Meet Kristal Jane Anderson.
The girl that feels as though she was stripped from all the joys of life on one ungodly night. A night that changed her whole perspective on love forever, a night in which she stopped believing in it's existence, a night...
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Aiden Vasilakis
"What's gotten you so smiley?"
I looked up from my phone meeting my mother's gaze, wiping the smile that plagued my lips the moment I opened my phone to read back messages between Kris and I. It was stupid and deeply embarrassing. It was a habit I picked up a few nights ago when boredom hit. It was one of those habits that you took with you to the grave. "Nothing,"
We were in the garden today, I managed to convince my mom to come out for some fresh air. The garden was where most of my happy childhood memories took place in the house, my mother used to bring her friend's son to hang out with me. Being an only child those days were usually the highlight of my week.
I wanted to help her to relive those memories and it seemed to have worked, she seemed much more relaxed, her smiles seemed to come alot easier out here.
The garden was a big open space with greenery as far as the eye could see, it was the only place in the house that was shared between my mother's wing and my father's. Although, my father's appearances in the garden were as rare as a sun eclipse.
Now here we were protected from the scorching mid-day sun under the shade of the cabana. I was on the rattan sofa, my mother sat in her wheelchair on the spot opposite to me and the matching rattan center table between us.
She rolled her eyes, "Don't insult my intelligence, boy, I'm dying not stupid,"
"She's just a friend so don't even start,"
She shut the book she had been reading for the past few minutes with a gasp keeping her index finger on the page as a bookmark, offended, "What is that supposed to mean?"
"Mom we both know how much you take things out of proportion, and this isn't like that. She's just a friend,"
"Oh is that what you think of me? Fine then, I won't say anything else," She reopened her book and went back to reading.
I let out a chuckle and rolled my eyes because I knew my mother well enough to know that she was incapable of letting go of a topic without getting all the answers she wanted.
So I began a mental count down.
3 . . .
2 . . .
1. .
"So what's her name?"
There it is.
I smiled and answered, "Kristal," There was something about the way her name rolled off my tongue, something I couldn't quite explain. All I knew was that it felt. . . good.
She shut her book once again and met my gaze with a smile that reached her eyes, "Kristal. That's a beautiful name," I nodded in agreement, "Is she as pretty as her name?"
Her face flashed before my eyes under the bright light of the gas station just two nights ago. Hazel eyes that were a perfect blend of brown and green known to man, a slight crook in her nose that seemed to have been perfect designed to fit her face, plump rosy lips. Then came her voice.
Fuck, her voice.
"She is," I nodded after pushing the vision aside and recollecting myself.
She nodded in response and pressed her lips into a thin line and reopened her book again moving her gaze back down to the pages. She wanted to ask more but was holding back.
And deep down I thanked her for it, I didn't fully understand what was going on between her and I nor did I understand why I was so intrigued by her, why I wanted to find out more and more about her. Or why I found myself thinking about her more and more throughout my days.
A few moments of silence spread between us before she spoke again, "You wanna know something that would make me the happiest woman alive?"
Her eyes were already on me when I looked up from my phone, "What?"
"Knowing that when I go you'll have someone to fall back on, doesn't have to be in a romantic way. Just someone who will give you a reason to keep going, someone who will be the reason you get up every morning. I want to know that I'm leaving you in good hands." She paused for a moment or two, "Do you think that she could be that person?"
Silence spread among us as I let her words sink in, "Aiden!" My father's voice echoed through the open space before I could answer.
I looked over to the direction of his voice and there he stood on 'his side's of the garden in a full suit despite the unbearable heat.
He motioned for me to come over, I turned my head back to my mom, "Go, I'll be fine," She reassured me with a smile that didn't reach her eyes, I could tell that she was trying not to look in my father's direction.
Without another word I got up and walked over to him, realizing that he was holding a black envelope that he swiftly held out to me, "You're going to the annual charity ball this year,"
Sterling Annual Ball was written in cold against the black background. I looked between him and the envelope not having the energy to respond which he somehow took as an invitation to continue speaking, "It's time for you to start getting involved more in the business and how well you'll do as a CEO will be heavily influenced by how well you make connections and this ball is your chance to start,"
A small nod was all I could muster as it seemed like things always managed to escalate whenever I opened my mouth around him, and I couldn't do that. Not when we were within earshot of my mother. He continued, "You will be taking a plus one. Catherina Bosheli is a good friend of mine, she comes from a good family so she would be my suggestion to take as your plus one. I slid her contact in the envelope. But knowing how well you listen to me I wouldn't be surprised you showed up with a mole rat just to piss me off," He said with a sigh.
My lips quirked into a smirked pleased that he knew that he's suggestions meant fuck all to me.
"Is that all?" I asked.
He nodded in response, "Don't disappoint me, Aiden,"
"Oh come on, that's my favorite pastime," I said and let out a chuckle when he let out a grunt at my response and walked back inside.
He was right to assume that I wouldn't consider his suggestion because there was only one person on my mind who would make being in a room with a bunch of stuck up businesmsmen bearable.
Kristal.
Thank you for coming along on another chapter!!! I appreciate every single one of you!!
