Blue // Daniel Seavey

Chapter 24

Tori

As the car stops, we arrive at his house and I instantly go wide-eyed. The place is massive, like no other house I've seen in real life before. With a metal gate for security, fancy golden lights, large shiny windows, three stories high: the building is beautiful. This must be a significant contribution to Daniel's arrogance - he's rich. Rich rich.

"Wow." I utter to myself as Daniel opens the car door for me, gobsmacked, before I swing my legs around and step out. I wander a couple steps forward with my back to Daniel, in awe. "Your house is beautiful."

"Mhm," he mumbles, and I can imagine the way his shoulders lift for a moment of carelessness, before slumping back down. "It's no big deal to me."

No big deal? I contemplate asking, but I know I'll only receive a steely gaze because clearly, as he already stated, this isn't a big deal to him. I think I've learned not to make futile inquiries that will end in a non-answer. But the part that baffles me is how he can be so nonchalant about living in a million-dollar place like this.

"It's amazing." I say instead, turning my body to face him. "How do you afford to even live here?" I ask, meaning to say there's no way my parents could pay for this place, but it comes out sounding like I'm questioning how his parents reached their financial status. And after so many glares I've gotten for accidentally (or sometimes intentionally) prying, I bite the inside of my cheek, hard, as the equivalent to slapping myself in the face for being an idiot.

The silence that he gives off allows me to notice that the night is brisk, a cold wind blowing his hair across his forehead. I realise I don't need an answer to what I asked, so I part my lips to ask him if we should go inside.

"Parents have a business." he answers suddenly, but flatly, before I have the chance to talk. I simply nod, and as I do, I'm met with that steely colour in his eyes that I previously mentioned. The one that randomly shows up whenever it wants to feel welcome. The one that makes its owner appear cold and stand-offish. The one that, even though it isn't intentional, when your eyes hold their greyish-blue gaze, makes you feel hated.

"You ready to go in?" he asks, reading my mind from five seconds ago.

"Yeah." I answer with a slight shortage of breath. A feeling settles inside of me and I begin wondering whether this is the right thing to do. Something is making me feel like I shouldn't be here. And however obscure this instinctive feeling is, I certainly know that it isn't where I am, it isn't how late it is, it's the person that I am with. I don't want to feel this way, but I feel guilty. I feel guilty for being with someone who I once despised. I'm not sure whether it's my morals, or whether it's simply my head telling me I shouldn't be doing this, either way, it feels wrong. And the funny thing is, I don't care.

But my head takes over my mouth and attempts to articulate an excuse to leave. "Are you... Are you sure that I'm okay to come in?" I bite my lip, "I don't want to be intruding--"

"Tori, you're fine." He cuts me off, shaking his head. I find that his metallic look has become vacant, and I'm greeted with something familiar. And so easily, the anxious tingle inside of me evacuates my body. "Come on," he says, wearing a subtle but recognisable smile.

After gathering the courage and pulling myself together, I follow behind him to approach the front door. He retrieves his keys and unlocks it, before leading me inside. Unsurprisingly, the inside is just as remarkable as the outside. Everything is polished, everything is spacious, but it doesn't look cold and uncomfortable, somehow it still looks homely.

"Wow..." I say again, my eyes roaming around my surroundings. With my shoulder pressed gently against Daniel's, I don't realise until he discreetly clears his throat that the hand by my side is slightly touching his. Instead of rapidly retrieving my hand like I thought I would, my eyes for some reason lift to meet his gaze.