Almost Always You

Chapter 14

The gate opened after Xander entered the code. We drove in, and I saw the biggest mansion I'd ever seen.

It had a beautiful front lawn filled with bright lights. There was a fountain in the middle of the lawn, and the house looked like something out of a magazine. It looked like a castle.

Xander got out of the car, and I followed him. He walked toward the front door while I followed slowly, admiring the view.

Before he could ring the doorbell, the door swung open, and a little girl came running toward us.

"Alex!" she screamed.

It was Emma. I recognized her from the pictures Xander had shown me.

"Hey, Emma. How are you?" he asked.

"I'm good. I learned to write till fifty," she said proudly.

"Wow, aren't you a little genius?" he said, kissing her cheeks.

She giggled.

I stood behind them, watching this soft side of Xander that I'd never seen before.

"Who is this?" Emma asked, looking toward me.

"She's my friend. Her name is Ella."

"Is she a princess?" she asked, looking at my dress.

God, she was the cutest kid I'd ever seen. She looked like a miniature female version of Xander.

"Yes, she's a princess, just like you," Xander said, looking back at me.

"Alex, honey, you're here."

A voice came from the doorway.

I looked up to see Mrs. Matthews standing there. She still looked as beautiful and young as she had when I'd last seen her.

She saw me, and her eyes twinkled.

"Oh Lord! Ella, honey, is that you?" she asked.

"Yes, Mrs. Matthews."

"Oh! You look so beautiful, and you've grown so much. How are you?"

She hugged me.

"I'm good. How are you?"

"I'm alright, dear. Emma, did you meet Ella?"

"Yes, Mommy. She's Alex's friend. He said she's a princess."

"Well, of course she is! I mean, look how pretty she is. Come on, guys. Alex, your dad is waiting for you. He is going to be so happy when he sees you, Ella."

We went inside.

Their house was huge and beautiful.

"Your house is really beautiful, Mrs. Matthews," I said, admiring the interior.

"Thank you, Ella. And consider it your own. Don't be a guest," she said warmly.

Xander was carrying Emma on his shoulders as we went into the huge living room, where the television was.

Mr. Matthews was sitting on the couch watching football. He turned around when he heard us.

"Alex, how are you, son?" he asked.

"I'm doing fine, Dad."

Xander had always had a good relationship with his parents, unlike me.

"And who might this beautiful lady be?" he asked when he saw me.

"Babe, you remember Ella, right? James's sister."

"Oh, of course! Ella, darling, how are you? You look so different."

"I'm good, Mr. Matthews."

"When did you come here?" he asked.

"I came a few weeks ago. I'm studying at the same college as Xander."

"Wow, that's really good. You know, I'm one of the board members there, so if you have any problems, you can contact me or tell Alex," Mr. Matthews said.

"Oh, I didn't know you were on the board."

"Well, my son here doesn't want my position to be mentioned or used in front of anyone. That's the reason I can't even come to watch my son play. So, how was today's match?" he asked, turning toward Xander.

"We won. Two-nil. I scored one of them," he said without even looking up. He was more interested in what Emma was showing him.

"Congratulations. I'm proud of you, son," Mr. Matthews said.

Xander didn't say anything in response.

I felt bad.

I would have been so lucky if I had loving parents like them.

Xander looked at me and noticed the disappointed look on my face. He raised his eyebrows, silently asking what was wrong.

I just smiled and shook my head.

Mrs. Matthews left, saying she had to help the maid prepare some desserts. Mr. Matthews followed shortly after.

Xander was looking at a picture Emma had drawn at school.

Emma came toward me, and I leaned down to face her.

"Where is your crown?" she asked.

"What?"

"You're a princess, right? So, where's your crown?"

"Oh! I don't always wear it. I've kept it locked away in a safe. I only wear it on special occasions."

"Can you show me your crown?"

"Yes, dear. Next time I meet you, I'll show you my crown."

Xander was staring at us with a smile.

Emma then went back to him, telling him all about her school.

Soon, Mrs. Matthews called us, saying dinner was ready.

We went to the dining area. I saw a variety of dishes spread across the table.

"Ella, honey, I didn't cook anything special for you because Alex never told me what you liked."

"Mrs. Matthews, this is like a buffet. You don't have to cook anything special. I like everything that's in front of me."

If my mom saw what I was about to eat, she might freak out.

We all sat down. Xander sat beside me.

"Let's pray," Mrs. Matthews said.

Everyone joined hands. Xander held one of my hands, while Mrs. Matthews held the other.

We prayed and said grace.

Everyone started digging in.

I took a little chicken, some rice, and salad.

"Honey, take some more. What happened? Don't you like it?" Mrs. Matthews asked.

"Oh, I love it. I've always loved your cooking. It's just that I ate before I came here. I'm not that hungry."

I was lying, and Xander knew it.

He kept staring at me.

I ignored him.

It was just that there was so much food, and I didn't want to overeat. I didn't want to gain weight and deal with my mom's reaction.

Mrs. Matthews didn't say anything else to me after that.

We finished dinner.

I helped Mrs. Matthews clean up because the maid had left early. She refused at first, but I insisted on helping.

"So, tell me, dear. Is something going on between you and Alex?" she asked.

"No, Mrs. Matthews. Why do you ask?"

"Because he looks at you differently. The way his dad looks at me—with love and respect."

"Oh no, you've got the wrong idea. Xander doesn't love me. We're just friends, nothing else."

"Okay. If you say so. But I know my son very well."

I didn't ask her what she meant by that.

We finished cleaning up and went to the living room to join the others.

"It's game night. We're going to play Monopoly," Mr. Matthews announced.

"Ella, are you playing?" Emma asked.

I didn't want to intrude on their family time.

"No, actually, I think I should go to bed. I'm really tired."

"Okay, Alex, honey, show Ella her room."

Xander walked upstairs, and I followed him, wishing everyone good night.

The second floor was huge, and there were many rooms.

He opened the second door and entered.

The room was really big, with a queen-size bed and white walls. It had a small couch and a balcony.

It was beautiful.

"This is one of our guest bedrooms. My room is at the end of the hall. If you want anything, just call me," he said blankly before leaving.

*What's wrong with him?*

I changed my clothes and put on shorts and a tank top. I sat on the bed, deciding to read something online.

A little while later, I heard screaming voices.

I panicked and went outside my room.

As I got closer to the voices, I realized it was Xander and his family playing the game.

They sounded really happy.

I quietly made my way downstairs and hid behind a wall. I peeked at them.

I might have looked like a creep right then, but I loved what I saw.

The whole family was enjoying the game.

Xander looked really happy.

*This is what I've always wanted.*

A happy family.

As if he sensed me, Xander looked up, and I quickly hid behind the wall.

I hoped he hadn't seen me.

I quickly made my way back to my room.

I switched off the lights and got under the blanket.

A few minutes later, there was a light knock on my door.

I didn't get up. I pretended to be asleep.

The door opened, and someone came inside.

The person shut the door and walked toward me.

It was Xander.

I recognized him by his cologne.

The bed dipped beside me, which meant he had lain down.

His hand came around my waist, and he pulled me toward him. My back pressed against his front.

His warm breath tickled my neck.

"I know you're not asleep, El. I saw you downstairs."

*s**t! He saw me.*

I turned around to face him.

I couldn't see his face clearly because the only light in the room was coming from the balcony.

"Why did you come downstairs? You could have played the game and spent some time with us."

"I was really tired. I was about to sleep when I heard you all screaming. I panicked and came downstairs to see if everything was alright."

"Okay. Why did you lie to my mom during dinner?"

"What? I didn't lie to your mom."

"You said you ate before you came here, when we both know that's not true."

"I wasn't hungry, Xander."

He stayed quiet for a while.

"I thought we were friends, but now I know that you don't trust me enough to tell me the truth. I'm guessing we aren't that close."

He got up and left the room without saying anything else.

I felt bad about lying to everyone.

I tried to sleep, but I couldn't.

I tossed and turned for half an hour before getting thirsty.

I went downstairs into the kitchen, took a bottle of water from the refrigerator, and drank some before putting it back.

I made my way upstairs.

I stood in front of my door and looked at the closed door at the end of the hall.

Without really thinking, I made my way over there.

I decided that if the door was unlocked, I would go in. If it was locked, I'd go back to my room.

I tried the door handle.

It was locked.

I turned around to leave, but the door opened, and Xander stepped outside.

"El? What's the matter?"