Chasing Addison Ch. 01

This is a story whose premise is actually true, but the rest (a.k.a. all the good stuff) is just a fictionalized fantasy. Please let me know what you think! But go easy on me. This is my first submission. 

Enjoy!

xo

ivy_Girl

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Addy looked at the clock and mentally cursed. Now she was going to be late.

She grabbed her lip gloss, applied it quickly, and then shoved it into her purse with her phone and her keys. She managed to get one fleeting look at herself in her floor-length mirror before she flew out the door. Not having had the time to fix it, her blonde hair was slightly disheveled, and she realized the blouse that she was wearing showed a bit more than was comfortable for her.

Whatever. There was no time to fix it now.

Moving as quickly as she could in her 4-inch heels, she couldn't help but groan internally. It would have been so much easier to just stay home. She was tired from the stress and the work that came with a too-heavy course load, and the brief glimpse that she had gotten of herself in the mirror had left her feeling slightly self-conscious.

Of course it didn't help that she had no idea what she was walking into, and she mentally swore at Leighton for leaving her to deal with this. She thought about turning around and climbing the back up the stairs to the apartment, but then she was already outside and hailing a cab. Besides, she knew better than anyone that she needed to get out.

She climbed into the cab, gave the driver the address and then sat back, still feeling unsure. Leighton was supposed to be going with her. She stared out the window, almost laughing. That girl would manage to find a last minute conflict on her wedding day.

Ahhh, well. She liked Emilee, even though she had only met her twice. Leighton and Emilee had taken a few classes together in college, and now they were both newly minted graduates working in fashion. Which is why Addy was currently heading uptown, on her way to a student-run fashion show at FIT.

As the cab pulled up to the curb outside the event, Addy remembered that Emilee had her ticket. Thankful that she had asked Leighton for Emilee's number earlier that morning, she fished her phone out of her bag and texted her. In the meantime, she waited inside, watching the people funnel into the building. When she felt a hand on her shoulder, she turned, expecting Emilee.

The man she saw instead extended his hand to her. "Hi, I'm Carter, Emilee's boyfriend. You must be Addison."

Smiling, she moved her hand to shake his. "Addy, please. Did Emilee send you out here with my ticket?"

Addy thought back to everything Leighton had told her about Carter. She studied his boyish face, and decided that it seemed impossible that he and Emilee fought all the time.

Carter nodded back at her and handed her the ticket. The two of them walked in together, making some small talk.

Emilee spotted them from across the room and somewhat violently waved them over. Addy laughed.

"Addy!" she squealed before pulling her into a big hug. Grinning, Addy hugged her back. Emilee then turned to the guy in the seat next to her. Between the chaos of the crowd and Emilee's greeting, Addy hadn't even noticed him sitting there. Now he was looking straight at her.

"Andrew, this is Addison Parker. She's Leighton's roommate."

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Seeing that he was siting next to an empty seat, Andrew leaned over it to get Emilee's attention.

"Who's sitting here?" he asked.

"Oh, Leighton's friend Addy. Carter went to meet her in the lobby with her ticket. She should be here soon."

He leaned back and rolled his eyes. Andrew had only met Leighton Freidman a few times, but he had long since decided that once would have been more than enough for him. If this girl were anything like Leighton, he would be enjoying the company of another yappy, pretentious bitch for the next hour and a half. Fan-fucking-tastic.

With a sigh, he pulled out his phone to check his email. He scrolled through, reading the messages one by one until he heard Emily shriek.

Looking up, he saw Carter advancing towards them, leading a girl who could only be Leighton's friend. He found himself struggling to remember her name. Whatever. He'd be getting it again soon enough.

Sure enough, Emilee turned to him for an introduction after pulling the girl into a tight hug.

He conventionally reached his hand out to her while he studied her. She wasn't exactly short, but she was small, and had delicate features. This, combined with her wide blue eyes gave her the appearance of a girl-next-door, except her lips were full and pouty, adding a layer of sultry sophistication onto her looks. But mostly, he noticed that she looked uncomfortable. And she was staring at him.

Addy stood frozen for a moment, unable to compose a full thought, before she managed to pull herself out of her reverie. "Addy," she said, shaking his hand, blushing slightly, because there was no other way to put it; Andrew was hot. He was sitting down, so she couldn't tell how tall he was, but he had dark hair, stunning grey eyes, and a body that was toned without being overly muscled. He was dressed simply, in dark jeans and a black t-shirt.

When she saw his expression, she blushed even more, realizing that he had noticed her lingering gaze. He smirked as he gestured for her to sit down next to him.

Addy didn't appreciate the arrogance behind his eyes. Hot or not, she wasn't into guys who behaved like jackasses.

He watched her as she sat, noting that the blush on her cheeks made her look especially fragile. Seeing this, he couldn't help but tease her a bit. "So, not only are you friends with Leighton, but you actually agreed to live with the girl?"

In an instant, gone was meek-looking Addy as her eyes flashed to his face in anger. She answered him in a distinctly flat, measured voice. "Go ahead, make another comment like that. See what happens."

Andrew stared at her, momentarily floored. That was certainly not what he had expected out of her. He chose to laugh, guessing it would make her even angrier. He was pleased when he saw that it had the desired effect; now she looked downright furious.

Addy could more than handle his remarks, but what infuriated her was the arrogance and superiority in every word that came out of his mouth. Narrowing her eyes, she asked him, in a soft voice that was meant to be menacing, "I'm sorry, did I say something funny?"

Chuckling darkly, he replied, "Nope. You're just so cute when you're angry." Emphasizing his point he reached out and lightly tapped her on the nose with his finger.

Her blue eyes were on fire now, and that she looked like she wanted to hit him. Much to his disappointment, she simply folded her arms and looked away.

"I'm terribly sorry, I didn't upset you, did I?" he asked in a sarcastic, unapologetic voice.

Andrew sat back in his seat, expecting another fiery remark, and was surprised yet again when she simply closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Addy had no desire to argue with someone who was little more than a stranger. She looked up at him and tried to restrain her heated expression, settling for a simple cold gaze. "Just leave Leighton alone, okay?"

He looked down at her; his eyebrows furrowed in concentration, and said nothing. Just then, the lights dimmed; the show was starting. Addy looked away from him, grateful for the excuse to do so, but she still felt his eyes on her.

Andrew watched her for a moment before narrowing his eyes and smirking to himself as he possessively lifted his arm and placed around her shoulders, deliberately trying to incite a reaction. He felt her stiffen, but it seemed that she refused to acknowledge him.

Chuckling, he settled in and pulled her a little closer, perfectly content to sit there with his arm around her just as long as he was not the one who moved away first.

Meanwhile, Addy sat there, stiff as a board, trying to look as un-panicked as possible as she continuously prayed that the show would be over soon.