California Dreaming

Chapter 04

The air was unusually cold and clammy as Alyssa sat on the patio, a cigarette dangling from her fingers as she flipped through a magazine that her mother had sent to her. Truth be told, she wasn't really very interested in the magazine or the fluff stories written inside it. She hadn't even wanted to come outside today. But she'd seen George come out here after breakfast for his morning cigarette, and he'd chosen to stay outside so she'd joined him.

It had been nearly a week now since she'd first tried talking to him out here that night she'd bummed a cigarette from him, and he still hadn't told her much else besides his name and where he was from. She now knew that he was in a band from Hollywood, and that their management team and record label had been the ones to put him here. He had also told her that he had a daughter, but when she'd pressed for more information, he'd gone silent, his expression hidden by those damn glasses that always seemed to be covering his eyes.

That had been two days ago, and he hadn't spoken to her since. This was the first time that he'd really let her get close to him in the last few days, and she wanted to take full advantage of it. After all, George was the only interesting person here and if she had to be stuck here for another seven weeks, she was going to use that time productively.

"Do you play ball?"

Alyssa blinked, lifting her eyes from the page she'd been reading to see him standing in front of her. He was holding a basketball one hip, a small grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. She shrugged, pushing the magazine away before walking over to the small slab of concrete set up with a basketball hoop.

"I haven't played in years." She warned him. Her words drew another smile from his lips and she watched as George tossed the ball at the hoop. It circled the rim a few times before finally falling through the net with a whish. He caught it and passed it over to her, stepping aside so that she had the court.

Alyssa suddenly felt very self-conscious as George watched her dribbling the ball. She was used to having attention on her all the time, what with who her father was. She'd been one of the popular kids in her high school, so she'd learned early on how to deal with male attention. But George wasn't just any male, he was a fully grown, hot blooded man. To have his eyes on her so intently definitely threw her off her game a little, and as she tossed the ball at the hoop and watched it fall to the side, disappointment surged through her.

She was better than that.

"Let me try again," she told George, who just chuckled. He tossed the ball back over to her, crossing his arms over his chest, watching her once again.

She watched the hoop like it was prey. The background noise was gone now and all she was focusing on were her feet and how far apart they were planted on the concrete, the ball and how it felt rough underneath her fingertips, and George.

This time Alyssa didn't miss her mark, and the ball fell through the hoop with a swish. She couldn't keep the grin off her face, and when she looked over to see George grinning too, the disappointment she'd felt only moments ago was replaced with smug satisfaction. She had impressed him.

"You're no Kobe, but you're not bad, either," he teased her before accepting the ball as she tossed it over to him. "You remind me of my daughter when she tries to play."

They played for another hour or so, until the gloomy sky finally started to downpour rain onto them. Alyssa found herself hoping that he'd spend some time with her inside as well, but when he disappeared down the hallway that led to his room without her, she sighed in defeat and dropped the ball next to the door before going to her own room. She wasn't quite sure what it was about George that made her want to know him so badly, but she wasn't going to let this stop her. One way or another, she was going to learn who George was.