Sierra’s POV
The next morning was chaotic. I kept a smiling face and, as expected, everyone else acted like nothing happened. It has been the norm since we returned home. They didn’t want to bring up Vance, so I would not get upset, but every time I felt I was hurting them.
I knew they cared about me, and it seemed like I was taking it for granted. Even then, I could not bring myself to talk about it. Not yet. I needed a little more time. It’s been a year since I parted from Vance and I thought I would get over it, but not yet.
“Mommy, can I bring this?” Elvis asked, bringing my attention back to him.
To take away the cold, he had on a jacket, a scarf around his neck and a beanie on his head. He held onto one of his action figures, showing it to me. “There will be a lot of snow. You could lose it,” I told him.
He shook his head, pouting.
Sierra's POV It didn't take long for me to understand what videos and pictures he was talking about. His parents wanted to ruin me, which could make Arthur pull away.I got up, already in Arthur's shirt, as I crawled over to him. “You're awake,” he said.I hummed. “You can leave the photos and videos up. I don't mind,” I told him.From his tone, it seemed it would be difficult to get those photos down. I didn't want to cause an issue. “If they keep staying up, the people might come for you. I can't,” Arthur argued.“I can handle it. It's just a little people, anyway,” I tried to brush it off.Arthur shock his head. “Your exhibition happening soon cannot afford that. And Elvis might not be able to handle it as well,” he said.I stayed quiet, getting his point. Especially when it concerned Elvis. I would not want him hurt because of this. A knock came to the door and Arthur got off the bed to answer it.It was a
Sierra's POV I didn't fall down the stairs, but I definitely sprained my ankles. The care in Arthur's eyes as he helped me down on the bed made my heart flutter.He turned around and paused. “Hey, man. I got an ice pack. I thought you'll need it,” Ian said, looking pale in the face.Arthur hummed, grabbed the bag, and walked back into the room before shutting the door with his feet. Arthur knelt on one knee as he placed the pack on my ankle.The sting made me hiss. “I'm sorry. I'll take it slow,” he said.“Ian looked scared of you,” I pointed out.“Really? Didn't notice,” Arthur said, but I knew it was a lie.Everyone could see the way Ian spoke to Arthur like he was scared. “Well, he was scared. What did you do to him? I thought you two were friends,” I said.“Friends stay away from my parents,” he said.So it was true he didn't like involving himself with anyone who had anything to do with his parent
Arthur's POV While speaking with a few friends of mine, my eyes occasionally went to Sierra. However, just after getting rid of another pest, Sierra was no longer seated.Panicked, I rushed over and it didn't take long for me to spot her. On the staircase with Maria. I couldn't see Sierra's face, but I could very well see Maria's, which stopped me from butting in.Whatever Sierra was saying to her, I was proud, but then it turned upside down when Maria pushed Sierra. Quickly, I rushed to the stairs and with my arms around her, I stopped her from hitting the staircase. Maria stared at me with wide eyes. “Are you okay?” I asked Sierra, who nodded, staring down at her feet.I lifted her off the ground, carrying her princess style. I needed to tend to her. “Arthur!” Maria yelled as I walked past her.This made me halt, turning around. “You aren't going to ignore me and walk off with her, are you?” Maria pointed at Sierra.
Sierra's POV Carol's party was just as I expected — loud music, fancy dresses, expensive cologne and perfumes, models and everything one would consider refined.There were a few people who didn't fit into this category and I was the number one on that list. Even though Arthur helped me change into something more fancy, I felt out a place.It was hard to get used to these gatherings, but I had a little advantage; Arthur. The confidence I had gathered while being with him was enough to get me to sit at a table, but that was it.I could not utter a word. Plus, all they were saying was something I could barely relate to. “Your drink, my lady,” Arthur said, placing a glass of wine before me on the table, shooting me a bright smile.The eyes of every female on the table turned to him. He didn't seem to mind. Arthur leaned into my ear, his fingers wrapped around the side of my neck. “I'm being called over. Do you need me to stay?” his tone low.
Arthur's POV Her slap sure knew how to sting. I rubbed the spot to soothe the pain. “You don't get to just apologize, you know!” she scolded. I nodded. “I know and I'm sorry,” I said.She sprung up from her seat and walked off. Quickly, I followed her, grabbing her hand as we got to the hallway. “Give me a moment to explain, Sierra,” I said before she could pull away.She relaxed, but looked away from me. “I called so much, but you ignored them all,” she muttered.“It wasn't intentional. I had to leave my phone at home to handle some things,” I told her.“Not only did you stay silent for hours, you made me look like I was being with another man in front of everyone. Maybe, we should-”I covered her, pinning her to the wall. “Do not say that. I'll correct it, I promise,” I said.“Why didn't you say anything, then? Why tell me here?”Her words and tone felt like a thousand needles were being pushed into
Arthur's POV I've been running around in circles for years.I never knew how much it would affect me. How much I would be pushed to the edge by my reluctance.It was eating me up every second of the day, but I always had something to distract myself — my love for the race, ladies and company.Until it wasn't enough.The clicking of the glass around me snapped me only for a minute out of my thoughts. We were now in a bar. Rod and Jackson seemed to have vanished somewhere.Though I knew they were still mad, I chose to avoid their questions and be surrounded by others. Sierra sat in the corner. I wasn't sure what was going through her mind, but she looked almost absentminded.I had a lot I needed to tell her, first being an apology, but I needed to construct the best. “Arthur, I don't know why you weren't at the race but you missed so much,” Ian said, sipping his wine.He continued, looking around the table at the