"Chester..." I looked up at him in concern, swallowing hard in the slightly tense atmosphere.
He just chuckled at me, amused. "I don't care about that sort of thing." He reassured me when I continued to look kind of guilty.
I just frowned at him, making him raise a brow at me. "Don't look a me like that. I don't see you in a relationship with your first time." He commented and I sighed.
"Well I didn't exactly have a choice who my first time was, you did." I complained and his expression became serious. "And how the fuck did you stay a virgin for 24 years that some crazy shit right there." I ranted with a smirk but he just stared at me seriously.
"Your first time...wasn't consensual?" He asked quietly and I rolled my eyes.
"A whole lot more than my first time wasn't consensual, shit happens, stop avoiding the subject. Why the fuck did you stay a virgin for so long? Why didn't you tell me?? How??" I persisted as he unplugged the bath, before turning back to face me.
"I was never interested, that sort of stuff just gets in the way of my work. Plus I never really met anyone, and I wasn't about to go out searching so..." He explained, still frowning at me unhappily.
"What the hell changed your mind?"
"Well I couldn't exactly avoid you, nor was I experienced in ignoring sexual attraction, so I didn't hold myself back very well...sorry."
"I'm confused...you didn't seem like a virgin." I complained and he smirked.
"Well I always knew I was gay, it's not like I didn't have any sexual frustrations, so I solved them using the internet." He quirked an eyebrow at me and I smirked.
"Ugh, I feel bad." I admitted, resting my forehead against his chest. He wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed the top of my head.
"Don't. You're making a big deal out of nothing." He said as he turned on the shower, making me jump slightly as the slightly cold water hit my warm skin.
I sighed as he rubbed my back slightly, looking up after a few moments to see him just staring at the floor with an upset expression.
"What's wrong?" I asked, worrying that he was actually upset about this whole situation.
"What happened...?" He asked quietly, and I frowned.
"What?"
"Your first time..." He said, looking at me briefly. I sighed and pushed away from him.
"Nothing important." I brushed off as I turned my back to him, but he pulled me back towards him, I gripped his arms around my waist as he nuzzled the back of my neck.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. But have you ever talked about it before, you know, to a professional?" He questioned and I bit my lip.
"No, I never told anyone about it. Well, until recently, Luca's a curious bastard." I smirked to myself and Chester's grip tightened around my waist.
"It's better to talk about it, it hurts less the more you do." He said, and I turned my head slightly to look at him.
"Really? How would you know that, huh?" I asked with a raised brow and he sighed.
"Experience, I had a friend who went through the same." He explained and I smiled sadly at him. "You don't have to say anything, I just thought, maybe it would help." He muttered awkwardly like he thought he had offended me and I smirked.
"It's fine." I brushed him off and he made an awkward face.
"You always talk about things in your past like they're no big deal, yet right now when it's just us two, you can't seem to talk about it. I think you're more affected by it than you actually realize. And when you do talk about it, one day, if ever, it'll all come crashing down and you'll need some help to get through it." He ranted and I started chuckling.
"The first time I had sex" I started explaining to hopefully satisfy him. "I had just turned sixteen a month or two beforehand. My mother had recently got remarried and we moved to California to live with him and his son. The guy was rich and lived in a penthouse, and his son was a spoiled brat, around eighteen at the time. As soon as I met him I knew he was a bit off, but nevertheless my mother still left me alone with him only an hour later. It only took a few minutes of tense conversation for him to decide to drag me into the next room and well, you know what happened from there." I said and he frowned at me.
"What happened after that? Did you tell anyone?" He asked making me shrug.
"There was no one who cared for me to tell, and besides, he made it seem like it was my fault, every time I did something wrong, he said it was punishment..." I swallowed the lump in my throat and he looked slightly distraught.
"'Did something wrong?'" He asked as I looked back in front of me, staring at the opaque bathroom window.
"You know, dropped something, acted too shy, looked at him the wrong way. Sometimes he made what I did wrong up, because he was horny or bored I guess."
"How long did this carry on for..."
"Until she divorced the father and moved away. A year."
He hugged me tighter and buried his head in the groove of my neck. "I'm sorry."
"What for?"
"Uh, I mean, for coming on to you, sex must be an unpleasant thing for you..." He mumbled and I snorted.
"Um, no." I chuckled at him. "Sex is sex, it doesn't mean anything to me." I explained and he sighed.
"Right..."
"Um, anyway are we going to spend all night in here or what?" I asked impatiently and he stopped me from escaping.
"Whoah there, you need to clean up first." He chuckled, a flirtatious glint in his eyes.
"Of course." I smirked, stepping back towards him and placing my hand on his chest. "You can help me with that."
-
I forced Chester to go sneaking around this time, telling him to go retrieve clean clothes for me to wear. I was slightly concerned he didn't feel the need to ask for directions to my room, but he came back several minutes later with what I asked for anyway.
"Why do you know your way to my room?" I asked with a raised brow as he handed me my clothes, and he chuckled.
"Er, Alex mentioned it casually as we were walking around, and I just remembered." He explained as I got dressed.
"Um, okay. Is the coast clear?" I checked and he nodded.
"There are a few people still downstairs, but other than that everyone seems to be asleep or in their rooms" He reassured and I quickly peeked outside the door.
"Right, bye then." I said without looking back, and heard him make a sound of complaint as I snuck into the dark hallway.
This is the perfect time to pull off a heist. Wait, is that the right word? Whatever.
I walked down to the bottom floor, avoiding the living room with the lights on and heading for an unlit end hallway.
I peeked around the corner of it, checking if anyone was there before ninjering over to the door to my father's office, left slightly ajar.
Ninjering should totally be a real word.
It was dark inside, with only the moonlight and the laptop on his desk's screen saver creating light.
Right, let's do this.
Hmmm, actually I should probably wait and ask my father first. But, what if he says no, and then is suspicious of me attempting to steal it afterwards?
Ugh.
I was distracted from my thoughts by the feeling of a presence behind me.
Are you being scared of the dark right now, or is that real...
I slowly turned round, letting out the girliest ear shattering squeal when the presence behind was confirmed to be real.
They quickly grabbed me and put a hand to my mouth, which scared me even more.
"Will you be quiet, child?? There are people sleeping right now!" Matias's voice made my panic turn into irritation.
Out of all the people to be lurking around in the dark, it had to be him?
"Sorry..." I muttered after he let me go, avoiding his piercing eyes as he glared down at me.
"You're a little old to be sneaking around a house for entertainment, aren't you?" He raised a brow and I bit my lip.
"Really? Maybe that's just you who wouldn't find it fun, I mean it's highly entertaining." I rambled and he just stared at me blankly.
He looked into the office, and then back to me before narrowing his eyes.
"What is your business in there?" He demanded and I stepped back.
"Um nothing, I was just walking past."
"Don't lie, I was watching you, you were clearly going to go in there." He snapped and I frowned.
Watching me? For how long? In the darkness!?
Creep.
"I was just looking for something..." I said and he folded his arms.
"Really? Well you can look if you want." He said as he walked past me into the office. I stared into the dark office cautiously.
"No thanks, I'm tired now." I excused. No way am I going in a room alone with him.
"Alright, well you can ask your father about it in the morning, he's asleep now." He explained, stepping closer to me and forcing me to step away from the door.
"Yeah, I'll do that." I said before turning around and walking back down the hall.
I glanced back around before turning the corner, seeing Matias's silhouette just staring after me.
Damnit.
Should I creep around here waiting for him to leave? But maybe asking first really is the better idea...
I sighed in irritation, rubbing my temple. I really was playing with fire here, if I mess up or get caught there's no way I could help Erin. Although, I'm not afraid to beg for that money, despite the fact I shiver at the thought. It's not about pride right now.
My father probably wouldn't, but there is the possibilty that Matias could get me arrested, I wouldn't survive five minutes in prison!
And I'd also never see Erin again, not like I could face him without getting that money anyway.
I've already fallen behind so much, I was planning on being out of here by now. I've been so easily distracted, probably because I was just looking for an excuse not to do it because I was too scared.
Time isn't a luxury I have.
I bit my lip as I walked along the dark halls, passing the kitchen where Aaron and Luca were having a conversation. They seemed to be relaxed, and I knew my presence would probably change that, so I decided to just avoid them.
I carried on walking, following the sound of a tense one sided conversation. I peeked round the door to a sitting room, seeing Chance frowning intensely as he talked on the phone. He had a pen his hand and multiple sheets on the coffee table in front of him.
"Yes I understand it's short notice, I know. I don't expect you to have everything, just something?" He snapped into the phone, sounding tired and irritated.
"I'm sure there's something somewhere, just find something good enough to make a case against them, otherwise there's no point even fighting back. If we survive tomorrow you'll have more time to find something concrete later on."
I leaned against the doorway and listened in curiously.
"Look, just call me back in an hour or two...I know you're tired, it's not like you're not getting paid a lot for this...alright, fine." He slammed the phone on the table and put his head in his hands while giving a frustrated sigh.
I bit my lip guiltily, shifting in discomfort, this made him look up and see me, looking surprised.
"Uh...hey." I said awkwardly as he just stared at me, not knowing what to do.
"Are you okay?" He asked, frowning.
"That's what I was going to ask you." I smirked and he blinked at me.
"Really? I thought you hated me..." He said and I rolled my eyes.
"I don't hate you, you were angry and made a few mistakes, so did I, if you don't remember."
He sighed and gave me a small lazy smile.
"I'm not going to lie Riley, things don't look good, especially if your mother doesn't make an appearance." He said before sighing harshly and rubbing his temples.
I gave a small smile before sitting down next to him and sighing.
I opened my mouth to say something but then heasitated; probably not the wisest thing to say.
"What?" Chance asked when he noticed my expression and I closed my mouth and smiled.
"Nothing."
"Say it." He demanded and I snickered.
"I was just thinking...that maybe this isn't such a bad thing, maybe it's supposed to happen..." I rambled and he looked at me with his mouth open for a few moments before glaring at me.
"Are you serious? You know they are obviously not doing this out of love right?"
"Do you think I'm stupid? Of course not, my father's a selfish asshole, and so is his creep of a husband. But..."
"'BUT?'"
"BUT. I'm causing all of you some much harm living with all of you, and look at yourself, you're so stressed right now, because of me. Why, exactly? I'm not your blood, nor am I a long term friend. I'm just this kid you've been forced to look after for a few months, for a lady you've hardly even met." I ranted and he stood up, standing over me and glaring down.
"Firstly, I'm not some slave, I do this voluntarily, because I WANT to, I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't want to. Trust me, we're all spoiled assholes in this family, we don't do shit we don't want to do." He explained and I made a face of amused agreement.
He rolled his eyes before suddenly kneeling down in front of me, making me blink at him in surprise and tense up.
"It appears I haven't apologised enough Riley, because you do deserve an apology, and not just from me hitting you. As a whole we've all mistreated you, and we've obviously brought your self-esteem down. Don't let what we've all said -and done- get to you, you're worth fighting for, okay?" He said and I blushed, raising a cynical brow at him with a smirk.
"I'm serious. You're kind, you forgive, maybe a bit too easily. I know I don't deserve forgiveness, and neither do some of the others, yet you do forgive us, over and over. You're patient, to have to put up with us and not go crazy you must be. And...you're beautiful. You're insanely attractive, and I know that's not an excuse for the way we've all behaved, but still. And I don't just mean outwardly attractive, you're a good person, almost perfect." He smiled genuinely at me, and stared at my face intently.
My face, it burns.
"Wow. You sure know how to flatter someone." I chuckled and he held a frustrated expression.
"I make you nervous, I'm sorry. I won't hurt you. I swear, never again." He insisted, gripping my leg harder as he knelt in front of me. He then looked at my waist, and my breathing stopped when he slowly lifted the fabric of my top up and brushed his fingers against the nearly completely faded mark.
I studied his expression and then smirked, hoping to steer the conversation into a not so awkwardly intimate direction.
"Don't worry, I know you didn't do it to cause harm, you're into that, right?" I leaned forward slightly and teased, raising my brow.
He frowned at me and bit his lip, his cheeks going red.
"Well, it's not something you can force on others, I was out of control." He muttered and I rolled my eyes.
"You were angry, as well as other things. You were all angry, and it was my fault. So don't go apologising like you murdered someone or something." I sighed and looked away from him.
"Hey." He growled, leaning forwards and grabbing my jaw, forcing me to look him in the eyes.
I blinked at him in surprise and tried to lean backwards slightly.
"Most of the things you did were, one, not your fault, or two, justified slightly. And besides, getting angry is the job of your parents, who love you and would never harm you, not some hormonal young adults' who get ten times angrier than they should over nothing." He explained and I sighed, looking down at his chest.
"Well, I don't have any loving parents, nor anyone who loves me and will never harm me, so you'll do." I grumbled with a frown.
He scoffed and I looked up to study his expression, only to give out a shocked squeak when I felt his lips on mine, I put my hand on his chest to push him away but then hesitated. I relaxed and just let him kiss me, because I didn't really mind.
I'm sure he was going to say something once he broke away, but was stopped by the sound of angry stomping just by the doorway. Not more than half a second later a loud twang filled the room as what seems to be a metal colander was thrown directly at Chance's head.
"Fucking hell!" He complained and fell backwards, holding the side of his head.
I gasped and put a hand over my mouth.
"Bitch get your ass way from him, this ain't no domestic abuse story." Aaron snapped, and I struggled to hold back laughter as he sassily crossed his arms and glared at him.
Yep, this guy definitely has a gay side.
"Aaron, you don't even know what happened, it's none of your business." He growled, hissing when he gently touched the probable forming lump on his head.
I blushed as Aaron's angry eyes landed on me, his cheeks were red too, and he seemed highly unamused.
"Riley, go to bed." He demanded then paused. "Please." He added gently and I stood up, biting my lip and wincing as I looked at Chance on the floor.
He didn't stay feeling sorry for himself for long however, and was soon storming over to Aaron angrily.
Uh oh.
"You can't just go throwing things at people when you see things you don't like!" He snapped, crossing his arms and squaring up to Aaron, who stood just a few centimetres shorter.
Aaron scoffed, stepping forwards and shoving Chance away from him easily.
"Whoah, down boy. No need for violence." I exclaimed as I tried my best to balance Chance, who'd gone stumbling backwards.
"You're over reacting Aaron." Chance spat, settling next to me instead of confronting him again.
Ha, he scared him.
Aaron just snickered aggressively before lunging forwards again. "HEY!" I snapped, catching him by surprise as I pushed him backwards and gripped his collar.
"Calm yourself, I thought you said you had self control." I said quietly, very well aware of the fact I didn't actually have the strength to over power him, he'd obviously let me push him.
"I- I do. I'm sorry. I wasn't going to hurt him, I swear." He said calmly, looking me in the eye sternly. He smiled and I blinked, confused.
"Yes, you're all bark and no bite." Chance muttered and Aaron glared at him.
"Lucky for you, you'd seriously regret the day I do decide to bite." He snapped and Chance just crossed his arms.
"Oh really." He stepped forwards but I just put a hand on his chest.
"Please stop it." I said quietly and he stared at me before swallowing.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get angry, but it's a bit hard to contain your emotions when hit with metal kitchen utensils. Where did you get that from anyway, were you standing there the whole time?"
"Long enough, I went to go get it once you started sharing saliva, that's messed up, don't take advantage of people that YOU put in vulnerable situations." He growled and I rolled my eyes.
"Says you, don't tell me you haven't done anything." Chance retorted.
"I HAVEN'T! Not once. Because unlike you I'm not controlled by my emotions." He snapped and I raised a brow at him. "Most of the time." He added and blushed as he looked at me.
Chance looked at me for confirmation and I tilted my head. "I mean, it's true I guess, Aaron's never touched me, well apart from when he's dragging me around telling me to do shit." I glared at him but instead of just awkwardly blushing he glared back.
"I do that to keep you safe, all of you guys, not just you. It's my responsibility to look after you so that's what I do, I'm not here to be the push-over friend." He explained and I gave him a look. "I know a parental or disciplinary figure isn't something you're used to Riley, but honestly, it's for the best, I do this because I care about you, I want to keep you away from harm, both physical and mental."
"Well you're not doing a great job at that." Chance complained and Aaron narrowed his eyes at him.
"Well it's kind of a hard thing to do when all my brothers are trying their best to get in his pants." He commented and Chance scoffed.
"Oh yeah, what about you? I know how much you'd just love to have him underneath you as-"
"NOPE. NO WAY ARE YOU GOING THERE! NOT WHILE I'M HERE." I interrupted before sighing sharply.
"He's right, we should all just go to bed." He suggested calmly and Chance sighed.
"Not me, I have things to do." He said before going back to sit on the sofa.
I looked back at him guiltily before I felt Aaron grab my arm and tug at it softly.
"Come on sunshine, you must be tired." He said gently and I smiled at him before following him.
"You were talking with Luca earlier, were did he go? He wasn't around too was he?" I asked as I followed him up the stairs.
"He'd just gone up to bed when I thought I heard talking and went to investigate. Good thing I did too, who knows what could have happened." He worried and I shook my head.
"I'm sure he meant no harm. I would have been fine." I reassured and Aaron sighed.
"You like Luca don't you? He's always been popular with other guys...and girls, for that matter." He grumbled and my brows raised.
"Really?"
"Oh yes, I swear when he was in high school he'd get at least one love confession a week, that's what kindness and good looks get you I suppose. He was never one to like other people though, although he had a few boyfriends." Aaron explained.
"Interesting, wait, how did you know about these so called love confessions?"
"He'd tell me about them, we used to have a good relationship, of course I was much younger back then."
"What happened?"
"He became more reserved. Or got bored. I don't know."
"Hmm, are you sure it wasn't just you becoming a moody, secretive teenager?"
"No way! I was a very open teenager actually, puberty didn't make me moody at all, it was probably due to the fact I had look after my younger brothers, no matter how grumpy I was feeling, I got used to dealing with it."
"Okay, sure."
We stopped outside my room and he turned back around to face me as I walked in slightly.
"Riley, come here for a sec." He asked and I blinked unsurely.
"Um, okay?" I said as I took a timid step forward, squeaking in surprise when the next second he squished me in a hug.
It was a very tight, uncomfortable hug, that is until I stopped tensing up and just leaned into it.
He sighed after a few moments and snuggled against me more, making me smile.
He's actually very soft and squidgy, wait is he chubby?
I poked at his stomach slightly and he jumped harshly.
"What was that for?" He questioned and I chuckled.
"Sorry, I was feeling for baby fat, you're very squidgy."
"Please, my size is due to pure muscle, I'm not pudgy...I was just relaxed."
I crossed my arms and raised a brow at him.
"Oh really, prove it, take it off." I demanded and he blinked at me. "Come on, it's not like you're in danger of being molested." I persisted and he sighed.
He reluctantly slid his top off and I blinked.
"I stand corrected. Damn boy, d'you work out?" I took a step back to take in the view and he crossed his arms over his chest, shifting uncomfortably.
Um, cute?
"Not really, I do farm work though, every few days I work at the kind of local animal sanctuary." He said happily and I gave him a look.
"What, in between college and working at that daycare centre?" I said and he smiled.
"That doesn't take up all of my time, I need to do something for fun." He said and I scoffed.
"Manual labour? Fun? Are you okay in the head?" I snorted and he rolled his eyes at me.
"Ever gave a pig a belly rub? That's fun." He commented and I chuckled lightly.
"Hmm, wait, I've got an idea." I said as I eyed him up and down.
He shifted awkwardly. "I don't like the sound of that."
"It'll be fine, come here." I grabbed his arm and pulled him into my room. He obediently followed and I turned the light on before reaching up for the hair tie in his hair. I got slightly close to his face making him blush and look away. I snickered before reaching up more and fiddling around with his hair. I bit my lip as I struggled but eventually managed to get it in a bun.
"Damn, I was right, you do suit that rugged lumberjack look. Although it doesn't quite fit your personality does it..."
"Seriously." He gave me a flat look, red staining his cheeks and I chuckled.
"You're adorable, yet strangely handsome. And also sometimes slightly scary..." I trailed off and he just stood there awkwardly.
"Oh, sorry, you can put your shirt back on now." I smirked and he didn't waste any time in slipping it back over his head.
"You should go to bed now Riley, stop messing around." He said sternly and I rolled my eyes.
"Okay, jeez. Goodnight." I said and sat down on my bed. He smiled at me before turning round and walking for the door. "Oh, and you should keep your hair like that, it's nice." I suggested and he gave me a look.
"Goodnight, Riley. Stay safe, okay? Don't do anything you wouldn't want to do." He warned and I snickered.
"Yes, mother." I teased and he sighed before shutting the door.
I sat there for a few moments before sighing myself, rubbing the side of my face and groaning.
Tomorrow, you have to get that money, one way or another.