LOGINBentley Drew is out running off some other errand for me, so I send for Ray instead, and he meets me in my room where I haven’t left all morning.“Hillary’s flight is landing in like twenty minutes, please go get her from the airport,” I tell him, blindly reaching into my drawer and grabbing any key, tossing it to him.“Ok, Sir.” He catches the key and leaves my room.So I fix my bed, rearrange my room, brush my teeth, and take a quick hot shower. I’m not doing any of these for Hillary, of course not, I just want to start my day. I have work to get back to anyway, enough of the breaks.Although I would admit that I miss her. I really miss her. The break was so long it felt like months. I hated going back to being lonely, it was so bad work couldn’t suffice anymore. I’m glad she’s back, back to work, of course, nothing else.I slip on my black sweatpants, almost three times bigger than my actual size, and then some white T-shirt and thick white socks. I don’t want my feet going numb.
Hillary “Bye,” I yell again, waving at Nora who sticks her head out of the Rolls Royce window to blow me a kiss. She’s such an angel, I love her so much, and she’s also one of the most relatable super-rich people I know. She doesn’t belittle people or act like she’s better than everyone else because her son’s a billionaire genius.My mom and I watch their car drive away. Okay. A very blissful Christmas. Now it’s time to go open gifts before I go to bed and nap all day tomorrow—Boxing Day.When we get back inside, Laurel and Jake are already tearing open gift boxes while Georgia is perched on Leo’s legs, watching. I join them by the tree and start to open gift boxes addressed to me, and they are quite more than I expect. There’s one from Nora and Finn, there’s one from Jake, there’s one from my mom, and there’s one from… Bentley. I thought that the bike was my Christmas gift already. C’mon.I start to open the rest of the boxes first and keep Bentley’s for the last. I open Nora’s an
Hillary “Please lie with me,” the begging slipped past his lips.Oh my fucking god. Him and Jake are literally the same when it comes to throwing around that cute face and manipulating you to do what they want you to do.“Ben, I promised Jake that—”“Just lie with me, I’m not asking for anything else,” he interrupts.I twist my lips. Fuck it. Jake is still not back anyway; he is probably fucking Jackie in his car. I’m just going to lay with him, I’m not breaking my promise. My resolve crumbles, and I climb onto the bed next to Ben and rest my head on the pillow. Ben straightens behind me and carefully wraps an arm around my waist, pulling me closer.He is quiet. I am too. Clutching my phone in my hand and suddenly remembering that the door isn’t locked and anyone could come in. What if Jake is back and looking for me?My phone buzzes, pulling me away from my thoughts and the way my heart is pounding so hard.Jake: Shit. My car broke down, babe, but I’d be home soon, I need to move i
Hillary“So when are you leaving?” I ask Ben, taking off my seat belt as he parks his car at home.“Chasing me away so soon?” He shoots back playfully.“Of course not, I just want to know how much time you’d be spending here. Maybe I could take you out too, show you places I went growing up too,” I tell him, climbing out of the car.I go to grab my stuff from the back seat when I notice my mom’s face pressed against the window as if she’s spying, so I just wave, but she frowns instead. What?“Is someone there?” Ben squints blindly at the gazebo in between Georgia’s house and mine. Poor blind boy. It’s dark, but I can still make out Leo and Georgia. Leo’s head is thrown backward, and Georgia is—bouncing?“Is she? Are they?”Ben puts a hand over my eyes and just turns me toward my front door and pushes us both inside. Really? Their first time having sex has to be outside in a gazebo where everyone can see them, including my mom, hers, and my underage sister? She might not have been rid
Hillary“What’s in that? And why is it wrapped like that?” Ben laughs at my desperate but funny way of concealing everything I bought for him.“None of your business,” I roll my eyes at him, clicking my seat belt back in place.“That jacket is too thin,” Ben says while shrugging off his. He takes his thick jacket and gives it to me.A wide smile spreads across my face. “Thank you,” I wear his jacket over mine, and I genuinely feel a lot warmer.“You are really not going to tell me what is in there? Smells like cookies,” Ben says, reaching into the back seat.“No, it’s a surprise for someone,” I yell, dragging him back.“I was just going to get you this,” he chuckles, throwing a blanket in my lap.“Ohh, thank you,” I smile awkwardly and turn away from him. Why is he suddenly being so nice to me? He is going to make this so much worse for me because if I already like him when he is an arrogant, narcissistic meanhead, how much more when he’s offering me blankets and jackets and stuff?Be
Hillary “Laurel, can you get that bike out of the living room?!” My mom yells at Laurel again for riding her new electric bicycle that Bentley bought—brought for her, actually, because his company makes them. It looks so cool; I want one. I don’t know why she gets gifts all the time but not me. I mean, she already has a Bentley while I’ve literally never driven a car my entire life. Mostly because I can’t drive, but also because I don’t want to drive ever. I like the bicycle, it’s cool. But I don’t want to have to ask, I’d just steal Laurel’s own.“No, thank you, Nora,” I wave her off politely because I’d rather go ride Laurel’s bike than eat dessert with them.The table is full, surrounded by chatter and everyone just talking over each other. I love it, having the house full, a big family where no one gets to hide or be lonely. As much as Ben would rather not speak, they include him in the conversation and force him to. While the parents have moved from one conversation to another,







