"Your parents are having a barbecue party to celebrate their twentieth anniversary?" Chloe asks over dinner table, her eyebrow cocking in that condescending manner.
James clears his throat to get her attention and when I look at him, he's actually glaring at his sister who looks as shocked with that fact as me. Chloe has been out of my hair since the lingerie haul, and I've been super grateful for that. Most nights she's out with her friends and Carrack also barely joins us for dinner. So it's mostly James and I at dinner table and in his father's absence, we easily discuss business, with whatever knowledge that I have.
Is it just me or the fact that James glaring at Chloe made him a little bit more attractive than he really is? I don't think the word handsome does justice to his perfectly shaped features. His emerald eyes and those long lashes, his defined cheekbones and the sharp jaw hidden behind his growing stubble, he's just extremely beautiful.
Yes, I am very very much attracted to James, there's absolutely no denying that. Not after he almost caught me staring at his face in his office the other day. I had to quickly pretend to focus on work but I was really glad when he didn't comment on it but I saw his amusement with that little annoying smirk which plays on his lips.
I think it's weird to see this much expression on his face because I'm so used to the James who would stare or glare at you with a serious look.
"I think it's great, actually. We all need to loosen up a little." Carrack comments and I give him a grateful smile.
My parent's anniversary is today but since it's a Friday, they decided to hold a little get together tomorrow in the backyard of the house. They have invited the entire Clark family and some of their close friends, and Jeremy suggested we should also invite Hale since he's my husband's best friend. But I think his admiration for the man comes from the incidents that took place.
I was told to invite my college friends too, especially Ashley but since they have no idea I'm married, I had to make a stupid excuse.
After cleaning my dinner dishes, I make my way upstairs to the room and I know that James is behind me as I walk up the stairs. I've started being more mindful of my surroundings after last week. The thought about that night brings me anxiety any time it crosses me so I have tried to practice distracting myself but the nightmares haven't been very nice to me.
"Night." I tell James as I turn to go to my bedroom but he calls out my name so I look at him, "Yeah?"
"You said you've never seen the left wing. Do you want to?" He asks.
"Right now?" He nods which makes me immediately agree. "Yes, yes."
He starts walking past his bedroom door and I silently follow him. There's another guest room opposite his bedroom but I never explored past that. He turns left to a hallway before opening a door on the right.
He steps aside to let me enter and when I do, a gasp leaves me, "Is this the theatre room?" I ask and he nods.
There's a screen almost as big as the wall in the front with recliner chairs at the back of the room and couches on the side. The floor is gray carpeted with two beanbag chairs on the left side. There's a shelf on the right wall with what looks like an enormous collection of DVDs. I can also see xbox set up along with a mini fridge.
Oh wow, this looks like a perfect bachelor pad altogether.
"I had no idea it was here." I tell him, still surprised with the entire setup.
He shrugs, his hands in the pocket, "Got it done a couple of years ago. Now it only gets used when Hale comes over."
I nod, processing as I take it all in and when I can feel a stare on me, I look at James looking at me with that intensity behind his eyes I've never been able to interpret.
"It's amazing." I tell him honestly.
"C'mon. There's still one thing left for you to see."
What, there's more? How huge is this house? I don't say a word as I silently follow him to the door opposite that. He opens it and it's not huge, in fact it's like a small office but what surprises me is how cosy it is with nothing except cedar wood covering the floors, walls and the bookshelf behind the chair which is completely made out of the same wood. The chair is a black rolling chair with a wooden desk.
"I thought you shared the office with Carrack downstairs." I comment as my eyes roam over almost hundred of different books. I had no idea he was a reader. They are all non fiction but it's something.
"It's not an office. More of a study. You can always come here if you ever want to do your Uni work and need some peace." He offers and I look at him, giving him a smile, nodding.
"Thank you."
I think this is going to be my another favourite room in this house because of how cosy and homey feeling it radiates. There's a small window by the bookcase where the blinds are drawn and I can imagine myself spending the entire afternoon here.
As we leave the room my head turns to left and I immediately stop in my tracks, making James bump into my back. "What's wrong?" He asks and I turn around to stare at him in disbelief.
"We have an elevator?" I ask, pointing to the end of the hallways where there's a clear elevator door and a foyer table in between with a vase on it.
He rubs the back of his head, looking at me, "We do."
"And I'm getting to know about this almost two months after I've lived here?" I arch an eyebrow.
He looks so amused with my reaction that it's almost embarrassing but he's quick to cover it up, "It stopped working a couple of years ago and we never got it fixed since we hardly ever used it to begin with."
"What about Mrs. George? It can't be easy for her to walk up so many stairs. I mean she's not old but still." I say.
He looks at me, "I'll get it fixed on Monday."
"Wow. I think the most surprising part was the elevator. Didn't see that coming." I tell him as we turn the hallway towards our bedrooms and he chuckles behind me, sending flutters to my stomach that I immediately ignore.
"At what time do you want to leave tomorrow?" He asks, stopping in front of his bedroom door as I walk to mine.
"Does three sound good?" I ask because I want to spend some time with the family and they invited everyone around four thirty because they want to start as early as possible to enjoy the dusk.
"Yes, of course."
____
The dress code is casual, like it literally said on the e-invite to dress as casual as you can so I decided to wear a black playsuit with noodle straps which ended in the middle of my thighs. I let my hair down and wore white sneakers underneath. I take a denim jacket along with me in case I feel like putting it on later.
When I reach downstairs James is already waiting for me. I couldn't help but stare at him wearing a half sleeves light grey v-neck shirt with blue jeans and white sneakers. He's wearing his apple watch around his wrist as he seems to be biting on an apple while scrolling through his phone.
"Hey." I say to make my presence known and avoid another awkward situation where he catches me ogling at him.
His eyes snap towards me and his eyes very quickly roam around my body before setting up on my face, "Hey. Ready to go?"
I nod, "Yeah. Just have to pick up the gift from the office." I tell him because after we received it, we decided it's best to keep it in house office instead of carrying it up.
"I already kept it in the car." He informs me.
"Oh, alright. Thanks."
He nods and we make our way out of the house. The car ride to my parent's house is extremely silent with no words or awkwardness hanging between us. I've made my peace with this silence which comes down because we don't really have much to talk about outside office, I mean I don't know if we have anything. I'm too afraid to start up a conversation out of the blue with him.
When we reach my parent's driveway, James parks the car. He pulls out the gift from the backseat and I make my way to the doorbell. It's Jeremy who opens the door and considering that he hasn't seen me since the incident, he immediately crushes my bones by his tight hug.
"God, I'm glad you're okay." He whispers and I hug him back. After he lets go, he looks at James and gives him a greeting nod before opening the door further to let us in.
"Jer, honey, who is it?" I hear my mom call from upstairs and I can't help but smile at how much I've missed this house.
My childhood home isn't as big as the mansion but it's slightly bigger than an average suburban house. There are stairs on the left which lead to the four bedrooms upstairs and there's an open kitchen adjacent to the stairs. The living room area is the typical couches and the large flat screen. Below the staircase area is the bathroom and next to that is my parent's bedroom. On the back there is also the door to the backyard.
"It's me, Mom." I tell her, yelling in my usual voice like when we used to talk when we were here and then realise James's presence who just shakes his head at me as I mouth him an apology.
"Lil, sweetheart." I hear my father's voice before I see him coming out of the kitchen with apron around his torso.
I immediately move to give him a hug, "You've got no idea how much I miss you, old man."
He parts away and gives me a kiss on the forehead before turning towards James who gives him a nod since his hands are occupied.
"Jeremy, take it from his hands, will you? Settle it on the table, I'm sure your Mom would want to see the gift right away." Dad tells my brother who rolls his eyes as he steps to take the gift from James.
"It's okay, I got it." James gives them a small smile before entering the house and putting the gift on the table.
I hear footsteps and turn around to find my mother in a floral dress that was supposed to be mine but I never got around to wear it because the size was bigger but it fits her perfectly.
"Okay, now what did I tell you about staying out of my closet?" I tease her and she laughs before wrapping her around me, "Happy Anniversary, you guys."
I look between my mother who's hugging me and my father who's sitting on the couch grinning at me.
"Thank you, kiddo." Dad smiles.
"Oh, you got us a gift." Mom observes as she looks at the table and gets super excited as she goes to unwrap it.
I go take a seat on the couch beside James, didn't realising that I would be sitting close enough to let our knees brush against each other. Even that slightest touch seems to make me jitter, in a good way, a very good way.
It's pretty obvious from the packing that it is a frame but as my mother opens it, I can see the look of awe on my parent's faces. It's a black and white portrait photograph of them from my wedding. They were dancing while looking into each other's eyes so it's a candid, which is why it's my favourite photograph of them ever since I laid eyes on it.
"This is beautiful, Lil." My father tells me and Mom nods, agreeing with him as she keeps staring at the frame.
"Thank you." She looks at both James and I and he gives her a small smile of his.
James doesn't talk much for the next hour, only when my father asks him something about the business does he contribute. He just patiently sits and listens as my family and I catch up on the things I've missed. My mother gives me neighbourhood gossip which makes Jeremy rolls his eyes and earns a look from her.
"Would you like beer or whiskey?" My father asks James, standing up.
James looks at him, "Beer's fine."
I don't think I ever thought that I'll see James dressed this casually sipping on beer bottle but apparently life is full of surprises. The doorbell rings and Jeremy shoots up from his seat to go open the door. When it's been two minutes and he doesn't come back, I stand up to go see who it is.
As I make my way towards the door, I immediately recognise the familiar face and my face splits into a smile but when I look at my brother he seems to be fumbling with his words as he looks at the girl in front of him.
"Joan." I grin at her, catching her attention and she immediately runs to give me a hug.
"Lil, my god. You look so good." She laughs and I can't help but chuckle at her words.
"You look as beautiful as ever." I tell her, looking at her pine green dress that finishes a little above her knees.
On the other hand my brother is wearing a white The Beatles t-shirt with denim capri ended on his knees. I see why he was fumbling with his words.
"Are you two good?" I ask, looking between them and Joan blushes a little but nods. My brother still seems to be in a daze but he glares at me which makes me grin at him, "I'll see you kids inside."
When I enter the living room, my mother turns around on the couch to look at me, "Who is it?"
"Do you know there are two teenagers going at each other in your foyer?" I hear the familiar voice and turn around to see Hale who looks horrified with the mental image and a gift box in his hand.
"Hey." I laugh, moving to give him a hug and he immediately wraps his arms tightly around me. "And yes, I think we know. It's Joan, Mom."
My mother laughs as she stands up to meet Hale. He congratulates both of them as Dad and him greet each other before he goes to sit by James's side and he just gives him his usual greeting nod which makes me roll my eyes in amusement.
"Jer. Joan. Don't make me come out there because I really don't want to be grandmother yet." My mother yells and I laugh out loud, while Hale snickers. "Kids these days, can't keep their hands to each other."
Joan and Jeremy rush inside, both of them looking at us with wide eyes and flushed cheeks. Joan steps away from Jeremy and comes to stand on my left while he quietly goes to sit on the couch.
"Hey Beth." She smiles at my mom before looking at Dad, "How are you, Gabe?"
"I'm good sweetheart, where are your folks?" He asks her.
"Fighting as usual. They'll be here in half an hour." She waves her hand in the air as if it's no big deal but I look at the way my brother looks at her with worry in his eyes but she just shrugs it off.
Joan's parents have an unhealthy marriage that we all have been waiting to break off since a year now. She always used to come over even when I was in high school to hang out at our place just to avoid going back home. Jeremy and her have been best friends since freshmen year.
"Lillian, come on now. Don't be rude. Introduce me to your husband." She nudges my side and I playfully give her a look.
She walks over to the couch James is sitting at and seats on the couch adjacent to it, next to Jeremy, extending her hand to James.
"Forgive her manners, she's always been a little lost. I'm Joan."
"Hey!" I scold her, scowling and she just gives me a cheeky grin.
Joan in a lot of ways is opposite of me. She's fun-loving, extremely confident and sometimes funny girl. She seems to radiate off her positive energy which only adds onto her confidence. Given that she's extremely beautiful with hazel eyes and brunette hair doesn't hurt.
"Nice to meet you, Joan. I'm James." He shakes her hand with that amused smile of his and I wonder what her first impression of him is.
"Forgive both of them, they forget about me sometimes. I'm Hale."
His words make me laugh and James rolls his eyes but everyone breaks into a conversation. Hale and James talk amongst themselves as Dad gets him a beer too. As more people start coming up, including Joan's parents and Carrack, my mothers asks us all to shift in the backyard.
I didn't know they set up lights and so many chairs around, it's a beautiful arrangement and makes me smile.
"Hey." I turn around to find a face I haven't seen in almost a year, taking me by surprise.
"Sam." I breathe, shocked but also happy to see him, "I didn't know you were going to be here."
He shrugs, "I go away for graduation and you get married."
His eyes are fixed on the ring on my hand and I just stare at him, not sure what to respond with. Sam had asked me out after high school but then he got into Oxford and we never got around to dating. He's a family friend, our mothers are pretty close and his Dad separated from them sometime back.
"How have you been?" I ask, trying to ease the awkwardness which has settled in.
"I've been good. Pretty bummed we never got around to going on that date of ours."
A blush creeps up on my cheeks as I look away from his intense gaze. I'm trying to come up with a response when I feel an arm snake around me, almost making me jump until I realise the familiar warmth belongs to James and his cologne hits me.
"Everything alright?" He asks, looking between Sam and I, making me nod as I give him a small smile but he just goes right to staring at the guy. "James Clark." He introduces himself, putting his hand forward.
Sam looks him up and down and then back at me before shaking his hand, "Sam Hudson."
"Can't say I've heard about you." James says, and I'm surprised by the arrogance in his voice as he pulls me a little closer to himself.
"You must be the the husband." Sam looks at him and James looks at me, as if waiting for me to explain.
"Sam is Karen's son. Mom's friend." I tell him and he nods.
"Okay now that's a little hurtful, Lil. I thought we were friends outside of our mother's relationship." He gives me those puppy dog eyes and playful pout of his, and I know exactly what he's doing. He's giving a very wrong idea to James who actually seems to be buying it.
"Sam!" I hear Jeremy's voice as he joins the group with Joan's hands holding his. "How are you, man?"
"Pretty good, Jer. Got yourself a girl?" He looks at Joan.
They both greet each other and I want to slip away from the group but I'm not sure how that would be possible considering James's grip on waist and the way he seems to be glaring at Sam.
"I'm going to go congratulate your parents." Sam tells us, "See you around."
He winks at me before leaving which leaves my lips parted and James's hand drop from my waist. Joan and Jeremy are too caught up in the conversation to care as James leaves without saying a word to me.
"That was... intense." Hale says from behind me and I gape at him.
"What was that?" I ask him, still confused as I try to wrap my head around it.
"Are you genuinely this oblivious or just when it comes to your own life?" He smirks at me before sipping on his beer.
"I have no idea what that means, and how many beers have you already had?" I smack his arm before taking it away from his hand. "Can I?" I ask and he nods as I take a sip, the vague bitterness filling my mouth.
I'm not a fan of beer, have never been. I can do well with scotch, wine and vodka, but beer is just not my drink. Hale laughs at my expression, "I'll get you some wine. Go talk to him."
I nod before making my to find James and understand his mood for once. I find him standing in the corner of the backyard with a beer bottle in his hand. When I reach him, he glances at me before setting his eyes on my father who's barbecuing the steak.
"Are you mad?" I ask, trying my best to balance on the thin ice around him.
He looks at me again before sipping on his beer, "Your boyfriend can't seem to take his eyes off of you."
I turn to see everyone busy with themselves except Sam who seems to have located us in the corner. But when he catches my eye, he immediately looks away. "He's not my boyfriend."
"You sure? You said you weren't into dating yet it looks like two of you have history."
His words confuse me. Why is he so bothered even if I had a history with someone? It's not like he didn't sleep with his secretary before our engagement.
"The only history he and I share is that he asked me out and we just never got around to going on a date." I tell him honestly because lying isn't going to get me anywhere.
He arches an eyebrow, "So you agreed on a date but it never happened?"
I know how that sounds but if I was given a chance again, I won't take it. I really don't want to date anyone. After a lot of efforts I've accepted my destiny, I've accepted that I'm married to James Clark and that he's my husband in whatever way possible, so I'd really not like to date anyone else even if given the chance.
"No regrets." I make the sure the finality in my tone is conveyed across and his eyes bore into mine.
"Are you sure?" He asks, stepping a little closer to me and my breath catches in my throat as I look up at him with the same nervousness I felt around him the first day.
He puts down the beer bottle on the grass, his eyes not leaving mine as he takes another step further and my feet seems to be glued into the floor. His breath fans over my face, mixed with the mint and very bare smell of beer but his cologne seems to overpower everything.
His eyes flicker down to my lips and my mouth runs dry as he comes to stand so close that there's absolutely no distance between us, his body's warmth pressed against mine as his eyes meet mine again, turning dark. His hand comes around my wrist as he lightly strokes it before dragging his fingers like a feather on my arm, sending shiver down my spine.
God, the jitters in my stomach seems to have been multiplied by millions as I stare at his lips, wondering how they would feel against mine. I so badly want to close the distance between us but I'm not sure how he'll react so I stay put.
"Guys, it's cake time." Jeremy hollers over the yard and I jump from the surprise and James drops his arm.
My breathing seems to be caught as James shakes his head before looking over at the table where the cake is being set.
"C'mon, let's go." He puts his hand forward and I blink, keeping my palm in it as we walk towards everyone.
What the hell just happened?
I still seem to be in a daze as my parents cut the cake and everyone smiles around them, their small group of friends and people they are extremely close to.
"Got your wine." Hale hands me a glass with red wine and I take it from him.
"Thanks."
James doesn't say a word as my parents celebrate. He just pulls his hand away, making me panic a little but I immediately relax when he puts it around my waist, pulling me closer, a little in front of him as my left shoulder brushes against his chest.
I sip on my wine and feel his hand drawing circles on my waist as he kisses my hair, leaving me utterly shocked with the intensity of the feeling and his gesture.
•••
thank you so much for reading, voting and commenting. you've no idea how motivated it keeps me. xo