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Love's POVI was touching him.My hand was on his skin.He put it there... and now I have no way of living after this. I'm stuck.And I would like to freeze this moment forever, with his warm skin underneath mine, the edge of his beard slightly poking me, my thumb dangerously close to his full, nude, lush lips.I avoided looking at his eyes, I rather focused on the vase behind his back while the dryness of my eyes reminded me to blink."Go on," Christian said as he inched himself closer to me to the point where our knees touched.His scent, his warmth, and his strength surrounded me and I swallowed hard, but my throat was dry, my body trembling as I fought against the gravity of this moment.My heart beat louder, thrumming in my chest, filling the space between us like it could drown us both. “Christian...” He smiled at the sound of his name leaving my lips not knowing it slipped out before I could stop it, barely a whisper as if it was the last breath I would ever take.“Shh.” His voi
"Christian, I dont want to be anything more than an employee to you. Best case scenario I can give you my friendship but that is it." But my words seem empty to him like he is sure he can make me change my mind and I kept feeling like we had this conversation many times before... or perhaps I did have it like a hundred times playing out in my head. "Love, I will change your mind," Christian says as he takes my hand into his. "But I dont want you to change my mind. I like it just the way it is." Because it's the only way it can be. "And I do not believe that. I think you have your very well-hidden reasons not to let me in your life the way I want but that doesn't mean you dont feel this pull that is happening between us." My reasons? I have but only one. And that is the lie I told you, the lie that the longer it goes on have greater potential to hurt you but if I tell the truth now you will most probably kick me out of your life and I am still not done with Sebastian."Christian, ple
"Thank you for the lunch, Grace. Everything was delicious." I say as I gather my things ready to leave."Thank you for everything, Love. And I hope your leg feels better tomorrow." So do I but at the same time, my leg is at the bottom of my list of problems. Tamara was currently at the top. No matter how much I wanted to escape this mansion I was not looking forward to talking with her."Are you ready?" Christian asks as he appears behind me."I'm sorry?" I ask as I slowly turn around to see him holding his car keys."The driver left so Christian will drive you home," Grace says as she puts her hands on my shoulders. Arguing with her would be as pointless as arguing with him.Christian moved toward me, his footsteps light but deliberate. "Shall we?" he asked, his voice smooth, as he gently nudged the door open."We shall."...Christian opened the car door for me with a practiced ease, his hand lingering just a moment longer than necessary on the edge of the frame breathing me in. I sl
"You have some explaining to do." Tamara says as she sits on the couch, Charlie in her lap enjoying how her hand passes through his fur. "I know," I say as I put down my bag... and the cane... and take off the sunglasses."Ohh I'm really looking forward to hearing what you have to say... I mean how will you justify getting that job on false pretences? Lying to people with such power could destroy you, and all of your dreams... I just dont know what were you thinking Love. How do you plan to get out of it?" I let out a heavy sigh, feeling the weight of her words settle around me like a thick fog. Tamara’s gaze is sharp, eyes filled with disappointment and concern. "It was a chance to help someone but at the same time help myself, help Mira. We would have lost this apartment that no matter how crapy it is it's still better than the street. I was in a tight spot so I just did it." It is the best I can do to justify myself. Is it good? Perhaps not, but lies aren't usually meant to have
Today marks the fiftyth day of my working for the Callahans. It went by so fast and so intense, with me helping Sebastian be more independent each day while at the same time falling in love with Christian more and more. I discovered he is funny, kind, talented, generous, committed, driven, stubborn... so human, in the best way possible. Yet still I didn't let myself allow him to get closer to me. I was still able to use Charlie as a way to run away from him. That little lost puppy helped me a lot but it now had Mira and me in a lot of trouble. "You can't kick us out... it's six days until Christmas where the hell do you want us to go!" Mira yelled, her voice shaking with frustration as she stood in front of the landlord, trying her best to look confident "The rules on your lees were clear, no pets allowed. That filthy mut probably ruined the place." This place was ruined even before we got here, quite frankly he was lucky we were so desperate. "Number one, our dog is not filthy. N
"What are you doing here? I thought the driver was gonna pick me up like always?" I ask Christian trying to reclaim his attention back from Charlie while Mira just realizes how she ruined my line of defense. "I have taken care of some busses with Aiden close by so I thought I would pick you up. It's good that I did... why dont I find someone to help you pack later and both of you can stay at my house while you get things sorted out." Me? Staying over at his house? Absolutely no. I have a hard time staying away from him and accepting that offer would throw all of that out the window. I shake my head, trying to keep my voice steady. "No, that’s really kind of you, but I’m not sure that’s necessary. We’ll be fine, will move our things to our friend's place and look for a place to stay in the meantime."Christian gives me a sharp look, his gaze unwavering. "Are you sure? I’m more than glad to help, and I'm sure Sebastian would actually love to have you with us. Mother even more." His to
"Are you sure it's not too soon? I was thinking of easing him into that conversation especially since you said it was such a delicate topic." I asked Christian as he let me know exactly what Grace wanted me to do."Well, my mother made an appointment for him in the middle of January so you have a little bit over three weeks to talk him into it," Christian says it so effortlessly like he just knows I can do it. A part of me is flattered but the fraud part of me is always there to not let me enjoy but one second of anything that happens between us."I'll see what I can do..." So far all I know is that Sebastian hates doctors for the amount of times they gave him false hope... but hope really does mean fifty-fifty. Hope is just another word for giving it a chance.Christian’s expression softens slightly, his eyes studying me with that familiar intensity. “You can do it,” he says. “Sebastian respects you. He listens to you.”"It's because I listen back. Two-way street, you know..." "I get
"Morning, Bash." Yes, we went down the road of nicknames. It's what friends do after all. "Good morning, Love." My name makes it hard to give nicknames. But my dad once upon a time called me Bug... "Not sure is a good one but I'll take what I can get," I say as I put down my bag and sit down next to him. Marley came to my knees and leaned its head over my leg as I pet his head, "Why? What happened?" Sebastian asks. "I... well, my friend and I got kicked out of our apartment today. So when I leave here today there is a lot of packing in store for us." Sebastian's eyebrows frown as he listens to my words, and his body leans forward. "What? What are you going to do now? If you need a place to stay you are more then welcome here." Who knew that people of such wealth would be so kind as to offer their hearts to someone like me... "Thank you, Bash, but it is not necessary, we are moving some of our things to Tamara's place and Christian gave us a card from a friend of his that ca
I could feel the slight tension in her posture as my hands settled on the small of her waist, but I held her there, not in an overpowering way, just enough to keep her close, to make her stop talking for a moment."Christain..." Love said as she put her hands on mine, yet she didn't try to escape my touch or step away from our closeness. The small gesture was enough to tell me that she wasn’t afraid of the closeness, even if there was still hesitation.“Love,” I said her name softly, almost like a plea, as if asking her to hear me beyond the words, to understand that there was no rush, no pressure. "There are a lot of things going through my head right now..." She says as she intertwines her fingers with mine, and my heart starts beating with more force than ever, sounding like drums in my ears. "I just need a bit of time to make a decision of what might be best... for both of us.""That is easy Love, on my part the best thing for me is to have you in my life... forever," I say as I
I thought about going to her apartment tomorrow yet I lacked the willpower to stay away today. So with the gift in my hand, I stood in front of her apartment door ready to knock, and let my eyes fall upon her beauty, tho the person who ended up opening the door was Mira. "Good evening, Mr.Callahan. What brings you here?" She asks even tho she knows the answer. "Good evening... hope I'm not much of a bother I just came to give something to Love. Can I see her?" Mira's eyes land on the box perfectly wrapped in red paper with a golden bow on top. "Love is in the shower... but come in, you can wait in the living room while I go and get her." I stepped inside, my shoes clicking softly against the floor. Mira stepped aside to let me in when the small dog came to bark at my feet."Calm down Charlie, this is... a friend," She says as she scoops him up in her arms. Mira gestured toward the living room, her expression unreadable as she moved toward the hallway. “I’ll let her know you’re here.
Christian’s POVChristmas EveSebastian ended up calling Love last night telling her that she should in fact take some time for herself and her friends. I believe his words were We are going to miss you but we also dont want you to get sick of us.The only person sick without her presence is going to be me...but that is why I needed something... an excuse to go and see her, even if it was for just a minute. And that perfect excuse was a Christmas present.The question was what to get her? What would show her just how much she meant to me without it being too much or making things weird? I could already tell that I was walking a fine line when it came to Love. I didn’t want to overdo it. But I wanted her to know that I was thinking of her.I also wanted to get her something that she could keep close to her side at all times, something that would remind her of me, make me present in her every thought the same way she occupied mine. Something personal, with meaning, something small, intim
"Where is everyone today?" Sebastian asks as he walks inside with Marley on a leash. To think that just several weeks ago he refused to leave his room, let alone the house. He seems more calm, as the storm that used to live inside him has passed. I wasn't sure if he was as happy as we would have liked but he was more present, his voice was heard more and for that I couldn't be more grateful. "In here. Your brother and I were just talking about the New Year's Eve party. Perhaps this is the year you finally decide to join us." Mom says. Sebastian has been avoiding being in the public light for years, sometimes they even speculate as to just where he is.Sebastian shrugged, letting Marley tug at the leash for a moment before he pulled her back with a soft mutter of her name. "I don't know," he said, his voice unsure, though there was still a hint of that guarded tone I’d grown used to over the years. "A big party full of people isn't really my thing." He didn’t look uncomfortable in hi
Christian's POVI stood by the window watching the car drive in and sit in park just waiting to see Love step out... our conversation was short and I didn't have the chance to tell her everything that had rested on my mind since yesterday. She agreed to go to the party with me and for a second there I thought that was just about the first yes I was going to hear from her... but yet again she retracted from me. I could feel my heart beat in my chest as the car's engine finally cut off. I watched closely, hoping to see her make her way toward the door with that grace of hers, the one that always seemed to leave me breathless, even when it wasn't intentional. But as the door opened only my mother stepped out and made her way to the house alone."What are you doing glued to the window?" Mom asked as she entered the house, our driver left her shopping bags on the side table and left. "Love won't be returning today." She says as she leaves her bag aside. "Why? Did something happen?" Did s
"What are you doing home?" Mira asked me as she stepped down from the ladder where she was hanging up Christmas lights, her eyes landed on the bags I had just set down on the floor leaving a loud thud. "What are those?" "The dresses Grace wants us to wear to the party." Along with the expensive accessories and beautiful masks. Hopefully, it will be enough to cover the dread on my face. I walked past Mira and sat down on the couch... it looked more like if I let myself fall down onto it like a sack of potatoes before placing my head in my cold palms. "Love, are you ok?" No, absolutely not. "She knows, Mira," I say before slightly lifting my heavy head. "Grace knows that I lied... she knows I'm not blind." Mira froze for a moment, then she placed the ladder against the wall, the Christmas lights now forgotten in her hands. "How? How did she find out?" Her voice dropped, low and careful, as if she was afraid of what came next. I leaned back into the couch, trying to steady myself.
The words echo in my mind, a jumbled mess of confusion, desire, and fear. Grace’s offer, so carefully presented, seems both like an escape and a trap, a solution, and a deception. I look at her, trying to read the sincerity in her eyes, but it’s hard to see anything but the quiet certainty she radiates. "Do you really think I have any chance of building a future that would be based on lies? Such foundations are destined to fall apart."Grace doesn’t flinch at my words, somehow I feel like she reflects on my words."You would be surprised... some walls can only be held up by a lie... I would know." Grace, who had always seemed like the polished matriarch, suddenly seems more fragile, for lack of a better word, more human."You said Christain would never forgive a lie, so why would you risk joining in on one." I still couldn't believe I was having this conversation... looking her directly in the eyes for the first time."You said it yourself, it's a risk... one that I'm glad to take bec
The air around me seems to thicken, every word she speaks driving deeper into the pit of my stomach. I want to react, to defend myself, but the weight of her knowledge keeps me frozen in place. The fact that she already knows everything about my past, about my deception feels like a crushing blow. "I was in a tight spot, I had everything to lose, and when the opportunity came... I took it. So yes, I admit it... I used you... but I also helped. Everything that I did... I did with the intention of helping Sebastian, not once did I mean to hurt him or you." My heart races as I try to hold her gaze, bracing myself for whatever comes next. Grace leans back in her chair as she looks at me. Her expression softens slightly, but there’s still that underlying steel in her gaze. "I know, Love. Amongst all the things I've learned about you I know that you are a good person, otherwise, I would have never let you stay with my family, and I would have never hidden the things I found out about you
"Actually Carlos, take us to "Quake" first. I suddenly have a desire for their pear dessert." Grace says, her tone light yet her posture seems ten. This sudden detour seems odd to say the least. "I thought you needed to pick up your dress," I ask as an uneasy feeling sets in my chest. Something was happening, I just didn't know what. "We will, you just need to try one of Summers' desserts, it's difficult to catch her in the kitchen after she gave birth to her son so an opportunity like this one can't be missed. Her husband is the grandson of an old family friend, Anthony, a great chef." I've heard of "Quake" before, it wasn't soon after it opened that it became the place to eat yet I've never managed to get a reservation. A Callahan however didn't have that problem. The tension in the car is palpable, though Grace’s casual demeanor does nothing to alleviate it. She’s still looking out the window, fingers tapping lightly against her knee. "Grace..." I start, unsure of how to voice