"Will you stop staring?" Jason growled. He leaned casually against the doorframe as Anthony unlocked the door to my apartment.

It was a really posh area a few miles outside town. There were a few other apartments exactly like mine but they were fairly spaced apart.

"How in the world did you guys take those five guys out by yourselves?" I asked in shock.

"Years of practice." Jason answered with a shrug. He then looked at me in irritation. "Seriously, stop staring."

"I can't." I replied honestly.

I thought things like that only happened in movies.

"Well maybe this will change your mind." Anthony spoke as he finally opened the door. "Welcome to your casa, Miss King." He spoke. My eyes widened as I walked through the doors.

I froze and just took in everything. "This is mine?" I asked in shock.

"Yeah, it's a little small but-"

''It's perfect." I muttered as I walked further in. Greg and Joey brought in the suitcases.

I walked through the living area that doubled as a dinning room and took in all the little details in the room, from the tiniest decorations to the back drops.

I walked up to the end of the room and I was finally able to see the one room that actually mattered.

I sucked in a deep breath and smiled at the room. It was small and cozy... It was perfect.

Alex had been under the impression that I wanted a big and extravagant kitchen and that's what he tried to give me. But honestly, all I have ever wanted is something like .

Just a simple place with everything I needed.

I walked towards the fridge and opened it. I smiled when I saw that it was fully stocked.

"A little birdie told me how essential a full fridge was to you." Anthony spoke from behind me.

I immediately knew who the little birdie must have been. Cooking has always been sort of therapeutic for me and he knew it. Just starting something from scratch and turning seperate ingredients into a beautiful and delicious full meal has always made me feel good.

I missed him. I really did.

Trying to take my mind off it, I spun around and beamed at the two boys who had followed me in.

"Are you guys hungry?" I asked enthusiastically. "I can whip something up for you."

I felt like I hadn't cooked in ages and my hands itched to poach an egg or just chop up an onion even.

"I'm starved." Anthony spoke. "And as much as I'd love to stay and sample your tasty delights... wait, did that come out wrong?"

I nodded. "Extremely."

Anthony shrugged clearly not bothered. "Anyway, I have already slacked on most of my duties for the day. I need to get back to work. You know how it is, when the boss is away, all his burdens suddenly come my way." He spoke in irritation.

I almost forgot Anthony's super important title as the next in line of the Callahan family. It was hard to imagine the witty Anthony I knew in the all too serious Frank Callahan's shoes one day. But I could definitely picture Farah as a mini Mrs Callahan.

I turned to Jason. I bit my lip before extending the question. "Are you hungry? I know for a fact that you haven't had anything to eat today."

Again, Jason didn't seem to be expecting any form of kindness from me.

He looked at his brother before turning back to me. "Um... yeah. But I promised my mother I'd have dinner with her tonight."

I didn't know why the fact that he couldn't stay bothered me so much.

"Um... okay." I tried to hide the disappointment in my voice but failed miserably.

"Next time for sure, Katie Kat. You can cook whatever you please." Anthony spoke.

I smiled and nodded. "I'll hold you to that."

Anthony clapped his hands together. "Okay, we should get going back to our world of annoying wives and controversies. I'll be back tomorrow Katie, we can start preparing you for your big show.."

I had almost forgotten about the surreal fact that I'd have to walk in a high fashion show just next week.

I nodded and watched him leave. Jason stayed back.

Jason gave me a nod. "Um... if you need anything. You have my number." He spoke.

I was expecting the offer from Anthony. Definitely not from Jason but I nodded none the less. "Got it."

He looked like he wanted to say something else but in the end he just nodded and followed his brother out.

I walked behind them just in time to see Joey about to leave through the front door.

He gave me a nod in acknowledgement. "The alarm activates the minute I close this door so if you so much as want to open a window, you're going to have to disarm it first. Anthony said the codes are in your phone."

I nodded. "Thank you, Joey."

He nodded and gave me a small smile. "Have a good night Miss King."

"You too." I replied.

With that he turned to leave, closing the door and causing the keypad on the wall to flash a red colour. I'm guessing that means it's armed.

I didn't know how much Joey and Greg knew about my situation but they were definitely extremely vague about it. They didn't ask any questions and just followed orders. I remembered how Greg had told me that they had been working for the Callahan family before they even got assigned to Jason. They must have gotten used to it.

I walked back to the kitchen and decided to get my mind off everything that had been going through by doing what I did best.

I had already made up my mind on what I'd make the minute I caught sight of soba noodles on the counter. I washed my hands and picked the plain blue apron that hang on the hook behind the door before tying it behind my back.

I walked towards the pantry and opened it hoping I would find everything I needed. Wow Anthony really had stocked the place up. There were lots of varieties of the same products. Every chef's dream.

I picked out a bottle of peanut oil and placed it on the island before navigating my way to the fridge. I smiled upon seeing almost everything I needed. I grabbed a bottle of soy sauce, shelled edamame and a bag of pre cut cabbage and one carrot.

I set them on the Island with the oil.

I then waltzed to the vegetable rack and took two cloves of garlic, ginger and a sweet potatoe

I picked on the sweet potatoe and started dicing it. I then searched the cabinets for a bowl and found one that would suffice. I mixed the potatoes with a bit of oil before exploring the kitchen again until I found a baking sheet and laid the potatoes on it. I placed it in the oven.

I found a pan and placed it on the stove before turning it on, I spilled some sesame seeds on it and was about to move to the garlic when I heard my phone start beeping. Katelyn King's phone to be precise.

My eyes widened. I hadn't turned it off after Anthony had used it.

I wiped my hands on my apron before taking the gadget out and staring at the screen. Alex.

I bit my lip. Wasn't he supposed to be giving me space? I sighed realising that that wasn't what I wanted at all. I wanted to know how he was doing. I really did just want to hear his voice even if it was only for a minute. Before I could talk myself out of it, I swiped the screen and placed the phone to my ear.

"Hello."

The voice that came wasn't the one I was expecting. "Kate. Oh my goodness thank you so much for picking up."

"Isa." I tried not to sound too disappointed. I wanted to talk to her too... it's just that I had wanted to talk to Alex more...

"Hey." I spoke not really knowing what to say. We didn't exactly leave things on a good note either. I hadn't talked to her since the Alex incident.

"H-how are you doing over there? Is everything alright?" She asked. I could tell she wasn't all that comfortable talking to me either.

"Um... yeah. Everything's okay, I guess." I used my shoulder and my cheek to support the phone as I started dicing the garlic and ginger.

Usually when Isabella and I would talk, they'd never be a dull moment but now she hesitated when saying something else as if she didn't know how to talk to me anymore.

"So I heard about your new gig, you as a model, who would have guessed, huh?"

I let out an uneasy laugh. "Yeah, it's... um... surreal." I found a decent sized pot and put the garlic and ginger in along with one teaspoon of oil.

I heard her sigh. "It's really nice to hear your voice again, Kate.."

"Yours too." I admitted.

Another awkward moment of silence.

I added soy sauce, honey and some water into the pot causing it to make a sizzling sound.

"Are you cooking?" She asked seeming excited by the fact that we had something to talk about.

"Yeah," I replied. "Um... I just moved into the new apartment so I figured I'd whip up some teriyaki soba salad."

"Oh yum! I wish I was there, I've always loved that dish."

"Yeah." I almost smiled. Isabella would always lick her plate clean when I made it. I started chopping up the carrot.

Another awkward silence settled between the call.

I heard her sigh. "Kate, I hate this. I hate what all this has done to us." She spoke.

"Me too." I admitted. I longed for the old times when it was basically just the three of us. It was a bond built on a lie... but it was a bond and that's what we all needed.

I added the chopped up pieces of carrots in the pot and then the cabbage and roasted sesame seeds.

"I know this mess with Harry can't be fixed with one simple apology. But I want you to know that I'm sorry for keeping it from you. When Harry told me he wanted to go to Seattle to try and make amends with you, neither of us expected him to fall for you."

I picked out another pot and set it on the stove before spilling some noodles in there.

My mind went back to the first time I ever talked to Alex.

"Kate!" My boss yelled out at me.

"Yeah?" I called back as I carefully poured some sauce on the lamb I had just pulled out of the grill.

"Your biggest fan is here and he wants to talk to you." He teased.

I looked up at him and furrowed my brows. "What are you talking about? Jerry?"

"That guy who comes in every day and insists that you cook his meals." He elaborated.

"You know, the cute one." Jenny, one of my co-workers gushed.

I fought the urge to blush. I knew exactly who they were talking about. The platinum blonde guy who caught every girls attention by just walking into the restaurant. The one who had tasted my food once and insisted that I be the one to prepare his meals whenever he came in - which was everyday- the one who always left incredibly generous tips for me.

"He wants to see me?" I choked out. "Why?" Having a guy like that wanting to see me was more than a shock to me.

Jerry shrugged. "Guess he wants to give his compliments to the chef."

"Go on now!" Jenny told me as she gave me a little push.

I couldn't contain my nerves. I honestly didn't know why I was so nervous. He just wanted to compliment me on my food. A lot of people did that. But those other people weren't him. I picked up one of the trays and checked my reflection.

I saw Jerry roll his eyes at me. "Just go already before he leaves."

I sucked in a deep breath and walked out the door of the kitchen. I immediately spotted him and I swear my heart skipped a beat. He looked at his watch before looking around the room impatiently.

And then his eyes landed on me. Then I was sure my heart skipped a beat. There was a fluttery feeling in my stomach. He, himself, looked somewhat shocked. He got up immediately and started walking towards me. It's in that moment I realised I was stuck in my spot.

He stopped in front of me and just stared at me a little longer. I had never realised how much I loved hazel eyes on guys.

"H-hi." He finally spoke.

"Hi." I replied. We stared at each other a little bit longer before he held his hand out to me.

"I'm Alex."

"Kate."

"That's a beautiful name."

"So are you." I felt like slapping myself in the face when I let that out. "I mean.... you have a nice name too."

He smiled. That smile made me melt and made my knees go weak. "I think you're a really good chef. Your food is magnificent."

I looked down and blushed. I shuffled from foot to foot. "Thanks. Um... thank you for eating it and um... liking it."

He chuckled. I wouldn't have minded listening to that sound for the rest of my life.

He still held my hand and I noticed that my palm was starting to get sweaty but I didn't really care.

"I hope that means you won't mind if I come in more often then." He spoke.

I shook my head. "Not at all. Come in whenever you want... I'll er... be here."

"I look forward to it." He spoke.

And then we just smiled at each other and it felt like that moment would last forever but then it was interrupted by Jerry.

"Kate!" He called.

I pulled my hand out of Alex's. He almost looked disappointed.

"I need to get back to work." I told him hurriedly.

He nodded  with a smile. "Of course... um... see you tomorrow?"

I nodded eagerly. "Yeah."

"Okay." He said.

"Okay." I repeated.

"Bye."

"Bye." I spoke with a wave.

He gave me one last smile before turning to leave.

I watched his back retreat and couldn't wait for the next day when I would get to see him again.

"Kate!" I heard Jerry's voice as he appeared beside me.

He waved his hand infront of my face. "Are you okay, kid?"

Alex was long gone but I kept staring at the door.

"I'm perfect."

Isabella had been saying something but I wasn't really listening.

I realised that the potatoes were done and I grabbed oven mitts and took them out. I poured the noodles into a salad bowl before adding the potatoes and then the sauce. I breathed in the delicious scent.

"Kate?" I heard Isabella's voice.

I leaned against the counter. "How is he Isa?" I finally asked.

Isabella didn't answer instantly and I knew at that moment that something was wrong.

"Not good." She replied.

I shut my eyes. I don't know what else I had been expecting really.

"He  really is beating himself up. He started smoking again. He's drinking a lot. He's really off the rails."

I hated that he was doing that to himself. I wish I could be there to make him throw out all his cigarettes like I had done in the past.

"He misses you, Kate."

"I-I'm just not ready to talk to him again right now." I told her. "But... please look after him for me. Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

"Got it." Isabella answered.

"And..." I wasn't sure whether to say the next words. "Tell him I'm still here... I'm still here for him..."

"I think that will really help." Isabella spoke. "Um... Kate? Could you do the same for me? Can you make sure Jason is okay."

I wanted to tell her that I wasn't exactly Jason's number one confidant but I understood where she was coming from and I promised that I would try my best.

"How are you?" I asked.

"You know me." She spoke in an up beat tone. "I'll be fine."

"That wasn't my question." I told her.

I heard her sigh. "I know but I'm not really ready to talk about it."

"I understand." And I really did. In a lot of ways, Isa and I were in the same boat. "I'm here if you need to talk." I reminded her.

"Thanks, same goes for you."

I didn't know if talking to Isabella again was the right decision but I knew that I missed my best friend.

"I need to go." She spoke. "But I'll talk to you soon?"

It's like she was asking for my permission.

"Of course." I said.

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye."

The line went dead.

I placed the phone on the counter, face down.

I rubbed the palm of my hands into my eye sockets. So much was happening so fast. I just wanted it to slow down for a second.

I looked out the window and realised that it was getting late. I figured that I should get some sleep soon after I ate.

I took off my apron before searching for a plate. I put some of the salad on it before storing the rest in the refrigerator.

I headed to the living area with the plate and phone.

I settled on the couch and absent mindedly turned the TV on to some random channel out of habit.

As I ate, I decided to go through the modifications Anthony had done to my phone. I easily found the codes in my email. I also found the contract Lisa had sent me. I really didn't want to worry about that right now so I didn't bother opening it.

I moved on to my instagram which had a pink dot on it. I was beyond surprised to see how many follow requests I had received. I moved on to my facebook and found there were about a hundred friend requests there too. This is ridiculous. Do people really want to know me just because I'm 'dating' Jason Callahan.

I exited all that and was about to press the power button when I spotted a perculiar message.

I clicked on it and inwardly groaned when I saw Dean's name. I instantly regretted giving him my number at Mr Callahan's party.

Hey Miss King,

Just texting to remind you that you have my number and you are very welcome to use it. Especially if you need an escape. ;)

Yours truly.

I scoffed. I still had a strong feeling that he was somehow trying to get in my pants to piss off Jason.

".... Jason MCcann strikes again..."

I was suddenly brought out of y thoughts when I saw the familiar faces on the screen.

I picked up the remote control and quickly turned up the volume. It looked like they had been showing a video of the incident at Jason's party. It froze at the point where I had stepped in.

"This isn't the first time this is happening." Tammy's familiar voice spoke.

"Why of course." her co-host, Denise agreed. "We all remember that little incident with the paparazzi that he had shortly after he broke off his engagement to Isabella Sapphire."

"That was not pretty." Tammy agreed. "But there is a huge difference this time if you know what I'm talking about." she teased.

Denise nodded eagerly and gave her co-host a knowing smile. "Oh I know exactly who you're talking about. I'm sure you're all probably wondering who this mysterious girl who always seems to be at Jason's side is. Well today we have the answers on who the hottie who was able to calm Mr Callahan after his wild episode is."

No, no, no. I thought to myself.

"Her name is Katelyn King. From what we hear, she's new to the scene and she happens to be an aspiring model. Exactly Jason's type, huh?" Denise spoke.

Tammy nodded. "Yes, Jason does love his models Denise, but this one happens to be a little bit different. An insider tells us that she was actually introduced to the playboy socialite by his ex fianceë herself. So now we know that Isabella probably approves of the relationship. A source even tells us that Jason might actually be serious about this girl. They're taking it slow but he seems to really like her. I mean he has taken her to all these important exclusive events like his father's birthday party and the annual Dynasty-Norweigian polo tournament. You must be really important to go to those as we all know, Mrs Callahan does not let her sons bring just anyone."

"Hmm..." Denise hummed. "I don't think I'm buying it." She spoke receiving numerous gasps from the audience.

Tammy looked at her co-host. "Come on, Denise. I mean, I was skeptical at first but I was at Mr Callahan's party and the two seemed pretty chammy."

Denise waved her off. "Yeah, yeah but that could simply mean that she's a good actress. I mean before she started dating Jason, she was practically a nobody. She didn't exist and now she has a spot in Betsy Johnson's fashion show? I smell a gold digger."

Simultaneous 'ohhs' came from the audience.

I gritted my teeth and turned off the TV.

I felt like screaming. Great now it was officially out. Now everyone thought I was dating Jason and most likely everyone ould assume that it was for his money.

Could this get any worse?