The Dangers Of The Damaged ✔︎

22 ↝ Whipped Cream & Strawberries

"I know when you look at me,
You're feeling something,
Your heart's broke but you still believe."
Waves - Jai Waetford

When I finally drive past a huge sign reading Welcome to Huntington, it's 10pm.

We pass through the main town, lined up with cute little shops, grocery stores, cafe's and I spot a theatre as well. The GPS directs me towards the suburbs of the town, deeper into the residential areas.

Soon enough, I'm making the turn towards Hunter's neighbourhood, which happens to be in a gated community. Although I already knew he's from a wealthy family, I can't help but feel surprised at the huge mansions and houses that we drive past.

"That's the one." Hunter says, gesturing to a huge black gate that we're approaching. I come to a stop right in front of it and Hunter leans out of the window, and over his shoulder, I can see a keypad fixed to the wall. He punches in a few numbers, and with a screech, the gates open.

I purse my lips to surpass a soft gasp.

The long driveway the gates open up to lead to a gorgeous mansion. The exterior is rustic, with pale walls and brown roofs. The front lawns are well kept, with gorgeous trees and bushes lining up the walls that rise up high to the sky, protecting the house. A sleek white range rover is parked off to the side in front of the house, and Hunter tells me to park next to it. I oblige, killing the ignition.

Hunter steps out of the car and I follow closely behind him as he climbs the steps to the huge patio and the big white front door. The hand with the sparrow tattoo of his lifts and presses the doorbell, the sound echoing through the night, loud enough to be heard by us on the outside. I shift from one foot to another, nerves wracking through me as I chew on my bottom lip.

Meeting Hunter's family, coming to his childhood home is definitely not the way I planned to spend my Thanksgiving break.

My breath gets stuck in my throat in anticipation, waiting for the door to open. When it finally does, a small woman dressed in a maid's outfit peeks through the gap, her lips breaking into a smile when she sees Hunter. Her blonde hair is tucked neatly into a bun, greying slightly at the roots.

"Mr. Hunter, you're home!" Her thick french accent catches me by surprise, and when she looks over to me, her smile widens.

"Who is this? Elle est si belle,"

Hunter cracks a small smile. "Bonjour, Celia. This is Alex, a friend from college."

"Oh, Alex! Bonjour." She opens the door fully and steps closer to me, shaking my hands joyfully. I like her already, her cheery personality easing my nerves.

"Hello," I smile.

"Come in, your mama's waiting for you." She tells Hunter as she releases my hand and gestures to us inside. Hunter steps in first, and I go in after him, right before Celia closes the door behind us.

"Come this way," She says, walking ahead of us. The interior of the house is just as magnificent, with spacious rooms, high ceilings and marble floors. There are expensive looking paintings hung on walls, along with antique ornaments and such adding to the decor of the place.

Celia leads us into a large living room, complete with an enormous fluffy cream coloured couch, a sixty-inch TV hanging on the wall across it. A fireplace is set in the wall to the left, and the floor is carpeted from wall to wall. The deep brown and light cream colour interior of the entire house is gorgeous. To my right, the entire wall is replaced by floor to ceiling glass, looking out into the backyard of the house. I can't make much out of it since it was dark, but I did see the glow of a pool.