"I swear something smells awfully funny..." Fiona said as we walked into the manor. Sebastian's face was red from holding in his laughter, and I, being more dazed than him, went into a fit of minor paranoia. Seriously, I felt like we were going to go to jail any second, or an asteroid was going to crash into the manor or something. Either way, I was more afraid than usual. I kept my composure in front of Fiona, but I knew as soon as I was able to go to my room I would check under my bed for bombs or spiders.
God forbid it be spiders.
Fiona had a phone call waiting for her, so she left us in the waiting room. As we made our way upstairs, I stopped midway and looked at Sebastian.
"What's wrong?" He asked, with a sly smile.
"Di-did y
Maybe he gave someone else a Teddy bear, maybe it isn't me. It cant be me, it cant! These thoughts raced through my mind as I frantically looked through my contact list on my phone. Who the hell was I trying to call, though? The only person I could possibly tell this all to was Beth, considering Paul is probably with his boyfriend at the moment. L.A. is two hours behind Tennessee, so odds are she's sleep right now. Fuck it, this is crucial. I pressed the call button and waited, my legs shaking uncontrollably. I thought this was all some sick joke of some sort. There was no way, that a Harris-no,twoHarrison brothers could be attracted to me. It was impossible. Physically impossible. They could literally have any girl they wanted on this earth, but...they
____ That day, I decided to walk out into the Rose Garden to handle some business regarding Sebastian's baby scandal, as well as the Keplin Pre school volunteer work he had set up for next week. Garret called, a bit furious at Sebastian. I told him that everything was under control when in reality I didn't know how everything would play out with Norman and Maria on Friday. Still, Garret trusted me enough to let me handle it without expressing the entirety of his worry. Lucas and Sarah asked if I needed any help with anything, and tried to sit down with their laptops, but I shook it off and told them I had it under control. I knew the only reason Sarah wanted to join me was because of her outburst yesterday. Guilt wasn't going to work on me; I already knew that her apology was
The rest of the week consisted of hate mail from Maria and representatives of Maria, claiming that she will sue me for every penny I have. I've been through this many times, Maria. You're going to have to try harder than that. I decided to start asking for my breakfast, lunch and dinner up in my room. Fiona asked why and I just told her that I have been more busy than before, when in reality I wanted to avoid the Harrison brothers. They were growing more and more competitive towards each other. Whether it be opening doors to pulling out chairs. It was extremely flattering to say the least but embarrassing. Everyone noticed the little act they were playing, and I'm surprised none of them have caught on. Exactly a week after the meeting with Norman and Maria on the tenth of February,
"Do you ladies need a hand?" William said. I declined his offer and stood up on my own, while Beth grabbed Sebastian's hand and thanked him, smiling like a child in a candy store. Sebastian was enjoying my best friend's presence as well. At that moment, I hated Beth. I hated my heels. I hated everything. William could tell I was extremely embarrassed and found it amusing. "I'm fin-we'refine." I spat. As I brushed the dirt off my skirt, my heelless shoe made me lose my balance. Before I could fall on the concrete, William caught me with his damp arms. I grabbed onto his shoulder for support, pulling myself up to meet his gaze. We were inches apart now. After a few seconds of gazing into his eyes, with him gazing into mine, I awkwardly pushed myself off of him. I turned
"So Beth, how do you and Leslie know each other?" Sebastian asked, turning his head to look at my best friend. I noticed his eyes wandering over her body, and I rolled mine. Seriously? Next to the woman you're supposedly attracted to? "Seriously, Sebastian? She's hurt and you're asking her that?" William said. Sebastian looked at his brother with irritation in his eyes. "It's OK. I work for Harrison inc. In finance." She answered. Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "Finance? I would think you would be a little higher up than that." "Sebastian..." William hissed. Sebastian ignored his brothers warning. "I mean, look at you: you're gorgeous." I knew Beth was blushing, and my face was flushed red now too. But for a different reason.
I woke up before Beth, feeling sore from yesterdays fall. I was still upset about my broken heel but frankly I had more things to worry about. Williams gift sat on the bedside table, sparkling in the morning sun light. I didn't have the urge to put it on no matter how much Beth begged, because I didn't know how to react to it. The first thought that came to mind for me was that he was trying to buy his apology. But then again, we had no time to actually talk to each other since we were busy after the cart incident, so maybe he'll apologize today. Either way, I knew today was going to be eventful. I dragged myself out of bed and tied my hair back up into a bun. Slipping on my sandals, I reached for the door knob only to be stopped by the sparkling bracelet that mocked me. It would be
"I can't do this, William," I said, taking my coffee cup and starting for the door. He lightly grabbed my arm, flung me around and planted his lips onto mine. At that moment I forgot everything that I had planned to do. All I cared about was the kiss. So soft and gentle...but I couldn't be doing this! I couldn't let my feelings get in the way of why I was really here. In truth, I didn't know what to feel for William. I was letting the past get in the way of me actually letting go and allowing my heart to make decisions. One part of me liked William while the other just wanted him to leave me alone so I wouldn't get hurt again. I pulled away after coming to my senses "William I-" "No, don't say you can't do this, or that this isn't right, because its right for me, and I know it's right for you. You can keep pushing me away but-but Ill
As we watched Sebastian force himself to be happy in front of the press, the realization that it was Valentine's Day hit me again. I needed to get something for William. I figured I would keep it small. Chocolate. Everyone loves chocolate. I saw a small general store with Valentines Day themes spread out inside, so I figured that would be the best place to start. "Hey Lucas, do you think you can cover the press monsters for a few minutes? I need to go to the store." Lucas nodded, and I crossed the street and made my way into the store. An elderly lady looked at me and smiled when I walked in. "Hey, dear. You with them press people across the street?" She said, in a thick southern accent. "Yeah, sorry for the uh-intrusion."
** I fucked up. I had never felt so much regret in my entire life. One part of me wanted to hit Sebastian for making everything more complicated, then the other wanted to just kill myself for ruining everything. Here was this man, this man I was in denial about having feelings for, confess his love to me and all I say is "No." No. Why wasn't I running after him though? If I really cared, why was I still standing here, dumb founded. I slumped back in my seat and rested my head in my hands. I was an idiot, and frankly mending this was going to be harder than I thought. My complicated persona just ruined more lives than one, it had seemed. What if he fired me, now? Fired someone else out of anger? What if we could never have the same relationship again? I tried my best to choke down a sob. The sound of the door opening halted my thoughts. My spirits were raised as I thought the person entering the room was Sebastian, yet it wasn't who I expected.
It was the weirdest thing. I had never been so pissed off in my entire life. Over what? Something so petty? How could I let the ginger bitch get under my skin like that? Enough for me to go confront Sebastian myself?Sarah followed me to the ballroom, and knew exactly what I was going to do once she saw the direction I was heading in."I'm...gonna go get another drink with Lucas. Let me know if a bitch needs slappin'."I nodded, watching her walk back to the bar.I exhaled deeply before tapping Sebastian on his shoulder, halting his conversation with someone I didn't recognize."Sebastian, I need to talk to you. Now."His smile fade
"Honestly, this dress makes me look like a fucking idiot." Sarah complained, tugging on the edges as we descended in the elevator. I laughed as the doors opened "You know what that reminds me of?" I said. "What?" "When you and Sebastian first came to Harrison inc and he was complaining about his suit." Sarah thought for a moment before laughing "Oh yeah I remember!" She cleared her throat to be able to imitate Sebastian's masculine voice "I feel stupid in this fucking suit" She mocked. Sarah and I both giggled at the memory. As the elevator doors opened, we walked farther into the lobby to meet up with the two security guards,
My first thought was to push him away, but after a few moments I found myself enjoying the moment even more than he was. His lips were...soft, and warm. Like his hands but of course they didn't feel the same in that way. It was so unexpected that when he did kiss me I froze. It took me a while before...I actually kissed him back. Honestly, there are no words that can actually describe how it felt. It just felt good. The way he held my face in his hands, the way he smelled; like Irish Spring. Hell it felt even more than good it felt amazing. I had never felt a kiss that could compare. Is this what I've been missing out on this entire time?I thought to myself. Then it felt cold again. I opened my eyes to find
"I want to go to New York...tomorrow."I brought my attention from my laptop onto Sebastian, who was leaning on the desk I was seated at.It had been a week since he had left the hospital, and a week since the Harrison's had sorted everything out. It was a breath of fresh air to see everyone getting along. Past grudges were left in the past, and it had felt like the family was new. Garret had gone back to L.A., which reminded us that we only had mere weeks until Sebastian was the CEO.I sat back in my chair and chuckled "Um, tomorrow? That's a little soon; we have it planned a week in advance-"He suddenly pulled a paper from behind his back and slammed it on the desk. He pointed to the title "Skate for a Cause" printed in wh
"Leslie, you're like a...a lifesaver!" Beth said. I laughed, knowing of her over the top nature. I was in the hospital hallway, talking to Beth via cell. She called me asking about Sebastian since Fiona told Aunt Penelope about Sebastian and in turn, told Leonardo. I told her everything, from the fight at the manor to Rachael crying on his shoulder. Beth was more than interested at the story, and even almost cried a few times. "Well, I'm just glad you guys are alright. Such a relief. But in my opinion, I think that they should settle their problems. I mean, their family is over the rocks, now." I sighed. She had a point. They did need to sit down and talk, but I knew Sebastian wouldn't have it. I glanced down the hallway and watched Sebastian pushing Rachael in the wheel chair. The
Lucas and William dragged Sebastian down the stairs to gain access to the back door that led to the alley. Everyone we passed stopped dancing or socializing to look at Sebastian. There was no doubt that this would be news in the next couple of hours. Sam, our driver, was waiting in the alley once we got outside. Sebastian was sweating bullets even though it was at least fifty degrees outside, and his eyes remained closed. "Leslie, sit in the middle row with me so you can support his head." William told me. I didn't question as I got in the car. William sat in the middle, dragging Sebastian in and laying him across us. "Take us to the hospital, Sam!" William yelled. Sam quickly put the car in reverse and backed out of the alley int
Around 8 o'clock, Lucas and Sarah began to look tired; I could see it in their eyes. Eventually, Lucas yawned and stretched his lean arms "Well, I'm out." He said. I waved goodbye to him, only to watch him flop down on my bed and pull my covers over him. "Um, if you have forgotten, that's my bed." I said. "Yeah, but this one is more comfortable." He replied, not even making eye contact with me. I sighed in defeat. Lucas was about a foot taller than me, so there was no way I could get him out of my bed. Even though he was skinny and not as muscular, it would still be a task; I guess I would just sleep on the couch in my room. Sarah, rubbing her eyes, looked tempted to join him. Tiredness took over her, and she got up and slammed al
I walked as fast as my heels would allow me to the living room. The information this seven year old just fed me was too much to handle, and I needed to talk to Sarah about it. Since we both worked for the Harrison's she would know how to handle this."Why are you walking so fast, Leslie?" Rachael asked as she tightened her grip around my hand."Um, nothing I just don't want to miss everyone leaving." I looked at my watch; 5:35 already. Where did the time go? No matter, all that mattered was getting Rachael out of my company before I lost my patience. Unfortunately I didn't have my stress ball in handy to calm my nerves, so I had to get Rachael to Ulysses to settle this.I didn't know why I was so angry. Allegedly a man was in love with me and this is how I reacted? Maybe my past experi