by Addison Jane
Layla’s head sat against my shoulder as I watched the houses and streets flash by. We weren’t just in the suburbs anymore, this place was on a whole new level. Perfectly manicured gardens with picturesque statues were the least impressive part of these homes. There were large iron gates, water features that could rival those of Las Vegas, Mercedes, BMW’s, Jaguars–to name just a few, parked in lavish driveways.
We pulled into a street named Kings Crescent. The name seemed even more fitting as Heath turned into a driveway with shiny black barred gates and a small speaker box outside. He reached up and pressed a button that was connected to his sun visor, and the gates began to slide open without even a creak.
“That looks like one of those things you speak into at a drive through,” Layla whispered as she looked over me through the window.
“Maybe we can use it to order a burger,” I replied sarcastically, but I was in just as much awe as she was.
Lay snorted, “Extra fries.”
“Maybe some chicken nuggets.” I laughed softly.
Our laughter subsided quickly as we pulled up to Heath and Braydon’s home. It almost reminded me of a cabin that you’d find in the woods. But this cabin was on some serious steroids.
Large stones fit together like puzzle pieces forming large pillars, holding up a balcony. The rest of the house was built from beautifully varnished wood. It was light in color, almost orange as opposed to brown. It gave it a new and modern feeling, which matched the large windows which adorned the second story.
The stone theme was continued around the house, lining the small gardens and built into the steps that led to two massive wooden doors. It looked as though if you opened them that you could drive a car through with ease.
The door of the car clicked open, startling me. Heath held his hand out to me, I took it as I climbed out. Layla followed out behind me, the both of us staring at the monstrous house with our mouths wide open. Heath kept my hand held tightly in his as he led us inside.
The foyer inside was just as impressive, a staircase leading off to the right to a landing that looked over the entertaining space in front of us. There was not a single thing out of place, even the books on the coffee table were lined up perfectly square.
I felt a sharp pain on my arm and jumped away, rubbing at the sting. “What was that for?” I accused Layla, but her eyes continued to be fixed on our surroundings.
“Just wanted to check I wasn’t dreaming,” she answered as she walked further into the house, examining everything.
“You’re supposed to pinch yourself, not me for fuck’s sake.”
Braydon laughed, following Lay, then leading her through two doors off to the side of the room. “Let’s find some food. Dunno if we have burgers or nuggets, but there must be something.” He threw a wink at me over his shoulder before they disappeared around the corner.
“We’ll be in soon,” Heath called, his voice resonating in the large space. He pulled me by the hand up the staircase. Looking down at my feet as I took each step, my worn shoes seemed so out of place against the perfectly shiny floorboards.
I had the weird urge to kick them off, but I knew my socks wouldn’t be much better. At least my shoes matched.
Heath stalked down the long hallway which reminded me somewhat of some high-class hotel.
“Need a damn map,” I mumbled admiring the artwork on the walls. But it wasn’t famous painters or Van Goughs, it was children’s artwork. I spotted Heath’s name, Braydon’s also, and then another, Felicity I think.
He threw open two double doors and strolled through. I followed suit, swallowing hard as I took in the large space that could have possibly been bigger than the house I grew up in as a kid.
There was a king sized bed against one wall, with a four post frame, a small sofa in the corner facing a flat screen television and a massive desk, which looked like it could be some type of antique. The rest of the room was simply open floor. Finally pulling my hand from his grasp, I walked past Heath, noticing the way his eyes never left me and stood in front of the massive windows. They ran the length of the room, and just like the others I’d seen from outside, reached from the floor to the ceiling. The room overlooked a beautiful expansive yard with enough room to play a game of backyard football alongside a crystal clear pool, which in size, rivaled those they used in the Olympics.
“It’s heated. It’s not really hot outside at the moment, but we still swim in it,” he explained. His body moved in behind me, even without his touch, I could still feel the warmth resonating off him. He gripped my hip, pulling on it and turning my body so I was facing him. I tried to turn away, but before I could, he had my chin gripped in his fingers, pulling my face up to meet his eyes. I couldn’t escape his penetrating stare.
“Are you okay?” he asked finally.
Coughing out a laugh, I shook my head. “No, I’m not okay.”
“I didn’t think so.”
“Then why’d you ask?” I snapped, pushing him away and ducking around him. My emotions were all over the place. It felt like I was going crazy.
He watched me as I paced the room, my shoes squeaking against the polished floor.
“Yell at me.” My head perked up, and I stilled.
Raising my brow, I stared at him like he was nuts. “Don’t you think I did enough of that already?”
“Obviously not, if you’re still not okay.”
“I’m not okay because I just lost one of my best friends. Someone who I considered a brother, someone I loved.” The tears burned at the back of my eyes again, after I thought they’d finally run dry.
“Those people all lost him, too. A lot of them felt exactly the same as you. He was a best friend, a teammate, an ex-boyfriend, a nephew, a son.” There was no accusation in his tone, he stated it like it was just a matter of fact. But I’d already learned that Heath had never spoken words that weren’t meaningful. He was quiet, but that didn’t mean that he had nothing to say.
My body tightened like a spring, ready to release. “Where were they then, Heath? How long had Eazy been taking those pills? Why didn’t they say something? Why did no one do anything?”
Heath shrugged his shoulders. “Sometimes we only see what we want to see.”
My body slumped, I know his words weren’t meant for me, but they hit me like a bullet, tearing through my skin. I could have helped Eazy. I could have made him go to the hospital, but he was so determined to make it through without the help of medication. He was so scared of being trapped back where he was before. The amount of pain he must have been in was completely inconceivable and made my stomach churn.
Heath was right. Sometimes we only saw what we wanted. I’d convinced myself that he was going to get better, that he was going to pull through. He just needed to rest. Everything was going to be okay. But it wasn’t.
I gripped my hair in my hands, hanging my head. “God, I’m just as bad as them.”
I was engulfed by two large arms, Heath’s hand went to the back of my neck, pushing my head against his chest. My hands gripped at his shirt as I cried.
“You did everything you could for him,” Heath spoke quietly, his voice firm. “You protected him, supported him when he had no one. He loved you.”
My feet moved with Heath as he shuffled my body to the bed. We lay down, my head going to his chest and his arms wrapping around me. His lips brushed against the top of my head, the gesture spreading comfort throughout my body. My fingers ached with how tightly I was holding onto his T-shirt.
Listening to his heart, the beat even and steady, I started to slow my breathing so it was in time with the rhythm.
Heath had this strange effect on me. Maybe it was because I felt like he had everything so together. He was calm, smart, completely collected. He didn’t let himself be rattled, and he didn’t give a shit what people thought of him. The thing was, though, that was exactly the type of stuff that women were drawn to.
He was the guy who seemed unattainable. He was hot, s
mart and mysterious. I ached to know more about him. Sometimes I felt like I’d seen more than he showed to people, and I wondered why he’d chosen me to share parts of himself with that he hid from others.
Did I really care?
He made me feel good, and with a simple touch, he could both light my body on fire and calm a raging storm. The mixture of feelings made me want more.
Heath’s hand drifted up and down my back, his breath tickling at my hair. The tears and anger had ceased, but now my heart was racing for another reason.
Running my hand up his body, I felt him tense under my touch. His body was defined, the gentle dips of his abdominal muscles excited me. I wanted to ask what he did. Was he a football player, baseball maybe? He was an athlete, that much I could tell. He worked hard, it was obvious.
“Fable,” Heath warned softly as my hand drifted back down again.
“What?” I whispered, tilting my head back to look up at him. His eyes blazed with fire. I almost sat back, but then I realized it wasn’t an angry fire that I could see burning.
I couldn’t help myself, stretching up so my lips could reach his neck. Brushing them against his skin lightly, I wondered whether he would pull back. There was a light bristle that rubbed roughly against the soft skin of my mouth.
When he didn’t move, I pressed them against him, kissing him softly. I nuzzled at his jaw with my nose and he complied, tilting his head to the side. I pressed my body against him and his hands gripped my hips, pulling me so I was lying right on top of him, eliciting a gasp from my mouth. His fingers dug into my sides almost painfully, but I ignored it, working my way along his jaw until I found his mouth and I licked at the corner of his lips.
“Fay, stop,” he murmured. It was almost empowering, knowing that I had him so wound up that he was beginning to plead with me.
“Why?” I whispered against his mouth.
When one of his hands released my hip and grabbed a fist full of my hair, I inhaled sharply. He took the opportunity to take control, drawing our faces together and claiming my mouth. His hand drifted up underneath my shirt, skimming over my skin, and causing me to shudder. My senses were going crazy, excitement flooding in, but nerves fought their way through too as things began to get more intense, more than I’d ever done or felt before.
Heath pulled back, the both of us heaving as we tried to draw more air into our lungs. “We need to stop.”
I licked my sore lips. “Why?” I asked again.
“Because this isn’t going to take away the pain,” he explained through deep breaths.
I opened my eyes, finally looking down at him. There was something new in his eyes. I knew he wanted me, it was completely obvious, but what I saw wasn’t lust or passion in his eyes. It was something that awfully resembled pity.
I pushed away, scrambling off him and climbing off the bed. “Don’t look at me like that,” I snapped.
Heath groaned, not moving from the bed as he rubbed at his face. “Look at you like what?”
“Like I’m a charity case.”
He sat up suddenly. “Stop being fucking stupid, Fable.”
“Then what is this?” I held my arms out wide looking for an explanation. Feeling like an idiot.
Heath sat up and pushed off the bed, and rounded the edge to where I was standing. “I don’t know what this is…” he flicked his finger between us, “…but I’m not about to figure it out while you’re mourning the loss of your friend. Not going to fucking disrespect you like that.”
I couldn’t help but stare at him. Heath really was something else. I wanted to be angry at him, but I couldn’t. Once again, he was trying to protect me, this time from myself.
His hand cupped my cheek. “Come on, let’s get you some food.”
Nodding, I let him take my hand and lead me back downstairs. It was beginning to feel normal to have him touching me in some way.
And that alone scared the shit out of me because Bayward Street and Kings Crescent were two completely different worlds, ones that weren’t meant to mix.
This should not be normal.
We found Braydon and Layla sitting at the breakfast bar chatting and laughing. The two of them seemed to have formed some kind of weird friendship based on sarcasm and cheap shots.
When Layla spotted me, she grinned. “Rich boy here made sandwiches. Who would have thought?”
Giggling, I boosted myself onto the stool beside her. Braydon tried to look offended as he slid a plate across to me. “Your friend seems to think I have slaves that do everything for me.”
Taking a huge bite of my food, I mumbled, “I’m surprised you don’t.”
“Mom won’t let us, something about human rights and shit.”
Layla giggled, and Heath looked over to his brother rolling his eyes.
I placed my food back on the plate, I was starving but hadn’t eaten much in the last few days so I knew I needed to pace myself or it would make me sick. “What sports do you play?” I asked curiously.
Braydon tilted his head to the side. “What makes you think we’re into sports?”
Clearing my throat uncomfortably, I tried to find the words. “I just noticed… you both are like… I dunno…”
“Sexy as fuck with amazing bodies?” Braydon offered, wiggling his eyebrows at me. I looked over at Heath for some kind of support, but even he had a tiny smirk in the corner of his mouth.
Layla laughed, she was no help either.
I groaned. “Yes, okay… you’re both really fit.”
“I apologize for my friend,” Lay offered, patting my arm. “She doesn’t get out much.”
Braydon’s laughter boomed loudly. “No kidding.”
“Braydon plays football, I swim.”
My eyes widened in surprise. “You swim?” I guessed that explained the huge pool out the back.
Heath nodded but didn’t explain any further. He pulled the refrigerator open and picked out a carton of orange juice, finding four glasses from the cupboard and filling them up.
“What my brother meant to say was that I’m the star quarterback, and he’s the best swimmer in the state,” Braydon explained. Unlike Heath, Braydon didn’t care if he boasted about how much money he had, how many girls wanted in his pants, and how good he was at sport. It was what it was, and it was actually rather refreshing. He was confident and self-assured, and sometimes you needed to be if you were ever going to make your way in the world.
Heath was quieter about his success, but he didn’t pull any punches when it came to telling it like it was or the reality of life. And people respected the both of them for that.
“Hello?” a sweet voice tinkled through the house.
“In here, Mom,” Braydon called back.
Heels tapped on the wooden floors and a stunning woman filled the doorway to the kitchen. “Hey, hope you made me one of those?” She smiled, pointing to Braydon’s half eaten food.
“I’ll get it, Mom,” Heath offered. He slid us all a glass of juice before making himself busy, pulling food from the cupboards and fridge.
“Mom, this is Fable and Layla,” Braydon offered, pointing to each of us.
I swiveled my chair around, holding out my hand to her. “Nice to meet you.”
She took my hand, and we shook as she offered me a friendly smile. “It’s so nice to finally meet you, too, Fable,” she took Lay’s hand too, “and you too, Layla. My name’s Helen. The boys speak very highly of you.”
I looked over at Heath curiously, he watched me out of the corner of his eye as if gauging my reaction. “Really?”
She rounded the counter as Heath held out a plate of food for her, kissing his cheek as she took it from his hands. I could see now where Heath got his gentleness from. The small touches and shows of affection. He’d obviously learned from his mom.
I wondered if that meant Braydon was like his dad, the brashness and need to be a little over the top was definitely not from her.
Heath leaned back against the bench top, f
olding his arms across his chest. “How was everything after we left?”
I took a bite of my sandwich and swallowed tightly.
Helen sighed. “Most people left, the few that hung around just stayed to watch Deena throw a tantrum, I think.”
Heath scoffed, but Bray laughed loudly before asking, “Was it a good one?”
“Oh yes, she was in fine form today.”
“I’m sorry we caused so much trouble,” I told her softly. But when her eyes met mine there was nothing but sweetness in them.
“Honey, I’ve always taught my kids to speak up when there’s something going on that isn’t right,” she explained, reaching across and touching my hand. “It would be hypocritical of me to criticize you for doing just that. And you know what? That woman needed to be told exactly what her son had been through because of her selfishness. Maybe she’ll take it on board, maybe she won’t. But now that’s on her.”
Layla wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me against her, our heads resting together. “I miss him so much,” I whispered sadly.
“I know…” Layla replied, “…I know.”
Eazy hadn’t been with us for long, but it didn’t matter. I loved him just like I loved the others.
“You girls have to go… uh, home soon?” Braydon asked, walking around to deposit his empty plate in the sink.
I looked over at the clock on the oven. As long as we were home before dark, they wouldn’t start to worry. We had a few hours.
“Not yet.” I tried to force my voice to sound strong and not sad, as I thought about the concept of heading back to Bayward Street.
“Let’s go for a swim. Heath can show you his skills.” Braydon laughed. Heath reached over and smacked his brother in the chest.
I looked at Layla, her face was beaming. “Um…”
“I’ll grab you girls some suits from upstairs, I think I can guess your size.” Helen grinned before hurrying out of the room.
Layla clapped her hands excitedly. “I haven’t been swimming in years.”