Almost Always You

Chapter 16

I woke up sweating. I tried to move, but something was holding me down. I turned onto my back and saw Xander lying on his stomach, shirtless. His hand was still around my waist.

I tried to move his hand, but he pulled me tightly toward him and nuzzled his face into my neck.

“Xander, I’m feeling hot. Please move your hand.”

“Hmm, baby, you’re always hot,” he mumbled, snuggling closer to me.

I was suffocating. I tried to push his hand away but couldn’t.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

“Alex, honey, are you in there?”

It was Mrs. Matthews.

*s**t! We’re screwed.*

Xander sat up and looked at me.

“Yes, Mom. What’s the matter?” he asked.

“Oh, honey, Ella’s not in her room. Do you know where she is?”

I looked at him in panic.

“She might be outside in the garden, Mom. She told me yesterday that she wanted to explore it.”

“Alright, honey. You come downstairs for breakfast. I’ll send Marie to get Ella.”

I widened my eyes.

“No, Mom,” Xander said quickly. “I’ll go find her. You need Marie in the kitchen anyway. I’ll be down soon.”

“Okay, honey. Bring her back soon. The food is getting cold.”

Mrs. Matthews left.

I got up, and Xander groaned. I looked back at him and saw him staring at my legs.

I realized I was wearing only his shirt and my underwear. I blushed and picked up my clothes.

“I’ll go and change and meet you outside in ten minutes. We can go downstairs together.”

Xander was still staring at my legs and just nodded.

I smiled and rolled my eyes at him.

I opened the door and looked around to see if anyone was there. The hallway was clear, so I stepped out and quietly closed the door behind me.

I turned around and came face-to-face with a strange girl wearing a maid’s uniform.

I guessed she was Marie, but she was really young and beautiful—maybe just a year or two older than me.

I gave her a small smile.

She looked me up and down, rolled her eyes, and walked away.

It was really awkward.

I went into my room, brushed my teeth, and changed my clothes. I put on some light makeup and made my way out.

I saw Xander coming out of his room. He smiled at me and gave me a quick peck on the lips.

“I think I saw Marie. She saw me getting out of your room.”

“She did? Oh, she's going to tell Mom.”

“What? Really?”

“Yeah! You know how old people like to gossip.”

“Old? The girl I saw was really young. She might be just a year or two older than me.”

“Oh! Then you must have seen Skylar. She’s Marie’s daughter. Don’t worry, we’re safe. She’s studying to become a bariatric surgeon—you know, an obesity-medicine specialist. She helps around whenever she has time to make some extra money.”

“Oh. That’s great.”

We made our way to the dining hall.

Everyone was already seated.

I saw Skylar looking at me strangely. I ignored her and sat down.

I greeted Mr. and Mrs. Matthews.

Emma greeted me and said, “I want you to play with me today, and you can also tell me everything a princess does.”

“Of course, Emma,” I said, smiling at her.

I looked at the table, and it was filled with all kinds of food.

Wow! Mrs. Matthews really went all out.

There were eggs, bacon, sausage, some kind of salad, and waffles.

An older woman came in carrying bread and orange juice. I guessed that was Marie.

She smiled at me.

We began eating. I took some bread, eggs, and a little bacon.

We ate peacefully.

“Take some more bread, my love. If you want, I can spread some butter on it,” Marie said.

I was about to say no when Skylar spoke.

“I think she doesn’t want to gain any more weight, Mum. Stop forcing her.”

There was an awkward silence.

Everyone was looking at me, and I looked down at my plate.

*Does she mean I’m fat?*

She might know better since she was going to become a doctor.

Marie scolded her.

“Sky, that’s not how you talk to a guest. Say sorry to her right now.”

“Why should I? I never said anything wrong. I said what I saw. She might not be comfortable eating all that fat,” Skylar said before leaving the room.

“I’m sorry, my love. She has never said anything like that before. I’m sorry, Mrs. Matthews,” Marie said, following Skylar.

Everyone returned to their food.

“Ella, honey, why aren’t you eating?” Mrs. Matthews asked.

“I’m actually full. I ate a lot. Marie kept filling my plate. Excuse me, guys,” I said, getting up.

I looked toward Xander. He had a concerned expression on his face.

I gave him an assuring smile.

“I’ll be upstairs. Emma, you should come to my room after you finish your breakfast,” I said before walking upstairs with tears in my eyes.

*I’m gaining weight again.*

My mom would be so upset.

*I have to stop eating junk food.*

I reached my room and went into the bathroom.

I looked at myself in the mirror and became overwhelmed by everything I'd been thinking about.

The comments from breakfast had gotten into my head, and I slipped back into an unhealthy habit I'd struggled with before.

Afterward, I washed my face, cleaned up, and returned to my room.

I lay down on the bed.

*Maybe that's the reason Xander never wanted anything more from me. Maybe he knows I'm not perfect and doesn't like my body.*

I felt like I should break our deal so he wouldn't have to be with someone he wasn't attracted to.

There was a light knock on my door.

I got up, expecting Emma, but when I opened it, it was Xander.

He came inside and closed the door.

“Are you alright? You should ignore what Skylar said. I don't know what came over her when she said that. I've never seen her talk to a guest like that. My dad has given her a warning.”

I gave him a fake smile.

“I’m alright, Xander. Don’t worry about me.”

“I think she’s jealous because you’re so beautiful.”

“Xander, why would she be jealous of me? I mean, she’s so beautiful.”

“Yeah, but you’re more beautiful than she is,” he said with a smile.

I rolled my eyes at him.

Xander came closer to me and looked down at my lips. He was about to kiss me when Emma suddenly barged in.

“Come on, Ella! Let’s go to my room. I have an extra tiara. You can have it.”

She grabbed my hand and pulled me outside.

I didn't look back at Xander.

Emma’s room was really beautiful. It had light-purple walls and a little bed. There were toys scattered everywhere.

I sat down on the chair of her playset.

She said she would make tea, and then we could talk about everything a princess does.

She was talking a lot, but I couldn't pay much attention to her.

All I could think about was how I was going to tell Xander that I wanted to end our deal.

Emma gave me the fake tea she'd made, and we pretended to play princess.

She asked me questions in between, and I answered them as if I were a real princess.

We played until lunchtime.

During lunch, I ate only a little, and everyone noticed it. But they didn't say anything.

I felt like everyone thought I was fat and needed to lose weight.

I avoided dinner, saying I had a headache.

Xander came to my room after dinner.

I pretended to be asleep.

He just looked at me and left.

No kisses. Nothing.