Kristal Anderson
The look on his face was unmistakable; bewilderment at first like he couldn't quite believe his eyes, then fear for a split second when he got a glimpse of my face, then anger.
"Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my office?" He roared.
I heard what he said but it went in one ear and out the other, he had called me by my mother's name and all I desperately wanted was to know why. "Y-you- knew my mother?"
A few long moments passed by in complete silence before his long footsteps filled the room as he walked deeper into the room heading towards his desk. "What the hell are you talking aboutâ"
"You said her name, you said my mother's name, you called me Iris, you thought I was her," My voice cracked at the end, I was starting to lose control over my body, too many emotions coming over me all at once.
He now stood over his desk next to his chair while I stood on the other side, "I have no idea who the hell you are or who your damn mother is, Iris is the name of one of the maids and you just happen to resemble hâ"
"Don't lie to me!" That look on his face when he called out her name wasn't one that a man of his status would give to his employees, "Please, don't lie to me," I lowered my voice, the vulnerability it held now clear as day for him. Standing in front of him like that made me realize how little I knew of my mother, how little I remembered. I was only nine when she passed, the good memories stuck around of course but there was so much I still didn't know; the only friend of hers that I knew was Aunt Jenna cause she's always lived close to us, I knew very limited things about her past, if she had other friends, enemies, acquaintances that she couldn't stand, there was only so much you could tell a nine-year-old. So standing in front of him was an opportunity to get new information on my mother, new memories for me to smile about when I thought about her.
I continued, "I- I lost my mother when I was very young and I justâ"
He held up his hand stopping me, "Spare me the details, I do not care. Now, would you care to explain what the fuck you think you're doing in my office?"
That felt like a punch to the gut. A lump formed in my throat as the tears threatened to fall but I swallowed it all back, I was already embarrassed enough, "I'm sorry, the d-door was open and I was just admiring the painting, that's all. I swear I didn't touch anything, or take anything. I'm here with your son, Aiden and Iâ"
"Remind him to put you on a leash next time so you don't go snooping around where you don't belong," He remarked coldly as he pulled out his chair and sat down. He began flipping through the notepad that sayt in front of him, completely disregarding my presence.
I stared completely dumbfounded, "I'm really sorry, I didn't meanâ" I stopped myself when I watched him pick up a pen and begin to write on a blank page of the notepad. He wasn't listening. So I clutched the strap of my satchel harder before turning on my heels and leaving, making sure to close the door behind me.
I struggled to control myself as the tears still threatened to fall which made my breathing pick up as the lump in my throat made it hard for oxygen to pass through. I practically flew down the hallway, desperately trying to convince myself that maybe he was telling the truth, maybe he didn't know who my mother was.
I clutched onto my strap so hard that my knuckles had turned white. When I reached the door to his mother's room I took a sharp turn so hard and so fast that I collided with something, at first I thought that I'd miscalculated and collided with the wall but when I felt an arm snake around my waist I knew that I was wrong. A gasp escaped my lips at the impact.
"Woah there, you okay?" My eyes stayed on his chest, the collision only made it even harder for me to breathe, I was hyperventilating, "I was just about to go look for youâ" He stopped himself after taking in my state, his other hand moving to cup my cheek giving me the courage to look up at him, "Kris, what's wrong?" His eyes scanned my face before scanning the long hall I had just come from.
To calm the panicked look on his face, I placed a hand softly on his chest as I spoke, "I-it was nothing I promise," He held my gaze as I spoke, "just had a not-so-fun first encounter with your father," I chuckled trying to lighten the mood but the moment his father was mentioned, something flipped in him and his eyes darkened. His hand on my waist slowly guiding me to the side as he moved past me in the direction of his father's office. But I was quick to wrap my hand around his bicep in an effort to stop him, "Aiden no, please, it was my fault, like completely my fault. Please I can't be the reason you argue with your dad,"
"What did he say? Did he touch you? Because if he touched you Iâ
"No no, he didn't, he didnt do anything. It was completely my faul; I was walking around I came across his office, the door was open I saw a painting I liked, walked in to get a closer look and he got rightfully upset," Taking a step closer to him, I wrapped my arm around his without breaking eye contact, "please, just don't get upset with him, not because of me,"
His arm moved slowly, snaking around my waist and pulling me in for an embrace. I followed suit, getting up on my tiptoes wrapping my arms around his neck. His other arm soon made it's way to my waist as well, wrapping me completely in the essence of him.
Nervous that he would feel how fast my heart was beating or the butterflies in my stomach that wouldn't stay still, I spoke again, "A-and I know how he must feel, he just lost his wife andâ"
Aiden cut me off with a laugh that made his chest vibrate against mine, "My father doesn't care," He pulled back from the embrace slowly, instead he took my hand and led back me inside his mother's room, "to him my mother had been dead the moment he found out about her illness," He added so nonchalantly but I could sense the sadness in his voice as he spoke, "Look at what my mother left me," He said changing the subject, a smile back on his face.
The box we had found was on the bed, I took that as an invitation taking a step closer to the bed and picking up the first thing I saw. When I lifted it up, I realized that it was baby clothes, the entire box was filled with baby clothes. All of the pieces were kept pretty neutral with whites, beiges, and light browns.
The first piece I picked up was a little white onesie with 'Granny's Angel's' embroidered on the front in beige lettering, "Oh my gosh Aiden, this is adorable," There was something so heartwarming about looking at baby clothes.
"For her future grandkids," He chuckled, "she still wanted to be involved somehow,"
I turned to look at him, a bright smile on my face and nodded in understanding. I went back to looking through the box of the cutest little clothes I'd ever seen, some of which seem to have been crocheted.
Aiden moved to sit on the couch while I continued to rummage through the box smiling, as I pictured a miniature Aiden in them.
"You know," He spoke breaking the silence, I was sufficiently satisfied with my rummaging so after putting the lid back on the box, I turned to face him. "I think she knew that she was gonna. . . you know," I nodded knowing what he meant, "she. . . that night she asked me to stay the night, something she never did she always insisted that she was fine and that I should just go home and rest but that night she asked me to stay with her. And when I woke up," He let out a shaky breath, "she was gone,"
Taking a seat beside him on the couch, leaning my head my head against his shoulder, a comfortable silence spreading between us. I took his large hand into mine and rested them on my thigh, playing with his fingers, "The day my mom died I-," I shut my eyes for a second, recollecting my thoughts, "I could've sworn she hugged me tighter when I was leaving for school that day, I don't know, maybe mother's just have that superpower," I said with a shrug.
"You were nine when she died,"
I nodded confirming it, "Murdered. . .when she was murdered," I felt his shoulder tense beneath my head, "by my father,"
"B-by your father?"
I nodded again.
"Is that why he's after you? Because he wants to kill you?"
My heart was beating out of my chest and my hands had began to sweat making me nervously pull them out of his reach to no avail as he swiftly brought them back in. "Well yes and no, we don't know what he wants or if he's even coming after me. Aunt Jenna can get a little paranoid when it comes to me. She um wants to keep me safe and the thought of losing me brought her to the conclusion that I needed to stay inside, with her, close to her until she deemed the outside world safe for me,"
"So you've put your life on pause for someone who might not even be after you?"
Lifting my head from his shoulder I turned to face him, "I know that her methods may seem. . . questionable but I trust Aunt Jenna with my life, and I know that all that she's doing is to protect me,"
His gaze softened, "There has to be a better way, Kris. I don't know, getting you bodyguards, a restraining order, something that doesn't require you to stop living,"
I gave him a sad smile, "Darlin," As soon as the nickname fell off my lips, his hand gave mine a quick firm squeeze like it was a knee jerk reaction, "I can assure you that Aunt Jenna thought of everything and if this is the conclusion she came to, then there is nothing we can do. She knew him better than I do, she knows his capabilities better than I ever could so I mean it when I say I trust her with my life." Without pausing to let him digest the information I had just dumped on him, I continued, "Now enough about my thrilling, awesome life," I chuckled lightly as I got up, changing the subject before I had a mental breakdown right in front of him, "almost half of your mom's closet is still filled with clothes, we better get back to it,"
He took a few moments to respond, shaking his head he said, "No I think we have enough for today, I can only fit so many boxes at a time in my car," He slapped his hands on his thighs as got up, "but I do owe you a drink for this, and I know the perfect place,"
"Oh yeah? And where is that?"
"My friend owns a bar not far from here," He moved to pick up the first box and I did the same, we took the boxes down to his car.
We got both boxes inside his trunk and there was enough space for one more so Aiden went back inside to get the last box. I took the opportunity to check out the front yard. The luscious greenery was well kept and well lit, the fountain at the center served as a confirmation of just how extravagant this house was.
I turned to look up at the intricate build of the house and that's when I saw it. The smile on my face faded; a dark silhouette in the window of the second floor facing me. The sight brought chills down my spine, the silhouette was in the direction of his father's office. He was watching me, everything in my body told me he was watching me.
My blood ran cold, alarm bells were ringing all around everything told me that something was terribly wrong. First he called me by my mother's name and now he was watching me from his window like an absolute creep. I took a step back to get a better look and that was his cue to turn around and slowly retrieve from the window, leaving me more confused than I'd ever been my entire life.
Aiden came out with the last box soon after and we were on our way. I tried to shake off the unease that had settled in the pit of my stomach by focusing on the slow hum of the radio.
As soon as we made it out of the gated community and onto the main road my phone rang. I wasted no time in answering when I saw that it was Thea.
"Hey Tee,"
Letting out an exasperated groan she spoke, "Kris I just had the worst day ever, I need to vent. I'm coming over in a few,"
Panic set inside me as I couldn't help but feel like I'd been caught doing something wrong, "O-oh I'm not home right,"
"You're not home?"
I shook my head out of habit though she couldn't see me, "I'm um, out with Aiden. Wait give me a sec," I said as an idea popped in my head, so pulling the phone away from my ear I spoke, "it's my best friend Thea, would you mind if she tagged along," Getting to see Thea in person these next few weeks was a privilege that I was not going to take for granted, I would see her every chance I got.
"No, of course not. Does she need a ride or can she meet us there?"
I brought my phone back to my ear, "Tee, we're headed to a bar come with,"
"Gosh you pretty much read my mind, alcohol is the only thing that'll make this day slightly better, plus this is the opportunity to meet the man who's stealing my best friend's heart," A giggle escaped me but I pressed the phone harder against my ear in fear that her voice would reach his ears. "I just had dinner at Palm & Pine, if it's en route of the bar you guys could come get me if not I could just get a cab,"
Aiden had insisted that it was fine and that the bar was right around the corner from Palm&Pine but after we made a U-turn and drove for about fifteen minutes I realized that that was furthest from the truth.
"The bar is the opposite way isn't it?" I asked when we finally pulled into Palm&Pine.
He glanced my way and chuckled, "Yeah it is," He admitted, "but that stays between us alright? She's your best friend darlin, I needed to make a good first impression," I chuckled shaking my head.
After texting Thea that we were outside, it didn't take long for her to come outside and climb into the backseat.
"So you're the famous Aiden Vasilakis huh," We both had our bodies turned to look back at her.
"Famous huh?" He glanced my way a cocky smirk on his face, I couldn't help but blush under his gaze, "Hopefully for good reasons,"
"Very good reasons," She said with a smile, "you're making my best friend live again, that's all a man has to do to be on my good list,"
A dimpled smile lifted his expression, "And I plan to stay on that list,"
"And I plan to keep you on it cause you do not want to be on my bad list, I may seem all nice and delicate on the outside but when someone hurts a person I love Iâ"
"Alright," I interrupted with a snicker, "let's not scare the man, Tee. You told me that you had a bad day, what happened?" I changed the subject because I knew how passionate she got about protecting her loved ones.
"Oh my gosh right," We both turned back around as Aiden started driving again, "You guys will not believe what happened today,"
And so she began telling us about her day like we were a trio of old pals, she spoke to Aiden like she had known him just as long as she had known me. The words flew out of her with no hesitation, she had always been an expert at fitting in with any group she was in. My heart bubbled with happiness because of how well they'd gotten along.
"And then to make matters even worst," She had been recalling how her morning went; her alarm didn't ring making her late for an important meeting, so she had to rush to get ready and get a cab, "when I got out of the cab, I was literally sprinting to get to the building and that's when I bumped into this ogre of a man who had a black coffee in his hand. When we bumped into each other, he spilled it all over my white dress," We both gasped, "That's not even the worst part, cause obviously I apologize profusely and was about to offer to buy him a new drink even though he was also distracted and my dress was ruined. And you know what this fucker said?"
"What'd he say?" I couldn't help but smile watching how invested he was in the story.
"He said watch where you're fucking going, and nudged me with his shoulder when he walked past me, like what a fucking dick. It may seem unreasonable to some but that pushed me over the edge, I was overstimulated, late and with a white dress drenched in coffee. I went after him and threw every single insult his way,"
"That was totally reasonable, he was a complete dick," He said and I nodded in agreement as we pulled away from the road into a busy street with many establishments including clubs and bars so something told me we were close.
"Thank you! I'm usually a very calm person but there are just some people who know how to push your buttons," We pulled into a tight parking space in front of a bar with a 'open' neon sign. "All I need right now is a few shots of tequila to make this night better,"
Aiden turned off the car with a chuckle, "First round's on me," He got out, her and I followed suit. Thea adjusted the short black dress she had on that she must've have changed into after the incident.
He walked over to a man standing outside the bar smoking a cigarette greeting him a bro-hug, he must be one of Aiden's friend so we slowly made our way toward them. The man had his back toward us but as soon as Aiden saw us approaching, he made our presence known.
"Cole, I wanna introduce to Kristal," The man, Cole, slowly turned around to face us. The scowl on his face completely contrasting the smile on mine, "and her best friend Thea,"
His scowl deepened after he scanned our faces, "You," Him and Thea said in unison.
Aiden and I looked between them completely dumbfounded, "You two know each other?" I asked not recalling her mentioning a Cole.
"Yeah, he's the dickhead I was telling you guys about in the car,"
Thanks for sticking around for another chapter my loves!
How'd you like it??
Are we sensing an enemies to lovers between Thea and Cole, cause I am lol