I'm strolling in through the front door at 10:35pm with my shoes in my hands. The lights have been switched off and as it seems no one's up.
I shut the door quietly and take out my phone to find the light switch.
I go into the kitchen to get a glass of water.
I'm gulping down some water when Anthony appears in the doorway.
"Hi" I greet, rinsing the glass.
"Is there a reason you got back so late?" He asks warily.
"Well, yes, I grabbed lunch then hung out with a few friends for a while" I shrug, putting the glass away.
"There's a reason for the existence of phones, you know?"
"Yes, I know I should've called, I just..." I frown "...I guess, I didn't think you'd care"
"I was this close to ordering a search party"
"Hey, have you seen that? From what I know, the movie's real good" I ask, totally ignoring the point.
"No, I haven't seen the movie, Liv" his tone is blank, his expression unreadable.
"Nei
It's been one week of working for my dear husband. It's gotten easier and dare I say, fun.I've made new friends in the company: Kate and Brianna.I met Brianna on rather awkward terms.FlashbackI'm engaged in small talk with Ethan, the guy I met on my first day here and frankly, I'd rather get back to work but I can't bring myself to cut him off, he looks so interested.Brianna, a woman from HR walks past us, deliberately walking into me and sending a murderous glare in the process.What's up with her?"Hey, is she your girlfriend?" I ask, cutting him off from whatever he was saying."Girlfriend? No" he calls, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly."Well, she seems pretty interested in you" I mutter, dryly."I wish" he mumbles, dreamily.
We've bid our goodbyes...well, Anthony said goodbye to a sulking Violet and I stood there watching, clutching my mask a little too tightly.Now, we're right outside the house, waiting for the driver to show up, I suppose.The driver whose name is Luke arrives in the white Audi Q7.Anthony leans forward and opens the door for me. I climb in with as much grace as I can manage.Luke climbs out to open the other side of door for Anthony. Anthony stops and whispers a few words to him before climbing in next to me.Luke spurrs the engine to life and in mere seconds, we're out of the Trevelyan mansion and on the street.The ride over is shorter than I expect.There's a line of expensive cars, all heading in the same direction."What can we expect at events like this?" I ask and it's a subtle cry for help."Oh, the usual stuff" Anthony says, breezily."Not usual for me" I remind him."Lots of people flashing their
Finally, I found the ladies.I run quickly into one of the stalls, the darkness squeezing my heart tightly.Mom is back! Why is she back?Tears begin to roll down my cheeks as I struggle to breathe.I'm cold, like locked in a deep freezer kind of cold.Phone. Where's my phone?I've left my clutch back at the table with my phone inside. I can't call my brother.What should I do? Mom's here.I take a sit on the lid of the water closet.I run my hands up and down my arms to give me a little warmth.Mom can't be here. She's not here. It was my imagination.It wasn't real. It wasn't real.If I say it enough times then it'll be true.I'm no longer alone in the bathroom. I've heard people go in and out and I think I'm finally done with the tears.
"Olivia" he calls softly."Olivia, we're home" he shakes me gently.I slowly open my eyes and see him hovering above me.We're still in the car. My head is comfortably rested on his thighs.What?I sit up quickly. I have no idea how that happened. My mask is off and I'm vulnerable to his gaze.My make-up's all smudged and I must look horrible."Olivia, what's up with you?" He asks softly, his tone showing concern.I shake my head and look away, muttering a low "Nothing. I'm fine"I glance at the driver's seat and I'm relieved when Luke's not there."No, you're not. Something happened at the ball" He shakes his head and looks away guiltily "You spoke in your sleep"What? No."What did I say?" My voice is low and cautious."Nothing that made sense" He mutters, briskly "Olivia, talk to me, please. Sleep talking, I can accept but when a person begins to cry in their sleep, something is seriously o
"What happened to her?""Nervous breakdown. She's fine now""It's because of something that happened at the ball, isn't it?""More like someone that happened" His voice turns angry."Who?" He growls, angrily.Soft whispers from two male voices wake me up from.I so hate it when people talk while I'm trying to sleep. Like, bro, can't you take your conversation elsewhere?I recognize the voices to be my that of brother, Liam and Anthony. What the hell are they discussing that can't be left for later or taken outside my bedroom?Oh no! I realize what is going on. Liam's going to tell Anthony about mom.My eyes fly open in hopes of stopping that from happening but Liam's voice is heard before I can do anything to stop it."She'll tell you about it when she's no longer upset" He says and I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding which alerts them to my conscious state."Hey" Anthony half smiles, shoving
The rooftop looks incredible... Well, every part of this house looks incredible so the point is moot anyway.There's a rectangular table right in the centre made of stone and rough, dark chocolate wood which has a rectangular fireplace, covered with strong glass in middle which adds an elegant touch to the rooftop.Lilac coloured sofas paired with dark chocolate pillows occupy one edge and opposite them is cantilever umbrella under which are two lounge chairs, whose colours are an artistic mix of lilac and white.There's a low fence all around to protect people from falling off, I suppose. On the fence are large, square flowerpots containing the only organic content I've ever seen in this house.I spot a stainless steel BBQ in one corner and I wonder if Anthony throws parties up here sometimes. He doesn't strike me as one to throw a party though."I'm guessing you didn't choose the design
I'm standing in the middle of pretty flowers of all kinds...some I recognize, others I don't.The air is fresh and filled with the refreshing smell of different flowers.I look around and there are people smiling, laughing and going about doing different things. The view is so serene and pure, makes me want to sit back and relax.I spot a wooden lounge chair in the near distance. I want to go take a sit and relax but as I approach the chair, something else catches my eye.It's a bridge, made of wood. It's not very big or very modern but something about it is just fascinating."It's the bridge that leads to the afterlife" I hear an unfamiliar voice say from behind me.I whirl my head in the direction of the voice so fast that my face gets a hard whip from my hair which is packed in the usual ponytail.
"Aspen?" I gape at Anthony who has just informed me of a trip we're going on."Yes""Aspen, Colorado?" I ask because I just can't believe it."Unless it's been moved...yes" he shrugs.I roll my eyes "But it'll take hours to get to Colorado""Not by jet" he says, breezily.Of course, my husband has a jet. How could I forget?"Just give me fifteen minutes tops to get ready" I beam, unable to hide my excitement.I sprint to my room and mistakenly slam the door really loudly due to my over excitement.Amanda's sitting casually on my bed giving me a look that says 'what's up'"We're going to Aspen" I inform "you better pack some clothes"I don't know if Anthony wanted Amanda to come along but I don't think he'll want to be alone with me again and besides Amanda is my personal maid, isn't she? She goes where I go.Amanda is a very good friend to me now. She's been through a lot of sh*t in her life...