Secrets, Love and Lies (18+)

5 - Ship Me

5 Years Ago

Of all the fine qualities I possess, being a morning person is not one of them. My father is up most mornings working out in the gym before the sun is up and the staff have begun to bustle around the house. As for me, the snooze button on my phone is pressed four times at minimum before I rise; this morning is no exception as my door opens and my father walks into my room.

"Lily, you need to get moving. Luca is already here to take you to school," he scolds.

I release a long, sleepy groan in reply, then roll over and wipe away the drool on my left cheek with the back of my hand.

My eyes are still glued shut and I rub at them, fighting the burning sunlight against my retinas.

The bed suddenly dips beside me and I look up, surprised to see Gunnar perched beside me. His hand reaches over and smooths across my morning lion's mane, something he hasn't done in years.

"Come on baby girl, time to get up," he speaks softly, and kisses my forehead.

Who is this man and what had he done with Gunnar? I glance at my father with sarcastic raised eyebrows, not letting on that I am secretly enjoying the attention. I kind of wish he'd stay a little longer, but I'll never admit it to him.

"K. I'll shower now," I mumble as I haul my tired ass out of bed.

"Have a good day at school, honey. I'm heading into the office now," he replies and marches off in his perfectly tailored blue Armani suit, ready to commence worldwide domination.

I scrub up in the shower, pull my day-two hair into a ponytail and throw on my uniform, taking a little extra time with my makeup than usual.

No, it's not because Luca is taking me, it's because I want to look good for me. Really. And yes, Luca can wait an extra fifteen minutes for perfection.

Once ready, I head downstairs where I'm greeted by Luca with a half-eaten bagel hanging out his mouth, looking about as distinguished as a cow chewing its cud.

I shake my head in disgust and walk past him to grab the breakfast smoothie that our maid Eleanor has left on the counter for me. Grabbing my cup with an eyeroll in Luca's direction, I motion to Luca that I'm ready to leave.

"Let's go, Bessie."

"What?" Luca askes, following me to the car with a puzzled expression while crumbs spill from the side of his mouth.

I sigh, "Were you raised by wolves?"

He swallows his last bite in one large gulp and laughs heartily.

"Shut up, princess." He starts the engine and brings us to school a full fifteen minutes early.

Ugh, morning people suck.

The school week is relatively uneventful. I dutifully attend classes, early to school everyday thanks to my faithful babysitter Luca Romano and his deplorable punctuality. Friday finally rolls around and I'm packing my overnight bag to head over to Sierra's, choosing a few outfit options she could help me review for the party at Connor's.

I've just finished loading my makeup bag and a couple pairs of shoes when I heard the door behind me. I'm surprised to see my father home so early. It's barely seven and he's rarely home from work before nine most days.

"Where do you think you're going?"

I sigh and roll my eyes. "I'm packing for Sierra's; we're having a girl's night."

"No, I want you to stay home tonight. You're not going out clubbing when we still don't know if you're safe yet," he answers.

"We're not going out! We're just staying in and eating pizza, watching movies, and painting our nails and shit." I'm totally exasperated with his sudden intrusion on my personal life.