The Star Goddess (UNDER EDITING)

Chapter Four: EDITED

Cole parked the lambo in the beautifully decorated driveway. I carefully removed myself from the car, being as careful as possible not to damage the paint or leather. It was more than my senses could comprehend, with the beautiful walkway leading up to the house, an ornate gate that separated the driveway from the actual building, all of the plants that were carefully lining the perimeter of the house. It was just so beautiful as I stared in complete awe. Cole chuckled at my reaction and crooked his elbow towards me, as I still stared.

I managed to knock myself out of my stupor as I linked my arm with Cole's again, and we walked up the path to the front door. The gate had an electronic code box, which Cole promptly punched the code in, not bothering to hide the code from me. The gate opened slowly and Cole stepped forward, with me trailing the slightest bit behind. The majesty of the house made me feel small and tiny, and I truthfully felt like I didn't belong there. A light blush creeped its way up my neck and onto my cheeks as I felt completely out of place. The front porch wrapped around the house and on the front left side, a large, furnished patio sat in wait, longing for someone to put it to use.

Cole unlocked the front door, allowing me to step inside first. Just when I thought that the house couldn't get any more grand, it did. There was literally a foyer and a butler waiting for us just inside. The butler bowed slightly and Cole greeted him with a hello and a smile. A grand staircase also laid before my eyes. Everything was so light and open from what I could see. It was grand and rich, but tasteful and not gaudy like some people do when decorating their houses.

"I don't have... any words for this," I muttered softly, my eyes still wide with surprise.

"You don't need words. Words are meaningless in the grand scheme of things unless you can back them up with actions," Cole said seriously, a glazed look in his eyes as he spoke like a true mentor and father.

"Well, the only action I'm doing is dropping my jaw, and gasping in surprise, and popping my eyes out of my head," I joked with a hearty laugh. Cole's eyes crinkled as he smiled at me, and offered a small chuckle in response. Cole waved his hands towards the house.

"What would you like to see first, sweetpea?" Cole asked softly. I had no idea where to start.

"Well let's start from the bottom and work our way up. Maybe start over here and go around?" I asked as I gestured to the room on the left of the foyer, unable to really see what kind of room it was. Cole nodded in understanding and started off towards the room on the left.

The room on the left ended up being a lounge area. There were huge floor length sliding glass doors, with pale blue sheers covering them. There were tan, leather couches and reclining chairs surrounding a big, wooden coffee table. A large flatscreen TV also hung on the wall. The next room behind the lounge was the kitchen. A huge modern kitchen that was just as open and light as the room before, with dark accents. It had a smart stove, smart fridge, and automated storage. The lights were also voice activated.

The next room was the dining room, which was honestly very similar to the living room. A large wooden dining table sat in the center and light tan, upholstered chairs sat around it. There weren't any sliding glass doors, but the windows were still large with the pale blue sheer curtains covering them. There was a small room just beyond the dining room, it had a washer and dryer, along with drying racks, hangers, and hampers. Simple but functional laundry room. There was a door hiding in the back that I'd noticed and asked Cole about it.

"What's that door for? A closet?" I pointed out the door. Cole's eyes lit up and he smiled big.

"Come on. I'll show you," Cole said with a cheerful and excited tone. He opened the door, revealing a huge back patio and in the middle was an olympic sized swimming pool. There were lounge chairs lying around and a small stone fire pit at the other end. There was also a large hot tub that could easily fit ten people or more.

"Woah. This is your backyard?" I asked incredulously, my eyes as wide as ever. Cole smirked.

"Nope. That is," Cole stated as he pointed out to the land beyond the gated pool area. There was a huge field with a pond and outdoor workout area.

"There's also a lot of trails in the woods and we have a nice camping spot about a mile in. If you like going on nature walks or hikes or anything," Cole said with a soft smile.

"Yea, I actually do love running and nature. I just don't get to do that kinda stuff too much," I said with a solemn tone. Cole noticed the change in my demeanor and wrapped his arms around me in a big bear hug, which I eagerly returned.

"Well, you get to run around and be a crazy kid as much as you want now," Cole teased as he booped my nose with his finger. The silly, childish action made me giggle and I hugged Cole even tighter.

After a couple more seconds, we pulled away and headed back inside. I started for the staircase, going up the first couple when Cole's voice called out.

"Hold on there, sweetpea. We aren't going up yet," Cole said with a smile.

"What? Why?" I asked, my face contorted in confusion.

"Because there's something else I wanna show you," a mischievous glint lingered in Cole's eyes.

Cole walked around the staircase, but instead of going up, he went to the side and pushed on a door panel that I hadn't realized was there earlier. It was so cool. Like a freaking door you see in spy movies or some shit. I think I was kinda expecting a nicer version of a dungeon or dank basement, but was pleasantly met with the opposite. The space underneath was just as bright and open as the rest of the house, but ended up being a hidden, recreational center. There were two clear rooms and a little bit of extra space. The first room was a large bar type area, complete with a pool table and a mini kitchen, and I guess everything you'd ever need to mix a drink.

The other room was a mini theater with a huge wrap around couch that outlined the three walls opposite the door. An enormous flat screen tv hung up on the wall and a table with a playstation and xbox sat just beneath. There were also a few leather bean bag chairs lying around and a small cabinet next to the table. I opened it to see what was inside and it literally had a microwave and the drawer beneath had microwave popcorn and candy and other various movie snacks. My mind was completely blown.

We went back upstairs from the basement and just as Cole had put the door back into place, his phone started ringing. He pulled his phone out from his back pocket and grimaced when he saw the caller ID. Cole looked at me with an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry, sweetpea. I have to take this. Why don't you start exploring upstairs? Nothing's off limits, so you don't have to worry about that or anything. Try to guess which one is your room," Cole said with a playful chuckle and a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. The stress of whoever was calling was clear in his face but I just nodded and started up the first couple of stairs.

When Cole saw me start up the stairs, he took off towards the kitchen. I thought about just going upstairs, but my curiosity got the best of me and I couldn't help but eavesdrop. I stayed out of sight, hiding just behind the little bit of wall that separated the kitchen from the lounge. As I peeked around the corner, I noticed that Cole was sitting at the island, and that he faced away from me, one hand on his phone holding it up to his ear, the other hand brushing through his hair anxiously.