Thomas waited for us near the entrance. He didn’t even seem surprised to see me holding hands with Victor anymore. I guess he decided to accept that whatever I was doing was working and leave it at that. He smiled and gestured for us to lead the way into the dining room. The table was already filled with food.
"While the garden is beautiful, I’d suggest being mindful of the time you spend out there. Especially when it’s close to mealtimes. After all, we don't want poor Philip shouting to an empty house," he chuckled.
I smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. My bad.”
Thomas waved off the apology and motioned for us to sit. Dinner between them was just as silent as the other meals, but the heaviness in the air had almost completely disappeared. Now, it was more like they didn’t have anything to say,
It was just me and Victor now. He didn’t speak but I could still see the faint traces of blush on his cheeks. He stared at his glass a moment before gulping down what was left of it. I couldn't help but smile at his obvious embarrassment."That really meant a lot to him, I'm sure," I said gently.Victor grunted vaguely and poured himself another glass. Although I’m sure some of the redness on his cheeks was from embarrassment, I think part of it was from the wine as well. He more slouched against the back of his chair than he did lean against it. He stared into the fireplace, but it looked like he wasn’t really focusing on anything. His glass tilted slightly in his hand as he held it.I guess we had been dr
Victor rolled over, pinning me to the bed with his body. His lips sought my neck eagerly. The feeling sent tingles across my skin and down between my legs. A small moan forced its way from my throat. I gasped and shook my head, trying to clear it."Victor, stop. Let me up," I begged, pushing him weakly.He pulled away from my neck and smiled down at me. The lust in his eyes made me shiver. My mouth couldn’t form words, my body was paralyzed, I was completely at his mercy. And he knew it too. He chuckled a bit and tucked my hair behind my ear gently."That's enough talking for one night," he murmured, pressing his lips to mine.I could have thrown him off. I should have thrown him
Thank god for all that wine I drank or I don't think I would have been able to sleep at all. It was light out when I finally woke up, but I couldn’t seem to make myself leave my bed. What happened with Victor last night was still stuck on a loop in my brain. I’d hurt him, and I’d hurt him badly.I sighed and covered my head with the pillow. I knew "Victor" wouldn't be here today, but I still couldn't stand to see Mr. Weston's face right now. I knew it would just make those painful memories even stronger.Besides, here today or not, it's not like he was gone forever. Victor would return eventually, and then what would I do? How could I face him again after everything that had happened last night? More importantly, what would I say to him? I already had a good idea of the things he’d bring up the next time he was here. The biggest be
An individual. A singular person. Who just happened to share his body with about a dozen other “individuals.” I crossed my arms and sighed. How the hell was I going to make this work?"Ms. Walton, stand slightly to the left of center for me please.""Huh?" I barely registered his words as they broke me from my thoughts.He frowned. "Ms. Walton, please. We're wasting time here. Please move to the left of the center so I can line up this shot properly.”Blunt, to-the-point Arthur. I stood and moved to where he was motioning. He waved his hand until I reached the "correct" position. Once I did, he started snapping photos.I tried to stay focused on the task at hand, but it was a little hard to do. I
I sat there for a minute, trying to think of the safest way to phrase everything. I could tell Arthur was trying his best to be patient with me, but the way he shifted around behind the camera told me that patience was quickly running out. I sighed, trying to choose my words carefully."Well... 'a friend' of mine recently met a guy," I started slowly. He watched me intently through the camera. "He's really amazing. He’s intelligent, thoughtful, understanding, sweet. He’s pretty much everything she’s ever wanted in a man.The problem is he’s… sick. He’s very sick. In fact, there’s a good chance that he’s probably never going to recover. She knew this about him long before they started any kind of relationship, but that doesn’t mean it makes the situation any easier on her."
Alright, I realized where I’d screwed up now. I just needed to find a way to show Victor that I understood.Which was the impossible part. He was already convinced that Jack was the only one of them I really cared about, and I’m sure that mindset would only get worse once I actually told Jack about Victor. It’s not like I could avoid telling him though. Even Arthur admitted I had to at least inform Jack about what was going on.I doubt Victor would believe that’s all I did though. Even if he did forgive me, there’d always be that doubt at the back of his mind. That little voice that said I was lying to protect his feelings and Jack was still my numb
As I headed downstairs, I wondered if Arthur might actually take his time eating today. My question was answered as I entered the dining room. In short, not exactly. While he was definitely eating slower than usual, I would hardly call it "taking his time."Thomas walked in at that moment. His jaw almost hit the floor when he saw Arthur at the table. I guess he was just as stunned about Arthur eating on time as I was."My goodness, how did you manage this?" He asked."I talked with him about some personal problems of mine," I said, shrugging. "He couldn't leave the room fast enough."Thomas chuckled at this and shook his head. He didn’t ask for any details though. Again, I
Although Arthur certainly wasn't shy about asking me questions, he definitely seemed cautious about the kinds of things he was asking me now. I could see him pausing and second-guessing before every question. I felt a little guilty. I didn’t want him to feel like he had to be so defensive around me.But again, what was done was done. I hated that I seemed to be having that attitude so often lately, but I really wasn’t sure what else I could do about it. All I could do now was answer the rest of his questions in a cheerful manner and hope that he would start to feel comfortable again soon."What kind of scenery do you enjoy most?" He asked."Umm... I suppose things like the garden," I said, shrugging. "I’ve always loved nature. Flowers, forests, sunsets. Oh, and anything to do with water. Espe