Beneath The Bruises (A Hayes Grier Fanfiction)

Chapter 5

***A/N: SO IT'S 4:30AM BUT I VOWED TO MYSELF THAT I WOULD UPDATE BEFORE BED!!! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and don't forget to vote!! Leave a comment telling me what you think!! Happy reading :)***

I plaster a fake smile to my face as I approach the firetruck-red door of the Grier's home. I outstretch my hand to ring the doorbell, but the door swings open on its own, revealing a smiling Hayes in the doorway. When he sees me, his eyes widen in awe for a second, but the look goes away in an instant.

"You're a minute and twenty-three seconds late! I am ashamed of you! How dare you be late in the presence of Queen Hayes?!" He says in a mock-angry voice, placing his hand palm-out in the air and turning his head away from me with tremendous sass. I notice that my fake smile grows into a real one, which only makes me smile even more.

"Please your majesty, forgive me! I am truly sorry for my extreme tardiness!" I say, kneeling and bowing my head dramatically. He bursts into laughter, leaning on the door to keep himself from falling over.

"I suppose I could forgive a peasant... Only this once. Do not expect any mercy from me next time!" He says jokingly, and I laugh. He smiles and opens the door wide revealing a large, well-furnished foyer and a winding silver staircase that goes both downstairs and upstairs. "Come in!"

The second I walk into his house, I am amazed. The dark stained hardwood floors gleam from the light coming through the many windows all over the house. It's very open-concept and the living room has more furniture than my entire house. Luxurious leather sofas draped with fluffy blankets are placed around a large carved wooden coffee table that is covered with books. Furry rugs lay underneath everything, countless paintings decorate the earth-tone walls and a fire blazes placidly in the fireplace. Adorable family photos sit in wooden frames on the limestone mantle. Some houses are gorgeous, but they feel like they're just for display. Not the Grier house. This is cozy and beautiful. It feels like a home.

"Wow... I just... I can't believe... It's so... Wow." I say, unable to put my astonishment into words.

"I know," he says, admiring the house. "Nash got it renovated just a little while ago for our mom's birthday." My feelings towards Nash change. Maybe he's not a typical douchebag, if he did all this for his mom. This had to have costed at least ten thousand dollars; everything looks so vintage. I almost snicker at the thought of doing something like this for my mom.

"That's so nice of him!" I say, still admiring the magnificent beauty of the house.

"Speaking of family, come meet them!" Hayes says enthusiastically, jogging towards what I assume is the den. I follow, and I become somewhat nervous. What if they don't like me? He opens one of the white double doors and leads me into another gorgeous room. More leather couches fill the room, and they all face a huge flatscreen TV. Pillows and blankets are scattered over the couches, and it makes me want to jump into them and watch movies all night. It looks so comfortable! Then I notice his family. His absolutely gorgeous mother lounges against the couch with a little girl on her lap, who's clutching a pink stuffed horse while watching Cinderella intently on the giant TV. His father lays outstretched on one of the couches, dozing off. Beside him, is the one and only Nash Grier. Now that I see him from a closer view, he's even more attractive. His eyes shift to mine, and the captivating shade of blue grabs my attention immediately. He holds eye contact for a second longer than he needs to, then he looks away.

"Hayes! You never told me we were having company!" his mom says, lifting the little girl off her lap and brushing herself off. "Hi! I'm Elizabeth," she says with a perfect smile, "but you can call me Liz." She adds, shaking my hand gently. She nudges her sleeping husband, who jumps up immediately. He sees me standing beside Hayes, and attempts to tame his messy hair.