Haze - By Andrea Wolfe Page 0,75

with the time difference." I had forgotten that it was almost ten in NYC right now. "If we need it, we can get a cup of coffee with dinner."

Jack always had a solution for everything.

We took a quick shower—the rain showerhead in the bathroom was incredible; I suggested to Jack that he get one in NYC—and got dressed to go out on the town. Jack had reservations somewhere, but informed me that we could dress casually.

I threw on the most stylish blouse/skirt combo I had, feeling intimidated by the style I was probably going to encounter. My repeated trips back to the mirror set Jack off.

"You don't need to worry about that bullshit," Jack said, noticing my panic as I dug through my suitcase. "You look beautiful."

"I just..." I just what? "I don't know. Everyone is so cool out here. You didn't even try and you look better than me." His low-slung jeans and polo shirt looked impeccable as usual.

He laughed. "How do you know I didn't try?" I was busted.

"Dammit. I don't know. You just said that there might be famous people around and—"

He walked up to me and looked straight into my eyes. "None of that matters. This is a popular hotel, but I'm not as famous as some people and so no one gives a shit about snapping my photo. And you actually look really good, despite the fact that I know you don't believe me."

I took a deep breath and sat down on the bed. My hands settled on my thighs. "You mean it?"

Jack leaned forward and kissed my forehead. "I promise. I caught you off guard with the trip, so now you're over-compensating."

After a short introspective pause, I felt dumb about my tiny outburst. "God, you're right. I'm never this superficial. I don't know any of these people."

"You think Tom Cruise gives really a damn about how you're dressed?"

"Joseph Gordon-Levitt might." I gave him an evil smile. "If he asked me out, I don't know what I'd say."

Jack raised one eyebrow. "Is that right? Maybe you're onto something there. I've got a camcorder and I could film you guys—"

"Doing what? You're such a sicko."

"I was just suggesting that you do an interview with him," he said, obviously lying through his teeth.

None of it mattered, because Jack had successfully distracted me from what was an irrational problem anyway. Sometimes being a girl was hard, so hard that you needed a guy to tell you it was okay.

"We should go," he said, extending his arm to mine. I took it and rose to my feet with him.

I grabbed my purse and took his arm as we walked out to the limo. My eyes were on the prowl the whole time, searching for anyone famous who might be nearby. I didn't even notice the eyes on us as we climbed into the limo. After I was seated, I noticed a few people pointing at the car.

I couldn't lie—feeling like a pseudo-celebrity wasn't bad at all. After weeks or years of this, it might get old.

Our dinner was at an Indian restaurant called Gangadin, a place that wasn't really what I expected for L.A. yet exceeded my expectations entirely.

"I always eat here," Jack said. "It's great. You'll like it." Indian food was fine by me.

The restaurant was smaller than I had expected but great. Right after our appetizer arrived, a seemingly very star-struck college-age guy walked up to our table. He was wearing a hoodie and torn-up jeans

"Hey, you're Jack Teller!" He nervously pointed at Jack as if he were literally driving the point home.

Jack smiled and nodded. "Yeah, that's me. And this is my date, Effie."

I gave a polite smile and an awkward wave. The guy didn't seem that interested in me.

"Dude, your album Feedback is awesome. I've listened to it so many times. It changed my life, really."

Even though this stranger was obviously a big fan, it made me feel stupid that I had never researched Jack's albums, especially since I'd had ample time to do so. I would have to ask him for input later, because I didn't know how much longer I could go on not knowing that part of him.

"Thanks. That means a lot, really." Jack maintained eye contact the whole time, ensuring that the fan felt warm and welcomed. "That was from a tough time in my life, but I'm glad I captured it."

"Yeah, man." He turned back toward his table, where a girl and another guy seemed to be watching him with