Hollywood Hills by Aimee Friedman

earlier description of the Chateau Marmont had sounded like such decadent fun that Holly was itching to visit its bar, to feel like a real Hollywood insider who knew to show up at hot spots after hours. “And,” she admitted, smiling down at Alexa, “I guess I just don’t want this night to be over.”
    In some ways, the night had kicked off for both girls when Jonah began kissing Alexa on the rooftop, and Holly had spotted the action from the pool (Belle had had to dissuade her from snapping a picture with her cell phone, because no photographers were allowed at the party). Margaux and Paul, who immediately started toasting the new couple with their Heinekens, had also clearly been pleased. The only person who’d looked decidedly unhappy was Charity Durst, and when Alexa and Jonah had noticed the actress’s evil stare, they’d stopped kissing, hurried over to Holly, and asked if she wanted to escape with them.
    The trio made their getaway in Jonah’s black Aston Martin, which made Alexa feel like a Bond girl as she sat at his side, the city flashing by their rolled-downwindows. Jonah seemed ready to return to El Sueño, but both Holly and Alexa, who’d both forgotten about their ravenous hunger until that moment, had clamored for food. Inspired by Belle’s recommendation, Holly requested In-N-Out, and Alexa heartily agreed that real burgers sounded real good. It wasn’t until the girls had settled in at the retro-chic, yellow-and-red In-N-Out in Westwood, and ordered their burgers, crispy fries, and tall vanilla milk shakes, that Alexa remembered that Jonah was vegan. He hadn’t complained, though; he’d simply sat back in a chair with his baseball cap pulled low over his eyes, occasionally texting his agent, and looking on with a smile as the two of them devoured their midnight feast.
    “I feel awful,” Holly told Jonah at one point, taking a big bite of her mouthwatering lettuce-onion-and-special-sauce burger. She was surprised that she didn’t feel at all like a third wheel around him and Alexa— and that Jonah seemed sort of like a friend now. Well, maybe not a friend. But at any rate, he was much more accessible than she’d expected, and she was no longer the girl who’d stuttered and stammered in his presence hours before.
    “Dude.” Jonah had held up his hands in a no-worries gesture. “ I made the choice to give up meat. I guess watching my friends eat burgers is my plot in life.”
    “You mean your lot in life?” Alexa had snorted, playfully tossing a fry at Jonah. “You’re not by any chance foreign, are you?” She’d heard similar malapropisms from her Parisian cousins.
    “One hundred percent red, white, and blue,” Jonah had replied, grinning at Alexa and taking her hand. “Though I did play an Italian count once,” he’d added earnestly.
    “I know, in Venetian Valentine ,” Alexa had responded, hoping she didn’t sound too much like a crazed fan. But then a teenage girl with red hair, standing at the counter with two friends and undeterred by any silly baseball cap, had screamed: “ Oh my Gah you guys look I swear it’s Jonah! ” and then the true crazed fans had swarmed the table, pleading and sighing, waving napkins and pens until Jonah scribbled his signature and responded kindly to declarations of love.
    After their second escape of the night, Alexa, Holly, and Jonah arrived back at El Sueño, and Holly slipped out of the car, leaving Alexa and Jonah some time alone. They’d kissed again and again, and listened to the whispering of the ocean until Jonah whispered that he’d see her tomorrow.
    Now Holly nudged Alexa, who looked as if she were sleeping on the trampoline, her long lashesresting on her cheeks. “Dreaming of your movie star boyfriend?” Holly teased.
    Alexa smiled, keeping her eyes closed. “He’s not my boyfriend,” she protested, even as she recalled the feel of his lips against hers. “He’s my…crush.” That was a good word, Alexa realized. She