Elle (15, London)Today was my mother's wedding.She stood next to her new husband, her face beaming, her lips smiling, and her eyes sparkling in a way I don't think I've ever seen before.She slipped her arm under Richard's, pressing herself closer to his side despite the fullness of her dress. Light from the stained glass catches the tiny stones that embellish her upper bodice.A proper wedding dress wasn't in the cards for my mother during her first wedding to my father.From what I was told, their entire wedding had been as mundane and forgettable as they came. Neither of them had the money to fund the type of wedding they truly wanted, so they made do with what they had. Which was practically nothing.But my mother made sure that wasn't the case for her second wedding."It'll be glamorous, love, " she said to me, her eyes twinkling as she got lost in a daydream two nights ago.I'd said nothing because I didn't know what to say.This time, she made sure the dress she wore was mad
AaronBreakfast goes on without any hitch. My sister and her husband feed the twins while happily chatting away with Elle about God knows what. I haven't listened to a word uttered from either of their mouths since I sat down simply because my mind, gaze and body, are all attuned to the one gorgeous woman sitting next to me.Surprisingly, she's good with the kids. Elle asks them about their interest and looks genuinely interested in their reply. She talks with Ava about the plans for her latest exhibition. Her eyes light up in a way I've never seen before and I'm completely enraptured by it. And when they leave to go play, she acts disappointed.Earlier, when she told my sister that she loved me, I'd been struck speechless. Helpless under the possibility that she might be telling the truth.Logically, I know how ridiculous that sounds. I've barely gotten to know her these last few weeks, but she'd spun up a tale so elaborate that I had no choice but to let my walls down and allow the
ElleAaron's sister is called Ava Volkov. She greets us at the door of her and her husband's mansion with a smile so sweet it could cause cavities plastered on her face."You must be Elle." I stretch my hand forward for a handshake but she uses it to pull me into an embrace. I'm frozen, and when I look over at Aaron, he's watching us closely, his mouth twitching as though he’s fighting a smirk.The bastard probably is.Ava squeezes me tighter than expected before finally pulling back, her hands lingering on my arms as she looks me over with a curious brightness in her eyes.“Wow,” she says softly, but loud enough that I catch it. “You’re even prettier than Aaron made you sound.” He made me sound pretty?Against my will, heat rushes to my face, but I fight it back with a cough. Aaron and I hadn't spoken throughout the ride here. He's been distant. Different from the Aaron I had grown to know these last few days. Maybe I'd taken it a bit too far in the kitchen but I was mad. Sue me.I
ElleThere's a strange woman in Aaron's Kitchen. Her back is turned to me, and she's rummaging through the fridge, pulling out one thing after the other with a practised ease, as though she knows where everything is.My heart rate doubles and I don't know why, but the way she glides through the kitchen, graceful and confident, sends a wave of uneasiness down my gut.Who is she?Why is she here?She spins around and I freeze. Her eyes go round and her lips form a tiny O shape."Well, this is awkward," she says. She had an accent, faint but distinct, much like mineYoubeen told. "I wasn't watching you" I say. I don't know why those are the first words to come out of my lips maybe it's because she's looking at me like I'm a creature from a strange planet."Are you lost?" I blink. It takes me a full second to realise that the question is directed at me."Excuse me?""It's not like Aaron to let his guests stay the night." She says the word guests with enough implications that it doesn't t
ElleI can't sleep.I glance over at the alarm clock sitting on the nightstand and an annoyed sound leaves my throat.3:30 amJesus fucking Christ.I've been up for two hours. Apparently, the rest I'd got the first day I arrived at Aaron's mansion was only meant for that one single day alone. Ever since the second, to say sleep has eluded me would be putting it lightly. I was tired most days, and when I wasn't dragging Aaron through a store or having him put a ring on my finger, I was trying—and failing, might I add, to get some sleep. Groaning, I roll over on my side and close my eyes. I squeeze my lids together, desperately waiting and waiting for the familiar heaviness I craved to sleep through. But I'm met with nothing but darkness.Ugh. This is hopeless.Flopping on my back I let out a long breath. I woke up from a dream I would've preferred not to have in the first place. My mother had watched me leave the house after breakfast. It was the day she told me that her new boyfrien
Elle (Fourteen, London) My mother was drunk. Again. I stared at her almost lifeless body crouched over the toilet bowl. Her hair stuck to her face in dark curls, the tip wet with what I can only assume to be vomit, but I refused to settle on the idea. Had she slept here? Probably. It wasn't unusual for my mother to come home disoriented after a night out drinking with her friends and mistake a room in the house for her bedroom. A groan that sounded more like that of a wounded coyote than a human being slipped from her lips and I'm thankful because that inhuman sound means that she is alive. Without any warning she attempted to push herself up, using the toilet seat as leverage. Unfortunately, she doesn't make it very far and seconds later she collapsed to the floor. Her shoulders fell and her head rolled back on its own. When her gaze lifted to meet mine, mascara streaked down the corners of her eyelids and her cheeks. Her lipstick was smudged, her blouse dishevelled and with