Chapter Fourteen

Riley Lynn (P.O.V.)

Vincent continued to rave about his house while I looked around in awe.

"The whole back wall of the side split is glass and overlooks the lake." 

Ah, I knew there had to be something else. A lake. That probably upped the property price by ten percent alone.

"Do you have a boat?" I asked. 

He looked at me like I was crazy.

"Of course. Come here and pretend to look at these flowers." 

I rolled up my sleeves and followed him to a few bushes of roses and other flowers that I could not recognize. A few droplets of rain fell on my face, and I wiped them off.

"It is starting to rain again. When can we go inside?" 

"Just a few more moments. I have a feeling my mother is checking the camera footage periodically." 

"That is... creepy. Inside the house too?" 

"No, no cameras inside. Just outside but she can pull up all of our surveillance on her phone," he told me.

"I can too, but I do not like how she has access to my house security. Does not she have other things to do? Today it will benefit me though. Sorry for making you stand outside in the rain." Vincent said guiltily. 

"It is fine as long as it does not start pouring. Are you the only one who lives here?" I asked, touching the soft petals of one of the roses. 

"Yes," he answered, but it sounded stiff.

"We can go inside now." 

After unlocking the door, he gestured for me to go first. I did and my mouth opened a little in awe. The first thing I noticed was the high ceilings and I realized that the second story that I could see from the driveway was not even another floor— it was just the ceilings. Currently, I was standing on the first level and there was a cut out in the middle of the room, and you could see the floor below, which meant the house was on an incline and technically this was the second level. A wide, metal, twisting staircase led down to the floor below where a vast living room was set up. As Vincent had said, the wall that bordered the lake was made completely of glass. From where I was standing, I could partially see the water rippling in the rain. 

"I like the airy feel of high ceilings," Vincent said as he gently pushed me further inside the house so he could close the door.

"I also always wanted a place where you could see the floor below from the floor above. The bedrooms, as well as the bathroom, are on this floor if you follow the hall down." 

"How many rooms does this house have?" I asked, looking at the polished wooden floors. I figured they weren't the usual oak because the color was a little off. 

"That staircase there leads to the living room, which is the biggest room. There is also a second bathroom and the kitchen on the floor below us, so that makes six rooms." 

I nodded, trying to take in the place.

We were standing on what seemed to be a wraparound balcony. There was a place to hang coats and what I assumed to be a small closet. Then you could walk down the hall to the other rooms while looking down at the living room. It was pretty awesome. 

"Do you want to see my bedroom?" Vincent asked with a sly smirk. 

"Not necessary," I answered as I started toward the staircase.

I wanted to go to the glass wall and look at the lake. 

"Hey! Take your shoes off." 

I paused, looking down at my shoes.

"Oops."

I removed my shoes and brought them back over and he placed them on a shoe rack. I could not help but smile at his organization. He also removed his shoes and then escorted me back to the stairs. 

"Your place is awesome," I told him as I scurried down the stairs in my socks.

I nearly slipped because they were so smooth. I peeked behind me to see Vincent smiling to himself and I found myself smiling too. He was pretty cute when he was proud. 

"I am glad you like it. I do not get to show it off to people often," he told me. 

The living room was furnished beautifully. It seemed the house had a theme of being open; it almost resembled the forest around it. The floor was made of white tile and the furnishings were all in neutral colors, but instead of it feeling empty as I thought it would, it felt very warm and cozy. There were multiple plants scattered around the room, some bigger than me. 

"Your television is so big!" I cried as I walked over to where it was posted on the wall connecting to the glass. It was almost as tall as me!

"Do you have surround sound?" 

He nodded. 

"Can you watch Netflix on it?" 

He nodded again. 

"Sweet!"

There were definitely enough seats around it to watch the television. He had a fancy looking leather sofa as well as a few love seats scattered around. There was a small section of couches around a coffee table that looked set up for business meetings. I noticed every game system known to man tucked away in the television stand. Moving on, I could see he had a dartboard and lots of art on the walls and that the living room doubled as the dining room with a dinner table settled along the glass wall.

"Wow," I breathed as I walked up to it.

Even in the dreary weather, the view was incredible. The forest broke at the edge of the lake, revealing the huge body of water. There was a dock floating by the shore and a couple of kayaks propped up by the trees.

"You really designed this place? That is really amazing. I am impressed." 

"I can tell," Vincent said, coming to stand beside me.

He grinned.

"You are cute when you are excited." 

I felt myself blush before I could stop it. Did he have to smile so handsomely while saying that?

"Shut up." I said and covered my face to hide my smile. 

"But thank you. I do not show off my place to many, so I appreciate the compliment," he continued, getting more serious. 

"Why Do you not invite people over? I would be showing it off to everyone." 

"This is the only place I have left," he said, gazing out at the lake, his jaw tightening.

He stayed quiet for a moment, and I stayed silent beside him. Something told me not to push it. He suddenly cleared this throat and looked at me nervously.

"I will go make some coffee." 

I wanted to tell him that that I had just come from working eight hours at a coffee shop and coffee was the last thing I wanted, but as with many things I wanted to say to him, I did not.

"Sounds good." 

"The master bathroom on the floor above us has a Jacuzzi tub if you want to check that out." Vincent said and I clenched my fist and let out a silent cheer.

An inside Jacuzzi was just as good as an outside one. I had to see how deep it was.

"Do not mind if I do." 

I hurried back up the steps and opened the door at the end of the hallway. It definitely was not the bathroom, and it was definitely Vincent's bedroom. A huge ass four-poster bed was centered along the furthest wall, with a giant glass window behind it letting in light. I itched to jump on the bed— it was huge, like two king sizes together huge –but I refrained. I could not be lying on some strange guy's bed in his house. There was a laptop on his bed and a desk in the corner of his room. Another television was screwed to the wall in front of the bed and a huge bookcase lined the wall next to me. The wall opposite of his bed was completely made out of mirrors, with black imprints of trees over it. Next to that, he had a huge wardrobe and then a smaller dresser.

As with the downstairs, he had few plants in his room. His room was not what I was expecting at all. It was kind of mysterious and dark. There was a door by the desk in the corner and I went over to it wondering if it led to the bathroom. It did not. It led to a huge walk-in closet. My mouth dropped at the sheer amount of suits and button-ups this dude had. There was a display with a bunch of watches and cuff links and so many ties, I did not even want to begin counting them. Did he really need the dressers and this closet for all his clothing? 

"I am so jealous," I huffed, walking out the closet and out of the room, pausing to shut the door behind me.

 I did not want him to find me in there. I moved onto the next door and pushed it open to find the bathroom. I was more curious about the last room, so I closed it for the moment and headed to the last door. As soon as I opened it the smell of mothballs met my nose and I wrinkled it.

Was it a storage area? The blinds were down, and they blacked out the room entirely. I searched for the light switch along the wall and before I could find it, a hand gripped my shoulder and yanked me out of the room. I let out a surprised yelp, nearly losing my balance. The door slammed shut as soon as I was out, and I looked up at Vincent in surprise. 

"Do not go in there," he said, his voice hard. 

I blinked at him.

"S-sorry?" I stuttered

His expression did not lighten, and his words were tense.

"I did not tell you. It was my fault. Please do not go in there again." Vincent apologized.

"I will not. I am sorry, Vincent." 

It took him a second, but he managed to school his features. He rubbed his forehead.

"I did not mean to pull you so hard. It is just that no one is allowed in that room." 

"Is it not your room? Does someone else stay here?" I asked cautiously. 

"Not anymore," Vincent murmured, eyes on the ground.

"Forget about it. Just do not go in there."

"Alright, got it. Sorry again." 

Vincent stared at me for a moment and then forcibly smiled.

"The bathroom is right here," he said. 

He opened the bathroom door again and any thoughts of his strange attitude were momentarily lost when I caught sight of his jacuzzi tub. It was big enough to swim in.

"It looks like a pool! It is so deep!" 

"If you are lucky, I will let you take a bath with me," Vincent said with a wink, light-heartedness returning to his voice.

He seemed much more at ease now that we were away from the other room. I shot him a dirty look.

"Nice try." 

"Why not? We are dating, aren't we?" 

"You are a pig," I said, shoving him in the shoulder. Although to be honest, I considered it for one, teensy moment because I really wanted to use it. Vincent let out a quiet chuckle.

"I am kidding. Feel free to come back and use it whenever you would like. I would not suggest using it during the day because there is no air conditioning in the bathroom and it will get hot, but at night it is quite nice." 

"Do you plan on having me over again? I thought you said you do not like people here," I responded.

I figured today was a special case. Especially since I had obviously invaded his privacy that he wanted to keep to himself. 

"If it is you, then I do not think I will mind," he answered, shoving his hands into his pocket. "You can feel free to come over whenever you want. This is the most lively my house has been in a long time. I think I like it." 

I suddenly felt a little shy.

"Oh, um, thanks." 

"Do not tell Liam I told you that though," Vincent added. 

"Why not?" I asked in curiosity.

 A forlorn look came to Vincent's eyes.

"Because I will never hear the end of it." 

A ringing noise met my ears and Vincent's hand shot to his pocket. After looking at the screen he grinned triumphantly.

"It is my mom."

My heart skipped a beat. His plan had worked that quickly? That was crazy! 

"Hi mother," Vincent greeted as he swiped to answer the call.

"Oh, you saw?" Vincent said then gave me a thumb's up.

"Yes, she is a girl I am seeing. Her name is Riley." 

I stood silently, wondering what his mother was saying. Judging by Vincent's expression, she was saying exactly what he wanted her to say.

"You will eventually meet her," he said, leaning against the sink.

"I know. Yeah. No, you cannot talk to her. No, Mom. You will scare her off." He was silent for a moment. 

"Do not even joke about that!" he cried, and I jumped as he startled me.

"Stop trying to take away my car for every little thing," he snapped. 

I rolled my eyes.

Of course. 

"Mom, I am making her dinner. I have to go. Goodbye."

With that, he hit the end call and stuck his chin up.

"Perfect." Vincent said with a grin on his face.

"That is all you wanted?" I asked him.

"A phone call? Really?" 

"It is definitely the start we need," he told me.

"The fact that you came over is the best sign of seriousness we can give. The fact that she called proves it." 

I still did not understand but I do not think I ever would, so I just nodded.

"Well, I am happy it worked out. Does this mean I can go home now?" 

He shook his head.

"No, she will probably be all over the cameras to see when you leave. You would not mind staying a while, do you? I will make you dinner."

"I mean it is my job so you can make me stay as late as you want," I told him, exiting the bathroom.

I was pretty hungry, so dinner sounded like a good idea. 

"You would not want to stay if you did not have to?" 

"I did not mean..." 

"Do you feel pressured to do as I say?" he asked, moving around me so that he was in front of me.

Vincent frowned deeply.

"Riley, you do not have to do something just because I ask of you if really do not want to. I know you do not think too highly of me, but please do not think that badly of me." 

I cupped my elbow and dropped my gaze. The seriousness of the look he was giving me made me uncomfortable.

"I did not mean it like that. I just think it is better if we do not get too close. That way this is easier." 

"How does it make it easier? We will just continue to be delicate around each other. Then we will always be uncomfortable. Should not we be friends at the very least? We might as well have some fun with this." 

Our gazes met again, and I swallowed nervously.

"Are you sure you want a friend as poor as me?" 

My sad attempt at humor worked and his solemn expression broke into an eye roll.

"It is an experience I would like to have at least one poor friend." 

"Hey!" 

He smirked at me.

"Just kidding." 

I watched him warily. He wanted to be friends. Maybe it would not be so bad after all. When Vincent was alone he seemed like a completely different person. I could see myself being friends with him in his relaxed state. It was worth a try.

"Alright." 

"Just do not embarrass me," he said. 

I pressed my lips together. Something told me it was going to be a very trying friendship.