Enchanted

17

"Take a seat. I will be right back." The tall blonde gestured to the leather interior of Adonis' private jet.

The thought of sitting on one of those seats with my scruffy jeans filled me with dread. Holly had no qualms about it though: she strutted in front of me and placed her bottom on a seat, crossing her legs after doing so.

The blonde gave me a bright smile. "She's wonderful. I'm an aunt to five kids and none of them are as well behaved as her. She's like a tiny princess."

Not for the first time that morning, I wondered how this stranger knew my sister. Before I could ask, she was gone.

"Why does everyone like you?" I asked Holly, tentatively sitting in front of her.

She flashed me what I called her "gimme" smile. Whenever she put it on her face, everyone we met felt inclined to give her something. Myself included.

"Because I am a princess. You heard Kelly."

"Kelly?" I frowned.

"She's Adonis' PA. We introduced ourselves while you and Adonis had a private moment in the car back then. I told her that I live with you and I think she assumed you're my mom. That would make you a teen mom but I figured that was less scandalous than her finding out that her boss is taking you and your sister on a trip. Nothing kills romantic vibes like a sibling. Me being your wonderfully sweet daughter makes you look good and responsible and it makes Adonis look thoughtful and loving. Kelly probably thinks you two have been dating forever now."

"Holly, Adonis and I are not dating." I clarified, slightly annoyed that she would even say that.

She raised a eyebrow. "You like him, don't you?"

"No." I lied.

She rolled her eyes. "I know you do."

"How? I never mentioned him!"

"Gut instinct. Not to mention, his story adds up. He says he met you on the day you were fired and I figured that's the day you came home looking like your life was over. Then he mentioned the night he brought you home drunk and that one was obvious. I smelled you. I was actually pissed that you had forgotten to come fetch me from school but then you started crying and it was a mess. Obviously you were heartbroken over the whole situation. I already knew there was something going on with you. Adonis just confirmed it." My little sister explained, twisting a lock of her hair.

I sighed. "Is that why you just skipped school with him? Holly that could have been dangerous! What if he was a stalker who was lying to get you to come with him? You trusted him after meeting him once!"

She shrugged. "I know. The same thought went through my head but I don't know. You two give off the same vibe when you're not together: it's creepy how similar the pain in your eyes look. He reminded me of you when I met him. I didn't want to trust him but like, my heart already did, you know?"

Yes, I wanted to say.

Because that is exactly what was going on with me. Logically speaking, I couldn't believe that I was on a man's jet, potentially diving head-first into danger and taking Holly with me. The fear within me was a constant yelling in my ears to get out, to run, to hide, to tell someone where I was and who I was with. But for some stupid reason, I couldn't do any of those things.

"Lecture me if you'll feel better about this. I know you probably feel guilty." Holly interrupted my thoughts.

"What?"

She shrugged, her eyes on her lap. "You always feel guilty when you do something nice for yourself. I know that you only took so long to agree to this because of me."