6

Eiling

AS WE walked up to the front door of Kayden's parents mansion, I didn't know what to dread more. The fact that I was going to start living with Kayden Facro, the fact that he was holding my hand as he reached up to ring the doorbell, or the fact that I had never seen a house like this.

The stories at school didn't do this mansion any justice.

After ringing the doorbell, he turned to smile warmly at me then squeezed my hand for reassurance. Although it felt soothing, I couldn't deny that it felt like he was squeezing my heart. I gave him a small smile and faced the door. I needed to understand that this was temporary. I was probably going to figure out my accommodation problem in about a weeks' time then I could get the fuck out of this madness. All I had to do was avoid Kayden.

Subconsciously, I looked at my hand in his in between us. I gulped, that was going to be almost impossible to do. Standing amidst the elegance that was Kayden's parent's premises, I couldn't help but feel aware. Aware of the huge fountain that sprayed water in a beautiful fashion, aware of the wide span of grass and the paths demarcating different areas. Aware of the muffled footsteps coming from behind the door.

The said door swung open, revealing a young-ish woman with blonde hair, styled into perfection. Soft curls framed her small round face and her makeup was done mildly, so it highlighted her best features; her eyes and her cheeks. Her eyes stood out most, they looked just like Kayden's hazel ones.

Her eyes narrowed at Kayden as she held on to the door.

"Where have you been?" she questioned. "You said you were going to be back fifteen minutes ago."

This was Kayden's mother. From her obvious worry about him, one could tell.

"I had to take care of stuff, mom," Kayden replied, whining a bit. "And it was just fifteen minutes." He shrugged casually while I stood there and watched the banter.

"Just fifteen minutes?!" His mother's eyes went wide with incredulousness. "Here I was, worried sick about you and you're trying to pass it off as nothing." She gave him a stern look that didn't faze him. It fazed me however. "What stuff did you have to take care of that would keep you for a whole fifteen minutes?"

Kayden exhaled in obvious exasperation making me conclude that his mom did this a lot. It was actually nice that she cared, he was lucky to have a caring mother. I had none.

I felt his grip on my hand tighten the slightest bit as he stepped forward. "She is."

You know that feeling when you're brought out from behind the stage curtains and shoved into the spotlight? No? Well, that was exactly how I felt when his mother's gaze fell on me. Her eyebrows went up as she acknowledged my presence for the first time since this evening.

I bit the inside of my cheek out of nervousness. "Hi."

My subconscious slapped her forehead and cursed the day she chose to be a part of me while my brain went ahead to place a series of better greetings I could have offered. But, alas, the woman before me smiled, all the worry lines on her beautiful face slipping away.

"Oh dear," she exclaimed ever so lightly. "I'm so sorry I didn't notice you earlier. He just makes me so worked up all the time." She motioned to Kayden. "What's your name honey?"

So, apparently, Kayden's mother wasn't a strict rich businesswoman. She was actually different from anything I'd expected, nicer even.

"Eiling Weasley, ma'am," I said, straightening my posture.

She laughed. For a second I thought it was because of my last name. I shrunk back into my shell.

"My name's Anna dear, not ma'am."

Oh, so she doesn't find my last name silly. Huh.

"Okay Anna," I corrected, smiling.

There was something about this woman that screamed 'mother', maybe because she was a mother. She felt nice and warm and welcoming all of which, were unexpected.

Kayden chose this as a perfect time to come in, totally ruining the moment by reminding me of his presence.

"It's great that the both of you have bonded on such short notice but I would like a shower now," he announced.

"Oh," Anna exclaimed again, shifting to grant us access. "Silly me, I keep getting distracted. Do come in."

Kayden gave her a sweet grin before leading me into the house. My jaw dropped on entrance. Anna had been obstructing my view of the interior of the building before but now that I was in it, I had to admit that it was way better than I'd imagined. The walls were painted a light shade of grey and tall flower vases stood oposite each other, lining the hall that led to a flight of stairs.

As Kayden led me further into the house, we came to a set of double doors which opened into the modern themed living room. He tugged me in and brought me to a stop in the middle of the room.

"Welcome home," he declared, letting go of my hand. An unwelcome coldness took over my palms, causing me to rub them together as I studied the room in awe.

A couple of stairs led up from the sitting area to the dining area which had a fairly large glass table and leather dining chairs around it. A fat chandelier hung from the ceiling above me making a part of me want to move out of the way. I was never a fan of chandeliers, the cautious part of me feared that it would fall and crash upon my form.

I didn't feel at home at all, at least not yet. One look at Anna standing at the door and smiling at me told me that my stay her was going to be… peculiar.

"Kayden," she called out to her son. "Can I talk to you for a second? In the kitchen." She cast a glance between us that wasn't scary or unnerving, just blank.

Kayden offered me a small smile before heading towards the dining area. Anna gave me a similar smile and followed him, the both of them disappearing behind a door which supposedly led to the kitchen. I was left alone to keep staring at the paintings on the walls and wondering how much all this would have cost. A shitload of money of course!

A crash from the kitchen had my attention snapping in the direction of the now closed door. I went to work, biting down on my lip and cursing myself for agreeing to this. Kayden probably got into trouble with his mother because of me.

I edged closer to the door and put my ear to it, trying to eavesdrop on their conversation. It wasn't like it was personal anyway, it was about me after all.

"That was my favorite mug!" I heard Anna's muffled complaint. "That's coming out of your allowance mister."

"Sorry." I imagined Kayden cringing as he apologized. His voice sounded weirdly closer than Anna's.

Then without warning, the door swung open, causing me to almost fall in. Almost; I caught my balance at the last minute. But that didn't save me from looking completely stupid.

"Hello," I grinned guiltily. They would probably throw me out now.

Kayden shook his head at me as he laughed, shoulders shaking. Anna smiled. "I like her."

"Me too," he replied to no one in particular.

I bit the inside of my cheek when I felt heat rush there. Kayden Facro just said he liked me. As much as I was trying not to read any meaning into it, my brain wasn't cooperating. I had at least five meanings already read and neither of them were okay.

The feeling of my hand being grabbed brought me out of my daze and into reality where Kayden was holding on to me.

"Kayden will show you to your room," Anna told me. "And I'll send dinner up. Do make yourself at home dear."

"Ready to see your room?" I looked at Kayden as he asked the question. This was it, it was settled now. I was staying with Kayden Facro till further notice.

• • •

My room was blue, top to bottom. The walls, dresser, wardrobe, floor, bed, lamp, everything. But I wasn't complaining. At least it didn't have a chandelier.

"This is your room," Kayden announced, cringing slightly. "Sorry. A while back I had an obsession with the color blue."

I blinked in surprise. "This was your room?"

"Yeah. I moved out last year, couldn't take my sister's pestering. Her room's directly across from this one."

Surprise took over again. "You have a sister?"

He shrugged, giving me a look. "Of course I do. Although it wouldn't hurt if she was just a figment of my imagination." He shuddered. "She got into the university a few months ago and man has it been heaven ever since."

I resisted the urge to chuckle at his words. Obviously, Kayden and his sister weren't exempted from the sister-brother struggle. It made me smile.

"What's her name?" I asked.

"Sloan. She's a real pain in the ass, but I think she'll like you."

My brows furrowed. "How are you so sure I'm going to be around when she returns?"

Kayden didn't give me a reply, he just smiled and looked away. "My dad's on a business trip, so you won't see him around for the next couple of days."

The mention of Kayden's father made the hairs on my arms stand. What if he wasn't as nice as Anna? What if he decided to throw me out?

"Don't worry about dad, he's just as cool as my mom. If not cooler." For some reason, Kayden's words didn't soothe me, but I let it pass. I was probably going to leave before he even returned.

"Okay," I replied simply.

"Okay then," Kayden exhaled. "If you need anything, I'm four doors away."

We walked to the door and came to a stop right in front of it. Kayden turned t face me squarely, dropping his voice.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"It's not like I'm going anywhere," I chuckled stupidly with him joining me. We stopped laughing at the same time and stared into each other's eyes, him still smiling. "Goodnight Kayden."

"Goodnight." With that, he held the knob and opened the door.

Suddenly remembering to thank him, I grabbed on to his hand which was still on the knob.

"Wait!" He turned around and studied me while I went red in the cheeks. "Thank you, for everything."

"It was no problem," he smiled. "Goodnight E."

I let go of him, feeling very awkward. "Night."

Kayden left and I was consumed in silence. He'd done something very huge for me, and for that I was grateful. My only hope was that none of this was a mistake.