ROXANNE'S P.O.V
I slowly turned to Florian, my lips parting, the salty taste of my own tears filling my eyes. He was driving slowly, his sleeves rolled up, his brows drawn as he focused on the highway in front of us. I closed my eyes tight, swallowing hard. "Why are you not with them?" "Where were they?" His voice was just as I remembered it. Deep, resonant, smooth. "The strip club. Dirty dreams." I broke into a laugh, but my tears only streamed down my face harder. "I should have known." "It isn't your fault you didn't," he said simply. I watched him, my eyes thin. Florian was one of my brother's closest and oldest friends. Even though his family was much richer than ours, I could remember how he was always at our place every day, especially at the time I was in high school. Looking back now, I wasn't sure why we never got along. Maybe because I was chubby then, but he loved to poke fun at me. I hated it back then, and I couldn't lie, he had been one of the reasons I decided to improve, but in a different way. I turned to look at him again. "Did you know they would be here?" He raised a brow and turned to me briefly. "No. I wasn't in the country." "They would still have told you." "Well, they didn't. What do you want to hear? That I knew and I wouldn't tell you?" "Yes," I said, my eyes filling again. "Maybe you thought I deserved it." "Why would you deserve to be cheated on, and at that with prostitutes?" "I don't know," I said, my voice shaky now as my chest started to tighten with a different emotion. Anger. Hate. Why would he cheat? I gave him everything. I did everything. I blinked, my chest heaving. "Maybe because I was stupid enough to let all the lies slide and..." "Oh please, Rox. Anything but this. It isn't your fault you fell for the wrong man and..." "Then who is the right man? He was the only one who accepted me for who I was before all of this. Who would love me the same?" "Stop fucking lying to yourself, Roxanne. He only cared for you after you started to glow up. He never looked at you with your braids and your stupid pigtails. He never kissed you with your braces on. You have been lying to yourself, thinking the bastard didn't realize you were glowing up and immediately went for you." I hated that he was right. I hated that I and Damien had, indeed, gone to the same high school, and I had been invisible through all those years. I had been naive to think he loved me for me, but maybe... I turned to Florian, my hand slowly coming to my chest. The hate was spreading through me like black ink on water, and I hated how I could almost feel high on the emotions. "I fucking hate you," I spat, knowing it wasn't as directed to Florian as it was to Damien and my bastard brother. "You always have," he said simply. "And you have always been blind too." I turned away, my lips parting. "Maybe I just didn't want to see." I could feel him suck in a sharp breath, and I closed my eyes. I hated that I knew exactly what he was talking about. The very thing that had made me fall for Damien was really just Florian. Because now that I was realizing that Damien only gave me the time of day because I glowed up, I was also realizing that Florian had taken my first kiss in that closet on my eighteenth birthday despite poking fun at my looks. I swallowed, remembering every single detail from that day. Right before the dinner, with Taylor, my brother, Florian, and a few of my friends, we had been in our sitting room, spinning bottles and playing truth or dare. I remembered it like the back of my hand. How Florian had been dared to kiss me. How he had laughed and paid the one thousand dollar fine just so he wouldn't kiss me. I remembered how I had gone to my room to cry and how he had followed me up. His knocks on the door prompted me to hide in my closet, but he had found me there, his eyes dark and beautiful, watching me. "Why would I ever refuse to kiss you, Rox?" He had said, his fingers gently caressing my face, his thumb resting in my bottom lip. "Why would I ever refuse to reach for a dream?" Those words still echoed in my head sometimes, even though I never gave meaning to it. Even though I never explored that dream. That one kiss, and I avoided him till I finally left for college where I met Damien again. Maybe that was my biggest mistake. It wasn't trusting Damien. It was refusing to explore Florian, despite seeing it in his eyes that day. I turned to him slowly, my eyes wide, my chest heaving. What if... just for tonight... I blinked, shaking my head. That would make me a horrible person. Taking advantage of Florian and using him for a night... that made me too similar to Damien. "If you are wondering if I would do it again, then yes. Yes, I would." I blinked. I hated how he knew exactly what I was thinking. How he knew exactly what I was hoping for and how he knew I would take his offer in a heartbeat. I needed something to mend this shattered piece of me and get me through tonight so I don't fall apart before the sun rises. "Then do it," I said in a whisper, hoping he would hear me and hoping at the same time that he wouldn't. He did hear me, and he slowly turned to me, his eyes dark and intense, like it had been that night. Like it had been right before he kissed me. Throwing all caution and safety to the wind, I moved, pushing myself onto him, my hands cupping both sides of his face, my lips seeking his in fervent, feverish need. "Roxanne," he sighed on my lips before swerving the car to the side of the road. The screeching filled my ears, but he moved his hand, pulling my back to him so my body pressed against his, his fingers adjusting my thighs on either side of him, his fingers cupping my face, his lips seeking dominance against mine, and finding it.FLORIAN'S P.O.V I could taste her tears on her lips, but she wasn't stopping, and sure as hell, I wasn't going to. The next forty-five minutes that it took to get to the mansion was an absolute pain, and I hated that I had to drive. I wanted to give her all of the attention she wanted, all the things she was looking for by pushing herself on me like this, touch her in all of the places she never showed anyone else so she is never tempted to feel anyone else.We finally got home, and I pulled her into me, her body fitting right in my arms, her legs wrapping around my waist. I opened the door, then turned to the wall, her back softly hitting the wall. She adjusted her legs around me, and I chuckled to myself, my fingers holding on to her.She was breathing heavily, her eyes closed, her fingers holding on to my shirt. I let my hand slowly tuck her hair back in, my eyes looking down at her. I wanted to take it slow. Understand her grief. Maybe. "Do you still want this?"She swallowed,
ROXANNE'S P.O.V I turned slowly to Florian. My hair fell on both sides of my face, so I was hoping he wouldn't see the glances I was stealing. His eyes were focused fully on the road, his hand, adorned with two rings, rested between his thigh and mine.His other hand navigated the steering wheel, his hair falling prettily on his face. I held my breath as my eyes took him in. I remembered just how I had always seen him at least one tier above every other man around. He was that beautiful. He had the stainless charisma that turned girls his way.That's how I knew I didn't have a chance.I shook my head and turned, my knees trembling a little as if to remind me of the very thing I didn't want to be reminded of. I wasn't even completely sure how it had happened, but I knew I wouldn't forget it.I had never expected that I had been waiting so long despite all the times I had come close, only to finally be taken by Florian. Florian. That one man I never thought I would ever be good enough
"What the fuck, Florian? How could you fucking do this?""What did I do?" Florian asked, his voice deep, dark, and smooth. "Drive her insane with pleasure when you were planning to drive her insane with pain?""What?" Damien countered, his eyes wide. "What the hell are you talking about?"I swallowed hard, pulling myself away from Florian. "You were at..." I trailed off, blinking the tears away. In as much as Florian was right about his ability to make me forget everything, at least for last night, seeing Damien, those pretty eyes I had loved so much, that face I saw in my happiest dreams...It hurt. All over again. "Fucking speak up, Roxanne! What is yoir excuse for being this bastard's little slut?""Don't you dare call me names. You are the one who went around and broke the vows we didn't even get to make. You are the one who...""Shut up, Roxanne. Shut up." It was my brother this time, and I could see the nervousness in his eyes as he looked towards Damien.My eyes filled even fa
I let out a small whimper as my eyes closed, my chest heaving hard. My face buried in my palm, and I let out a shaky breath. I was trying as hard as I could to not let Florian hear me, but I knew I had gotten loud at some point, and I was grateful that he hadn't bothered to say anything to me.I sighed, closing my eyes. Today would have been my wedding. Yet here I am. I have nowhere to go.I straightened slowly, sniffing hard as I tried to best to compose myself. I turned to Florian. His eyes were cold as he drove silently, his fingers resting between us, the other navigating the steering wheel."I... I will sleep at the office till I can...""You are coming home with me."I bit down on my lips. "That is hardly home, Florian."He turned to me, his brow lifting. "Okay? You have called the Roseville mansion home for twenty-six years. Surely it wouldn't hurt your soul to call my place home for now."I turned away, my eyes brimming with tears. He was right. I had never felt at home in the
I stood in front of the mansion where Florian apparently lived. It was at least twice that of my parent's, and was situated in a quaint, quiet place in the richest part of CA. I looked around. Nature was thriving here, and the mansion itself was victorian style and extremely beautiful."Let's go," Florian said finally as he came beside me. He had handed the keys to a man who had greeted me and said man was currently taking the car away."I..." I started to say, my eyes falling to my feet. I still couldn't shake off the heavy awareness of him that I felt. And the awareness of what we had done last night. "Are you sure this is okay? I could sleep in my office before I find a way to retrieve...""Stay here, Roxanne. Don't be stubborn."I nodded slowly, then swallowed as I felt his hand rest gently on the curve of my waist. Without another word, he pulled me into the massive entrance, his body heating mine up due to how close together we were.The interior was even more magnificent, and I
"Ma'am, please come with me to the bedroom. Sir has asked us to help you settle down before lunch."I tore my gaze away from the path where Florian had taken away from me and turned to the woman. She was young, probably around my age, and dressed in a very neat maid's uniform.I forced a small smile, then nodded. "Thank you."She smiled, then gestured with her hand towards the stairs. I took the path she directed me to, while she fell into step next to me, her fingers elegantly clasped in front of her.I looked around the house, as last night was a complete haze, and I could barely even remember that wr had climbed a stair case. There were dark pieces of art around the house and one on the wall at the very top of the stairs.It was a close-up of a hand. My brows furrowed. Those rings looked like Florian's, and the longer I looked at the painting, the more I saw.I could see the rest from what could have been there, and his fingers seemed to be wrapped around a... chin?I could see the
The bath took longer than I thought, and when I finally pulled myself out of it, the water had gone cold. I wrapped a robe around me and walked. The walk-in closet was just across from the bath, and I thought it was absolutely convenient.I braced myself for yet another discovery as I opened the door. This place had been a whole adventure all through. It made me wonder what else waited. What else could be in there.I opened up the doors, and my lips fell open. Rows after rows of comfortable clothes ranging from hoodies that looked at least two sizes too big, then shorts just like I loved to wear before the whole glow up thing.Now my wardrobe was filled with silk, and I wore them even when it got too hot or felt weird against my skin.I broke into a smile as I walked inside, running my hands on the clothes. This was an absolute dream. There was, for sure, an entire closet for formal dresses and shoes, but the comfortable clothes filled the entire space.I settled on a large Hoodie and
ROXANNE'S P.O.V I sat alone at the dining, my feet rapping slowly on the floor. My eyes roamed around the entire house, my chest heaving as I took in the space. Florian did have stellar taste. He always has. His clothes always stood out from my brother's and any other friends they had. He always stood out from all of them.Maybe that is why I still don't understand why he kissed me in that closet years ago.I shook off the thought as Florian appeared, carrying a white glass bowl in his hands. He was wearing an apron now, and I wondered if he had done the cooking himself.I bit down on my lips as he set it on the table and started to turn away without looking at me. My brows furrowed a little. He had brought me down here himself after complimenting this hoodie and all, but now he seemed distant. Aloof."Florian."He stopped, then turned to me. "Yes?""Maybe I should come help out?"He raised a brow. "The maids are here for that.""So why are you cooking?""Because I want to," he said