through me and the tension in my chest recedes. I decide that I believe his story. “Okay.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asks. He takes my chin in one hand, and gently turns my head to see the scratch on my face.
“Yeah, I’m fine, just a little scratched and bruised. I think you got her off of me before she could go for the jugular. Good thing too. Who knew acrylic could do so much damage?” I joke.
Brandon smiles. “I always hated those things.”
“What did you ever see in her in the first place?” I ask.
Now that I have “met” this mysterious Vanessa woman, I can pretty much state that she is my polar opposite. She is a high fashion, full makeup and hair, and probably a sleeps-in-her-stilettos kind of girl. I don’t doubt Brandon’s love for me, but if he’s thinking I will ever be some kind of glamazon woman, he’s going to be very disappointed.My makeup bag has less than ten things in it and I really only fuss with my hair when I’m going somewhere fancy.
“Truthfully, I think the fact that she was different from anyone I had ever met was what initially attracted me to her. But I quickly realized that behind all that…stuff…is a very insecure woman who surrounds herself with people who worship the ground she walks on. Once you stop being good at that, she turns on you. She either cuts you out of her life or tries to make your life hell.”
Listening to him, I almost begin to feel sorry for her.
Almost.
Brandon pulls me close to him on the couch and wraps his arm around me. I snuggle into his side and breathe in his smell.
After a while he tips my face towards him and kisses me slowly.
“Charity, there is something we need to talk about though,” he says when we break apart.
I stiffen and brace myself, suddenly nervous.
“What happened today is certainly not the norm and I don’t want to scare you, but the world I’m from, down in LA is totally different than what you’re used to here. You know that I love you and that I will do everything in my power to protect you and keep you out of that mess, but I can’t guarantee that you won’t get hurt again. Probably not in a catfight, like today, but sometimes words can hurt more.”
He pauses, seeming to think of what to say next. “When I left that room with Vanessa, there were people outside with camera phones. I wouldn’t be surprised if the tabloid takes the bits and pieces from today and spins some crazy story. Ultimately you could end up in the middle of that. It could drag up our past and make it public knowledge overnight.”
I feel my eyes go wide as I absorb his words. I hadn’t even considered that.
“I hope that doesn’t happen, but I have to prepare you. Especially if you decide to move to California with me. Which, I really hope you do, more than you even know, but I would be doing you a disservice not to tell you the whole truth. The good and the bad.”
“I understand,” I whisper. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t afraid. But I do trust you to fight alongside me no matter what comes our way. The good, the bad, and the ugly.”
Brandon smiles and holds my gaze for a long minute before kissing me again. “So, we’re in this together, then?”
I stare into his deep green eyes for a moment and the fear and uncertainty dissolves. “Together.”
He smiles and my heart races as he leans in and kisses me softly.
Chapter Two
“Okay, hold on, I’m confused.”
I sigh. “Ash, come on. Please don’t make this difficult.”
Ashley and I are sitting in her living room. After everything that happened with James, and then with Brandon, at the hotel, being attacked by his crazy ex-girlfriend, and then back at my house, I needed to tell someone. I had been forced to suffer all through work, keeping everything to myself, and was practically bursting when I rushed over to Ashley’s after my shift was over.
However, she isn’t taking it as well as I imagined—or at least, hoped.
“Charity, come
“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asks. He takes my chin in one hand, and gently turns my head to see the scratch on my face.
“Yeah, I’m fine, just a little scratched and bruised. I think you got her off of me before she could go for the jugular. Good thing too. Who knew acrylic could do so much damage?” I joke.
Brandon smiles. “I always hated those things.”
“What did you ever see in her in the first place?” I ask.
Now that I have “met” this mysterious Vanessa woman, I can pretty much state that she is my polar opposite. She is a high fashion, full makeup and hair, and probably a sleeps-in-her-stilettos kind of girl. I don’t doubt Brandon’s love for me, but if he’s thinking I will ever be some kind of glamazon woman, he’s going to be very disappointed.My makeup bag has less than ten things in it and I really only fuss with my hair when I’m going somewhere fancy.
“Truthfully, I think the fact that she was different from anyone I had ever met was what initially attracted me to her. But I quickly realized that behind all that…stuff…is a very insecure woman who surrounds herself with people who worship the ground she walks on. Once you stop being good at that, she turns on you. She either cuts you out of her life or tries to make your life hell.”
Listening to him, I almost begin to feel sorry for her.
Almost.
Brandon pulls me close to him on the couch and wraps his arm around me. I snuggle into his side and breathe in his smell.
After a while he tips my face towards him and kisses me slowly.
“Charity, there is something we need to talk about though,” he says when we break apart.
I stiffen and brace myself, suddenly nervous.
“What happened today is certainly not the norm and I don’t want to scare you, but the world I’m from, down in LA is totally different than what you’re used to here. You know that I love you and that I will do everything in my power to protect you and keep you out of that mess, but I can’t guarantee that you won’t get hurt again. Probably not in a catfight, like today, but sometimes words can hurt more.”
He pauses, seeming to think of what to say next. “When I left that room with Vanessa, there were people outside with camera phones. I wouldn’t be surprised if the tabloid takes the bits and pieces from today and spins some crazy story. Ultimately you could end up in the middle of that. It could drag up our past and make it public knowledge overnight.”
I feel my eyes go wide as I absorb his words. I hadn’t even considered that.
“I hope that doesn’t happen, but I have to prepare you. Especially if you decide to move to California with me. Which, I really hope you do, more than you even know, but I would be doing you a disservice not to tell you the whole truth. The good and the bad.”
“I understand,” I whisper. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t afraid. But I do trust you to fight alongside me no matter what comes our way. The good, the bad, and the ugly.”
Brandon smiles and holds my gaze for a long minute before kissing me again. “So, we’re in this together, then?”
I stare into his deep green eyes for a moment and the fear and uncertainty dissolves. “Together.”
He smiles and my heart races as he leans in and kisses me softly.
Chapter Two
“Okay, hold on, I’m confused.”
I sigh. “Ash, come on. Please don’t make this difficult.”
Ashley and I are sitting in her living room. After everything that happened with James, and then with Brandon, at the hotel, being attacked by his crazy ex-girlfriend, and then back at my house, I needed to tell someone. I had been forced to suffer all through work, keeping everything to myself, and was practically bursting when I rushed over to Ashley’s after my shift was over.
However, she isn’t taking it as well as I imagined—or at least, hoped.
“Charity, come
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