☕︎☕︎☕︎
"Reese... Reese, wake up," I hear King's heavy voice in my ear. His hot breath travels down my neck and my body shivers as goosebumps rise.
"Mm?" I moan tiredly not wanting to wake up. I feel his hand on my arm gently shaking me.
"Reese, you have to wake up," he says a little louder and further from me this time. I frown and turn around under the blanket. I open my eyes hoping to adjust to the brightness, but the room is dimly lit. The street light coming in from the window is the only thing allowing me to see King.
Propped up on his elbow, he's looking at me waiting for me to fully wake up.
I yawn and cover my mouth as I sit up. My fingers run through my hair as I look around the room totally lost.
King sits up crisscrossing to face me.
"Um... what time is it?" I croak.
"It's almost seven," King yawns. My eyes widen looking at him to see if he's joking. My heartbeat rises slowly.
Don't panic.
Reese, don't- fuck, it's too late.
"My brothers are gonna kill me," I speak worried. "Shit, didn't you have to pick up the twins?"
Before King can answer, we hear laughter and people downstairs. It sounds like King's parents have guests over.
"Are there guests over?" My eyebrows furrow.
"Um... here," he says handing me his phone unlocked. I take it and look at the screen which is open to a conversation with his mom. She messaged him asking where he is and why he hasn't picked up the twins. Then she says she talked to Chaquille, her husband, who told her King is with me. It says they called Grayson to see if he knew where we were and he said that my location was at King's house. Since neither King nor I were replying, Grayson offered to pick up the twins which King's mom accepted. It says that she invited my family over for dinner for being so accommodating and considerate.
"Well fuck," I breathe giving King back his phone.
"Yeah, fuck," King sighs leaning his back on the headboard. His hands cover his face in frustration.
"Do you think she's mad?" I ask.
"Probably, but she'll understand," he explains. He brings his hands down after brushing the few loose strands of hair away from his eyes. "How'd you sleep?"
"Like a baby," I admit sheepishly. "What about you?"
"Same. Makes sense as to why we didn't wake up," he concludes. "You know you snore when you sleep?"
"No! I do not!" I gasp facing him.
"Oh, yes you do," he smirks. His eyes twinkle under the ray of light hitting his face.
"King, take that back," I command.
"Nope," he shrugs.
"King," I warn shooting daggers at him with my eyes.
"Nope, you can't make me," he protests.
"Fine, don't say I didn't warn you," I tease with an evil smile. Not wasting time, I climb over King's legs straddling him.
"Reese, what are you doing?" King panics. I grab his hands and hold them to the side. Staring at his grey orbs, I take deeper breaths.
"Take it back, King," I order speaking dangerously low.
His eyes scan every inch of my face and I become hyper-aware of every blemish on my skin hoping he doesn't notice.
"I never said you snoring was a bad thing, it was quite cute actually. Small little piglet snores," King describes with a smile teasing me.
"That's it," I say as I let his hands go and my fingers start tickling him.
"Reese! Stop!" he yells, but tries to keep his voice low enough for the whole house not to hear us. Squirming underneath my fingers, I watch him suffer. My enjoyment is cut short when he grabs my waist and flips me over onto my back.
I shriek at the sudden movement and King's hand slaps over my mouth as he hovers over me. Both of my wrists are in his other hand over my head so I can't even fight myself out of this position. His rings are rough against the soft skin of my face, but his hold is gentle. The blanket rests low on his back wanting to slide off.
"Shh, both our families are downstairs," King whispers. His long lashes open like a perfect curtain to his eyes. I'm frozen under him and gulp at the closeness. Slowly, he removes his hand from my mouth and I still remain silent.
His face and body is only inches away from mine. One of his legs is between mine and I don't dare to move. I don't wanna accidentally start something I can't finish.
His cross necklace is resting on my chest as his eyes are glued to mine.
"No fighting back?" he raises his eyebrow. His lips curl into a smirk.
"Can't really do much when you're literally immobilizing me," I retort.
"I don't like being tickled."
"Well, you didn't have to body slam me into your bed to get that point across."
"Wouldn't you if you could?"
Feeling my lips dry, my tongue darts out licking them. King's eyes drop to my lips and I instantly feel my core heat up at his lustful gaze.
"I'd do anything to be as close as possible with a girl as hot as me," I wink. He smiles and lets out a low laugh at my comeback.
"Don't do that," he warns.
"Don't do what?" I ask biting my bottom lip.
"That," he says.
"Why don't you just kiss me and stop with these games?" I ask on a serious note. I can feel the rush inside of me wanting to taste his lips. We've been in this same moment so many times, but nothing has ever come out of it. I would kiss him, but I don't know if he wants to. I mean it seems like he does, but what's holding him back?
His lips part as he takes a deep breath. His eyes close and when they open, he lets my hands go and gets off of me.
He throws the blanket to the side and sits on the edge of the bed with his back towards me.
"Have I been reading everything wrong?" I question sitting up. I frown at the cold air that runs over my skin and hug the blanket trying to keep the warmth as I sit up. If I did read all this wrong, I'd be quite embarrassed. I'm hoping it's something else.
"No, you haven't," King words.
"What is it then?" I ask curiously. I watch him as his back expands and tightens with each breath he takes. After a minute, he stands up and goes to turn the lights on. I squint as my eyes adjust to the brightness.
King walks over to my side of the bed and sits on the edge to face me. In the light, I can see the rosiness on his face making his eyes seem even lighter.
"I've only ever been in one serious relationship and it was with Everleigh. The way things happened with her and how they ended, fucked me up a lot. The ways I chose to deal with those emotions caused further damage. I'm not gonna sit here and be a saint acting like anything you've heard about me isn't true. I worked hard to overcome those parts of myself and every day is a fight."
"What are you trying to say, King?"
"There's still things you need to know about me before we can take things further, Reese. I'm not trying to hide anything from you, but there are things I haven't told you because I'm scared of the way you'll react. I just want there to be a solid foundation so that if things ever happen, that we can still trust each other and work it out."
"What happened between you and Ev?" I ask biting my lip. I don't think he's ready to tell me just yet, but it's worth the try.
"We rushed into our relationship. I was infatuated by her beauty and our raging hormones only made things worse. We ignored our differences and all the red flags."
"You didn't have a solid foundation," I conclude.
"Yeah, we didn't," he agrees. "You're coming Saturday with your brothers, right?"
"Yeah."
"Good, because Saturday is going to explain a lot of things," he says.
"I hope so."
"Are you mad at me?"
"No, there's nothing to be mad over. The waiting thing is just new to me since I've never really been with anyone as mature as you before," I share. "There's a lot of things I need to tell you about my past too that I haven't told anyone except my family."
"Whenever the time is right and you're ready, it'll work out for the best," King smiles holding my hand. His big hands are soft, but the rings at their own touch.
"Hopefully it happens soon so I can kiss you and have my way with you too," I mumble rolling my eyes.
"What?" King asks.
"I said hopefully it happens soon," I smile innocently.
"Mm-hm, that's all you said?" he smirks.
"Yeah," I lie.
"I'll believe you," he shrugs clearly not believing me. "I'm gonna freshen up."
I nod in response and watch as he walks into the bathroom. He leaves the door open as he rinses his face. As he's busy doing that, I look around his room.
His room is much smaller than mine with grey coloured walls and dark wood furniture. There's a small gaming area in one corner, a dresser and some workout equipment.
"Can I borrow a hoodie, I don't want my brothers to notice my bruise?" I ask as he comes outside drying his face with a towel. He throws the towel over his shoulder as he opens his closet.
"Yeah," he says.
"I'm gonna freshen up too," I say getting up. I walk into the washroom which is well kept. There are a few skincare products from The Ordinary along with a Cera Ve moisturizer and face wash. Curious, I look at the shower which has body wash, shampoo and conditioner in different containers.
There's toothpaste, mouth wash, floss, beard care and even other hair products on the counter. He doesn't even have a beard, but it's good to know he's prepared.
Damn. The man knows how to take care of himself properly.
What a turn on.
Reese, shut up and wash your face.
Right.
With that, I turn the tap on and rinse my face with water. Once I'm done, I go to grab a towel, but it's not there. With a wet face, I decide to look in the cupboards for an extra towel. When I open the second cupboard, I don't find a towel, but something else catches my eye. It's a blue Durex box of condoms.
My mouth parts looking outside the door to make sure King can't see me. When I know he isn't looking, I grab the box from the back. The box is open, but that's not what I'm interested in. I bite my lip and turn the box to the front.
When I read 'double extra large', I instantly gasp.
"Are you okay?" King asks and I fall on my ass from my crouching position. The box flies out of my hand and I feel my cheeks heat up.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine!" I reply grabbing the box and shoving it back in the cupboard. I stand up just in time for King to enter.
"Are you sure? Why are you all red?" his eyebrows knit in confusion.
"I- I just w- ashed my face," I say dusting my clothes. "I need a towel."
I don't wait for his response, instead, I walk up to him and take the towel off his shoulder drying my face. I sigh heavily into it since it's the only thing allowing me to hide from him.
Okay, Reese get your head clear. No dirty thoughts. Absolutely none!
"You know you could just ask for a new one?" King laughs.
"My face was wet and I didn't wanna wait for you to grab a new one," I smile once I'm calmer.
"So impatient," he shakes his head.
"Thank you," I say handing the towel back.
"Here," he says handing me the black hoodie in his hands. I quickly put it on and it's quite oversized. I don't mind because I wear my brothers' clothes all the time so I'm used to it. I even prefer baggy clothes. I look at myself through the mirror and brush my hair with my fingers making sure it's not too messy. "Is your phone downstairs?"
"Yeah, it was in my jacket's pocket," I share.
"Okay, well I have mine and I look fine right?" he asks looking in the mirror and then at me.
"Yeah, do I?"
"Yeah, you look beautiful," he smiles.
"Thanks," I blush. "Ready to go?"
"No," he admits as we walk out of the bathroom. King throws the towel in a laundry basket at the end of the bathroom first. "I don't want your brothers thinking anything wrong."
"Oh shit, I forgot about them," I admit. "They're gonna roast the fuck out of us."
"Don't say that otherwise, I'll refuse to go downstairs. This is gonna leave such a bad impression," he says pacing back and forth in his room.
"Your parents are gonna think I'm like a whore or something who slept with their son and kept him from picking up his siblings," I panic. "Fuck, why did I just think about that? It's literally my first time meeting them too. Okay, here's the plan. I'm gonna climb out of this window and go home. You tell them that I went home earlier and that I just forgot my phone here."
"What?" he looks at me in shock. "Fuck, no. That's just gonna make me look even worse! Why would I let you go home alone?"
"But you've met my brothers before, they like you. I haven't met your family and this is not a good first impression," I argue.
"Reese, my parents do not, and will not think that about you. I will tell them what happened and they will understand. It won't be a big deal. Your brothers, on the other hand, might just kill me for being in the same bed as you."
"We don't have to tell them."
"What if someone checked up, on us? Clearly, that's why they're so calm," King assumes.
"Unless they say something, we don't say anything. Let me handle my brothers."
"And I'll handle my parents. They like to be funny sometimes too."
"Deal," I say extending a hand.
"Deal," he shakes it.
"Ready to go?"
"Yeah, you?"
"I can still climb out the window..." I start walking towards the window, but King yanks me back.
"Shut up," he answers. "Let's go."
With that, he opens the door and I follow as we walk down the stairs. The voices become more prominent as we get closer to the bottom of the stairs and I can make out the voices that belong to my brothers.
We walk into the living room and I notice Grayson helping King's dad in the kitchen. Landon and Roman are helping King's mom set the table while we can hear Aaron and Jaxson playing with the twins in the living room.
"Look who finally decided to wake up," Landon announces as we enter the dining room fully.
"Morning, sleeping beasts," Roman jokes and everyone lets out a small laugh.
King says hi to my brothers before hugging his mom.
"Glad you finally decided to join us," she says to King.
"Sorry, mom."
"We'll talk about it later," she says.
"Are you mad?" he questions.
"No," she assures. "Grayson explained what might have happened, but don't worry about that. Aren't you gonna introduce me to your friend?"
"Oh, yeah," he moves to the side. I take a step forward and smile. His mom has dark brown hair loosely curled with thin lips and a few wrinkles around her eyes. Her skin is clear and radiant. She's only an inch taller than me and could easily convince people that she isn't a day over thirty. "Mom this is Reese. Reese this is my mom, Paislee."
"Nice to meet you," I smile. I lend out my hand for a handshake, but she takes me off guard engulfing me in a hug.
"King talks about you all the time. I'm glad to finally have you over," she says. The hug is warm and motherly. It's a hug that I've been missing ever since my mom passed away. When we part, I'm left wanting more.
"I'm sorry about today. I didn't mean to cause any trouble," I apologize nervously.
"Please, it's not your fault," she brushes off. Her grey orbs radiate her generosity and I can tell that she means what she's saying. "And your brothers really were a great help."
"Yeah, glad they came in handy for something," I joke looking at Grayson in the kitchen. He's too focused on the task on hand to have a reaction.
"Are you not going to introduce her to me,
King?" King's dad urges from the kitchen.
"He's a little slow, sir," I walk into the kitchen gaining a little confidence. "I'm Reese."
"Wow," King says offended. "I am not slow."
"Sometimes," King's dad laughs. I notice how jacked King's dad is. He's clearly not King's biological dad as he's black and King is white, but it's easy to tell that his dad taught him how to workout.
"My name's Chaquille. It's wonderful meeting the famous Reese Price," he gives me a firm handshake. I smile back and notice his green orbs that heighten his features. He's wearing a black shirt and jeans so I can see the tattoo sleeve on his arm.
"I'm that famous around here? King, why didn't you ever tell me? Also, I really like your tattoos," I tell Chaquille.
"Aw, thank you. I got them when I was a kid," King's dad shares.
"They're just hyping you up for no reason," King brushes off.
"Boy," Chaquille prompts. "Don't let him fool you. Actions speak louder than words."
"Dad," King protests.
"Don't dad me, help me finish this up," he scolds.
"I've got it," Grayson assures stirring the pot.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah," Grayson replies. "Morning, Re."
"It's evening Gray," I laugh trying to lighten the mood. He's wearing his office clothes telling me he came straight here after work.
"Not for someone who just took a very long nap," he hints. He watches me from his peripheral vision. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah everything is fine," I assure not meeting his gaze.
"King!" One of the twins yells from the living room.
"You guys go meet them, dinner will be ready in ten," Chaquille shares.
"Okay," King nods. He takes my hand and walks me into the living room where they're playing Mario Kart on the Wii.
"Look at who it is, thing one and thing two," Aaron teases.
"Why'd you pause the game?" Jaxson complains.
"King, you forgot to pick us up!" Talisha stands in front of us. Her little arms cross over her chest as she displays a pout. Her brother, Terrence follows her lead doing the same.
King lets my hand go and kneels down to their level.
"I'm sorry, I promise it won't happen again," he holds his ears emphasizing his regret.
"Do you not love us anymore? Do you love her now?" she accuses. My eyes widen at her statement. This is awkward. Kids be so blunt. Why do they not have a filter?
Reese, shut up. You don't have a filter either.
True. Dammit, I'm a hypocrite!
Oh well.
"No, no, no," King nervously rambles.
"You don't love us?"
"No, I do."
"So you don't love her?" Talisha keeps butting in.
Talisha, if you'd be quiet for a minute and let him talk, he'd explain what he means!
"No, I do, Talisha," King clarifies. "I love you and Terrence, but I also care for Reese. One doesn't come at the cost of the other. Okay? Reese needed me today and we just fell asleep and lost track of time. It will never happen again."
"Are you sure?"
"Very."
"Okay!" she says hugging him. King picks her up and holds her facing me.
"Hi," I smile.
"You're even prettier in person," she words.
"Thank you," I blush.
"Your brothers are really funny," Talisha says.
"Yeah, did you have fun with them?"
"Yeah so much fun," Terrence interjects. "Aaron even taught me how to get girls."
"Aaron!" I scold.
"What? He was asking for advice!" Aaron defends. He's also wearing his office attire.
"Hey," Jaxson gives me a hug. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah," I smile. He walks over to King who lets his sister down.
"Hey, man," King gulps. He widens his shoulders trying to be more confident. Jaxson is an inch taller than King, but a lot bigger in muscle mass. Jaxson's shoulders are broad and he's purposely trying to intimidate King.
"You hurt Reese, I hurt you. Understood?"
"Understood," King nods.
"Good," Jaxson cracks his knuckles.
"Jaxson, you can be nice now," I urge. Jaxson has always been a man of few words. It can be a good thing at times, but silence can be misinterpreted. I don't want King thinking Jaxson hates him or something.
"This is as nice as it gets today. Don't think you're off the hook. We'll talk when we're home," he says facing me. Great. I was trying to help King and brought the fire upon me.
"Fuck," I mumble dropping my head.
"Dinner is ready!" Chaquille announces just in time.
Thank the lord!
"Let's go!" I practically run out of the living room.
"There's not enough room on the table so put your plates on your laps," Grayson suggests.
"Sounds good," I smile.
"We had to pull out the bar stools because there weren't enough seats," Paislee says.
"Thank you," Roman smiles. The adults take all the normal seats while Landon, Roman, King, Terrence, Talisha, and I all take a bar stool.
We start filling our plates and eating.
"So, how do you guys like LA?" Paislee starts.
"It's nice," Grayson shares. "People are a lot more different here than in Singapore."
"How?" King questions.
"I feel like there are only two types of people. People who make relationships for connections or people who make relationships that actually care about you. I feel like it's harder to tell the difference here. People in Singapore were more straight up," Grayson explains.
"Well, that's LA for you," Paislee laughs.
"Reese, you're not a senior right?" Chaquille questions.
"No, I'm in grade eleven with Roman. Landon is a senior though," I share.
"Whoa, are you guys twins too?" Terrence asks.
"Yes, we are little man," Ro answers smiling.
"That's so cool!" Terrence excitedly replies.
"Chaquille, I hear you have a mechanics shop? How is that?" Aaron asks.
"It's good actually, keeps me busy," Chaquille answers.
"Maybe you can teach Aaron how to change a tire," I laugh. "He got a flat tire once and didn't have reception so he had to walk forty minutes back into town before he could get help."
"Yeah the man had everything he needed in the back of the trunk, but just didn't know how to use it," Jaxson adds. Everyone laughs.
"Well, you're welcome any time," Chaquille smiles.
"I wanna come too," I say.
"You wanna learn how to change a tire?" Roman almost chokes on his food.
"What's wrong in that?" Paislee asks.
"Uh- nothing," Roman reddens under everyone's gaze. "Just surprising."
"Chaq taught me how to do a lot of things," Paislee shares. "I know how to change the oil in any car, change tires and how to jump-start a car too."
"That's only if she ever has to, but I'll always be here to do it for her," Chaquille looks at his wife.
"Of course, but it's a good skill to have in case of emergencies," Paislee smiles.
"Yeah, Roman. It's the twenty-first century, stop being sexist," I taunt.
"Like I've said before, you are no less than a man because you are nothing like a woman," he teases.
"Yeah my balls are bigger than yours," I stick my tongue out. King and the twins laugh.
"Guys we're at the dinner table," Grayson interrupts the feud.
"At someone else's house," Aaron adds.
"It's okay, they're just being kids," Paislee smiles. I blush with embarrassment.
"I'm sorry," I apologize.
"It's okay, the twins fight all the time too," Chaq shares ending with a small laugh.
They continue to talk and I zone out the conversation glaring at Roman.
"What?" he hisses.
"Why the fuck did you have to embarrass me in front of King's parents?"
"It's not my fault you fight like a man," he rolls his eyes. He's pressing my buttons and he knows it.
"Just wait until we're home," I threaten.
"No, wait until you're home. You legit just disappeared from school and weren't answering anyone's calls. Then we find you cuddling with King in his bed all alone in his house. God knows what happened before that. You're gonna get it. And before you start about me being sexist because I'm sexually active too, just know I never got caught skipping school to go do it," Roman scares me. I clench my jaw not having an answer.
I would love to just slap him, but I can't create a scene right now.
Dinner continues with more conversations and we even have ice cream for dessert.
"King, can I talk to you for a minute?" Grayson asks. King nods and they head over to the side. We're all outside ready to leave now.
I was talking to King up until Grayson called him over, so now I'm standing alone.
"It was great to finally have you over," King's mom walks over to me.
"Thank you. I'm sorry it had to be under these circumstances. This is awkward, but I just want to clarify that nothing happened between King and me. We just fell asleep because I didn't sleep all night and we lost track of time," I explain.
"I understand. You two are young and things happen, but you guys need to realize you still have responsibilities and rules that you need to be considerate of. King talks about you so much and I know you don't have bad intentions for him. I actually haven't seen him this happy in a while. I'm happy you bring that side out in him," she smiles.
"Hey, what are you two talking about?" Chaquille walks in hugging his wife.
"Just girly things," Paislee answers.
"Wow, I see how it is," he laughs. "It was good having you and your family over."
"Thank you. We really enjoyed the food."
"I'm glad you did. How's King treating you?"
"Oh, we're just friends," I blush.
"Mm-hm," he replies not convinced.
"But he's really sweet and respectful," I answer.
"Good, I raised him to be the best," Chaquille speaks proudly.
"That you did," Paislee assures. They both stare deeply into each other's eyes and I feel like I'm invading their privacy. They look so in love, it reminds me of how mom and dad were.
"If he ever gives you trouble, you know where to find me," Chaq says looking at me.
"Of course. You'll be the first to know," I joke.
"Are you guys talking shit about me?" King asks walking in with Grayson.
"No, never," I defend.
"No, seriously tell me," he pouts.
"No it's a secret between us," Paislee teases.
"Wow. You've only met her once and you're already taking her away from me," King feigns pain.
"We should get going, you have school tomorrow too," Grayson says after everyone stop laughing.
"Yeah," I agree. Everyone says their goodbyes and I make sure to hug the twins before I go.
"I'll see you Saturday?" King questions hugging me.
"Yes, you will," I assure. He kisses my forehead before we part. I head into one of the cars and we drive home.
The car ride is quiet as it's almost eleven and everyone is really tired. Even though I took such a long nap, I still feel drained.
When we're home, I sit in the living and everyone joins me. I know everyone is curiously waiting to know about my day. I set my jacket and phone down on the side next to me.
"King's family is really nice," Aaron is the first to speak.
"Yeah," all the other boys agree.
"The little twins are so cute. Reminded me of
Roman and Reese," Jaxson says.
"Yeah when they were little shit heads," Aaron laughs.
"You say that like you aren't still an annoying shit head yourself," I accuse.
"You have a lot to say about the wrong things," Aaron retorts. "Why don't you tell us what you were doing in a bed with King?"
"Yeah, please tell me you didn't skip school just so you could go sleep with him," Jaxson tiredly groans. His eyes are droopy and I can tell he's tired.
"No, of course not. I broke up with Sebastian and he was kind of being a bitch," I word. My hand unconsciously goes to my arm rubbing the sore bruise.
"What do you mean?" Landon asks straightening up. I watch all the boys stiffen waiting for me to explain.
"He wouldn't take the ring back and accused me of sleeping with King. He thinks that's why I don't want to be with him. It made me upset and I had a panic attack. I called King to come and pick me up. He took me to his house and he gave me food. I calmed down and felt really tired so I told him I wanted to sleep. He was gonna let me sleep by myself, but I told him I was scared of being alone. He fell asleep next to me and the rest you know."
"Are you sure nothing else happened?" Grayson asks. His blue eyes look at me curiously.
"I'm sure," I lie looking down at my lap.
"Sebastian was acting really weird after lunch," Roman speaks up. "He looked kind of scared. Maybe he's scared because of what he said."
"He should be. I could beat him up right now," Aaron says. He broadens his shoulder losing any trace of tiredness he had.
"That's not needed," I object.
"Did he at least get the point?" Jaxson asks.
"Yeah, I think so."
"If he bothers you, let us know. We'll set him straight," Landon says.
"Reese, this is a lot to take in. If you want, I can find you a therapist you can go to," Grayson offers.
"Yeah," Aaron agrees. "If you feel like you can't talk to us about somethings, then you can talk to the therapist. I get we can be overwhelming at times."
"No, I think I'm okay. I'm around good people and I literally tell you guys everything. If things change, I will let you know," I assure.
"Have you told anyone about anything?" Jaxson questions.
"No. Only King and Sebastian know about the drugs and rehab. The girls asked why there's nothing in the media about me after I turned thirteen, but I changed the subject."
"About the media, did you guys see we made it on the front page because of the Zhao's party?" Landon mentions.
"Really?" Aaron asks.
"Yeah look online. There's a whole article about how we made our first public appearance after our parents' death," Landon explains.
Everyone pulls out their phones and googles the article. The top picture is of us standing when we first arrived. The title is: 'The Price Family Ready to Take Over LA'.
I skim through the article and it's practically about our parents' death, Grayson and Aaron taking over and Reese Price returning to the public after two years of disappearing.
"I've been so busy, I haven't gotten time to keep up with the media," Grayson says. "I didn't care either because I made it seem as though the move was temporary at first. But I guess someone leaked it to them, that we're here permanently."
"Lovely," Jaxson breathes. "Raven made it on the cover too. She hates attention."
"Well that's what you get being with a Price," Aaron sighs. "There's been paparazzi outside the office lately and we caught a few trying to sneak inside the building."
"People are fucked," Roman says.
"Yeah, but everyone knows the rundown. Don't talk to anyone you don't know and try to blend in. Stay out of situations that cause a scandal. If something happens, you share it with us right away," Grayson orders.
"I'm sure they have better things to report than us in LA. It's the home of Hollywood and Hollywood houses all the drama," I share.
"Yeah, but we only paid the media in Singapore to stay quiet about your court case. If the media here catches wind about that, it's gonna be harder to keep from being released," Aaron warns.
"Don't worry, I'll be careful," I assure.
"Good," Grayson says. "Let's go to bed. Today was a long day."
"Yeah," I yawn.
I take my jacket and phone heading to my room. I take a quick shower and decide to sleep in King's hoodie. It smells exactly like him and it's just so warm. I feel like I'm gonna have withdrawal symptoms if I'm not wearing it. The hoodie even has his name stitched on the right arm.
I quickly get into bed and reply to all the messages and snaps I missed. The girls asked why I skipped school and I told them I'd explain tomorrow.
I go through Instagram and decide to check if Sebastian still has our picture up, and he unfortunately does. It upsets me. Instead of obsessing over it, I exit the app.
My phone rings and it's a FaceTime call from King.
"Hi," I pick up smiling.
"Hey," he smiles back. He's shirtless, but I can only see his shoulders, nothing below.
"Did your parents bitch?"
"Nope. I told them what happened and they understood," he explains. "What about your brothers?"
"They don't care. They were madder at Sebastian," I tell him.
"You told them what he did?"
"Yeah, but I left out a small detail," I admit.
"Oh," he seems disappointed. "A key detail."
"King," I deadpan.
"I know," he sighs.
"They really love your family," I change the subject.
"Really? My family really liked you guys too. Terrence and Talisha are literally in love with Aaron and Jaxson," King laughs. "I think they wanna replace me with them."
"Wow," I laugh.
"I know, right?" King laughs. "Traitors."
We continue talking for a while until I pass out on call.
A/N:
How was it?