Ash asks, scanning the area for her.

"Um, she had to make a phone call," Kelley says, stealing a glance at me.

"Huh, okay. Well I guess we're stuck with the two of you," Ash says with a smirk.

The waiter comes over and pours each of us a glass of water. "What can I get you ladies to eat?" he says with a smile.

"Anyone wanna split a Hawaiian pizza?" I ask the group.

"I'm game," Kling says.

"Great. Can we get a medium Hawaiian to share?" I ask the waiter.