A/N: Hi everyone! Welcome to the second to the last chapter of this book. Yes, we're concluding Star's story pretty soon and I'm so excited because this wasn't quite the story I started out with but I'm happy with how it turned out. So I hope you stick around till the next one.
As always, vote and comment! Love to hear what you think!
BTW: Spoiler alert if you haven't read Virtue and Vice. Minor cameo. =)
***
"We should get ready."
"Ten more minutes."
And probably ten more of this same kind of conversation.
But I didn't have the heart to point that out. Nor did I have any real interest in untangling myself from Julian's arms when he was busy lavishing attention on my breasts as if they were his favorite cone of ice cream without the danger of it melting if he took his time with it.
Yeah.
It's been about a week since I threw fuel into this slow burn with Julian and let it blaze. So far my only injuries were these sweet, seductive memories haunting my skin long after Julian had touched me—places where I felt scorched, where I ached, where I was like a flame needing oxygen to flare even hotter. I felt them when I was all by myself, or out in public like at class or at work, or when Julian was branding other parts of me that he hadn't gotten to last time.
I'd succumbed so deeply, I could compare my boobs to Julian's favorite ice cream cone.
How the mighty have fallen.
"No! Don't give me a hickey there!" I desperately tried to shove Julian off when his lips gathered on the top side of one breast and started to suck. "I don't want it displayed to the world and have to explain it on a night when my mere presence is already going to be as awkward as hell."
Julian abruptly reared back and narrowed his eyes at me. "Just what kind of dress are you wearing that that part of your boob is going to be on display?"
I gave him what I hoped was an unrepentant smile. "I can show you if you'd just get off me so I can shower and change. You know, like I'd been planning to before you tackled me into bed."
His frown instantly smoothed over as he grinned and shifted his hips forward, burying himself deeper into me. "Are you sure you want me to stop this? Because your legs are wrapped around me so tightly I don't think I can move away even if I wanted to."
Whatever useless answer I had came out as a long groan as Julian started thrusting again in deep, even strokes, drawing me to a precipice I was too mindless to avoid. Besides, this was too good. Who the hell would hold back?
"Come for me, Starlight," Julian murmured into my ear in breathless pants, his hands molded around my breasts and his lips trailing the line of my jaw. "I want you to come apart for me."
My eyes half-lifted open to look at him. "Need... more..."
Suddenly, Julian slipped an arm behind my back and pulled me up to a sitting position. My legs automatically parted to plant my feet on the bed and Julian's hands clamped on my hips, urging me to rise above him.
"Turn around," he instructed as he pulled himself up to his knees and gave my butt a light smack to prompt me to move. I had just swung myself around when his hands gripped my hips again and his shaft drove all the way into me, causing us both to gasp hard.
From this angle, his penetration was deeper, every thrust hitting a sweet spot that had me clutching the sheets and moaning his name. In no time, his smooth movements grew frantic, his own groans gaining volume. There was a grittiness to the act that inflamed me further, and hearing Julian's losing battle with control as he rocked into me harder and faster, I slammed into that peak with harrowing velocity. My body rippled with the same shockwaves that rode over Julian with swift intensity as he, too, came apart from the pleasure seconds behind me.
We both collapsed on the bed with him on top of me, our breaths hoarse and ragged as we tried to come back down to earth.
Finally, even with my eyes closed, I croaked. "Can we just call Selene and say we can't go? I don't think we're capable of moving from this bed in the next fifty years."
Julian laughed against my hair before he lifted his face away. "I have a feeling she's going to call bullshit on that one. No excuses, Star. We're going."
He peeled himself off me and I could hear his feet shuffling around, probably to go to the bathroom. I didn't care how filthy I felt—my body was so deliciously worn out, I couldn't move an inch. I was just drifting to sleep when I felt the cool touch of something heavy and metallic touch my shoulder.
"We have to go, Starlight, because I want you to wear this tonight."
I stretched my eyes open and saw something glint against the low light of the room. To get a better look, I rolled over to my back and stared at the necklace hanging from Julian's fingers.
The chain was smooth and a fine rose gold color. The pendant was a good-sized gemstone a deeper and richer shade than amber—somewhere between red and orange—and it was in the shape of an elegant star. There was an intricate rose gold frame that fitted itself around the stone in an almost wispy design.
"This is a fire opal. In ancient times, it was considered a symbol of fervent love," Julian explained as he lifted the necklace over my naked chest, resting the pendant right between my breasts. "While I am most definitely fervently in love with you, I thought it would best match what a star might look like and the Star who would wear it—fiery and bold, rare and vibrant, and hinting at different dimensions to her if you would just look closely enough."
I gently lifted the gemstone with my fingers to examine it more closely. There were a few slightly different colors at play on the stone, mostly only visible when the light caught it at different angles. Some would consider it a flaw but to me, it made the stone more interesting, more faceted.
"It's really lovely," I managed lamely because my throat felt closed up with what I suspected were tears. "Thank you."
Julian grinned crookedly. "I was prepared to fight you into accepting it but I think you might be learning to accept the good that you more than deserve."
"You might spoil me," I warned him even if it was tad bit weakly.
"I'm planning on it," he just said before he dipped down to kiss me softly on the lips. "Now, let's shower and change before your grandmother sends the cavalry down here to fetch us."
A little over an hour later, I stood in front of the mirror much like I did exactly a week ago. Tonight though, there was no blonde wig and scanty costumes. My dark hair was brushed up into a soft, high bun, a few tendrils framing my face. My floor-length halter dress—something I picked out with Selene two days ago—was a deep red currant color with the high front and back panels dipping low on each side and meeting just right above my waist. The necklace Julian gave me sat perfectly on the plain front panel, glowing nearly orange against the red silk. The back panel was pure lace of the same red color, its intricate design showcased well by my swept up hairstyle. My face was mostly natural with just a hint of flush on my cheeks, a pale champagne shimmer on my eyes and a nude lip. It had always been a beautiful face but tonight, there was some brilliance to my dark eyes and a youthfulness to my expression that belied how nervous I actually was.
You've been on display before, Star. This should be no different.
Except that I knew it was different.
I wasn't stupid enough to try to convince myself that this should be exactly like all those times in the past when I walked into the spotlight. Back then, it was all for show, for money, for a crowd that wouldn't really know me other than the femme fatale I played that night. Tonight, I was walking into that spotlight as Star Matthews—love child from the other side of the tracks who would never be able to polish all her rough edges. Yes, I was different by many degrees from the girl who'd left it all behind in Vegas but as I crudely learned the past few weeks, much of the old me still remained and it was a balance I would have to find and learn to live with.
Julian was slowly pacing at the bottom of the stairs and he abruptly looked up when I called his name, his eyes widening just a little bit, his lips parting.
He appeared hypnotized by the sight of me but Julian in formal evening wear was a lightning strike to my senses. He was in a sharp black tux that emphasized his beautifully broad and muscular shoulders and his white dress shirt offered a crisp contrast to his black bow-tie. His jaw was clean-shaven and very masculine it its square angles, only softened by the soft curve of his full, wide mouth. His hair was silky smooth and neatly combed back, a brown so dark it almost glinted black in the light.
There was no question that Julian Wilde was a magnificent man.
Then he smiled—so full of warmth and tenderness—and reminded me that he was also a wonderful man. So capable of love and so generous with it too.
"You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," Julian said as he offered a hand up just as I reached the bottom of the stairs. I placed my hand in his and grinned when he lifted it to his lips to press a kiss on the back of it in the old-fashioned greeting of a gentleman to a lady. "I still have trouble believing you're mine."
I slinked my arms around his neck, lifting on my toes slightly to rub the tip of my nose against his. "I don't seem to have that problem. Trust me, I'll make it very clear tonight that you're mine, just in case there are women who'd take their chances with you because they can't think straight when you're near them."
He laughed and brushed a kiss on the corner of my mouth so that he wouldn't mess up my lip color. "I'm sure they'll have no trouble noticing that my eyes are glued to you. No one's stealing me away, Star. I'm permanently locked in with you."
I smiled and took a deep breath. "Good. I needed that. Tonight's going to be awkward."
Julian's brows knitted briefly. "Speaking of tonight, there's one more thing I should probably mention."
My own brows drew together. "What is it?"
"My parents called me half an hour ago while you were still getting ready," he explained, scratching his ear a little. "They're going to the party as well. They just got into town."
"What?" I might have shrieked that question out. My first and last meeting with Julian's parents hadn't ended on a promising note. To have them there as spectators tonight at my first foray into my father's world would just make things more awkward for me. I might not care to impress other people but I sure as hell wanted to impress Julian's parents.
Julian wrapped his arms around my waist as if it to keep me in place in case I bolted at his news. "They've been invited but they were originally not going to go. But Dad came back early from a business trip so they decided to come up. They were calling me to tell me they were going to be here for the weekend and when I mentioned we were going to a party tonight, we put two and two together."
I frowned. "Why didn't Selene mention it?"
Julian shrugged. "I don't think she linked my name to my parents'. They move in the same social circles but I hardly ever go to functions with them."
I exhaled sharply. "I didn't really need this extra pressure."
Julian smiled. "It'll be fine, Star. If anything, my parents are going to lend you extra support if you really need it which I don't think you would. Between your family and mine, we'll present a strong, united front to back you up. No one's going to embarrass you."
He had a good point but I wasn't completely reassured. "I don't think you're parents are going to approve of me considering everything that's screwed up from both sides of my family."
"That's nonsense," Julian argued with a dismissive snort. "I'd like to think that my parents are not the shallow sort of people. The only thing they're going to really care about is whether you make me happy or not."
It was terribly cute to see Julian pout and protest about his parents with unflinching loyalty. I could almost see him defending me to every person out there tonight who might criticize me.
"And do I make you happy?" I asked him teasingly.
Julian flashed me a lopsided grin. "Absolutely."
That settled things.
There was no way I could disappoint Julian. And honestly, despite my fussing and fretting, I would never be nervous enough to back down. That just wasn't in my nature.
And the world would just have to live with that.
***
Later that evening, at the grand Thaxley Hall, many of the city—and the country's—elite gathered in their finest evening wear, sipping the most expensive champagne and nibbling on the best hors d'oeuvres available as they rubbed elbows and made polite conversation.
Selene Walterson knew how to throw a party and everyone who was anyone knew not to waste an invitation.
In fact, every single one of them seemed to make it a point to stop and chat with her—an unfortunate fact for me since she'd kept me by her side ever since Julian and I arrived at the party.
My father spent a good amount of time with us, doing the introductions if his mother didn't beat him to it first.
It was a whole lot of awkward going on.
"This is my eldest daughter, Star," Gareth would say to someone in a firm tone that dared anyone to contradict him at their own peril. "I trust we can count on you to welcome her as warmly as you welcome the rest of my family."
The use of the word eldest was to do two things—place my birth before Hailey and offer the probability that I was conceived before his marriage to Marina since no one actually dared to openly ask. It was simpler that way and if not going into specifics prevented me from having to answer an entire tabloid of questions, then I'd be as vague as hell. I knew how to be elusive—a skill from my past life that came quite handy tonight.
Not that people were being openly hostile or even curious. If they had burning questions about my presence, they kept it to themselves. I had an impressive group flanking me most of the time—Selene, whom no one dared to displease, Gareth who was pretty much staring everyone down into submission, and even Marina who stood by his side during some of my introductions with regal composure and a damn good poker face. We had a few polite exchanges and I was still gauging exactly where she stood but it wasn't easy. I had a feeling this woman could rival me when it came to shuttering every damn emotion possible. Julian and his parents, on the other hand, wielded their own formidable force. Daniel and Alice Wilde took one look at me when they arrived at the party before they each pulled me into a hug, asking how my mother and family were. There was no disapproval or judgement. They were genuinely happy to see me and Julian and none of that changed when Gareth stepped in and made the introductions.
Alice just gave Gareth a mischievous smile and the comment, "At least we all live on the same side of the country and won't have to fight too much about who gets the kids during the holidays. Daniel and I can always just come up here."
That got Gareth smiling. "You know you two are always welcome to stay."
I had to step in between them and mumble through the smile I'd been holding up for the last hour. "I hope you guys aren't planning a wedding and family holidays together yet. Baby steps, okay?"
Julian just slipped an arm around my waist and murmured against my ear, "Mom's a bit of a five-year planner type of person so we're just going to have to get used to it."
Gareth's brows furrowed. "Five years sounds pretty short. Should probably make that ten."
Julian and I must've worn identical expressions of horror when we looked at him because he actually grinned, breaking out of his gloom and doom character all night, and shook his head at us.
"Just kidding, kids," he said before he excused himself to greet someone out in the crowd.
Gareth's reception of my relationship with Julian especially after I mentioned that I was essentially living with him at the townhouse was the typical fatherly disapproval. But he and I both realized that whatever ground we may have covered in the last few days wasn't enough to give him any real authority in my life right now. And it wasn't like Gareth had a stellar reputation for relationships himself—he was the last person who could tell me who I should and shouldn't be seeing. So he kept his mouth shut. That stoic reaction quickly thawed though when he met Julian whom everyone liked and my father was no exception.
"Let's go get a drink because you look like you could use one," Julian said smoothly before nodding at his parents and leading me away. He grabbed us both some sparkling non-alcoholic wine from the bar where we decided to linger.
"I don't know why I'm drinking this when I can drink half the people here under the table," I muttered as I tossed back the drink that was a little too sweet for my taste.
Julian grinned. "Because you're trying to be good and you're doing a phenomenal job of it."
I smiled slowly. "You think so?"
"I know so," he said confidently. "The only reason people pause and do a double-take when you're introduced is not because they thought they misheard Gareth say you're his daughter but because you're so damn freakin' beautiful. When you smile at them, they go momentarily blank."
I burst out laughing. "You're so full of shit."
But Julian was unrepentant. "You know you're gorgeous and this may be one of those rare times when you might actually appreciate people's inability to look past that fact. So let yourself actually enjoy the party. I think the worst is over."
I was beaming at Julian when he moved slightly to the side, clearing the way for me to spot someone standing by the door.
"We might have jumped the gun on that," I said as Hailey turned our way and instantly zeroed in on me. She did not look friendly.
For someone whom I was told was staying home for the weekend, nothing about Hailey tonight suggested that her decision to show up was a hasty last minute thing. She was dressed in a lovely, pale blue long gown that almost looked icy in the light. She still seemed underweight but her color was a little bit better—still pale but without the ashiness to her skin. The top of her hair was loosely pinned back, framing her face and giving her an almost child-like innocence especially with those big blue eyes.
Gareth told me that after the Christmas, Hailey was entering rehab for a long-term treatment but for now, she was staying at a lake-front cabin the family owned just south of the city. There, she was regularly working with a small private team of doctors and counsellors to help her stay off the habit and get into a better mindset about rehab. We decided to ease our way into introducing myself to her considering everything she was already occupied with. Maybe a low-key family occasion before the holidays, or a small dinner—definitely not during the Walterson family's biggest charity event in front of the country's elite.
"What are the chances that she's here just to join the family and celebrate?" Julian asked after he looked over his shoulder and came to the same realization.
"Zilch," I answered instantly before taking a deep breath and straightening my shoulders. "Those rosy cheeks aren't all blush. More like righteous anger."
Julian casually turned back around, moving his body in front of me like it was a shield. "Maybe we should step outside to get some air."
I peered up at him from underneath my lashes. "Maybe we should just get this over with. There's no point in delaying the inevitable."
"That's the spirit... I guess?" Julian said with a sardonic arch of his brow.
I smiled. "Don't worry. I'll contain the bloodshed so you don't get any on your tux."
"Not very funny, Star," he muttered.
"Shakespearian family drama normally isn't," I quipped. "But when you're done with all the tragedy like I am, all that's left to do is be funny about it."
Julian didn't look convinced. "You sure?"
I raised my brows. "It's my ninety-five pound younger sister behind you, Julian—not the Rock. I'm pretty sure I can handle her."
"That's too on the nose," Julian teased with a reluctant grin before leaning down to brush a kiss on my lips.
Then the solitary slow clap sounded in the sudden silence.
I didn't realize people had stopped whatever they were doing to stare at the impending spectacle.
"Cinderella gets her castle, her royal family—even her prince."
And apparently, the evil sister as well.
I stepped around Julian and faced my sister. "Hello, Hailey."
From a distant corner behind her, I could see Gareth striding forward through the throng of guests, looking anxious and grim. I wasn't sure he would get it but he did stop at my look.
This could turn out nasty but his intervention was the last thing this whole situation needed. He was going to bluster and berate his way through this and Hailey and I would be farther than we'd been when we started.
Hailey's smile was thin as she stopped in front of me. "Hello, Star—or should I say sister?"
I raised a brow, keeping my voice low. "Glad we got straight to the point. Yes, Hailey. We're half-sisters—a fact that is neither your fault nor mine."
If my bluntness caught Hailey off guard, she didn't show it too long. Her eyes flickered with surprise but she composed herself quickly. She was young but she'd been troubled enough to be well-practiced in the art of putting up a mask. She and I at least had that in common.
"Might not have been your fault but definitely your lucky strike," she said, her eyes appraising me openly. "I mean, you definitely don't look anything like the trailer trash that blew in from Vegas anymore."
I felt Julian stiffen beside me but before he or anyone else within earshot could react, I took a step forward and placed myself closer to Hailey—a distance that obviously made her uncomfortable as I'd intended.
"Don't insult both of our intelligence by suggesting you even knew I was Vegas trailer trash when you first met me," I said calmly. "Besides, I would think, you, of all people, would know that the same kind of wind blows around here. Wouldn't you agree?"
Oh, yes, I was throwing it right back at her face—more subtly than I would like but throwing it anyway. She didn't have to be happy about me but she didn't get to play hypocrite.
Hailey narrowed her eyes. "You've got to come down from that pedestal, Star, because you've got no right to play high and mighty anymore."
"Hmm... I'm pretty sure you were referring to yourself with that line, Hailey," I said with a shrug. "But you don't like telling yourself the truth, don't you?"
Hailey's gaze flared hot with anger. "You have no idea about the truth."
I lifted my chin up and looked directly into her eyes. "You're right, I don't—probably just the way you don't know mine in its entirety. The truth is only ever fully formed in our hearts, Hailey, no matter how many fragments of it we try to dole out to those who deserve them. So I won't pretend to know everything you're going through as long as you don't continue to stand there and reduce me into your petty little theory of who I am and what I'm here for."
Hailey's color was rising even as she scoffed with such haughty disdain. "What? You expect me to welcome you with arms wide open?"
"No. I expect you to know that it's a stupid ask to try cutting me down and expecting me to stop cutting you right back at the same time," I replied with casual ease. "I won't be offering you my other cheek, Hailey. Not my style. I don't recommend it but we can do this for as long as you like—you're not the first or the last or even the worst person to try to shred me into pieces so I've got stamina. Or we can both be civilized adults and understand that shit happens and the best thing we can do is to not let it ruin everything else for us."
"Why not when everything else is already ruined?" Hailey hissed furiously under her breath before she tilted her chin up in defiance and turned away from me. It was a deliberate public cut but one that wouldn't have much hold if everyone within earshot heard every second of our conversation.
Antagonizing Hailey probably wasn't the best idea I had but it seemed necessary. Selene was right. She was old enough and the first thing people needed to do for her was to give her an opportunity to act like one. That meant a little rude awakening—the most effective first dose of adulthood. The same kind I had at six.
I watched my sister walk away and get intercepted by a stern-looking Selene. With the adrenaline finally starting to seep out of me, her last statement lingered in my head. While there was certainly no love lost between us, Hailey's hate was coming from somewhere else. Wasn't that always the case? Hate was a spray of bullets just always looking for unsuspecting targets—even the hand that held the gun.
"I don't know that I should say it went well," Julian said with a sharp exhale as he took my hand and surveyed our nearby audience who were now trying to casually look away as if they'd never even looked in the first place. He had a fierce scowl on his face that he made sure everyone saw. I had a feeling Julian would ground up to dust anyone who dared to make a snarky comment now—something I probably shouldn't be thrilled about but I was anyway.
"I think it was better than I expected," I said with a small smile. "I mean, you don't see a speck of blood, do you?"
Julian's brows furrowed. "I suspect you're both wearing slash marks only you two can see. I hated how she tried to make you feel."
I looped an arm around his waist and pressed the side of my head against his chest. "She tried but she didn't succeed. I think it helped that I'm too stubborn to trust other people's opinion most of the time."
"Star, are you alright?"
We both turned at the gruff sound of my father's voice. He was frowning as he looked at my face.
"I'm fine," I said. "Hailey probably took that harder than I did."
"She shouldn't have been here," he muttered. "And you shouldn't have encouraged her to make that scene."
I shrugged. "It accomplished the two things I wanted it to—impress it on people that I wasn't going to take any shit from anyone who had a problem with me and where I come from, and have it out with Hailey sooner than later. No gentle coaxing would've had her happily welcoming my arrival in your lives. She and I needed to know exactly where the other stood."
Gareth didn't look impressed. Like me, he probably hated things he couldn't control and his two daughters were definitely in that category. "I'm going to talk to her."
"I recommend you let her come to you when she's ready to talk," I said. "Right now, she's still pissed off at you. You're never going to get anywhere with her if you press it now."
"And if you don't mind, sir, I'm going to take Star out for a stroll outside," Julian butted in. "She and I can both use some fresh air."
My father glanced at me briefly—possibly to assess whether I was sincere in my reassurance that I was alright—before nodding to Julian. "Go. We'll talk about all of this later once this night is done. I still have a job to do."
Fortunately, the little Walterson family drama didn't impact the gala too much. It provided a little gossip fodder but hindered none of the generous contributions of the guests to the various causes of the foundation.
A little over an hour later, just after the formal dinner, I made my way up to the ladies' lounge in the hall mezzanine. It was out of the way so it was quieter and had a roomy sitting area for those who wanted a short break from their uncomfortable heels or a quick makeup refresh.
There was only one person inside when I walked in—a pretty, auburn-haired woman adjusting her jewelled gold headband. She was dressed splendidly in a rich cobalt blue dress with a beaded overlay that danced in the light.
I stood at the separate single vanity next to her and was reapplying my lipstick when she spoke.
"I think you held your head up beautifully earlier," she said, smiling at me through the mirror, a perfectly matched pair of dimples deepening on her cheeks. "No one could cow you if they ever tried."
I glanced at her and smiled back. "Might have been easier if I'd just worn a sign telling people not to fuck with me. But I don't think Selene would've appreciated it."
The woman laughed, her eyes sparkling. "It would've definitely made things more interesting."
"People's dirty laundry is always interesting to everyone," I said with a sigh as I capped my lipstick. "Most of the time, it gives us an opportunity to assert that we're not as bad as others are."
"True that," the woman agreed. "You'd think in this day and age, no one would really care about illegitimacy."
"It makes for titillating gossip," I said wryly. "And the world hasn't got enough entertainment, it would seem."
The woman stepped back and extended a hand to me. "I'm Cassandra Vice, by the way. I've worked with your grandmother on some projects with the foundation. She's an amazing person. I don't know your exact circumstances with your father but from what me and my husband know of him, he's a good man. Gruff but generous and his heart is usually in the right place."
I shook her hand and in spite of myself and my usual dislike for people nosing their way into situations, I appreciated Cassandra's candidness.
"I'm still finding that out for myself," I told her with a smile. "I'll let you know if he lives up to your promises."
She just laughed. "Oh, it won't be an easy process. Trust me, I know."
"You do?"
She nodded. "It's a long story but I met my father when I was about twenty-two. I discovered I was illegitimate and thought at first that I had a lot of reasons to hate him. But as easy as it is to hate someone and lay all the blame at their door, it drains so much out of you. I gave it a chance, took it in stride, and years later, I'm glad to have him in my life no matter how late, no matter what the past had been like."
I gazed at the woman with some measure of respect. I felt that it wasn't a subject she normally discussed with strangers but maybe, just maybe, she saw something of herself in me. That usually made me uncomfortable but you know what? Things were different. I was different. And I was alright with that.
"I'll keep that in mind," I told her.
She and I were still chatting lightly several minutes later when we emerged from the room. A tall, dark-haired man in a sharp tux was quietly pacing outside and he stopped abruptly when he saw us.
"Sebastian, what are you doing here?" Cassandra asked. "I was going to come right back."
The man gave a little impatient sigh even as he reached for Cassandra's hand like he was reaching for the sun. "It's been almost twenty minutes, darling. I missed you. And I was getting a little bored talking to the senator."
Cassandra laughed and shook her head before turning toward me. "Star, this is my husband, Sebastian Vice. Sebastian, this is Star."
When he smiled, the harsh symmetry of his face softened and made him a little more breathtaking than he already was.
"Ah, yes. Gareth was telling me about you earlier," he said as he promptly shook my hand. "We got in a bit later and didn't get to meet you before dinner. It's very nice to meet you."
"We have to go downstairs so Sebastian can do his rounds of hi's and hello's," Cassandra said with a crooked smile. "Then we can head out early because he promised our son a midnight star-gazing when we get back. We gave him a telescope for his birthday and he's been using it nonstop."
"Well, don't let me hold you up," I told the couple with a big smile, imagining the young boy who would beam up at the arrival of his father for that promised midnight adventure. "I'm going to rest my feet here for a few more minutes before I join the riot."
"I'll see you around, Star," Cassandra said. "I'm sure we'll run into each other again soon."
I gave the couple a little wave as I watched them walk down the stairs. Sebastian was holding Cassandra's hand to his lips and kissing the back of it. They looked like what Julian's parents might have been years ago—happy and in love.
Julian was right.
Love wasn't all misery and I had to acknowledge that. I had to know it could exist if I wanted to experience it.
I wandered around the mezzanine and made my way toward the terrace that looked down on the hall below. But just as I approached, I made out Hailey's silhouette standing almost as still as death by the terrace.
I inwardly sighed.
I didn't want another confrontation with my sister but I couldn't make myself turn and walk away.
I already did too much of that with my family on my mother's side—something I was planning to rectify soon. Whatever chance I could have with Hailey—to talk when neither of us was trying to put the other in their place in front of an audience—I would take it.
"You can come downstairs and join the party," I said when I was finally only a couple of feet from her.
She didn't turn around or move her head at my arrival. She just kept staring out to the party.
"The reason I didn't was so that I could avoid you," she said curtly. "But you just don't know how to un-invite yourself where you're not wanted, do you, Star?"
"I generally make up my own mind about things," I told her. "I don't respond well to being shoved and shamed."
"We made quite a spectacle, didn't we?" she said with a short, ironic laugh. "After tonight, no one will ever see the Waltersons as a family of saints ever again."
"I don't think anyone's thought that about the family for a while now."
Hailey snorted. "Of course not. I made sure of that, didn't I?"
I held back a sigh. "Why don't you just tell me exactly what your problem is with me, Hailey?"
Slowly, she raised her head and faced me. I thought she was going to launch off about how I ruined her family or stole what she had—something to that effect. I didn't expect bright, bitter tears in her eyes.
"You want to know?" she asked in a brittle voice. "Fine. I'll tell you."
She closed the distance between us this time, pain and anger flickering across her face. "I can't stand to look at you. I can't stand what you remind me of. The very fact that you exist simply reminds me of what I lost. So no, I don't want to see you, Star. I don't want your presence in my life. But some of us never get what we want."
And just as a sob ripped from her throat, Hailey dashed into a run down the hall, leaving me alone and quite flabbergasted by how that conversation ended.
Hailey was angry not precisely at me but what I represented.
And that—no matter how I thought about it later that night as I stared wide awake at the ceiling—I couldn't understand at all.
***
So, what did you guys think?
I mostly write love stories but sometimes, I just can't resist delving into other aspects of my characters' psyche because much of who they are in a relationship come from who they are as a person. I think Star's come a long way.
Next weekend, I'll be a bit tied up so I will be posting the next chapter on Friday evening, Mountain Daylight Time. That one will be a long one so watch for it! I just need to polish it up before I post it.
Thank you again and I hope you have an amazing week!
XOXO!
-Ninya
P.S. Love this song! How am I discovering James Bay just now?
♪♪♪ Chapter Soundtrack: Incomplete by James Bay ♪♪♪
I breathe in slow to compose myself
But the bleeding heart I left on the shelf
Started speeding round, beating half to death
Cause you're here and you're all mine
So I press my lips down into your neck
And I stay there and I reconnect
Bravery I've been trying to be perfect
It can wait for a while
Scared of the hope in my head it's been making me sweat but it turns out
You're here with your head on my chest
I should've guessed
The world will turn and we'll grow, we'll learn how to be
To be incomplete
I breathe out now and we fall back in
Just like before we can re-begin
Let your lungs push slow up against my skin
Let it all feel just right
Gone is the emptiness
We just take what's best and we move on
All that the hurt gets left
I should've guessed
The world will turn and we'll grow, we'll learn how to be
To be incomplete
This here now, it's where we touch down
You and me let's be incomplete