Like Fire & Gasoline

“Are you sure about this?” Bridgette asked, playing with the hem of her floral skirt nervously. James laughed, his hand resting on the doorknob, turning it slightly.

“I am. You on the other hand, are looking less than enthused,” he countered, and a rose flush filled her cheeks. She ran her fingers through her hair, biting down on her carnation lip for a millisecond.

“These are your friends, James. What if they don’t like me?” Her voice seemed to shrink down inside her, and she looked past him down the hallway. His expression softened, and he released the brass handle to cup her face in his hands.

“They will, Bridgette. In fact, Kendall said he already loves you,” he assured her, and she cocked an eyebrow curiously.

“Why does a guy I’ve never met ‘love’ me?” she inquired, a small smile playing on her lips. James shook his head, the soft grin still on his face.

“Something about how you deflated my ego, I don’t know,” he grumbled, seeing the amused look on her face.

“Okay,” she murmured more to herself than him. “I can do this.”

“Damn right you can. Now can I open the door?” he asked curiously, and she rolled her big cerulean eyes at him before nodding slightly. James eyes widened as he saw the scene behind the dark oak door. He scratched his head a bit, grabbing Bridgette’s hand with his free one.

“Welcome home, James. I see you brought a guest,” Logan said politely, and Bridgette raised her eyebrows at James, who appeared to be a mix of confused, amused, and awestruck.

“Nice to see you too, I think. I mean, this is home, right? Because I think I might be in the wrong apartment,” he retorted, and Kendall chuckled from his spot at the rarely used dining room table.

“Dude, Logan, I told you not to freak the poor girl out,” he taunted, standing from his deep mahogany chair. “I’m Kendall, by the way.”

“Bridgette,” she responded, taking the hand he offered. As he shot her a lopsided grin, she felt herself relax just a tad bit. Another boy made his way toward her, a calm smile on his tan face.

“I’m Carlos,” he offered, shaking her hand.

“And the crazy one, that’s Logan,” James whispered in her ear, and she felt the giggles tickling the back of her throat.

“I’m not crazy,” he objected, stepping through the others to make his point. Bridgette stifled laughter, wrapping an arm around her quivering stomach.

“It’s nice to meet you all, crazy or not,” she said sweetly, giving them a smile. They all watched each other for a few more moments before Bridgette shifted her weight on her feet. She ran her fingers through her golden hair, and her cheeks took a rosy tint as she realized all eyes were on her. She looked down at her flats, biting gently on her cheek.

“Is there any way we could sit, or do something other than stand here awkwardly?” she inquired, and the guys all mumbled quick apologies before leading her into the living area. Bridgette ended up between James and Carlos on one couch; Logan was sitting on the armchair, watching Kendall, who sat on the windowsill talking animatedly.

“See, not so bad,” James whispered triumphantly in her ear, and she smiled, kissing his cheek.

“No, not bad at all. Although I’m still trying to figure out what the hell Logan was doing when we walked in.”

“I think he thought he was being funny. Or welcoming. Or something of both. But he’s not always like that, I swear.” She shook her head, trying to hide her laugh.

“So, it’s nice to actually meet James’ girlfriend,” Kendall teased, throwing a glance at James.

“What do you mean? We’ve met plenty of all of them,” Carlos said, immediately after realizing his mistake. He tried to reword it, but the damage was done. Bridgette tilted her head toward James, watching him glare at Carlos.

“Plenty of all of them? How many were there?” Her voice was light, but James felt himself squirming under her gaze.

“You know, I think I left the oven on at my place. Carlos, why don’t you help me? I mean, in case the whole place is ablaze,” Kendall said suddenly, jumping from his spot and dragging the raven-haired boy with him.

“I think I left my car running. I’ll join you,” Logan added, walking after them.

“You don’t even have a car!” James called after them, watching their retreating backs helplessly. The silence between them was deafening as the slamming door reverberated around the room.

“I’m guessing since you won’t answer, it’s a lot,” she muttered, and James allowed his hazel eyes to flicker over her face.

“No, Bridgette, it’s really not that many. Half of them were just flings,” he rushed out, before mentally slapping himself.

“That’s so reassuring. Is that what this is, James?” Her soprano voice bounced off of the topaz walls, along with the accusations it held.

“No, Bridgette, I swear. I wouldn’t do that to you.” His eyes held hers, and her mouth formed an unimpressed line.

“I’m gonna need something better than that. Preferably something you didn’t feed to your ‘flings’ too.” Her fingers were poised in air quotes, and James ran a nervous hand through his chestnut locks.

“Look, I’ve changed. I mean, sure, when I met you, that’s all I wanted.” He cringed as he heard his own words out loud. He couldn’t help but think he needed to start thinking before opening his giant mouth.

“Yeah, that’s the reassurance I was looking for. If you wanted some fling, James, you should’ve messed with some other girl. I’m going home.” She rushed past him before he had time to process. As she flew out of the door, she nearly stumbled over Carlos, Logan, and Kendall, but didn’t notice. Her eyes were too clouded by the stinging tears spilling from them.

“No, Bridgette, wait!” James cried, his senses kicking in. He ran into the hallway, not seeing her curls anywhere. His eyes did fall upon his three best friends, huddled behind the door and trying to look innocent. He stopped in his tracks, opening and closing his mouth a few times as he tried to think of what to say.

“Really?” he sputtered out finally.

“Don’t worry about us! She went that way!” Kendall interrupted. James gave him a thankful look before taking off, completely forgetting his snooping friends. All that he could see in his mind was a blond haired girl, who at the moment thought the worst of him.