Chapter 33: Chapter Thirty-Two ✓

Chapter Thirty-Two:

Emberly's POV:

My instincts were telling me to stay out of the room but I ended up doing the opposite. When have I ever listened to my gut feeling? I would have probably walked in even if there was a sign saying 'DANGER, STAY OUT!!!' Taking a deep breath, I stepped inside the room.

In size, the room was massive and one glance showed it was a guy's room, a teenage one in particular. In the center, there was a huge king-sized bed with the sheets neatly made. Against the walls, there was a mini library full of books.

'An intellectual teenager.'

On the right, there was a door, which I assumed led to the bathroom. There was a flat screen television with a PlayStation hooked in as well as a large collection of DVD's and video games. Playboy magazines were scattered in one corner. Posters of sports cars were plastered on the wall along with awards and a single trophy sitting on a shelf. It was pretty much an average teenager's room.

However, what caught my attention was one particular side of the room, which had a huge board with a ton of pictures pinned to it. When I say a ton, I mean hundreds. From where I was standing, I couldn't exactly see the faces. Fascinated by it, I inched closer to the board with hesitance. I felt a sliver of fear. Something was telling me to turn around and walk away.

Where is Belle anyway? How long does is it take to pee?

I was walking absentmindedly when I wobbled on something. I gripped the wall beside me and looked down. What I saw nearly made my eyes bulge out of their sockets. There were ashes of burnt pictures, pieces of glass, tore papers and a stain of... blood? This side of the room was a mess. Everything was scattered on the floor.

I bent down to pick up a random scrap of a photo that was sticking out. It was a black and white picture of a girl who was blushing and smiling softly at the camera. To say she was beautiful would be an understatement. She was beyond that. There was a message behind the picture but because it was burnt, I couldn't read it at all. However, I did catch a name and I whispered it softly.

'Sophia.'

I swallowed the dry lump in my throat. I felt like I was invading someone's privacy so without even looking at the pictures behind me, I got up and prepared to leave. I threw the picture and carefully stepped over the clutter.

"What are you doing here?" a loud voice boomed in the silence, sending chills down my spine.

The voice was more than familiar and I looked up guiltily. Arran was watching me intently. His jaw was clenched and his hands were in fists.

"I.... Belle told me to wait here." I mumbled. Now I knew how it felt to be caught red-handed.

"You shouldn't have entered this room." He snapped harshly.

Remember how I said earlier, something was telling me to turn around right away? Yeah, I realised those were instincts that I clearly should've followed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know it was..." I babbled not knowing what to do. Even in an extremely cold room, I felt sweat forming on my forehead.

"My room." He closed his eyes and when he opened them, they were a shade darker. My eyes widened at his revelation.

"Excuse me?" I whispered, feeling very small. Instead of replying, he stared at me coldly.

For some reason my eyes burned. I had to ruin everything. What was I thinking barging into someone else's room? I shouldn't have entered at all. And if the little kid told me to wait, I could've used my senses and stayed still. Maybe it was my terrified expression, but his eyes softened.

"This is my room. Well use to be." He replied casually. "Huh, feels like ages." He picked up a trophy and smiled. "Luke and I won this together in a debating competition."

He smiled softly at me, reassuring me in a strange way. My shoulders relaxed when he showed me the small trophy. I was surprised yet happy he was sharing more about himself.

"Really? What did you guys debate about?"

Anyone could peg him as an intelligent man by looking at his certificates and records. I use to think those certificates were fake, (the ones in his office) but he assured me that they were one hundred percent real and he earned them all. This trophy might be another to add to his list.

"That girls who are pmsing shouldn't be able to leave the house." He smirked, eyes twinkling in humour.

I whipped my head to the trophy, horrified. "Please tell me you were on the opposition side." I said astonished and he chuckled.

"What do you think?" He winked and placed the trophy back to the shelf.

Oh my god! He can't be serious. They actually let him win? He had to be kidding, I thought as he handed me a piece of paper. I narrowed my eyes and studied the paper. It was a certificate with his name for winning the debate and he wasn't kidding about the topic. I grimaced and handed it back.

"That is mean Raymond." I wrinkled my nose and he gave me an amused smile. I roamed around the room glancing at all the certificates and trophies. "So you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth." I pointed at the plasma screen and the electronics attached to it. "Why is it such a mess? I'm sure you can afford someone to clean it." I teased him.

"I didn't want anyone to touch my room and my parents respected my privacy." He said casually. Even though his stance was rigid, he looked a little lost.

"But it feels like world war 3 happened in here? Especially that bloodstain?" I questioned him whilst he jumped on the bed, childishly. I rolled my eyes.

"That's when I cut my hand." He nestled his head between the pillows. He kept his eyes closed and muttered. A small frown adorned his face.

"How?" I sat on the edge of the bed, studying the pictures carefully.

Arran was a typical popular guy, centre of attention and on the football team but what I liked the most was that his friends remained the same throughout the pictures. Stacy and Luke. However there were some cropped pictures, as if they were done intentionally.

"I was angry." He answered.

I almost forgot what I had asked.

"About what?" I tilted my head to look at him.

"About her." His voice was barely audible.

"Her...?" I questioned him immediately.

Maybe he meant Sophia, that real life Barbie. Maybe she was the 'past' everyone kept referring too. But then I again I had assumed Tori was his fiancé and he was cheating on her with Lucy. Instead of answering, he stood up and smoothed his coat. When I arched an eyebrow, he opened his mouth to speak.

"We better go down. They will be waiting for us." He muttered noncommittally.

Liar. No one gave a damn if we went down or not. I wanted to yell at him in frustration but I stopped myself in a time. Even if he was sharing his past with me, I had no right to know.  It was his choice to tell me or not. But even though it was his choice, I couldn't help but feel that I was missing something important about him. If he had continued speaking, I might have known the reason for the way he is right now.

I was so close.

"Okay. I wish I could see the teenage Arran." I said with a sigh. Honestly speaking, I wanted to see the guy before this image. The 'carefree Arran' everyone kept referring to.

I don't." He replied curtly.

Jeez, I know you don't want me to know but chill will you? I stood and frowned at his blunt response. It seemed like we were back to cold Arran. I hastily moved to the door, tying to ignore him when he grabbed my wrist, causing me to stop abruptly.

"I meant if we met earlier we wouldn't be here. I'm glad my father hired you Emberly." He touched my cheek softly and smiled but his smile never reached his eyes, which unsettled me.

"Why did you move out?" I tried once more, looking straight in his eyes.

He had everything in the world in his room and although it wouldn't have been strange for him to move out since guys his age usually wanted to leave as soon as possible, why did he leave so abruptly? It felt like he was hiding something from me. From what I could tell, Arran was really passionate about his work and the things that meant a lot to him so why did he leave everything behind? He left pictures behind that held so many memories for him, certificates and trophies, which he worked so hard for. It didn't make any sense.

"Too many memories." He removed his hand and replied, sighing loudly.

This confirmed my suspicion. He didn't move out because he wanted to, he moved out as if he had to.

"You should cherish them. Minus the stained glass and all this mess." I spoke absentmindedly.

Why did it feel like this was a forbidden topic?

"Trust me I shouldn't. I needed my space so I moved out." He stepped back and moved toward the door while I just stood still.

"Tell me why." I asked him tiredly. Arran stopped midway and turned around swiftly.

Honestly I was tired, tired of not knowing the reason. Tired of his mysterious past. Tired of knowing that no matter how hard I tried, he wouldn't open up to me.

"Tell you what?" He squinted his green orbs in confusion.

"The actual reason why you moved out." I said hesitantly. He seemed surprised by my sudden question. When I realised I wasn't going to get any answer, I began to take small steps to the door. Fine, be this way!

"Tell me why?" He suddenly stood in front of me, causing me to halt.

"Yes that's what I said." I snapped, not intending to be this harsh.

"No, I mean tell me why you are working for me." He breathed on my face and my heartbeat quickened. My eyes widened as he waited for my answer patiently.

"I... told you... why..." I looked away, ignoring his hard stare and tried to get past him.

He blocked me again by grabbing my shoulders and bringing me closer to him. I placed my hands on his firm chest, trying to create some distance but if anything, he brought me much closer. My forehead was almost brushing his nose.  My heartbeats were frantic, whereas his were calm.

"Cut the crap Rae, the actual reason. You had a bright future, bright enough for you to be in university without scholarships. Your dad had a stable job until last year; so then why work for me? Why were you so desperate for money? Why did my father choose you? Why are you still working for me even after I humiliated you on so many occasions? What are you hiding?" Both his eyes and tone hardened as he questioned me sharply.

I was sure my face was paling with each of his icy questions. My heart was hammering against my ribcage and I bit my lip nervously. How could I expect him to trust me when I couldn't even trust him with my own problems? I wasn't afraid of telling him the truth but I was scared of his reaction. I didn't want Arran to think I would do anything for money. I agreed that I was desperate for money but I wasn't a gold-digger or opportunist. Arran hated opportunists and to him, I might be nothing but a mere opportunist. I had had everything planned out, but working for Arran Raymond hadn't been on my list. Either he would hate me or pity me. I didn't want him to see me as helpless either. I didn't want to spend the rest of the days within the contract with him pitying me. I would rather have him push me to work hard than set me up with easy tasks.

"I... can't tell you. I'm sorry." I looked away, feeling guilty. I tried my best not to wince when he removed his hands off my shoulders.

"Fair enough, shall we?" He replied sharply and turned his back on me. I didn't miss the hurt expression that crossed his face for a short second, making me feel extremely guilt-ridden.

He led me to where everyone else was, trying his best to pretend I wasn't there. I swallowed the lump in my throat and kept a straight face. Last thing Raymond needed was an assistant having a nervous breakdown in middle of his family gathering. I stood in the centre of the room, not knowing what to do. He did stand next to me, but continued to ignore me. The room started to feel a lot smaller and warmer so silently, I strolled outside.

I leaned against the railing, fighting tears of frustration. I knew I shouldn't have been thinking this, but I felt like it was a mistake not telling him. Why did I have to feel this way? Did he honestly expect me to open up when he never once told me about himself? Talk about double standards. I groaned in frustration earning strange looks from some of the nearby people.

"Ooh, someone is having a hard night." I opened my eyes immediately, blushing. She smiled softly at me and leaned against the railing next to me. The railing separated the back garden and the inside. I was sort of sure it was done for Belle's safety so she wouldn't wander around the pool. Coming back to the person next to me, I smiled in return. She too had striking, green eyes and high cheekbones with full, plump lips. She smacked her forehead as if she remembered something.

"Sorry, I didn't introduce myself. I'm Cassandra but you can call me Cassie. I'm Arran's sister." She said.

"I'm Emberly." I introduced myself.

"I know. In fact, everyone knows now." She laughed softly.

"Because of what your grandfather said?" I asked anxiously and this time she laughed loudly.

"Well yeah that too, but mainly because Arran brought someone with him after 4 years." She sobered up by the end of the sentence.

"He doesn't do the dating thing, does he?" I questioned. I hadn't actually seen him with someone since I joined.

"Use to. I don't about now." She studied me intently.

"What do you mean?" I frowned.

"We were all betting that he wouldn't bring anyone this year too, but he surprised us all by bringing you along." She inhaled sharply and smiled at me knowingly.

Weird much?

"I'm glad I came." I mumbled.

"We are too. Thanks Emberly. He needs someone like you after what happened to him." She tried to smile but ended up grimacing.

Not again! It was like freaking finding out which came first the chicken or the egg or who would Elena choose in the end, Damon or Stefan?

"I know it's personal but what happened?" I cleared my throat and mustered the courage to ask her.

Now that I thought about it, I couldn't believe he had done a background search on me. He knew what university I had attended, where my dad had worked and even about my tuition fees yet he expects me to stay away from his personal life?

She breathed loudly, her shoulders slouching as she replied in a barely audible voice. "I wish I could tell you Emberly but it's not my place. If our parents taught us anything, it was to respect each other's privacy. He will tell you himself. Just have a bit more patience. He completely shut himself out and it will take some time."

"It's hard to understand him sometimes." I mumbled, looking at some boys laughing and pushing each other. It was very surprising to think that Arran use to be a carefree guy. When I first met him, I thought an army general had raised him. You know those parents who ground children for having too many candies.

"Tell me about it. Arran use to be an open book. He was really sweet and he held no grudges against anyone. He used to listen to my teenage drama when I was alone. Being the only girl, I couldn't share everything with my mother. He used to beat up the guys who made me cry, help me with my shopping and gave me advice on how to flirt with guys. He still does all of this sometimes but he usually gives me the meanest replies ever." She laughed softly; her eyes glistering with unshed tears.

"I wish I knew that Arran." I sighed, frustrated.

"No Emberly, you should be glad you know this Arran. This Arran is strong and determined. The old Arran was lost." She placed her hand on top of mine and gave a light squeeze, assuring me. I smiled hesitantly.

"What's going on?" Arran questioned suspiciously from behind us. We both straightened and turned around to face him.

"I was telling her about the time you got locked out the house and you were caught butt naked, breaking into Mr. Harrison's house." She winked in my direction. "Mr. Harrison is our neighbour."

What?" I shouted in surprise. "Seriously?"

"I was skinny-dipping and someone stole my clothes." He said in a small voice and dare I say he was... blushing.

"So you broke into your neighbour's house?" I questioned him, shocked.

"No... yes... not like that." He stumbled on his words while Cassie was grinning.

"Did she mention that Mr Harrison was 70 years old and on a wheel chair?" Mathew hugged Cassie and gave her a feather light kiss on her forehead. No wonder Belle was the cutest kid ever.

"Oh my god Arran." I laughed and he squirmed uncomfortably.

"What's going on here?" Mr. Raymond asked us. He had a glass of whiskey (I think) in his hand and he slowly drank it.

"Nothing." Arran said quickly, earning an amused from his father.

"I was just telling Emberly about the time he broke into Mr. Harrison's house." Cassie grinned, earning a glare from her brother.

Mr. Raymond laughed at the memory and glanced over to Arran's red face. I ended up laughing harder at that. A scowl was plastered on his face but he never took his eyes off of me. I gulped at the intensity in them and stopped laughing immediately. Luckily Arran's Aunty, Valentina, distracted me.

"Remember when he used to dress as a girl so he could play with your friend?" Valentina joined in out of nowhere and my eyes widened whilst he was probably wishing for the earth to split and swallow him up.

"Yes, he used to pretend to be "Arianna". He had a crush on my friend." Cassie replied, laughing.

"He used to ruin all my make up." Tori wrapped her hands around his arm. He smacked them away playfully and scowled at everyone.

'What is this? Gang up on Arran day? Father help me out here." He glared at the rest of us, including me. Mr Raymond smirked mischievously.

"Sure son. Ladies don't forget about the time he..." He glanced at Arran who groaned in embarrassment and frustration.

"Jesus. Lets take you home. Thanks for scaring her." He pulled me away, swearing under his breath as we trailed past the laughing group. They waved goodbye to me since he didn't let me say my goodbyes.

The journey to my house was enjoyable as I poked fun at him with the little facts his family told me. He just kept mum and told me to shut up couple of times. I was sure he thanked god once we reached my house. He got out with me and waited until I opened my door and entered. He was turning around to leave when I remembered something.

"Oh shit...  wait, I have to return something to you." I quickly opened the door and picked up his shirt from the side. I intended to return it to him sooner, but I always managed to forget to. He was leaning against the door and when I handed him his shirt back, he looked surprised.

"You're actually kidding me, right?" He looked taken aback. I widened my eyes.

"Nope, I was meaning to return it to you sooner but I couldn't exactly give it to you in at work." I told him nervously. I had even washed it with a pathetically overpriced detergent.

"Thank you I guess?" He replied, unsure.

"No, thank you. It was lovely to meet your family and I mean it. I had fun." I stated honestly. His eyes twinkled and he returned my smile with his own.

Instead of returning to his car, he stayed still as if he was expecting something. I couldn't exactly tell him to go! A thought came in my mind and I leaned in to kiss his cheek but he turned his face at the same time so I ended up crashing my lips to his. My heart missed a beat, as we both were momentarily stunned.

'Move away, move, move!' My mind kept telling me that it was wrong but I couldn't bring myself to remove my lips. His lips felt so soft and warm that I yearned to stay this close. I watched as his eyes darkened. He was frozen in shock, but he didn't pull away. If anything, he was the one that leaned in closer.

The world seemed to stop as his lips moulded to mine. Nothing mattered except for this moment. Slowly, heat filled my body, my legs, even my fingers. A large hand fisted in my hair, pulling my head back for better access to my mouth. His scent heightened my senses taking my feelings to another level.

His teeth tugged lightly on my lip as I move my hands and tangled them in his thick hair. His tongue darted inside my mouth and soon my own tongue met his as we devoured each other. The heat from his body seeped into mine, and I felt whole, I felt complete. Every part of my body was throbbing with a foreign kind of need, one that I wasn't aware of, and one that I had never felt before.

I didn't want it to end. It felt so good to be in his arms, to have his mouth on mine but the continuous sound of his phone, made me crash from heaven to earth rapidly. Untangling my hand, from his hair, I brought them between us to give him a light push on his chest. He got the memo as his lips stopped immediately. We pulled away from each other quickly, breathing heavily.

"Your phone..." I panted against his lips. I tried to step back but he locked his arm around my waist tightly, keeping me still.

"What...?" He asked, visibly dazed.

"Your phone... it's ringing." I gestured at his front pocket where the phone was still ringing. He followed my gaze and snapped out of his trance. I bit my lip in order to stop smiling when he groaned loudly. Nevertheless he answered the call, his one hand still on my waist.

From the corner of my eye, I could see my neighbour squinting her eyes at me and shaking her head disapprovingly. She quickly shut her blinds when she caught me staring at her.

What the...

I brought my attention back to him. He was stroking my cheek softly, something I wasn't aware of and I smiled. He touched my swollen lips, earning a shiver from myself as he grinned proudly. Everywhere he touched, my skin felt on fire.

I leaned against the door, fearing my knees would give out. Closing my eyes, I enjoyed his hand travelling down my neck.  By now my heart was thumping, blood rushing wildly in my veins.

It was so strange how it worked. Sometimes we argued so much that we wanted to rip each other's heads off and other times we were distant and aloof. Yet here we were, kissing the life out of each other. My mind was telling me that this was wrong; I shouldn't have been enjoying his touch this much. Whenever he was like this, I found easy to lose myself in the moment.

I felt the heat escape my body when he removed his hand suddenly. Opening my eyes hastily, I wondered what went wrong. One hand on the phone, his entire body turned rigid and his free hand curled up into a fist. His eyes were stone cold and far off as he listened to the other person speaking. Even if I tried I couldn't hear who he was talking to.

"What's wrong?" I asked him worriedly when he was off the phone.

"Nothing. Pack your bag we are going to Greece tomorrow." Arran looked at me to gauge my reaction. I remained blank as if the words didn't register in my mind.

When it did, my head pounded so hard that it actually hurt. Surprise, anger, hurt, and panic were the emotions flitting inside me and I was pretty sure my face was giving it away.

"Why...?" I asked him softly, taking a much-needed step away.

He was silent for a while, as if deciding to answer honestly or not. He avoided looking at me the entire time so I couldn't read the emotion he was hiding. However that wasn't the worst part, the worst part was how he was trying to be strong and not give away the amount of pain he felt. He muttered something under his breath, which left me stunned. Instead of replying back to me, he quickly placed a small kiss on my already swollen lips and turned his back on me, leaving me completely baffled.

I wanted to run after him, to stop him and ask him about the one word he had just muttered. One word that clearly held too many memories for him! One word that reminded him of all the pain he was going through four years ago. One word that made him emotionally shut down on everyone. One word that made him so cold. I mumbled the word to make sure I wouldn't forget it, although by now I probably never would.

"Sophia..."

What the hell just happened?

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Credit goes to Mia for editing this chapter for me. Thank you hun x

Thank you so much for waiting patiently for the updates and loving the story so far <3 I love the messages and comments you guys leave x Thank you for your kind wishes, my grandma is still unwell but she is much better than before x

Have fun reading, do let me know how it was :) next chapter will be up after I've finished my assignment... the group I am in is a total bitch so I am doing all the work now because they simply don't care! surprise- surprise (so not)

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Sophia's picture is on the right... Let's pretend she has grey eyes :P

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