Till We Pretend

Chapter Three

LIVING FOR THE NEW COVER! Thank you so much dysanic for this work of art <3

Chapter Three

What Kyler referred to as 'the balcony' was for peasants like me the equivalent of a large studio apartment. It was opened up to by massive french doors and, complete with marble pillars that supported the arched roof, the space was decked out with more potted plants than a garden centre. The railing spanned the width of the house and gave a birds eye view of the pool downstairs. Matching earth toned furniture and one particular five seater semi circular couch in tones of deep red and brown showed that it was a place meant to entertain. I felt out of my depth but in a good way. It felt nice to be in unfamiliar circumstances, circumstances that come tomorrow when I'm cleaning up dirty tables at the diner would only just make me laugh. Here I was at some billionaire's mansion, watching a girl canon ball into the pool wearing something that looked suspiciously similar to a dress the youngest Kardashian was wearing the other day. This was how some people lived, how they spent their weekends and I found enjoyment in observing them, like a day at the zoo. Only in this case the exhibits were all ridiculously well dressed and good looking.

Kyler came back out, having gone back in to get us both some drinks. I took the moment to appreciate just how good looking he was and mentally compared him to the last guy I'd gone on a date with. His name was Ted Wallace and we'd been assigned to be lab partners for our Chemistry class. Suffice to say it was a bad idea because the date went south and Ted decided he didn't want to play nice for the rest of the semester. It wasn't my fault I hadn't called him back the next day because he spent the entire date talking about how his ten year old Rottweiler liked having its chicken cooked. I'm all for being an animal lover but I'd like to not hear about mushy chicken and crockpots while attempting to eat chicken myself. But Kyler wasn't like Ted or like any of the boys in my school. He stood taller, straighter and had a confidence about him that told me that girls rarely refused to go on a second date with him. He handed me my Diet Coke and opened up his own beer while coming to stand next to me, leaning his back against the railing while I stood facing forwards. Given all the space available to us, I didn't miss the fact that he chose to stand closer to me.

"So tell me your story Ella..."

"Nichols." I told him and tried not to stare at his throat muscles as he drank his beer.

"What, no middle name?"

"Grace, it's my grandma's name." I smiled to myself thinking about just how much Grandma liked telling people I was named after her. "I was actually called Ella Grace up until fourth grade after which I decided I wanted to shorten it. Grandma was devastated."

He smiled, "Ella Grace, I like it. Now both your grandma and I are disappointed you decided not to keep it. It suits you."

I ignored just how good it felt to hear him say my name, the way his lips formed the syllables was kind of magical. Instead I tilted my head, "It suits me? How?"

"You're a good girl, the kind of girl parents want their kids to date and the one who probably brought their teacher a present on the first day of school."

I did bring some of my teachers personalised stationary for a few years but he didn't need to know that. Instead I found myself scowling a little at the label I'd been assigned since birth. It was one thing for the people I'd known for my whole life to think of me as the resident good girl but a guy I just met? How lame was it that perhaps the hottest guy I'd encountered in real life had so quickly slotted me into a category that inevitably doomed me the undateable category. It was a tale as old as time that guys who looked like Kyler did, didn't date good girls.