I pushed the door open and was immediately welcomed by Blake's relieved and warm smile. She knows how harassing the paparazzi can get so she always worries about Emma and I when we're out. I wonder how she'll be like with her own children one day.
"Oh Miss Williams, we didn't expect you to be back so soon, but welcome home." She welcomed.
"Yeah, and I brought a guest along. Could you please prepare the guest bedroom for him." I asked, walking into the house with Emma by my side and London behind us.
"A guest?" Blake asked in bewilderment she fluttered her eyelashes a couple of times. I never have guests over aside from my parents or my sister on those rare occasions. Never a man though, so I'm not surprised by her surprise.
"Yes Blake, a guest." I smiled at her with a raised eyebrow in amusement. She looked ready to pass out in surprise." Blake, please calm yourself. You look ready to pass out." I teased.
"Well, you can't blame me now can you, Miss Williams. You rarely have guests over." She whispered.
"Mommy, can I go watch TV in the living room?" Asked Emma sleepily from beside me.
"Madam, you're back early." Said Penny as she neared the door.
"Yes, hello Penny. Penny, could I please lend some clothes from Carlos. I need them for my guest." I asked." And yes Baby, you can." I responded responded Emma's request.
She sleepily smiled at me before disappearing into the house.
"Sure, let me go get some."Penny responded, before leaving to go get some of her husband, Carlos's clothes for London. She's the only one married amongst us and she lives in my guesthouse with him, whereas the rest live in the second guesthouse.
I couldn't swallow the chuckle that bubbled from my throat as Blake closed the door with a dazed expression. With a sigh and shake of my head, I turned to London who was silently and patiently waiting for instructions at my side." London, I hope you don't mind waiting in the living room until your bedroom is ready." I apologetically smiled at him.
"Not at all. Thank you." He quietly answered, barely looking up at any of us.
"Follow me, please?" I asked, heading towards the living room and guiding him to the couch, where a sleeping Emma also lay asleep.
A vibrating sensation in my hand had me lifting my phone in annoyance as my Personal Assistant's name flashed on the screen.
I swiped the answer button and answered in my cold, but polite business voice," Hello Grace."
"Good afternoon, Miss Williams. I'm sorry to bother you, but Richardson called earlier about his file. He said that he needed you to look into it urgently." She politely explained.
"Can you send it through to my email?" I asked with a quiet sigh.
"Of course, Ma'am." She replied.
"Thank you, Grace. Enjoy your afternoon." I said before cutting off my call. "And that's the end of my freedom." I mumbled to myself, forgetting about London who was also in the room.
"You alright, Miss Williams?" Came London's soft, sympathetic voice, reminding me of his presence as I turned to face him only to be greeted by his sympathetic smile.
"I'm alright. Just tired," I tiredly smiled at him,"My name's Lenora by the way." I smiled,"And I better get back to work, Blake, my housekeeper and Penny, my chef will sort all the things you'll need as soon as possible."
"Okay. Thank you, Lenora. For everything." He smiled. My name effortlessly rolling off his tongue and turning my heart to goo.
"You're welcome." I softly smiled, before turning around and making my way out of the living room and to my home office down the hall. A yawn slipped past my lips as I pushed the door open. I really have to get used to locking it.
I walked to the window and opened the blinds, letting some light fill the dark room. With a sigh of exhaustion, I rubbed my fingers against my temples to try and release the tension there even as I made my way to my chair behind the table where I plopped down onto my with a groan before opening my laptop. Turning it on, I typed in my password to find a few new notifications on my email. Just because they are few, doesn't mean they aren't long documents.
The second I pressed my fingers onto the keypads, I knew that I might not be sleeping tonight.
~~~~~
London's POV
"Your room is ready, Sir." Said a kind voice, that I assume to be Blake's.
"Thank you." I smiled in gratitude before moving my gaze to Emma.
"Don't worry about her, I'll get Cleo to put her down in her room for her nap," She reassured, noticing my wandering gaze. I nodded at her in acknowledgement, before standing up. "Right this way, Sir."
She guided me out of the room and up the staircase and down the hallway where she opened one of the cream coloured doors and let me in before saying," Penny's husband Carlos seems to be more or less your size, so we asked him to lend you some of his clothes. We hope you don't mind."
"No, beggars can't be choosers right?" I jokingly said, getting the opposite reaction from what I intended," I'm sorry, I didn't mean to...." I stopped, not sure on what else to say.
"No, it's alright. I don't know what your life story is but I can tell it's not all smooth sailing. Plus Miss Williams bringing you with, speaks volumes," She warmly smiled," Miss Williams is an extremely kind person, but she never brings males back with her, so you are an extremely special case." She said," Well, ignore me. The bathroom is that way," She indicated to the first door on the left," And that's the closet," She indicated towards the door next to it. " And before I forget, your clothes are on the bed." She pointed towards the neatly folded clothes on the white cover." If you need anything, I'll be downstairs in the kitchen or you can ask any other person from the house staff. I would say to give a shout out, but we wouldn't want to disturb Miss Williams. Well later, Mr..." She paused, waiting for me to say my name.
"London, London Carson." I introduced myself.
"It's nice to meet you, Mr Carson, I'm Blake, Blake Black. The housekeeper." She introduced with a friendly smile.
"Please, just London is fine." I insisted.
"Alright. As you wish. See you later... London." She smiled before leaving the room and closing the door behind her.
I ran my hand through my hair with a sigh as I turned around to face the room. It was spacious, but not too spacious. The walls were painted in a warm creamy white, the floor adorned with a light brown carpet. The bed was placed in the middle of the room with a side table on both sides of it. There were two windows with cream coloured curtains which seemed to be covered in diamond studs and in conclusion, it wasn't half bad. Not too extravagant but just right.
I walked towards the bed, where a new packet of boxers were placed alongside a white V-neck T-shirt and khaki shorts. There lay a pair of black sandals next to the outfit to finish the look then there was a grey, long cloth and matching towel.
I pulled out black and white boxers from the plastic, promising myself that I'd thank the man who lended me his clothes. I then took the outfit, cloth and towel with me to the bathroom. Upon entering the bathroom, I spotted a shower, big enough for three people to shower together and still remain comfortable.
A couple of feet away from it, opposite it to be specific, there was an equally spacious bathtub. A few feet from the shower was a white basin. The only average sized thing in the room, aside the toilet that was opposite of it. I'm not good in identifying the exact types of materials used for them so I can't decipher how expensive they might of been, but I can tell they were expensive from their abnormal sizes.
I pulled off my dirty t-shirt of three days, followed by my used to be blue jeans. They now had light brown splotches of dirt, my wallet falling out of the pocket. I only had 20 bucks to survive with for the past three days, so now it's empty except for my useless cards. I bent down and grabbed it before straightening up with it in my hand before placing it on the neat pile of clothes I had made on the closed toilet seat.
I turned on the water in the shower and stuck my hand in to check the temperature, only to find the water a bit to the cold side so I waited. It finally reached to where I wanted it and without an ounce of hesitation, I jumped in. The hot water pouring onto my chest was much needed and welcomed after three days without it. Even I don't know how I survived that long without collecting much of a smell.
The pouring water reminded me of falling tears, just like the tears I had shed today and had been shedding for the past couple of days. The last time I cried was at my father's funeral and even then it was just silent tears, and that was 10 years ago. But only my mother was there by my side, dealing with not only her grief but also her heartbreak of losing her love.
Today, I didn't expect to have someone else who was willing to listen to me and let me pour my heart out to them but I did.
She looked like an angel sent from the Heavens. Her voice was what had me looking up at her, just for her soft, kind features to lock me in and make me never want to look away. Her honey glazed orbs, so warm, threatening to break my walls. Her soft smile, threatening to undo me. Her looks those of an angel. Her short stature making her undeniably adorable, but never diminishing her beautiful.
My heart seemed to skip a beat and the world seemed to come to a standstill at that moment. I had to remind myself of my promise to myself, for me to gain the strength to break myself from my oasis of a world that I had created.
She brought something back to life in me, something that I wanted gone for good.
With a sigh, I started washing up. From my hair to scrubbing my body with my cloth until it felt raw. I needed to wash away that dangerous feeling that was threatening to break me again.
With heavy breaths, I let the cloth fall onto the floor, as I folded my arms on the glass walls of the shower. My head laying on my arms at the memories that racked my brain. Not only the false memories I had shared with my ex, but also the new memories I have made today.
I remember the feeling that engulfed me when I saw that little girl. I have always been a sucker for children, but Emma. She lit a fire in me just like her mother. A different one, but still. It was a fire to protect her, nurture her and dare I say not only care for her, but love her as my own. It made me wish to grow and have a bond with her in the future, which I'll admit frightened me. Both mother and daughter managed to bring back feelings that I had thought would stay dormant in my life. I have always cared for others so I'm not surprised that these feelings were evoked, they are apart of me after all. They are what makes me who I am, but I had wished for them to disappear because they are what made me weak. They are my weakness.
I turned off the water and picked up the now soaked cloth before twisting it dry and wiping my body with it.
I stepped out of the shower and into the stuffy, warm and steamy room. Something I couldn't handle at the moment. I pulled on my boxers, too tired to bother applying some lotion before hanging my now washed and clean underwear on the bathtub to dry, just so I could grab my dirty clothes and head back into the bedroom where I dropped it in the laundry basket at the corner of the room. I'm just so tired.
I climbed onto the bed, not bothering with the covers. And before I knew it, my muscles were loosening and my mind was relaxing as darkness welcomed me into a much needed, peaceful sleep.