15. Chapter 15
Chapter fifteen
Golden let out a small groan as she turned over under the soft covers. The sheets were tangled around her legs as she moved restlessly in her sleep. She was asleep. She knew that, but was she also dreaming? Reality was intertwining itself with her dreamscape, making her unsure of everything. One moment she was flying down a dark highway with Grayson at the wheel and the next he was standing at the edge of her bed reaching for her. She should open her eyes, but they were so heavy she couldn’t. Sleep clamped down on her body only allowing her minimal control of her movements.
Something touched her. Warm and firm, the hand slid along her bare waist pulling her jean skirt down her legs. Again, Golden tried to open her eyes, commanding her body to obey but she only managed a glimpse through her closed lashes. Or did she? Time kept jolting in and out, replaced by a delirium of images that made no sense only for her to come back to the familiar figure by her bed. This time she could feel the cool air against her naked breasts and the satin gliding over her skin.
"Please," she said to the dream figure.
The figure did not move. It just stood there blending into the shadows around it.
And just as she sank deeper into the oblivion of sleep, she felt the pressure of his lips against hers and heard his low voice. "Sleep."
And she did.
The peaceful nothingness of sleep didn't last long. Golden frowned as her mind churned and the images began to change into a familiar scene from a night two years ago. A night she wanted to forget.
Around her, the party was in full swing. Tonight was Gaige's legendary end-of-the-year party, a tradition he upheld every year at the end of the school term. But this year was special; it marked their senior graduation. Every senior from Stardust Heights was invited, though Golden noticed a few juniors had managed to sneak in as well.
Last she checked, Gaige was out by the pool, mingling with his friends. She could hear the guys' laughter from here coming through the open French doors punctuating the night air over the steady thump of music. Golden had been chatting with a few girls she was friendly with at school, but they soon drifted away to join other conversations, leaving her alone on the couch. She watched the lively scene around her, feeling a pang of isolation amidst the celebration. If it weren't for Gaige her high school life would have been just like this, a building full of merry acquaintances but no true friends.
Even after four years of being in school with most of them, she couldn't help but see the stark contrast between herself and them. While they mindlessly walked around laughing and shouting letting their drinks carelessly slosh onto the floor and furniture and their shoes scuff the marble flooring, Golden couldn't stop thinking of tomorrow, how Omar would direct the small army of professional cleaners to restore and if necessary replace items around the house until it sparkled once more. And who would pay the bill? Not any of them, that was for damn sure.
Golden thought of Mr. Rosebank and imagined him silently looking over his trashed house with a distant gaze. She didn't know why she cared so much for the sanctity of his house; he certainly didn't mind spending a fortune on his son's lavish parties.
Taking another sip of her soda, Golden was considering going outside and joining the guys when Ashford Harrington sat down next to her. Golden had to stifle the urge to grimace at his sudden presence. Maybe she should just sneak off upstairs and hide in Gaige's room.
"What are you doing here by yourself?" Ashford asked, flashing her a smile that he probably thought was charming. He leaned back, his arm casually draped over the back of the couch, inching closer to her. "Normally, you're glued to Gaige's side."
"And normally you're glued to various girls," Golden replied, forcing a polite smile.
"You know it," Ashford agreed shamelessly, his eyes lingering on her longer than she liked. "But I saw you here and couldn't let you sit all alone.
Golden resisted the urge to dry heave. "That's sweet of you."
"You know, I've been meaning to talk to you," he continued, leaning in even closer. "I've always thought you were different from all the other girls in school. In a good way, of course."
"Thanks," Golden muttered, looking around her for anyone she recognized to save her from this moment. "That's nice to hear."
The music on the speakers changed to something so loud it made the floors vibrate under the force of the bass.
"Why don't we get out of here?" Ashford yelled, leaning in closer to her. He pointed to the stairs and she knew from the look in his eyes he meant more than talking.
Golden's mind raced for a way to decline that wouldn't set off his infamous fragile ego. She shook her head. "I'm waiting for someone," she lied.
Ashford's expression faltered for a moment before he plastered on another smile. "Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find me." He reached out and brushed a strand of hair from her face, and she had to fight not to recoil.
"I'll keep that in mind," she said, her voice tight.
As Ashford finally stood up, Golden let out the breath she'd been holding. She glanced around the room, looking for any sort of escape route. She was seriously considering her earlier thought of sneaking off to Gaige's room.
Just as she was about to make her move, Ashford, who was still talking to some nearby students a few feet in front of her, bumped into her. Golden's soda slipped from her grasp, but with quick reflexes, Ashford caught it mid-air with a smirk playing on his lips.
"Careful there," he said, in an annoying tone that made her want to kick him. Slowly, he handed back her drink.
"Uh, thanks," Golden muttered, taking a sip of the drink just so she could have an excuse to not look at the guy.
Ashford nodded and finally walked away. She watched him disappear into the crowd before sinking back onto the couch, her mind racing. A few seconds later, a few girls she recognized from her elective classes approached and sat down next to her. They all started chatting about the latest gossip and the upcoming summer plans, taking Golden's thoughts away from the annoying scene with Ashford. It wasn't until her head began to feel heavy that she felt something was wrong. Her vision blurred, and a wave of dizziness swept over her.
"Are you okay?" one of the girls asked, concern evident in her voice.
"I'm not sure," Golden replied, her voice sounding distant even to her own ears. "I just feel...awful."
The overwhelming sense of fatigue washing over her scared her; she could hardly keep her head up.
"You don't look so good," a familiar voice said next to her. A guy's voice.
Slowly, Golden turned and frowned at Ashford kneeling next to her. Why was he back?
"I'll take her to one of the spare bedrooms," he informed the other girls.
Golden could feel his hands on her shoulder and around her back and shuddered at the proprietary feeling. No! She did not want him touching her or taking her anywhere.
"I'm gonna go get Gaige," one girl said. Was that Marisa or the other girl? Golden didn't know but she thanked the girl in her head.
Drearily she looked at Ashford's face and noticed the panic on it but when she blinked again, he was gone and it was Carter Serrano kneeling down beside her, his face full of worry.
He was saying something to her but she wasn't hearing it. The next thing she knew she was watching the ceiling pass her by and guessed she was in Carter's arms. Was he taking her to the guest bedrooms?
"Where the fuck…" The deep familiar voice of Gaige filled her senses and relief flooded her like a tidal wave. Golden could hardly feel her body being transferred from one boy to the other because she was so focused on trying to stay awake and listen to what they were saying.
"…found Ashford trying to take her…I think…told him to run."
"Come on, sweetheart…tell…he's dead,” Gaige growled.
Nothing made sense. It felt as if her soul was slipping away and no one was noticing.
"Shhh, I got you," Gaige whispered in her ear.
Golden wasn't sure if she said anything in reply. The next thing she knew she was staring up at an ornate ceiling while her body was surrounded by softness. Gaige appeared over her face and gave her a smirk. He was saying something.
"Don't worry…safe…will be a nice surprise."
And then he was gone and so was she.
For years she tried to remember exactly what happened that night. Beyond the cringy memory she could pull from the darkness of her mind nothing else ever came back, only the memory that haunted her.
At some point, she had opened her eyes. The soft morning light seeping through the cracks in the curtains illuminated a figure sitting at the edge of the bed. Gradually, her eyes drank in the details of the large figure. A hazy image of Grayson's face finally came into focus and Golden frowned. What was he doing here? Time became nothing as she stared at his handsome face. Surely this was a dream, right? It had to be. Grayson would never be in her room but more importantly, she could never withstand the heated pressure of his blue eyes staring at her as he was now. Yet she felt no fear as she blinked back holding his eyes as she enjoyed the power of the dream. Why not enjoy it more? A thought echoed in her hazy mind.
Without inhibition, the truth spilled from her lips to the man of her dreams. "I wish I could have you," she whispered, her words feeling heavy and her mouth dry.
Grayson's eyes widened in shock and he turned away. But Golden could still see his profile. She watched as he closed his eyes as if in pain before shaking his head and standing.
When he looked at her again, Golden knew he was going to leave. She lifted a hand to stop him but her limbs felt heavy.
His thick, dark brows slashed over his eyes as he looked down at her, giving him a sinister look. There was something so dangerous, so on edge about his expression she found herself saying, "Please don't leave."
But her words did not sway him and with one last pained look, Grayson left her.
Back then Golden wasn't sure even now if that was a dream or reality. An uncertainty she wished she still had. What she did remember clearly was later that morning waking up and staring at the barrel-vaulted ceiling that featured a beautiful, suspended iron chandelier at its peak. Groggily she looked around the room, her mind swirling as the thick fog in her head slowly dissipated into horror. She was in the master bedroom.
Golden felt a wave of acute embarrassment wash over her, mixed with an inexplicable sense of unease. What had happened last night? She desperately tried to recall, but her memories were like shattered glass crumbling through her fingers, refusing to fit together.
She slipped out of bed, her movements slow and deliberate, holding her breath the entire time. The massive bed didn't make it easy either. Eventually, her legs found the side of the bed but she paused at the sight of the paper sitting on the nightstand next to a glass and a pitcher of water. With her head pounding she reached for it.
"Last night, Ashford Harrington put something in your drink. Gaige intervened and brought you to my room to recuperate. I will take care of Harrington. Drink plenty of water. I am leaving town for a few weeks."
Her stomach rolled. She did remember talking to Ashford last night, but she thought he had left to bother someone else. Mortified beyond words, she stood up from the bed, double-checking her clothes were still intact. Although she supposed she shouldn't have bothered, Gaige wouldn't have let anything happen to her. Maybe that was why he put her in his father's room and not just his. Regardless, she had every intention of killing him for that move. She had thought about it all the way home as she snuck past Omar in the kitchen and out of the Rosebank house. She had been oscillating back and forth between wanting to scream knowing that Grayson had seen her passed out on his bed and rage at Ashford or whoever for somehow spiking her drink but it all came to a crashing halt when she walked into her house to see her aunt slumped over in her chair.
Even after all these years, it hurt to remember that morning. To see her poor aunt Marisol who had only ever been a Godsend to her sitting deathly still and pale in her favorite chair. It felt as if her world imploded. The house had been so eerily silent except for the pounding of her own heart. The shock was a physical thing, a vise tightening around her chest, making it hard to move. She wasn't sure how long she had stood there in the foyer staring, but at some point she found herself calling the only person she wanted to speak to.
Grayson picked up on the second ring.
"Mr. Rosebank," Golden whispered, tears tightening up her throat. "I…I…need to talk to you-"
Grayson's sharp voice cut her off before she could finish. "Golden, I can't speak right now, I'm getting on a plane," he said sharply, the words like a slap in the face. "I have to go. I'm sure Gaige can talk to you about whatever it is."
Golden didn't get a chance to say anything else before the line went dead.
The gnawing ache of loneliness she thought was behind her slammed back into her. Golden stared down at her phone. Grayson's contact ID was still illuminated on the screen. The silence of it was an echoing void that matched the growing hollowness inside her. His voice had cut her like a knife. She never heard him sound like that, not to her.
Numbly she dialed 911 and waited for the police.
After that, each moment was a surreal blur, a kind of waking nightmare that didn't want to end. The house, once a kitschy yet peaceful sanctuary, now felt like a haunted mausoleum, each room echoing with memories and loss. At some point, Gaige arrived like a storm of fury. He told her in the midst of his yelling he had to find out about her aunt through someone at the police station. From that moment forward, Gaige handled everything. He was the one who set up her aunt's funeral and he was the one who helped her put the house up for rent. Golden was more than grateful. It felt as if she was just going through the motions, mechanically handling the details, but inside unraveling, each thread of her sanity fraying a little more.
Once the funeral was over and the last of her aunt's things were in storage, Golden handed the keys over to Gaige to hand over to his family's management company. After that, Gaige took her on a month-long vacation. After a brief stop in New York to enroll for her classes and find an apartment, they hopped from California, to Mexico, to Hawaii before finally returning to New York. He told her it was to get her bearings for her upcoming semester at Juilliard but she knew it was to take her mind off his father, to fill her plate with so many activities that she didn't have time to think about the bleeding wound of betrayal from Grayson's dismissal.
It would only be after weeks of ruminating on that night trying to decipher what happened that she’d realize the truth. That hazy memory of her asking to have him was real! Never in her life had she felt such overwhelming embarrassment. What must he have thought when she said that? Over and over again she recalled his face hardening and the agitation transforming his features as he stared down at her. That was why he left the country that morning. That was why he had turned away her call and pushed her off on Gaige.
And now here she was back in his house remembering that horrible moment all over again. Awake fully, she got up quickly. She startled as she realized she was only wearing her underwear. She couldn't remember undressing last night. Golden winced at the slight pain in her head and hurriedly made the bed and grabbed her clothes and shoes. She glanced at herself in the vanity mirror and groaned. She looked a mess. Her makeup was smudged and her short curls were sticking directly up. Hurrying to the connecting bathroom, she used the toiletries in the drawer. With her teeth brushed, makeup removed, and hair styled just enough for her walk of shame, she tried to reassure herself that she didn’t look that bad as she slipped out of the room and down the quiet hallway. Only her wrinkled outfit would give her away.
Coming down the stairs, Golden stopped and listened for a few moments for signs of life but heard nothing. Her gaze swept the house and stopped at the changes scattered throughout. She hadn't been back in the house since that morning two years ago and she assumed if she ever saw it again it would look the same, but it wasn't. The house was decidedly emptier. The decorative vases, paintings, and even most of the furniture was gone from the giant living room. Was Grayson moving? A stab of panic sliced through her chest as she considered the horrific thought.
Pushing the thought to the back of her mind she continued down the stairs. Her feet left the polished wooden steps and landed on the tile of the foyer. Grabbing the door handle, Golden turned it and began to pull it open when a large hand appeared before her and shoved the door close.