Leather & Satin (The Bad Boy and the Ballerina) *EDITING*

Chapter 6: To Build a Home

"You think you have enough here?" Summer laughed, staring at my red audi, which was packed to the roof with furniture, clothes, and any other necessities that I had lost in the fire. Summer had come along for the shopping trip, and to help lift things into the car since my shoulder was tender.

"Think so," I agree sheepishly, shutting the trunk. "Now the fun part."

***

"Seriously?" Chase squints at the two of us. "This is how you want me to spend my Friday night?"

Before Summer and I, the Ikea haul sits complete with a bed and desk that I needed Chase's help putting together...we both agreed that Hayden wasn't the man for the job on this one. We didn't need Hayden's grumpy vibes messing up my fresh start.

"Pleeeeaase?" Summer batts her long eyelashes at Chase, and then nudges me until I do the same, with a shy smile on my lips. "You'd be the best housemate ever!"

"I'd really appreciate it?" I grin widely, looking up at him through my lashes. Why did everyone in this house have to be so damn tal? "I'll make you pancakes tomorrow?"

Chase seemed intrigued by this, arching a brow and unfolding his arms from his chest. "With chocolate chips?"

"Well, obviously, I'm not a barbarian!" I tease, clapping my hands together. Thankfully I'd included chocolate chips in my grocery list; they were an essential item, after all. As for the pancakes, well..I'm sure I could look up a recipe. I was never really much of a cook, since our personal chef did everything in terms of cooking in the house, but. They couldn't be that hard, right?

"Alright, Vale. You've got a deal."

We shake on it, and then Summer plays music as we rip into the boxes and start to put together my furniture, singing along together and chatting about nothing in particular.

I was beginning to feel like a weight was lifted; maybe I was home after all.

***

"Aaaand....done!" Chase shouts happily, stepping back from the desk he'd just put together basically all on his own.

Summer and I look up from where we were spreading out the decor that I'd purchased earlier that day, and I offer him a glad smile.

"Chase, thank you so, so much. It's really nice to have everything set up," I gesture to the desk and the bed that he'd moved into just the right place for me. He'd even put the mattress on so I wouldn't have to strain my injury trying to lift it, and Summer had begun smoothing out the sheets. "It really feels like--" I stop before I say it, not wanting it to come off in the wrong way.

"Like home?" Summer asks warmly, wrapping an arm around my waist. She's careful not to touch my burn.

"Yeah," I whisper, staring at the ground. "Like home."

"Looks good," A gruff voice comes from the threshold. We all turn to see Hayden leaning against the doorframe, clad in loose grey sweats and--oh. No shirt. Apparently those were optional in this house. His dark eyes slide over the room approvingly, and then meet my own gaze.

I feel suddenly hot under his stare, though I'm not sure why.

"Chase helped," Summer retorts, wrinkling her nose. "And Alexia is making us pancakes tomorrow--none for you."

"Oh?" Hayden arches a brow, "No pancakes for me, huh? We'll see about that."

"I'll make pancakes for everyone," I say quickly, not wanting to stir up drama.

Hayden snorts at my easy backing-down, and looks around at the room again. "Dunno why someone as small as you needs a big bed like that," he gestures mischievously to the large four-post king bed Chase had assembled for me. It had gauzy linens around the posts that could close around the mattress to make it feel like a little fort of comfort.