Sugar and Spice_ An L.A. Candy Novel - Lauren Conrad [40]
When she and Caleb had headed into the kitchen to make more drinks, she had barely had a chance to pick up the bottle of margarita mix when Caleb pulled her close and started kissing her. It had been so nice, so familiar, as though they’d taken up right where they’d left off. Or even further back in time, when he’d kissed her for the first time in the front seat of his parents’ Subaru, with “Déjà Vu” by Beyoncé and Jay-Z playing on the radio, and she’d thought, I’m in love.
She’d had a crush on Caleb Hunt for what seemed like forever, dragged Scarlett along to watch him at his swim meets, and secretly hated his girlfriend at the time, a cute, vapid cheerleader named Kailey. After that spontaneous, unexpected kiss—he’d given her a ride home from a student government meeting—he broke up with Kailey (who began hating Jane back, not so secretly), and he and Jane became an item. They were practically inseparable. They lost their virginity to each other (or that’s what he told her, anyway). When he decided to go to Yale, all the way across the country, and she decided to take the year off to explore her options and travel, she had sincerely thought they could make a long-distance relationship work. After all, she loved him, and he loved her, and they were meant to be together . . . and maybe even get married someday.
Which is why it had been so devastating when Caleb told her last May that he wanted to call it quits. Had she been naive, thinking they could survive being three thousand miles apart? Now, he was back in her life . . . and maybe even wanted to get back together. Was she ready for this? Was this what she wanted, too? Or was she being naive—again? And what about her decision to stay single for the near future?
Jane peeked at Caleb’s silver diving watch, the same one he’d had since high school. God, it was almost 1 a.m. She had to be up in six hours. “I’d better head upstairs. It’s late, and we’re filming at the office tomorrow,” she told Caleb.
“Wow, seems like the cameras are with you all the time,” Caleb said.
“It feels like that sometimes. We’ve been so busy at work lately. There’s Aja’s engagement party I told you about, plus I’m organizing some smaller parties, too. Oh, and Trevor asked me to plan a birthday party for Scar next weekend. It’s a surprise, so you can’t say anything! Promise me!”
“My lips are sealed,” Caleb assured her.
“You and Naveen should be getting your invites in a couple days. Someone at PopTV’s handling them.” Jane added, “It’s gonna be huge, like fifty or sixty people. Trevor’s devoting a whole episode to it. Scar has no idea!”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. She’s not a big birthday person—remember? Trevor thought it would be fun to do this for her.”
Actually, Jane had had her reservations when Trevor first approached her with the idea last week, mostly because she was worried that Liam would feel out of place at a PopTV event, even if it was a party for his girlfriend. But Trevor had assured Jane that he or one of his staff would speak to Liam personally and clear everything with him. Jane really hoped Liam would come to the party for Scar’s sake, even though he couldn’t film, and even though he might not love hanging out with his ex-coworkers. Although . . . she wondered how things were going between him and Scar lately. Earlier, Jane had asked Scar if he was okay about Caleb and Naveen coming over for dinner, and she had mumbled something about how Liam would just have to deal because she was a “free woman.” Huh?
Caleb got to his feet, then grabbed Jane’s hand and helped her up. From somewhere in the distance, Jane could hear the faint strains of “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz. She and Caleb had slow danced to it at prom. She flashed back to that night, to how long she’d spent getting ready (she smiled to herself, thinking of her long blue chiffon dress from Macy’s and her rhinestone earrings from Claire’s—and the fact that her mother, not some fancy L.A. stylists, had helped her with her hair and makeup). How gorgeous Caleb had looked in his black tux