by Sienna Parks
“Isn’t it strange that you should have this particular Monet? Wait… you said you have two. Where is the other one?” As I wait for his answer, it dawns on me. There is a space on the wall next to the Monet… a space for the one that is hanging in my apartment. It’s not a reproduction. He gave me a real Monet! I am such an idiot. I thanked him for the ‘reproduction’ and he didn’t correct me. I spin round in his arms.
“Please tell me I’m not right. That you didn’t give me a real Monet?”
“Why does it matter? It’s a painting. I wanted you to have it.”
“You have to take it back. It’s not right. It’s too much.” He grabs my shoulders, holding me steady.
“Listen to me very carefully. I want you to have it. I won’t take it back. Even if you left here today and never spoke to me again - which I really, really, hope you don’t – I would still want you to have it.” I know I’m not going to win this argument, and he senses my wavering resolve as my shoulders slump in defeat.
“Good, that’s settled. Thank you.” His warm callused palms cup my face as his lips caress me - sending that delicious, and now familiar jolt of electricity straight to my core.
An hour later, we head out to see the sun shining and the city buzzing with happy couples, families, and friends; all of them enjoying the weekend and everything that this wonderful city has to offer. We do exactly the same and have a fabulous day together, chilling out, chatting about anything and everything. We must walk at least five miles, stopping for coffee, soaking up the sun, lying out in the park for a few hours, grabbing brunch and then later in the day when the sun begins to set we have a lovely dinner before heading back to his apartment. Once there, I realize that our magical weekend is at an end, but I don’t want to leave him. Lucky for me he has the same idea.
“I was thinking. If you’re not sick of me yet, maybe I could stay with you at your apartment tonight?”
I run into his arms and squeeze him with all my might. “I’d love that. I don’t think I could ever get sick of you.”
We spend the next three weeks, living in our bubble - only apart when Xander is at the office, and even then we have a habit of texting all the time. When he works from home, I cozy up next to him reading a book or searching for a job online. We fall into a comfortable routine, not having to ask the question, ‘are we staying together tonight?’ It’s a given. I don’t think I could sleep without him next to me. And the sex… has been mind-blowing. He wasn’t kidding when he said he would make me come in ways I couldn’t imagine. There hasn’t been a day that he hasn’t taken me to the heights of pleasure and jumped off the cliff with me. Every kiss, every touch, sparks a thirst that only he can quench.
This has been the most amazing three weeks of my life, and I couldn’t be happier. To cap it off, I graduate tomorrow and I got confirmation this morning that I got the job I interviewed for last week. I start a week from Monday, so I have a week of freedom after graduation before I join the ranks of the New York employed!
My mom and sisters are coming to graduation today. This will be the first time I’ve seen them since I met Xander. He desperately wants to see me graduate, so this will be the first time they all meet. I’m not worried in the slightest that my family won’t love him. If anything, I’ll need to keep an eye on my sisters’ flirting. I’m more worried about how he will react to them, especially when he notices that I’m not exactly close with my family.
My mom and younger twin sisters Catherine, named after the heroine in Wuthering Heights, which is my mom’s favorite novel, and Olivia, chosen from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, are all really close. Cathy and Liv still live with mom, and they do everything together. I used to be part of that, but after my dad died, I think they blamed me for what happened, and we just sort of drifted further and further apart as the years went by.
When I met Addi, she became my sister – the one I talk to about everything, that accepts me and loves me, knowing the good and the bad, including what happened with my dad. It’s only since meeting Xander and telling him what happened that I’ve started to realize - my dad wouldn’t want me to blame myself. I didn’t kill him. A massive burden has been lifted from my shoulders and allowed me to enjoy my time with Xander, letting him get close both physically and emotionally. I’m a little worried that the guilt will resurface when faced with the blame I see reflected in my family’s eyes, but if I can just get through a day with them, they’ll go home, and Xander and I can get back to our bubble… hopefully.
Jason has organized a dinner at La Cattedrale tonight to celebrate Addi and me graduating, which is great, because I haven’t seen him in a while. I’ve been so busy with Xander, and Jason has been flat out at the restaurant which is a good thing. Business is booming and I couldn’t be happier for him. Addi’s family will be there, along with my mom and sisters, Xander and a few people Jason has invited to join the party.
Xander gave me a stunning black off-the-shoulder dress last night and a pair of classic black Louboutins. I’ve given up telling him no – he never listens!
I sit in front of the mirror thinking about how my life has changed in the past month. I feel like a new person - alive and truly happy for the first time since my dad died. As I clasp my bracelet around my wrist, I dreamily trace the elegant clover and butterfly Xander gave me.
I think today is the day I’m going to tell him how I feel. As my decision fortifies, Addi knocks on the door.
“Hey, stranger. Looking foxy for graduation, Lilliput. How’s the demanding billionaire?”
“He’s great. Coming to graduation and dinner at Jason’s, so you can ask him yourself.” I apply the finishing touches to my makeup and turn to see her sitting on the edge of my bed.
“Wow. Addi. You look stunning. Graduation agrees with you.” Her hair is tousled to perfection, her makeup flawless. She really is gorgeous.
“Thanks, friend. I can’t believe we survived. Just got to find myself a job now. What about you?”
“I’ve got news on the job front actually. Remember the interview I went on last week – the one at T Magazine? Well… they contacted me yesterday and offered me a job as a blogger. Three more letters and I’ll be working for Time! I’ll be writing for a living and posting reviews on the magazine website. The pay isn’t great, but I’m excited, and hopefully I can make some good contacts. It’s flexible hours, so I’ll be working on my novel in my spare time and see what happens.”
She jumps off the bed and grabs me into a crushing hug. “That’s amazing, Lilliput. Congratulations. This is definite cause for some major celebration tonight.”
“Not going to argue with you. Looking forward to hitting a bar after I deal with the family reunion. I’ll probably need more than a few drinks after that.” She gives me a sad smile, knowing that I don’t get on with my mom and sisters anymore. We don’t fight - we just don’t really get involved in each other’s lives.
“I don’t get it. Why are they so cold to you? You’re awesome, and your dad would kick their asses if he could see their indifference.” Addi gets very protective of me around my family. I’ll need to make sure she doesn’t go postal on them tonight when she’s had a couple of drinks.
“Promise me you’ll be nice to them. I don’t want Xander to see how dysfunctional we are.”
She gives me the evil eye, but she can’t resist my pouty face. “Okay. I’ll play nice. Only because you asked me to… and I love you.” We’re hugging it out when there’s a knock on the door. “That’ll be billionaire boy. I’ll get it while you grab your bag and make a grand entrance.” She shoves my shoulder.
The doorman and Xander have become fast friends over the past few weeks. They’re on a first name basis now after all the deliveries and tips that Xander has given him. Plus, I told him just to let him in whenever he visits. I grab my bag, and take a last look in the mirror. I’m ready to graduate.
Xander’s face as I enter the lounge is satisfying to say the least. His jaw drops at the sigh
t of me, his eyes filled with desire.
“Wow. You look… Incredible. Seriously… Wow.” The thrill of his reaction sends a shiver down my spine.
“You look pretty wow yourself.” I saunter toward him, an extra sway in my hips.
He really is breathtaking - standing tall, oozing sex from every pour in his three-piece pinstriped suit.
He slinks his arms around my waist, pulling me flush against his body. He smells divine – is it weird that I love to sniff him? Not that I care if it is, I’d still totally do it!
He gently bites my bottom lip, before engulfing me in a kiss. Sparks fly as we lose ourselves in each other, our tongues dancing together in a practiced yet surprising waltz.
“Seriously, guys. I’m in the room.” Addi breaks the spell, making me laugh into Xander’s mouth.
“To be continued… Miss Tate.”
Why do I love it so much when he calls me that? It’s so formal, but so intimate at the same time. He threads our fingers together as we head off to Columbia for the last time.
I leave Xander to go and find my seat with Addi. I’m worried about her. She’s not been herself recently – not since Carter. She obviously likes him and he seems keen, but any time I try to talk to her about it, she shuts me down instantly. I’m going to have to talk to Xander about Carter if this goes on much longer.
I spy Xander in the crowd with a massive grin on his face. I give him a little wave and blow him a kiss before turning my attention to the ceremony. As the dean takes to the podium, the crowd of graduates and proud spectators go silent, but the air of excitement is palpable. We sit through some lengthy speeches that aren’t as snooze-worthy as I thought they would be. Let’s face it, we all just want to grab our diploma and celebrate.
As soon as I hear my name, Addi is shouting from her seat. I make my way up the steps onto the stage, praying that I don’t fall on my ass in these robes. That would be so humiliating, and so like me! As my foot hits the stage, I glance in the direction of where I know Xander is sitting. He’s standing, clapping and whistling, a massive grin splitting his face. It warms my heart to see him in a sea of thousands, standing alone to applaud my accomplishment. With a renewed confidence I stride over to the dean, accept my diploma, and shake his hand.
As soon as Addi's name is called, I’m on my feet, shouting and clapping for my best friend, my heart full of pride. She gives me a sly wink as she struts across the stage to accept her diploma, and as she rocks her robes, the male graduates show their appreciation, catcalling and whooping. She doesn’t so much as blush, relishing the attention. There’s the girl I know and love.
We sit through the rest of the ceremony, clapping where appropriate - putting in some extra effort when it’s a friend of ours. The whole time, I want nothing more than to run to Xander and share this moment with him. As soon as the ceremony ends, Addi makes her way to me, giddy with excitement that we finally graduated together. I throw my arms around her and join in the crazy reveling. We congratulate our friends for a few minutes before scanning the crowd for our relatives.
Addi spots her mom and dad, making a beeline for the proud parents. It’s heartwarming to watch. Her mom is crying and her dad has the biggest grin on his face. As my mind starts to contemplate how my dad would have reacted today, warm arms snake around my waist from behind. With a kiss to my cheek and a squeeze, Xander lifts me off the ground and spins me round. “I thought I was going to burst when I saw you up there. I’m so damn proud of you. I wanted to tell the whole stadium that you’re mine.”
When he puts me down I turn round and pull his face down to mine in a ravenous kiss, scared my love for him might burst out of my chest if I don’t tell him right now.
“Xander, I…”
I'm interrupted by a familiar voice berating me from behind. “Calm it down, sis. You’re in public, you know?” Of course, my family would ruin this moment for me.
I pull out of Xander’s arms, put on my happy face and turn to greet Cathy. My mom and Liv are with her. We all exchange ‘hellos’ and they offer their congratulations. My mom looks like she’s been crying, but it’s so unlike her that I don’t mention it and just give her a hug and a kiss. She holds me close - longer than a standard hug. I wish my dad were here. I pull back and reach for Xander, instantly soothed by the warmth of his hand.
“Mom, I’d like you to meet my boyfriend Xander.”
He switches on the charm that has every woman he meets melting at his feet. “I’m the very lucky man that dates your beautiful daughter.” He holds out his hand. “Very nice to meet you, Mrs. Tate.” The megawatt smile is in full force now.
“Please, call me Jocelyn. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Xander.” My mom is blushing like a teenager. If it weren’t so humiliating, it would be funny. He then turns his attention to the twins, who are already a pool of hormones at his feet. I swear there’s drool on Liv’s chin. They both thrust out their hands to shake his in unison.
“One at a time, girls. Hi, I’m Xander.” Liv is doe-eyed and ridiculous, turning to give Cathy a shit-eating ‘he picked me first’ grin. How am I related to these people? This is just embarrassing, and he’s enjoying making them feel uncomfortable.
“H… Hi. I’m Olivia. And this is my sister, Cathy.” Cathy holds out her hand, forcing him to drop Olivia’s.
“Nice to meet you, Cathy.” He quickly extricates himself from the twins and takes his place at my side. I’m instantly relieved to have his arm around my shoulder - in a casual yet possessive way. I love my family, but I always feel bad about myself when I'm around them.
“You must be so proud?” Xander asks, his tone demanding an answer.
My mom speaks up. “Yes. We’re so proud of Lily. She’s been through a lot and her dad would have been so happy to see her take the stage today.” I’m stunned.
She takes me by surprise, engulfing me in a tight hug. “You’ve done well for yourself. It’s lovely to see you achieve your goal.” I don’t remember the last time my mom hugged me like this. The girls join in and we have a strange, but nice family moment. I’m struggling to hold back tears. I don’t want to get my hopes up that they’ve finally forgiven me for my dad’s death, but in this moment I feel loved, and I’ve missed it.
Things feel a bit awkward after my mom’s declaration, but Xander steps in to make small talk, giving me a minute to compose myself. He explains the plan to dine at Jason’s restaurant with Addi and her family. As if her ears are burning, she bounds toward us with her parents in tow. This provides a great distraction for me as her parents catch up with my mom and sisters, exchanging all the usual pleasantries. She can tell I’m a little overwhelmed and comes to my rescue.
“You okay, Lilliput? Is this big chump looking out for you?” She can always make me smile.
“I’m a chump, am I? So nice to see you again, Addi.” Xander is trying to stifle a laugh. They have a funny kind of friendship. Addi makes fun of him and he takes it, pretending that he doesn’t find her crazy nicknames funny. They seem to like each other but she definitely gives off the ‘you’re still on probation’ vibe. I do love how she looks out for me, but I don’t think she has to worry. I can’t imagine him ever hurting me.
Xander guides me into the restaurant with his hand at the base of my back. It sends a jolt to ‘little Lil’ every time he does that. It really never gets old. I’m touched by all the effort that Jason has put into today. The place looks even more amazing than it normally does. There is a gorgeous banner with ‘Congratulations Addi and Lily’ over the bar area. The place has hundreds of balloons hanging from the ceiling, making it look magical. The entire restaurant is lit with what must be hundreds of candle lanterns. The tables have been set into one long banqueting style table in the center of the room, and it’s decorated with stunning arrangements of roses, with crystals woven throughout the foliage. It has Xander written all over it. There are place cards for everyone, seating Addi and I at either end of the table. It gives us a good vantage point to make
crazy faces at each other throughout dinner.
As I walk around looking at the names next to each place setting, I notice Carter and Logan’s names. Addi is going to blow a gasket when Carter gets here - and as if by magic, I watch that very scene play out in front of me. The door to the restaurant swings open and in walks Logan, followed closely by Carter. As she looks toward the entrance, her expression drops and panic spreads across her features - the color visibly draining from her face. I’m guessing they are the friends Jason invited to join us. He welcomes them both before anyone else gets a chance. I turn to Xander.
“Did you know they were going to be here?” He looks puzzled.
“Yeah. Why? Is there a problem? Jason and I thought that we could all go out later after the families disperse, do some real celebrating. What’s wrong?”
“Things between Addi and Carter are… well, I don’t actually know what they are, but from what I saw when he left the last time, it’s not good.”
“But he only has good things to say about her.” I pull him off to the side so no one can overhear us, especially not Addi.
“If I tell you this, you have to keep your mouth shut. I suspect she likes him more than she’s ever liked a guy. I’m pretty sure it spooked her because they’ve not known each other very long. She hasn’t been her usual flirty man-crazy self since she last saw him. I’ve tried to talk to her but she shuts me down every time.”
“Why? If she likes him she should just give him a chance.”
“She had a bad experience freshman year with a total creep of a guy and she’s never let anyone close since. I was hoping if she met someone worthwhile she would let her guard down, but that’s not happening, as you can see.” We both turn in her direction. She is completely blanking Carter; I feel so bad for him. It’s obvious to everyone in the room that there’s something going on between them.