"Who's he?"

Chapter 19

Kierra's POV

"Thanks for the ride, Chase," I said as Chase pulled over just outside the gate to Emily's home.

"No problem. It wasn't my usual scene for a date but I guess it doesn't hurt to try new things," he said and winked at me. I rolled my eyes at his attempt at a joke as I got out of the car and glanced ahead at the imposing mansion.

Just thinking about the fact that Ethan was in there was enough to arouse emotions in me unlike never before.

"I'll see you later, Chase," I muttered with a little wave over my shoulder before heading towards the mansion.

The first thing that struck me on entering the house was how busy everyone seemed. Usually, the whole place was silent with the occasional maid milling about but it was different now. Everyone seemed busy doing one thing or the other which was usually how things were when their parents were home.

My eyes widened and I hurriedly made my way to the den only to end up running into Ethan and Emily's parents. I tried leaving but they'd already seen me.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Grayson," I said as I stepped into the room. There was a little silence that preceded my greeting and I couldn't have felt more awkward. Eventually, Mrs. Grayson said, "It's very nice to see you again, Kierra. How is your mom?"

"She's doing okay. How was your trip, Ma'am?"

"Exhausting but I'm glad to be back."

I smiled back at her, still well aware that Ethan's dad had just been silently staring at me the whole time.

"How's school, Kierra?" he asked, a few seconds after his wife had spoken.

"It's great, Sir."

"Have you gotten into any trouble lately?"

"Not at all, Sir."

"Hmmm, that's nice to hear. I wish Emily would be more like you."

I looked down so he wouldn't see my reaction to his statement. Raymond Grayson could never resist an opportunity to compare me to Emily and knowing how much Emily was struggling, it hurt to hear.

"You know, that's why I wanted you guys to be friends. It's probably the only reason I allowed Emily to even get close to you," he was saying and the message behind his words struck me. "I was hoping that some of your smarts would rub off on her. I don't know if it's working though."

I was unable to hold back a shiver after hearing the tone with which he said the last sentence. There was a menacing, almost threatening edge to his words and it made me wish I could turn back time and not have run in here.

After a few more dreadful minutes of silence, I decided to excuse myself and make a quick escape before they could stop me. After stepping out, I stopped for a moment to take a breather and clear my head.

While I wouldn't say Blake's parents were bad people, being around them wasn't my favorite thing. I especially didn't like staying around his father.

While Blake's mom was nice though very materialistic at him, Blake's dad was stoic, judgemental, and usually only nice to people who were either at his level or who weren't but groveled at his feet so he hadn't exactly been pleased when my mom accepted his loans years ago and paid them back even with interest.

It was hard to explain but he wanted her to just be like every other person who asked him for loans and be forever in his favor which my mom didn't want.

I thought of Emily and quickly ran up the stairs to her room which seemed the plausible place for her to be. However, because I was running, I saw Ethan's door swing open, was too fast to stop myself, and ended up walking right into him. However, before I could fall back due to the force from the hit, Ethan was quick to catch me by my waist and pull me back to him.

With my heart still pounding from the not-so-fatal collision, I slowly looked up and locked eyes with my savior. At that moment, the whole world seemed to fade around and Ethan and I were the only ones left.

He just seemed so perfect: from his hypnotic gaze to those lips of his to his sharp jawline, silky brown hair, and the beautiful smile he had on his lips.

As though under a spell, I slowly raised my hand and trailed a finger under his eye and over his cheek before letting my hand fall.

"Hey," he said, the dazzling smile still in place. I could resist smiling just a little as I said, "Hey."

"Where are you heading to in a rush anyway?" he asked, letting go of my waist and taking a step back which I couldn't help but be sad about.

"Well, I'm on my way to see Emily. Sorry about running into you by the way," I apologized.

"It's no biggie. I can take it," he said and then proceeded to flex his muscles. I burst into laughter and shook my head at his antics.

"I should really get going though," I said and attempted to make my way past him but he stopped me saying, "I don't think Emily's in her room."

"Really? Where is she then?"

"I don't know but she went off somewhere. You could go check though."

"Yeah, I'll do that," I replied and walked off in the direction of Emily's room and to my surprise, Ethan was right behind me. I tried not to freak out and assumed he wasn't actually following me but he was.

Anyway, Emily wasn't in her room so I decided to check other rooms in the house where she usually went but she wasn't in any of them. After checking all the places she usually went to, I decided to check one of the other places she usually went to: the outdoor pool.

Ethan and I rushed out to the pool and sure enough, she was in the pool. She wasn't actually in the pool. She was just sitting at the edge of the pool with her legs in the water.

I watched her sadly for a few minutes in secret before I decided to approach her. Ethan, however, didn't come with me. I turned to look at him in question but he just silently shook his head at me and urged me to meet Emily.

I understood his reasons and just gave a little wave before heading over to Emily and sitting beside her.

"Hey Emi," I started, giving her a sideways glance. "You okay?" She didn't say anything and didn't even react like she knew I was there but I wasn't hurt. "I just want you to know that no matter what your parents tell you, you are a special person and a beautiful young lady and you don't need to be someone else to matter because you're perfect as yourself, Emily."

She still didn't say anything or give a reaction at least, that was what I thought until I saw a tear trail down her cheek and onto her lap. I didn't bother saying anything. I just pulled her into a hug and just as I expected, her sobs intensified. I hugged her even tighter and pat her back occasionally as she let it all out.

I noticed that Ethan was watching us from where he had been standing and smiling at us. It was impossible not to smile back as I watched him leave.

After comforting Emily at the pool and eating a lot of ice cream while we also cried over sappy love stories, it was time for me to go home. Ethan would have dropped me off but Emily was adamant about Ethan not taking me home so I decided it probably wasn't best to aggravate her while she was vulnerable and I took a taxi home.

The taxi dropped me off and I paid him after getting off. I headed home with my bag beside me ready to grab my car only to notice that the door was open which was weird. I didn't expect my mom to be back so early.

Slowly, I pushed open the door and was a little surprised to hear laughter and chatter coming from my mom and an unfamiliar voice. When I reached the dining room, I was met with the sight of my mom sitting beside an unknown man eating dinner.

"Mom?!" I called out, very confused at what was happening.

"Oh, Kierra! You're back! Welcome home, honey," my mom said, jumping to her feet and smiling nervously at me.

"Who's he?"I asked, pointing at the man who'd been seated beside her, hoping it wasn't what I thought.