The Ballerinas Billionaire Bodyguard

CHAPTER 14

The next morning, Lilli could not contain her excitement for our spa day, and it was almost contagious. She was practically a little bouncy ball, jumping around the kitchen like she had springs in her knees, and if the roof wasn't there I was sure she would launch off into space like a rocket ship. I was sitting at the counter eating my apple while she was doing her little happy dance, both of us waiting for Frankie to bring the car to the front of the house. I had offered Frankie the day off since Lilli would be right by my side the whole time, but he refused saying he felt safer if could watch over me personally.

"I'm so excited..."Lilli kept on singing, her voice ringing out loud through my kitchen. I couldn’t help but laugh at her pitchy cover of the song.

"Can you just calm down for a bit?" I knew asking was not going to matter, her stare giving me my answer already.

"No, and I think you should join me." I giggle when she comes around the counter grabbing me by the hands and pulls me up to my feet. She starts jumping again, making me move with her as she starts to shake her hips too.

"Come on, sing Violet! I'm so excited..." She was waiting for me to finish the rest of the lyrics.

"And I just can't hide it!" I finally give in to her relentless happiness hopping and singing like a madman in my kitchen with my best friend. This might be the most carefree fun I've had, even if I have a creepy stalker peeping at me and leaving freaky messages for me on my window. The fact that Lilli could make me have so much fun is the biggest reason I had become best friends with her all those years ago in high school. Her ability to distract me from my worst thoughts was like a gift and I loved her to bits for it.

"The car is ready, Violet." Frankie's voice carries to the kitchen from the front door and Lilli and I don't stop our hopping as we make our way over to him.

"Thank you, Frankie!" His eyebrows nearly shoot to the ceiling when he takes in the sight of me and Lilli, two jumping bunnies.

"Did you sniff something while I went to get the car?" I couldn’t help but laugh at his stunned voice.

"No, we're just happy." Lilli replied on behalf of me since I was still giggling.

"Why do women hop when they're happy?" Frankie barely dodged Lilli's arms flying towards his face, and I grabbed hold of her hand, trying to contain the happy hop to our little circle.

"Because it's fun!" I shout, giggling louder when Lilli makes us spin around.

"Well, then. Hop on a long to the car, ladies." We skip down the driveway, and Frankie opens the door for us to get it. Lilli falls down on the leather seat with a huff, her cheeks flushed a rosy pink from all the laughing.

"Oh, Lilli. I don't think I've laughed this much since I was a kid. It used to be when we would hang out in the old tree house, before Will and Grayson raided it for themselves. Do you remember?" She scrunches her nose at the mention of Grayson. Lilli never took a liking to him, other than the fact that he was, and I quote my friend'slovely choice of words, "as hot as a jalapeño popper."

She has always thought of Grayson as extremely arrogant, selfish, egotistical and cold. To be fair she wasn't completely alone on that sentiment, but I at least didn't tell him those things to his face whenever I saw him. It's like Lilli made a point of it to speak ill of the man whenever and wherever she found a chance to. I had worried that it would put a rift between me and Lilli, but then again Grayson and I aren't exactly best friends either and we don't even hang out. The only time I '"see" him is when Will has invited him over for watching the game, and even those times Lilli and I have our plans and aren't around them.

"Oh yeah, him. Man, even just the mention of that guy makes me want to start a fight." I swallow my laugh.

"What is it that bothers you so much about the guy?" She scoffs at me.

"What doesn't bother me about him?" I stare her down, wanting to know the answer to this question.

"I mean..I know this is going to sound super dumb and super prejudice, but..." Her eyes fall to her fingers twisting nervously in her lap and I place my hand over hers.

"Hey, it's me, Lilli. You can talk to me." She gives me a sad smile and when she looks up at me there are tears in her eyes.

"My ex...used to be a lot like Grayson, and...well, you know how that ended." I bite my lip, scolding myself for forgetting about her traumatic experience with her ex boyfriend. He was a narcissist who used to physically abuse her, and the whole thing almost broke her to pieces. That night came crashing down on me like a wave.

I answered my phone, Lilli's sobbing on the other side breaking my heart. Lilli was an extremely optimistic person, one who didn't cry often, but when she did cry it broke my heart.

"Lilli? What's wrong?" All I could hear was her sniffling, her sobs.

"Lilli? You need to tell me what happened, please."

"It's, Jason...he...he..." Another sob.

"Alright, take a deep breath and try to tell me slowly. What about Jason? Is he alright?" She sniffled but stayed quiet for a few seconds other than that.

"He...he h-hit me." Right then was the angriest I had ever felt at a man in my entire life. I don't care what the excuse is, a man should never hit a woman, no matter what.

"Where are you right now?" I grab my keys and rush out of my house, not even waiting for her to give me an answer.

"In our apartment...he left."

When I arrived at their place, there wasn't much left to call a home. Glass lay shattered everywhere, picture frames snapped in half, blankets ripped and thrown on the floor. The sight was something out of a hurricane disaster movie, but the worst of it all was my best friend sitting in the middle of the floor amongst all the shrapnel from the bomb that exploded. She looked so broken, both physically and emotionally, her eye bruised, her lip split open and tears rushing down her face.

"Oh Lilli..." I walked over to her, glass crunching under my shoes. When I reached her, she seemed to sob harder.

"Come on, let's get you out of here." I hugged her to me, picked her up and led her away from that nightmare.

It took Lilli months to get over the whole thing, and to this day she still gets nightmares. I sigh and turn my attention to her again once the memory fades.

"I understand that you are scared and you want to protect me, but I don't think Grayson is like that...he has his own quirks, but he's not all that bad." She hesitates but eventually nods.

"I know. I'm working on my issues, all I'm saying is be careful. I just don't want you to go through the same thing I did back then, okay?" I give her a smile and hug her tight.

"I promise that I will be safe. Besides Grayson and I together? As if..." I trail off, wincing slightly. Even though it seemed far fetched I couldn't help but hope for a future with him. But unfortunately the thought of Grayson and I together was just that...a thought.

"Ready to go to the spa, ladies?" Frankie hopped in the car and we took off to what would hopefully be a further relaxing day.