𝐋𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐎𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 | 𝟏𝟖+

LILY

06. NEW BEGINNINGS

I take a moment to just be there in bed and think, maybe re-evaluate myself? I don't even know anymore. The bile seemed to have climbed its way back up my throat because the next thing I knew, I'm puking in the toilet. My throat burned at the acid, and I groaned in disgust.

I don't particularly appreciate puking.

Flushing the toilet, I go to the sink to wash my hands and brush my teeth with a toothbrush I found. I go back out and peek at the grandfather clock; it reads a quarter to eight.

I contemplated whether or not I had an appetite, and it was wearing thin, but despite my better judgment, I decided I should eat anyway because I didn't want to appear rude. The image of Royce eating alone at the dinner table in the vast home didn't sit right with me. Not that he needed nor wanted my sympathies, I'm sure. I changed into a white silk slip-on with a warm tan cardigan and some black house slippers I found. I glanced into the mirror and decided to go bare face and tie the front portion of the braids back.

I make my way downstairs and navigate to the kitchen at the smell of food to find a short, plump lady wearing a purple dress with a white apron in front of the stove, stirring a pot. Upon hearing my entrance, she turns to me with a warm smile. "I see you've made it. My name is Kimberly, but you can call me Kim. I do hope you're feeling alright. I know today must've been a lot for you."

I smile at her kind words. "I'm quite alright, thank you. Things have just been a little hard to stomach."

Her chubby cheeks creased with dimples. "I'm happy you decided to join Mr.Royce for dinner tonight; God knows it's lonely in this big old house," Kim says dimly. I sympathize with the women in the feeling of loneliness. I know, despite having friends, that living alone with Xavier had been lonely and depressing. Living a life in silence versus living a life being silent are two different things. Isolation is not friendly to those who don't deserve it.

"Why don't you head to the table, dear? Mr.Royce will be down shortly," She says with a small smile. As Kim stated, he was down within a few minutes of sitting down. I look at the grandfather clock to my right to see it's eight o'clock on the dot. I admire a man who knows how to be punctual. I looked back at him to see he had sat down at the other end of the table, not seeming to notice me sitting across from him. Just then, Kim enters with the food on a large tray.

"Do you need help setting the table Kim?" I went to stand, but she just waved me off and gestured for me to sit down. "No, Bella, it's fine, I might be old, but I'm not weak in the knees just yet, sit." She glares playfully while setting up our plates-chicken alfredo pasta, one of my favorites.

Before she leaves, she walks up to me and leans in. "I hope you do well to keep Mr.Royce company; lord knows he's never brought a lady friend to the house before that is as gorgeous as you," She whispered with a wink as she walked away. I choked on my spit and beat on my chest, clearing my throat. I hear a slight rumble of someone's chest and look up to see Royce staring at me head-on. Oh god, how embarrassing.

I feel the heat rise to my cheeks, scorching the hairs on my skin. I cursed my body's reaction to the sensibility of Royces' heated gaze on my already blushing skin.

"Eat."

I purse my lips at his demands and glare. These demands will meet violent ends if Royce doesn't let up. He's lucky my appetite is returning at the smell invading my nose. He waits until I take the first bite before digging into his plate of hot food. I take another bite and moan at the explosion of flavor the delicious alfredo pasta delivered. "This is so good; I'll have to thank Kim later." When my gaze shifts, Royce and I make eye contact, the glint in his stare makes my thighs swipe. Royces' gaze trails from my face to my lips, lingering on the parts of my body visible above the table without a hint of remorse.