Chapter Nineteen

Riley Lynn (P.O.V.)

Insisting on sleeping on Vincent's couch had seemed like a good idea the night before, seeing as how I was a guest and all, but by six in the morning, I decided it was probably the worst idea. I felt like I did not slept at all. The cushions were not comfortable, and my body was longer than the couch, so I had to curl up to keep my feet from dangling off the edge of the arm supports. I briefly considered getting up just so I would not have to try getting comfortable again. 

Just as I was shifting, a light from the hallway above me turned on. I turned my head up to the balcony and saw Vincent stumbling toward the stairs, his head bowed. He was dressed in a navy blue suit and his hair was wet, as if he had just gotten out of the shower. As he came up to the couch, he seemed to have noticed me and I froze with my eyes half-closed, hoping he would not notice I was awake. After a minute he started moving again, this time more slowly as if he was trying not to wake me up. 

It was ruined, however, when his phone started ringing. He quickly searched his pockets and pulled out his phone, trying to cover it with his hand.

"It is six o'clock in the morning!," he answered the caller in frantic whisper. 

I stretched out and yawned loudly, letting him know I was awake. I wanted to know if he was leaving. Why else would he be up and dressed already? Was I supposed to leave as well? I pushed myself into a sitting position, keeping the blanket wrapped around me. 

"I will be there shortly, I have to go now," Vincent said sleepily into the phone and then pulled it away from his ear. After a second he finally turned to face me, rubbing a hand across his eyes.

"Sorry. I did not mean to wake you." 

"I was kind of up anyway," I told him.

It seemed like he was more sorry to be awake than I was. I could already tell he was definitely a morning person. 

There was a moment of silence, and he shifted his weight.

"Did you sleep okay?" he asked. 

Did he think I was done sleeping? It was six in the morning, and I had already called my boss last night to let him know that I would not have been able to make it to work today. If I do not have to leave the house, then I am definitely going back to bed.

"Are you leaving?" I asked instead. 

He frowned a little.

"There is a problem with one of our projected resorts, so I have to go in." 

"Are you going to drop me off at my place?" I asked him, sitting up a little bit better on the couch. 

"No. You can stay," he told me, noticing his tie was crooked and adjusting it.

"I do not mind if you stay. I hope to be back sooner rather than later." Vincent said as he finished adjusting his tie. 

I chewed a little on my bottom lip. Was it really okay for me to stay at his place alone? It was weird enough with him here, how would it feel without him around?

"Are you sure?" I asked him, feeling a bit uncertain. 

"You will not steal anything, will you?" 

"No!" 

"Then I trust you to stay here without my presence," he stated, yawning again.

"You can take another bath, if you would like." 

I had to admit, that jacuzzi was a deal maker. Plus, even if I went back to my apartment, my bed was not in good shape.

"Okay." 

His phone went off, signaling a text message and he scowled a bit.

"Ugh," he muttered and went into the kitchen. 

I followed him with my gaze, pulling the comforter up to my chin. Maybe when he was gone I could use his bed instead of the couch...

I shook my head, throwing myself back down into a lying position. That would be way weird. I could deal with the couch. At least until I found another place to stay. 

"Feel free to use anything while I am gone," Vincent said as he passed by me again, this time with a water bottle in hand.

"I will lock the doors, so do not let anyone in." Vincent instructed as he made his way to the front door.

I nodded, feeling a bit shy all of a sudden. 

He stared at me for a moment and then cleared his throat.

"Well. Uh…bye, then." 

"Bye," I mumbled, and he nodded and headed back toward the stairs.

I settled back down and closed my eyes.

Vincent was so different than how he was when I had met him. I really did wonder if it was because of the night I snapped at him. I shoved a pillow over my head and groaned. No matter how I thought about it, it was mortifying. How could I get drunk in front of strangers like that? Especially on wine? 

Eventually, I fell back asleep and when I woke up it was around ten o'clock in the morning. The house was dead silent, and the sun was shining through the glass wall, lighting up the room. Beyond the wall I could see the lake, sparkling under the morning sun. It was beautiful and I understood why Vincent had designed it like that. 

After forcing myself off of the couch, I chose to head straight for the jacuzzi tub. I am sure when Vincent would be back, and I did not want him walking in on me again. Thinking about it made my cheeks warm and this time I made sure to lock the door. Fortunately, the bubbles had pretty much covered my body, but who knew what he had already seen? It is not like I was ashamed of my body. It was more of an instance where I did not like being caught off guard while naked. 

I slipped into the bath and immediately turned on the jets, letting them massage my sore back. Thinking about sleeping on that couch again made me cringe. My torn up bed back at my apartment probably would have been more comfortable. I had to start looking for a place right away. A two bedroom would cost a lot more than my last apartment had, but I did have to think about my brother coming back. It was still a few months away, but I wanted everything to be ready for him.

Just then my phone suddenly started ringing. I kept my eyes closed as the jacuzzi did its thing and considered ignoring the blaring noise from my phone.

It might be the police though. I thought to myself.

Sighing, I shut the jets off and slid to the edge of the tub, drying my hands off with a towel before reaching for my phone on the counter. When I caught sight of the caller I.D I slipped, just barely managing to keep my hand with the phone out of the water. 

"H-hello," I greeted, leaning back against the edge of the tub for balance. 

 "Riley!" I heard through the phone. 

"Luke!" I cried, my eyes widening.

"How are you? Are you okay? Do you need anything? What is going on?" I rushed, excited happy and in disbelief that I was actually speaking to my brother right now.

 A chuckle came in response to my questions.

"What are you? An interrogator?" Luke joked which made me roll my eyes.

Typical Luke. 

I scowled a bit.

"No." 

"I am okay, please do not worry. I actually have some good news." He said and my heart skipped a beat. I felt like I automatically held my breath as I waited in anticipation for the news. 

I sat up a little straighter in the tub.

"What is that?" 

"I might be getting out earlier than expected," he said, trying to play it off as cool, but failing pretty badly.

His voice was higher than normal.

"Good behavior and I guess my lawyer has been hounding them to spring me early. He might not be good for much, but at least he has been trying to do something finally." 

"Seriously? That is amazing!" I exclaimed, almost dropping the phone in excitement. 

"I know. The sooner I get out, the sooner I can tell everyone what really happened that night. I definitely did not crash that car, Riley." 

"Luke..." 

"I am almost positive! Even drunk I would not be that dumb," he argued. "I never do anything to risk leaving you alone. You know that." He argued and I sighed lightly.

"I know. We will talk when you get out. Trust me, I do not want anyone thinking I have an ex-convict for a brother." I joked. 

"Is that all you care about?" 

 I grinned a bit.

"Mm, maybe." 

"You still living in that one bedroom in Philadelphia?" he asked.

"Are those homeless people still hanging around?" Luke pressed. 

I paused. I really did not want him to worry about the fact that I had been robbed nor did I want him to know I was currently staying with a guy who just so happened to be the heir to Luciano Hotels. He was still my big—maybe a bit too overprotective—brother. I could not imagine what he would do to Vincent if he knew.

"I am actually starting to look at two bedrooms," I finally said. 

"Good idea. I just hope I can find a job when I get out." 

"We will be okay for a while, I have money," I assured him.

Especially with the money Vincent would be giving me over the next few months. 

"Do not overwork yourself," he chided me. "You are doing great, Riley. I am sorry for being a shitty big brother." 

"Gross, do not get sappy." I joked again, cringing a little. 

"I hate you." Luke teased.

 I stretched out my legs, pressing my toes to the other side of the tub.

"I know." I retorted. 

"As much as I love listening to your sarcastic responses, I have to go. I have another call to make." 

"You do?" I said doubtfully.

"Who?" I inquired. 

"First off, do not act like I do not have friends. And second, I finally got into contact with a different lawyer who is willing to check out my case again. There has to be something we are missing."

Luke's voice got lower, and he let out a frustrated noise.

"There is something weird. I know it. Why would I steal a car? I have my own. It does not make sense." 

I frowned, hating to think about the memory.

"But you were drunk—" I started before Luke cut me off. 

"I know, but still. You have some hope in me, right?" 

 "Of course, I do," I responded, feeling a little guilty.

He was my family; how could I doubt him?

"I just do not know how you will be able to prove it. Let me know if you find any new information if you get this new lawyer. I have some money if he or she wants any upfront." 

"Okay. Love you, sis." 

"Love you too, good luck," I responded, pulling my phone away and ending the call.

After placing it back on the safety of the counter, I slipped deeper into the water and put the jets back on and closed my eyes. I am not certain how possible it would be to clear Luke's name. He seemed dead set on it, but a long time had passed already since the accident had happened. Would a new lawyer really help this situation? His current one bore a competent name, but still landed him in jail and turned out to be a waste of money. Though honestly, there really was not much evidence to support the evidence against Luke. There was a lot of evidence to show that Luke stole the car and crashed it. Any lawyer would have a tough time trying to prove his innocence. I only said I believed in him because he was my brother, and it is no like it would do anything in a court case. 

"Dad would know what to do," I mumbled, pulling my legs against my chest.

He always had the answer to everything. No matter how much trouble Luke or I got into, he would always bail us out and only scold us a little. Now, without him, life was more difficult. Being an adult was way harder than it had seemed when I was younger. I was barely even an adult. If it was this demanding at twenty-four, I could only imagine what was in store for the rest of my life. Helping my brother, graduating college, finding a "real" job. Being an adult. I could feel the nightmares coming. 

"One step at a time, Riley," I advised myself.

And step one was finding a new apartment. 

When my skin became all pruned and gross, I hoisted myself out of the bathtub and stepped into the stall shower next to it to quickly wash my hair and rinse myself. I thought about getting back into my dirty clothes but then remembered Vincent's room was right next door and if he let me borrow pajamas, would it matter if I borrowed a shirt, too? 

Wrapped in only a towel, I tiptoed out of the bathroom, being cautious even though I knew no one was home. I made a move to open Vincent's bedroom door when I remembered the spare room that he warned me not to go into. My feet started moving to the other door before my mind could process it. 

He said not to go in there!

I chided myself but he also was not here. Would one look really hurt anything?

Even though he said it was his brother's room, for all I knew it could be a torture chamber. Would it not be safer to make sure it was not? 

Deciding that was a reasonable thought, I turned the knob and pushed it open a little. The scent of mothballs engulfed me once again and I wrinkled my nose. I took a step into the room, my hand searching the wall for the light switch. Eventually, I hit it and light filled the stale room. It was clearly a bedroom and not some medieval torture chamber. It was a little smaller than Vincent's room, but not by much. In a word, the room looked lonely. There was a complete lack of personal items. There was only a bed with sheets that looked like they had not been cleaned in ages. A bookcase that was half full was in a corner. A desk with a computer that was coated in dust and a chair with broken wheel. Dust filled the air, making my throat dry. 

I swallowed, glued to the spot. I could not look away. The room looked so desolate. Just what had happened to Vincent's brother? Was he dead? Was that why Vincent did not want anyone coming to his house? So, they would not see this room? Is this what he meant by it was all he had left? The lingering sense of sadness in the room was enough to explain everything to me. To lose someone you care about... I knew it all too well. 

"Hey!" The sudden sound of a voice behind me made me gasp and I screamed as a hand grabbed my shoulder, forcing me to turn around.

The feeling of being caught sent a hard jolt of self-reproach into my gut. Why had I given in so easily to myself and snuck in? When I finally registered the person before me, my eyes widened in surprise.

"L-Liam!" I cried at the same time he said, "Riley!" 

"What are you doing here?" I demanded, once again speaking simultaneously as he said, "Why are you here?" 

We both stared at each other suspiciously.

"You first," we chorused. 

I moved to close the door to the spare bedroom and felt my towel slip off my body. I seized it mid-fall, feeling my cheeks flame.

In two days, two guys had seen me basically naked. What had my life come to? 

"Sorry," Liam apologized, adverting his gaze. 

"Hold on, let me get dressed," I squeaked, making sure my towel was around me securely and hobbling off to Vincent's room.

I went over to his dresser and basically tore it apart looking for something to wear. Fortunately for me, the closet was loaded, so I grabbed a random shirt and threw on my jeans. By the time I was dressed, Liam had moved down to the living room. I slowly went down the stairs, my cheeks still warm.

I cleared my throat as I approached him.

"Sorry about that." 

"I am sorry too. We startled each other pretty good," he responded, his gaze anywhere but my face.

What a decent guy.

"I thought you might have been a robber." He confessed. 

"In a towel?" I asked skeptically. 

His cheeks tinted pink.

"I was not expecting anyone to be here." 

"Does Vincent know you are here?" I interrogated. 

"No, I sometimes come here to escape my family," he told me sheepishly. "Strange, I know." 

"Was the door locked?" 

 "I know where the spare key is. I do this a couple times a week. And this is not meant to be rude, but why are you here? Why were you in Nathaniel's room?" 

Now it was my turn to be self-conscious. I pushed my hair behind my ears and grimaced a bit.

"I needed a place to stay last night and that was, um, I was just being nosy. Please do not say anything to Vincent." 

Liam frowned at me.

"Vincent does not let anyone in there." 

"I know. I feel bad now, really." 

"Because you got caught?" 

Ooh, a stab right to my ego. I sagged my shoulders.

"Yes. Sorry. Does it help to say I just wanted to make sure it was not a torture chamber? He told me it was his brother's room, but you never know, right?" I said sheepishly. 

Liam seemed to debate this for a moment and then he slowly nodded.

"I guess that excuse is reasonable. Vincent is kind of strange. Honestly though, I occasionally go in there just to see if Vincent's cleaned it up yet." 

"Cleaned it up?" I echoed. 

"Yeah. It is really depressing to see how he keeps it exactly the way it was when Nathaniel lived here. I am sure if he cleaned it up and moved on it would not be so painful to him still." 

"Is he dead?" 

Liam suddenly looked apprehensive, and he shifted his body weight, like he was suddenly uncomfortable.

"You do not know what happened to Nathaniel?" 

I shook my head. 

"It is really personal for Vincent, so I would not talk behind his back about it," Liam said shortly, and I wondered if I asked something I should not have.

Just what exactly had happened to Vincent's brother? 

"I would not suggest going in there again and do not talk about Nathaniel in front of Vincent either, Riley," Liam added, narrowing his eyes at me. "I am only warning you in advance." 

I could not help but smile a bit at his defensiveness. He caught this and gave me a doubtful look.

"I was just thinking about how much of a good friend you are." I explained before he could comment. 

He smiled a bit and shrugged.

"It is for your own good too. It really messes with Vincent still." 

"Oh," I said, unsure of how to react to that.

The death of a family member would take its toll on anyone. Some people could just cope better while some people took longer to come to terms and some never do. But which one was Vincent? 

"I am really curious though." Liam suddenly said. 

"About what?" I asked. 

"You being here. I never thought I would see the day Vincent brought a girl home, let alone letting her stay while he was gone. What exactly is going on between you two? Are you really dating?" 

The quick intake of breath I took to deny the fact caused me to choke and I turned away from Liam, covering my mouth. What gave him that idea? Was it really that weird for people to be at Vincent's house?

"We are not in a relationship, I promise," I finally muttered. 

Liam did not seem satisfied with my answer.

"Is that so? You should be careful then, Riley." 

"Careful?" 

"Vincent does not realize it, but I think he is scared to get close to people," he told me, his eyes soft.

"If he let you stay here, it means he trusts you. I am worried that when your together time is up he might not want to let you go and you will want to leave. I just do not want him to lose someone he cares about again." 

I took his words in carefully, cupping my right elbow with my left hand. Liam was overthinking this. Vincent was helping me out because we were friends. There was no way he had any ulterior motives. There was no way he liked me. He made that clear on multiple occasions that I was not his type. Instead of worrying about Vincent not wanting to leave, I was more worried about myself not wanting to leave. 

"I did not mean to bring the mood down, Riley," Liam spoke, pulling me from my thoughts.

He offered me a kind smile.

"I am just doing the whole best-friend thing." He said apologetically. 

"Ah, no, it is fine! I get it." 

"Should I show you something nice in return?" 

I tilted my head to the side.

"What is that?" I asked curiously. 

"I know where Vincent keeps his photo albums. You would not believe how big his head was when he was little." 

"I bet it was smaller than it is now," I commented wryly, causing Liam to chuckle. 

He then gestured for me to follow him back upstairs.

"Come on, Vincent might show up at any time so let us take a look while we can." 

I nodded, following behind him. Maybe if I were lucky there would be an embarrassing photo that might come in handy if I ever felt the need to blackmail him. Sometimes it is nice to have the upper hand.