Don't call me Angel- Completed

Eighteen

"So what did you think?" I was holding both my elbows, arm crossed softly as we looked up at the house from the street. 

"It's nice." I nodded, turning my head to him slightly. "Big." 

"Yeah it is big." He gave a small smile, looking back at the house beside me. "Plenty of room to turn one of the ground floor rooms into a home gym. 5 bedrooms. Cellar. I don't think space is an issue for this place." 

"No me neither." I tilted my head at it. 

"But-" I turned my head again and he moved closer. "It's a little public. You need somewhere that's sat back a bit. With a drive around the front of the house. It's kind of open right? And on a hill. Everyone will be able to see right in." I turned back. That was it. That's what was wrong. "Plus, I don't know it just doesn't shout you at me, it's too modern. But that's my opinion. It'll be your house Mads." 

"No you're right." I sighed, running my hand through my hair. 

"Okay thank god." His face lit up. "Because I really don't like it." He wrapped an arm around my hip, pulling me into his side. "Have we got anymore viewings booked in?"

"Nope that was the last one." Squeezing my lips together I turned back to him. "Back to the drawing board I guess."

"Not necessarily." I lowered an eyebrow at him, turning my face towards him, biting my lip. "You're going to make your lip bleed. Come on." He stood back, raising his hand out for me to take. I did and we walked us back over to the bike. "Whilst you were looking around the second time I went online. There's an open house, it's a little out the way but I thought we could check it out. If its a bust then its a bust, we look at other options."

"There isn't other options Lu. I hated all the others." He tilted his head at me, rubbing my arm. 

"Come on. Last one then we can talk about what to do next." 

He climbed on the bike, letting me climb on after. It was a long ride. I didn't mind though. My arms were wrapped under his jacket again for the while ride. I was trying so hard not to trace my fingers over him. To keep them still. 

He parked up on the street, pulling his helmet off as I looked up at the wall and black fence. This was a lot more private. I could barely see the house from here. 

He put his hand in mine as we walked up the drive slowly. 

"There's a lot of land." 

"Yeah. And it's pretty much a blank slate so you can really get it right for you." I liked how my hand felt in his. How he held it tight and grabbed it at any opportunity. "Thoughts so far?" 

"Better than the others. Where did you find this place?" 

"Its a family friend's place." His smile pulling up "Whilst you were down at the beach for your summers, I was here." 

"Really?" We reached the door and he nodded, running his finger over a tiny dent in the wall. 

"Yeah. I think you'll like it." The door pulled open a smiling realtor looked at us, down at our hand then back up. 

He was right. I did like it. It being his 'family friends' told me everything I needed to know about the potential this place had. It had obviously been used for the same kind of thing. The same kind of bloodshed I'd be cleaning up here. Plenty of space. A security system already installed with cameras across the full walled off property. High walls. No one in or out kind of thing.  A sound proofed cellar they were using as a 'cinema room'. Yeah sure. 

I saw his face when the realtor said that. Lu smirked, shaking his head slightly. Definitely not a cinema room. I chuckled and he gripped my hand tighter, walking back into the country style kitchen. 

I liked this style. Most houses that we had looked at were completely white. It was nice but I liked character, colour. Something a little different to the usual. It had a lot of natural light too. So many windows. 

"Okay thanks. We're going to walk around the property a little if that's okay?" Lu spoke the realtor who nodded, sitting down at the table where her laptop was set up, paper work spread out. 

The doors to the garden opened and we walked outside. I don't know how I felt about the garden being open plan. That would have to change. I liked kind of a separation between front and back. 

It had a stunning sunken fire pit, the pool wrapping around it. Swim up bar. Patio and outdoor little kitchenette area. 

"What do you think?" He whispered in my ear, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me closer into him. 

"Fucking cinema room." I laughed and laid my forehead on his chest. 

"I told you this was an option." He spoke into my forehead, leaving a small kiss. "I'm not saying jump into it. There's not much interest in it at the moment. People saying it needs too much landscaping so they're not getting it sold as quickly as they wanted." 

"I mean I can see what they mean. I don't like the open plan garden." I lifted my head looking up at him. "It's too open. But that's an easy resolve. Shouldn't take too much work. It needs some minor updating too, decorating."

"Well yeah but no matter where you go, unless you build a place from scratch it's always going to need some work to get it right for you." He lifted a hand up, tucking hair behind my ear. "Will you be here by yourself?" 

"Yeah." I nodded and he furrowed his brow slightly at it. 

"Why?" 

"Why what?" 

"Would you move down here alone when no one knows you, you don't have anyone here. I can't wrap my head around it."

"For a fresh-" 

"For a fresh start. Yeah that doesn't make any sense either." I kept my eyes locked on his as his head tilted. "What are you running from Maddy?" 

"I'm not running from anything."

"You're running from him right? Arlo?" 

"I'm not scared of him if that's what you're hinting at." 

"I'd never suggest that Mads." A sigh left his mouth, a hand settling gently on my face as he held me tighter. "You're not scared of him but he has you under his control and running is the only way you can leave right?"

"Can we not do this." I swallowed, moving my eyes away and down to the floor. "I do know people down here anyway. I'm meeting with them all tomorrow."

"Them all?" His head moved back, trying to get a clearer look at me. "How do you know them Mads?" 

"My cousins. Chill out." I rolled my eyes and stepped back. "You can be just like Arlo you know." 

"Well that's just rude." He dropped his hands from me. "I'm just checking you're not walking into an ambush Maddy. Go, do your thing. I'm about if you need me." I furrowed my brow. 

"You're not going to demand to come with me?" 

"Do you want me to?" 

"No, I just-" I tilted my head. 

"You really are used to people demanding things from you aren't you?"

"I mean yeah." I nodded, crossing my arms. 

"There's very few, very specific times I'd be demanding things from you Maddy. And none of them include you being around other people."