“Scoot along, B. Let us ladies have a snack while you get your tux on.”
“I’ll just be a moment,” he says, but he looks like he doesn’t want to leave the room. After a few beats he turns on his heels and heads for the bedroom.
“You don’t mind if I ride with you guys, do you? Even if B isn’t my date, I still have to go to this charity thing tonight. Appearances and all that jazz.”
“Of course.” What else can I say? ‘No, I want Bray all to myself’? I know Bray said he hadn’t been with anyone before me, but their comfort together is unsettling. He seemed to be having a good time until he looked up and saw me.
“That’s very sweet of you. Chocolate or red velvet?” she asks, going over to the kitchen and pulling out plates and napkins.
“Whichever you don’t want.” I don’t want to seem rude, so I go to the kitchen beside her.
“B’s always got healthy stuff in his house,” she says, winking and passing me a chocolate cupcake. I take a bite and moan around it. I didn’t realize I needed this until I started eating.
“So how do you and B know each other?” she asks, sitting down at the kitchen bar. “He mentioned there was someone special in his life but he didn’t give any details.”
“I’m helping him out while I stay here. Cleaning, I guess.” For some reason I feel embarrassed that I’m the cleaning lady.
“Are you responsible for all these stunning paintings decorating the walls?” she asks, glancing around the room at my works of art. She doesn’t comment on why I’m staying with Bray.
“Yes, they're mine.”
“As in you brought them here or you painted them?” she questions.
“I painted them.” I feel a blush hit my cheeks at someone looking at my work.
“You have talent and they’re stunning, just like you. I love seeing all this life in B’s home. It makes me happy for him.”
I’m not sure what she means. But I just nod and take another bite of my cupcake. Feeling a little better that she likes my work. I hate how off I feel in his world sometimes.
“Rebecca, I want to be frank with you.”
“Please call me Becs.”
“Okay, Becs, I want to be honest.”
Oh fuck, here it comes. Maybe her politeness was just a mask like the one Cindy seems to wear. Whenever Bray is in the room she’s a freaking peach, but the moment he’s gone, the claws come out.
“You seem like a sweet girl, I just want you to be careful.”
“Careful?” I question.
“B’s world is harsh, and I don’t want you to get eaten alive. I’ve never seen him this happy, so whatever it is you’re doing, keep doing it.”
Before I can respond, or ask her what she means by that, Bray walks into the room. I’m not sure what to do. Normally he kisses and touches me, but now he seems to be keeping his distance and it makes me uncomfortable. Maybe he’s seeing that I don’t really fit in into his world after all—that in the light of day things aren't so great.
“Ready?” he snaps in a cold hard voice.
“Maybe I should just stay home, and you go with Chelsea.” I’m really not feeling up to going now, and between Bray’s behavior since he walked in the door and Chelsea's comment, I just want to crawl back into bed. Preferably the one this morning with Bray, where it was just us and nothing else. We could only live in our bubble for so long, and I’m starting to think there is no us outside that bubble.
Bray’s eyes light up at my comment, and I feel my heart break a little. He doesn't want me to go. Even after the makeover and the stupid dress, I still don’t fit in. It’s like that day in his office all over again, only this time it’s a hundred times worse because over the past few weeks he’s made me feel like he wanted me, the real me. When it’s just us, that’s who he wants.
It’s foster care all over again. Me trying to be someone that I’m clearly not. Fitting into someone else's mold and still coming up short.
“Don’t be silly. You look absolutely stunning and B is going to show you off.” Chelsea glances over at Bray shooting him a death look. “Aren't you?”
“Chelsea,” he growls in a warning.
Rolling her eyes she turns back to me. “We’re all going,” she says, grabbing my hand pulling me towards the door.
When we get in the limo Chelsea and Bray talk about work and things I can’t begin to understand. They look like the fit so perfectly together. Why isn't he with her? Maybe now that he has tried sex he’ll be more open to trying it with other people. The thought makes a sob rise in my throat, and it’s all I can do to hold it down.
I can’t do this. I’m falling too deeply into a world I can never be a part of. Into a world that Bray doesn't seem like he wants me in.
BRAY
We’re in the limo on the way the benefit and I look over to see Rebecca is on the verge of tears. I’m such an asshole. I didn’t tell her she looked beautiful, even though she does. I’m just completely shocked by the transformation, and I don’t like it.
We’d found a rhythm the past few weeks and I’ve never been happier. My world has been neatly lined and perfectly ordered, but I know tonight is going to change all that.
Chelsea has been extra chatty since she got in the limo because she’s trying to ease the tension, something she does when she’s nervous. She and I have been friends since elementary school, and though I care for her, my feelings have never gone beyond friendship. I’ve always looked at her more as a sister than as a woman.