Yes, I used sims to illustrate. I don't know any other way, alright? (Tis' is the livingroom, btw)
This chapter is dedicated to @centurylosttomemory because she leaves some of the best comments, and she's got a great sense of humor (I know this because she likes my jokes, so obviously her humor is great)
And also.. don't judge me too harshly if this chapter sucks. There's been a lot of stress in my life lately, and I'm really really doing my best to get you guys the new chapters as soon as possible- I'm doing the best I can with what I have right now, alright? Just... be nice.
***
"Hey, Paige!" I turned around on my way down the stairs, stopping in my tracks, making two girls walking behind me scrunch their noses and send me angry looks. Ember ran through the doors, her dark hair shining beautifully in the sun. She smiled widely, her bag hanging loosely on her arm.
"I was thinking that perhaps the two of us should do a girls' night? Like, you could sleepover at my place, we'll watch horror movies and eat ourselves diabetic in chips and popcorn," she wrapped her arm around my shoulder, pulling me along as she continued down the stairs.
I pursed my lips for a second, before nodding. "Uh, sure, that sounds great, I'll just have to ask, you know... when were you thinking?"
"Friday, if that's good for you," she pulled her phone out of her pocket, opening her messages. I instantly looked away from the screen- privacy and all that.
I nodded to myself. "Friday should be great- I'll see you tomorrow," I added, as I caught sight of Allen's black car in the pick-up lane. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders, giving her a quick squeeze before heading for Allen's car.
"You seem to be in a good mood," Allen added as I got into my seat.
I clicked my seatbelt into its spot, smiling up at him. "Yeah, Embers smile is... contagious. I just got invited to a sleepover on Friday... can I go?" I looked at him through my lashes.
He rolled his eyes. "Paige, Love, I'm not your father, nor your captor- of course you can go, I'll just need to talk to your friend's mate first,"
"Why?"
He smiled a bit ruefully. "First off I'll need their address, then I'll need them to be able to contact me in case of an emergency, I'll need to make sure that they don't take any medication you might have access to, and also I'll need to know when I'll be dropping you off and picking you up,"
I snorted. "You sure you're not my father?" I raised my eyebrow at him.
"Yes," he scrunched his nose in disgust and then shook his head a little. "Now, do you have any more jokes, or do you want to see the surprise I've prepared for you?"
My face turned towards him automatically, my head suddenly filling with all sorts of images- some very very good, and others very very bad- and a few somewhere in the middle. "Surprise?"
His grin grew even wider. "Don't worry- I know you'll love this. I've got something I'd like to show you, a surprise," he smiled like a little kid on Christmas morning- it was kind of sweet, to be honest.
I pressed my lips together, tilting my head from side to side. "Alright, if you know I'll love it-"
"And you will," he added. I rolled my eyes at the interruption.
"- then sure, go ahead," I managed to finish before he drove onto the highway, the car accelerating smoothly on the black asphalt.
"How was your day, Love?"
I pursed my lips and shrugged. "Pretty uneventful, except I burned my hand on some tea in the cafeteria," I held my hand out, showing him the spot where a small blister had developed, the skin around it all red.
He gently wrapped the tips of his fingers around my wrist, pulling it a bit closer to his face, his eyes shifting between the road in front of us to my hand. "Did you pour cold water on it?"
I rolled my eyes and nodded, pulling my hand back and placing it out of his line of sight- I had a feeling that if I didn't, he wouldn't be able to focus properly on the road.
"Oh, and just FYI, you've got therapy tomorrow at 5," he said as if that was a perfectly normal thing to blurt out in a silent car.
"Oh,"
He looked at me with a raised brow for a second, and then back on the road, and then back at me. "What?"
"I don't know, I just figured that you'd hopefully forgotten about that," I told him with a shrug, looking down at my cuticles, and tugging at the hem of my shirt.
He sighed, almost groaned. "I have not, she just had some personal business and needed a few weeks off- something about her son, I believe it was, but anyway, she's back and you're seeing her tomorrow," he said it matter-of-factly, and deep down, I knew I'd already promised to see the therapist three times, at least- I'd only been once.
A few minutes passed, the only sound was the engine humming, the occasional zoom of a car passing us. It was surprisingly comfortable- just sitting in the silence with Allen. But also... a bit weird. "What did you do today?"
He smiled and then pursed his lips as he thought. "I've checked up on your surprise, bought a birthday gift for my mother, bought movie tickets for my brother, father, Sophia and myself- we're going in to see the new Marvel movie, I've signed a few financial agreements, reviewed the floor plans for some public housing, talked to the nursing home your grandparents picked out- they'll be moving in next week, by the way- I should've probably told you about that first, and... approved a design for a new public park," he nodded to himself, seemingly confident that he'd mentioned all of his activities throughout the day.
My mind suddenly comprehended the next-last fact he'd told me, my head whipping in his direction as my brain processed it. "They are? That's great... can we help them move in? Like, help them get settled and all?" I couldn't keep the hope out of my voice- mostly because I was pretty sure that my making puppy-dog begging eyes at him worked way more effectively than it should.
He bit his lips, eyebrows furrowing with... what seemed like guilt. "My schedule is pretty full next week, but I'll try to move my appointments around, I'll do my best," he gently wrapped his hand around mine, giving it a quick squeeze before retreating his hand to the steering wheel.
A thought popped into my mind. "Oh, shit," muttered, a wave of adrenaline shooting through me at the sudden stress.
Allen whipped his head around, worry in his eyes. "What?"
I shook my head to calm him down. "It's.. my mom's birthday in 3 weeks, I completely threw it out of my head... I'll need to figure out something to give her," my teeth found their way to my lip at the thought. I'd need to ask her if there were any movies she was all-in on seeing.
"Do you know what she wants?"
I shrugged and looked down to the toes of my Niké's- one of my favorite shoes from Mr. Allen's generous shoe closet of wonders. "Well, I don't know, I usually buy her a movie, whatever she's been talking about around that time, and then I buy her a bouquet of flowers- lilies, pink roses, and white orchids, those are her favorites, and then... we watch the movie first, and then we watch some tapes from when my mom was little- with her parents and her sister, and then we call my grandparents and all sing happy birthday for her," I smiled. It was one of the clearest memories I had- all of us surrounding the phone, screaming 'happy birthday' for my mom, my fatty toddler hands handing her a paper plate with a single chocolate cupcake with a birthday candle stuck into it- we'd always share that cupcake, every year. It wasn't much, but it had always meant the world to me.
"Right, your grandparents... when was the last time you saw them, as in, they were there in front of you?" he looked at me with a soft concern in his eyes, as if he already knew that he wasn't going to like my answer.
I shrugged. "Never, they aren't allowed to visit neither my mom nor her sister's pack... and I haven't seen my aunt or her daughter since I was... maybe 10," I thought about it for a second... it seemed right. Maybe I'd been eleven, and she'd been ten- I was a year older than her. Not that it had made much of a difference- we'd play together always, usually with her old My Little Ponies- I hated those. She only had two, and because I was 'the oldest' I was apparently the more mature one, so I was always forced to use the ugly pony with no hair, that was overdrawn with a red sharpie. I smiled at the memory- what I wouldn't have given at the time, to get to play ith that hideous pony just one more time.
I shook the thought out of my head. I didn't want to think about my not-so-accessible family. "Well... what's the surprise?"
Allen rolled his eyes with a smile."If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, Love,"
I threw my head against the headrest with a groan. Why does he have to be so difficult?!. "Well... will it be long before we're at the surprise then?"
He pressed his lips together in a failed attempt to hide his smile. "Five minutes,"
I looked through the window, paying close attention to the road around us- we'd exited the highway just a few minutes ago, and were now in a more suburban neighborhood- we had to stop for some kids needing to cross the street. The houses were mostly one or two-story family homes, palms, and other plants suitable for the hot Los Angeles weather planted around their front yards. It was exactly the kind of place I'd dreamed about living in when growing up. Safe and colorful and not surrounded by massive walls and fences and coded doors.
Allen stopped to let another to people cross the road- a very young couple, shyly holding hands- they couldn't be more tha fourteen. After the two had passed he kept the car in its place. "Close your eyes," he said.
I furrowed my brows. "Why?"
He smirked, biting his lip. "Because I have a very specific image in mind for when I show you my surprise, so I'll need to lead you there without seeing it beforehand,"
I pursed my lips. "Alright then," I said, my eyelids shutting in at my command.
Seconds later the car came to a stop, on what felt like a gravel road. The door opened less than a second later. "Alright, now just get out of the car without falling and dying," he said, his hands coming up to cover my already closed eyes for... whatever reason.
I rolled my eyes underneath his hand. "I'll do my best," I couldn't keep the annoyance out of my voice.
Allen chuckled behind me, and then carefully led me forward, the gravel under my feet quickly being exchanged for tiles. "Careful, there's a step here, and..." I took a high step, almost stumbling as my step was apparently too high. I felt his hand abandon my face for a second and heard a door opening, before his hand was back, covering my eyes. "Alright, then there's another two steps down here," he whispered, guiding me further into... wherever the hell he had taken me. It smelled like sawdust, and... a sharp, yet spicy and pleasant smell... I definitely recognized it, but from where I didn't remember.
We came to an abrupt stop. "Alright, and... now," He moved his hands, and then I opened my eyes. I had to blink for a second, getting used to the bright light from the windows covering most of the wall on my right.
"What's this place?" I asked, looking around. I looked around myself, at the white, blank walls and light wooden floors- the room I was in was sort of sunken down, two-stepped stairs leading to... what seemed like a hallway on the wall on my left, and to another hallway in front of me- behind me, the stairs led up to a large room, also all white. The massive windows lead out to what seemed like a covered stone porch.
Allen smiled, looking as excited as a lil kid. "Your parent's house- I know it's not exactly like they drew it, but the architect made a few suggestions, and it seemed like a good idea- although if they hate it, I can get it fixed within two days,"
I took another turn around myself, my eyes shifting over the light walls, and the beautiful, newly polished wooden floors- and suddenly remembered the smell- the cafe I'd worked in had been renovated around a year ago. "This place is... wow," I whispered, unconsciously walking up the stairs to the large windows- two of which I realize was actually just... doors.
I walked out to the porch, a new building, which the roof covering the porch was connected to, caught my eyes. "What's that?" I looked over my shoulder, suddenly remembering Allen behind me. He smiled, and then made a 'go-ahead' motion with his arm. Pursing my lips, I headed for the doors, slowly opening it.
The faint scent of popcorn hit me, and my eyes immediately headed for the popcorn machine in the corner of the room.. and then onto the large, red seats, six of them, each equipped with a cupholder. "You mentioned your father and you watching documentaries and movies together, so I figured.. well, go ahead and see," he pointed to the ceiling, to which a white box with something that looked like a camera on the front. A movie projector, pointing at the white, blank wall that all the seats were facing.
"A home movie theater?" I asked, a surprised laugh escaping me. Allen smiled shyly, pink spots covering his cheeks. My smile grew wider, and I walked out, and past him again, taking a look at their backyard.
My brows furrowed. "Is that a freaking pond in their yard?" I looked at the little idyllic oasis in the corner of their yard, a small waterfall surrounded by plants splashing down into the little pond, in which I was almost sure I could see a few goldfish swimming about.
Allen shrugged, his smile growing a bit more confident. "The landscaper said that a lot of people find the sound of running water calming, so when she told me that she could fit a small one in I figured... why not?" he shrugged again.
I couldn't contain my laugh. "You have way too much money,"
He smiled, and then walked up to me, carefully placing his hands on my waist. "I do, but I'm more than happy to spend them in a way that brings you joy," he tilted his head to the side, the by now familiar adoration in his eyes returning.
Another laugh escaped me, my voice becoming blubbery to my own surprise. "This... really does, this means... everything to me, you have no idea, this is just... this is great, thank you so much," I wrapped my arms around him. He seemed just as surprised by it as I was, but it was less than a second before his arms wrapped around me, pressing me against his warm chest. I sobbed and laughed, happy tears trailing from my eyes.
He placed his head on top of mine, gently rocking us from side to side, and laughed. "Okay, if I get this from giving them a house, what do I get if I tell you I bought them a car too?"
I pulled away from him, looking up at him with wide eyes. "You... you did?"
His grin grew even wider. "Yup,"
I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, pulling him as close to me as possible, burying my face in his neck, the smell of his cologne filling my nostrils. I knew it was wrong, I knew that I shouldn't have, and yet, I held him as close as possible, pressing my lips together to keep myself from turning into an emotional, blubbering mess.
A minute passed by, my arms wrapped around his shoulder, his large arms circled around my waist, before the muscles in my arms gave in ad forced me to let go. Our eyes connected I couldn't help but grin at him.
His hand came up to my face, softened eyes trailing over my face again and again for several seconds. He stroked my cheek, his touch so light that I almost melted into it. "You are... so unbelievably beautiful, sometimes I can't even comprehend it," he whispered, leaning forward and touching his forehead to mine.
Electricity shot through me where our faces met, and suddenly, common sense reached my mind once again. "Uh... thanks," I muttered, carefully pulling away. His smile didn't disappear, although it fell just a little, the lights in his eyes dimming at the loss of contact.
A sound from inside the house made me turn my head, the glass windows, and open living room giving me clear view of the front door, which was currently being opened. I looked back at Allen, who smiled nervously. "Yeah, I figured your parents should probably also get to take a look at their house,"
"Uh, right," Instinctively, I took a step away from him, making a failed attempt to be casual about it as I headed for the glassdoors. I didn't like the idea of my mother's face if she saw me wrapped around Allen like a freaking pretzel- mostly because I wasn't sure who she'd yell at more; me for getting so close to Allen willingly, or Allen for... well, being within a mile radius of me.
Allen walked up behind me as I met my parents in the hallway. He smiled at my parents, placing his hand on the top of my back. "Mr. and Mrs. White... welcome home," he gestured to the room.
My mom looked around the room, my dad keeping close as she walked through the door opening from the hallway into the kitchen. As the rest of the place, it was modern and fancy - black tiles, hardwood countertops to white counters, fancy, matching black stove and fridge- and dishwasher. "This is... the house we drew?" she looked around herself again, slowly taking it all in, it seemed. My father's eyes were wide, his mouth hanging just slightly open.
Allen's smile widened. "Almost, the architect changed a few things here and there, but largely, yes. Although if there's anything you have a problem with, just tell me," he straightened his back, a more business-y look taking over his features. It was honestly a little weird to watch. I had to stop myself from giggling.
"No this is... this place is... it's great," My dad said, his mouth finally closing.
The smile returned, Allen's posture becoming more relaxed as soon as the words left his mouth. "I'm happy that you like it. Although I need a bit more of your help to finish it,"
He gestured to the little pile of magazines on the counter next to the sink- the top one with IKEA written in bold letters n front. "These are some home decorating, furnishing stuff kinda magazines, so, I figured that you could look through them and tell me the things you like, and then I was thinking that all four of us could go out to eat later," his eyes shifted to me, hope filling them before he looked back at my mom and dad.
My mom pressed herself against my dad's side, wrapping her hands around his arm. "Uh... alright, that sounds..." she looked up at my dad, and then to me. I gave her a half-hearted smile. And then finally, she added a 'good'.
"Great then, I have something I have to do, some calls to make and all that- so if the three of you just... go ahead and pick out the things you like- oh, and by the way, a landscaper is gonna be over in two hours- don't worry though, she's a human- and she'll discuss flowers for the yard and all that stuff with you," he added the human part when my mom's eyes widened with worry.
My mom carefully picked up the magazine at the top of the pile, clutching it between her hands. "Oh... right, thank you... Alpha Allen,"
He rolled his eyes with a smile. "Please, Mrs. White- call me Allen,"
My mom avoided is eyes, and nodded, her gaze locked to the floor. Allen furrowed his brows for a second, before turning to me.
He gently placed his hand at the side of my face, his thumb nuzzling my cheekbone. "I really have to go now, Love, I'll see you later, alright?" he leaned forward, gently pressing his forehead against mine.
My eyes shifted to my parents, who were both staring at the show wide-eyed. I instinctively tensed up at the look in their eyes. I took a step away from Alpa Allen. "Yeah, right," I muttered, tugging at the hem of my shirt as I did my best to avoid Allen's eyes.
I watched his feet disappear out of my line of view, the sound of is footsteps suddenly disappearing as I heard the door close softly behind him.
A/N
Aight, I've got 2 questions for you guys today-
What is your biggest insecurity? (I know this is a sensitive subject and if it messes up your mental yadda yadda then you should obviously not answer it)
Mine's... first off my weight, I'm overweight, and... I feel like I've done everything to fix it- I don't overeat, I go for walk basically every day, I only eat candy/chips/drink soda in the weekends, my lunch for school is literally snack peppers, cucumber and raisins, and nuts, and for breakfast, I eat rye bread, like, I don't see what I'm doing wrong?!
And also... my stretchmarks. I hate them- I know people say they're 'tiger stripes' but no, mine aren't they're not those elegant white ish thin line- mine are red and purple, and they're on my biceps, my hips, my inner thighs and the back of my thighs, my tits- I hate them so so much and these are the only reason I'm so fucking grateful that I'm so fat I'll never have a boyfriend- I won't be obligated to let anyone see me naked.
Then there's the undertone of my skin- it's reddish. People with yellowish undertones always look sort of tan, while I always sorta look like I have a freaking cold.
Then there's the hipdips, the lack of thiggaps, the pimples, the grannyarms, my fingers, the shape of my eyes, and the cellulite- so much cellulite, my fingernails, my stomach, my thighs in general, and my tits. It's all just so... ugh, you know?
Yes, I know how people talk body positivity, and I'm all in for it, it's great, everyone should love themselves and be comfortable in their own body- but sometimes it's super hard to practise what you preach.
Alright, second question: What's your cousin pattern like? Like, how many cousins do you have, how old are they, are they on your mom's or dad's side of the family?
Mine is: Jessica 17 (mom), Sarah 15 (almost 16- that's me), Jason 15 (mom), Emily 14 (dad), Jamie... what, 12? (mom), Jeanelle... probably 7 (mom), Nora 4-5 (dad), Filuca 2 (mom), Lærke 1 (mom)
Fact about me... I'm a Ravenclaw.