Chapter 140

“Are we all packed!?” Matt screams through the house. He’s been way too excited about this trip ever since I agreed to go.

I roll my eyes as I zip up my suitcase in my room and begin to drag it to the top of the stairs. I lie it down on the stairs and push it down, where Matt catches it and carries it to the front door.

“El, are you done?” I sigh when I get back into my bedroom and look around at the tip. You’d think it would be tidy seeing as we’re packing most of the stuff in here, but it’s the complete opposite. I blame Eleanor.

“Yeah, just help me zip up” she manages to say as she squeezes her blue case together. I bend down and zip up the case that’s about to burst any second. She’s way over the luggage limit.

I walk over to the mirror and take a close look at myself. I’m wearing some plain black leggings, my white low top converse and a plain white oversized t-shirt. I also have a grey cardigan wrapped around my waist because with my past experiences with planes, I’ve come to terms with the fact it’s extremely cold in the air, no matter where abouts in the world you’re travelling to, and what season it is.

My hair falls down to my waist and I have it in a half-up half-down do. To this day, Eleanor still cuts my hair and I’ve never had a problem with it. I’d probably trust her cutting me a fringe to be honest.

My make-up’s pretty minimum; I’m just wearing foundation, mascara and a bit of lip balm.

It’s surprising how much effort I’ve put into my look today to be honest...

“I see you’re still trying to make effort for the guy then” Eleanor smirks, strolling back into the room once she’s launched her suitcase down the stairs to her Dad.

“It’s not for Conor” I roll my eyes, turning to face her.

“Whatever” she chuckles. “I’m too tired to argue”

Oh yeah, did I mention it’s 4am? I did not sign up for this. Our flight’s at 6am and Matt was determined to get there on time so he decided to wake us all up at 3am. Shoot me.

I feel dead. But I’m also kind of glad because we’ll get to LA at around 5pm. But because of their time zone, it’ll be 9am over there. So I basically have an extended day which I can probably deal with. It’ll save me from being up at early hours like I usually am.

-

“I hopped off the plane at LAX with a dream and my cardigan” Eleanor and I sing as we get off the plane at LAX.

This is pretty cool. We got First Class seats on the damn plane! You can understand why I’m so happy after spending 11 hours on there.

I haven’t even seen any of the Maynard’s yet. Well, Anna came and watched a film with us on the plane and I just assumed at the other two were doing the same thing. Angela probably fell asleep.  You know Anna’s 12 now? It’s been too long. She hasn’t changed a bit though.

“Right, we’ll all go and get our bags, then we’ll get a taxi” Angela tells us all once we’re all in a group I didn’t realise was being formed.

Hey, Jack’s here. Where’s Conor? I flash him a quick smile before being swept away by Matt who’s holding tight onto my arm. Yeah, he’s definitely the most excited.

After grabbing our bags, we make our way outside the airport and start to pile our bags into the taxi. Jack’s family are getting into one, and Eleanor’s and my family are getting into another.

“Jumped in the cab, here I am for the first time” Eleanor smiles in satisfaction at how well the song fits in with our journey. She gasps, “Look to my right and I see the Hollywood sign”

My jaw drops as I follow where she’s looking. She bursts out laughing, taking advantage of how gullible I am, before sitting back in her seat, smirking to herself.

“You’re such an idiot” I shake my head in amusement at her.

She chuckles, “You believed it!”

“I can’t believe we’re in LA” I mutter, staring out of the window in amazement.

The sky’s bright blue and I can already feel a tan coming on as the heat warms up my skin. I want to live in America...

“Yeah, bet you’re glad you came now” she smirks.

I don’t think even Conor could put me in a mood on this trip. I’m in paradise!

After finally arriving at Conor’s house, we all pile out of the car and meet Jack and his family there.

“Conor’s just unlocking the door” he explains as we walk over to him. I turn to my right and see Conor typing a code into the huge gates that suddenly start to open.

Oh my holy mother of god.

This can’t be his house.

Jesus Christ.

It’s ginormous! I should’ve prepared myself by looking at some of the pictures Conor sent to Matt, because right now, I’m weak at the knees, debating if Conor’s winding me up about this actually being his house.

Jack, Angela and Anna casually stroll through the gates as the rest of us have our jaws resting comfortably on the floor.

“This isn’t your house” I shake my head as he stares at us in amusement.

“I’ll give you a tour if you decide to move your asses inside” he cheekily remarks. I smile in amusement at him as he sends me a wink, before Matt ruins the moment by grabbing me and running towards the front door. Why me!?

I gasp slightly as I get dragged past his black Range Rover that’s almost identical to Jack’s, and the black Lamborghini parked at the other side of the drive. Wait, LAMBORGHINI!?

If my jaw could drop any further, it has.

“You could’ve pre-warned me that you’re a billionaire. I’m one more surprise away from having a stroke” I choke as Conor runs in front of us to unlock the front door.

“That would ruin the surprise though. And you haven’t even seen the house yet, should I get the ambulance on speed dial?” he says sarcastically.

“I think you should, mate” Matt nods as he stares at the scenery around him.

Huge palm trees surround his territory, making it almost impossible for people outside to see his mansion. I guess that’s for the best if he has paparazzi watching his every move. I’m surprised they’re not here at the moment. He’s probably come up with some plan to get rid of them, knowing him.

“I’ll take you all out on a ride in my Yacht later if you like” he smirks.

“Your what!?” Eleanor gasps, making him burst out laughing.

“I’m kidding. I don’t do water” he shrugs, turning the key to reveal the inside of the mansion.

I genuinely think I’m going to have a heart attack. The ginormous staircase made of marble immediately catches my eye. The huge chandeliers dotted above us look like they’re worth what my whole house is. The ginormous widow at the top of the stairs brings in the majority of the entrance’s light, but also has the most incredible view of the area around us.

“Who wants a tour?” Conor asks, taking off his jacket and throwing his keys on his key hook thingy.

“Me!” I instantly say and everyone mutters an agreement.

It takes us half an hour around the whole house and I’m sure Conor loved every second of bragging about what he can now afford. I tried calculating how much the whole house was worth as we were making our way around the place, but I soon lost count as we entered the first bedroom. You know, every room has an en suit? All 8 bedrooms might I add.

Why a 19 year old boy that lives alone needs 8 bedrooms, I’ll never know. He probably sleeps in a new bed every night.

After the tour, he showed us all to our bedrooms which we’re now unpacking in. Eleanor’s just thrown her suitcase in her room and is now in mine, talking about how incredible this house is. I think this bedroom is bigger than mine and my parents put together.

“I’ll give it to the asshole, he’s done well for himself” she sighs, falling back on the bed. Conor offered for Eleanor and I to share a room but I think the fact that we could both have our own ginormous bedrooms intrigued us more. I’m gonna get a good night’s sleep tonight.

“I refuse to go home without a ride in that Lamborghini” I shake my head in amazement.

“His what?” she frowns in confusion.

“The car outside” I roll my eyes.

“Oh damn, that was hot” she gasps in realisation. I nod in agreement but we’re soon interrupted by Jack swinging the door open.

“You coming in the pool?” he smiles.

“Give us chance, Jack” I chuckle as I notice he’s already in his swimming trunks. It’s alright for him, he’s already used to the fact that Conor’s a billionaire.

“Come on, you can unpack tonight. Let’s catch some rays” he says, doing a shimmy into the room. I just shrug, realising he has a point as I grab a swimming costume out of my case.

“How cool is this place?” El sighs.

“Yeah, it’s amazing. Told you you’d like it” he chuckles, closing the door behind him.

“God, Lucy. Imagine if you didn’t come” Eleanor gasps and I nod in agreement.

I’m so glad I came. My Instagram’s going to be spammed with pictures of this place for a while.

I stroll into the bathroom and look around for a bit before changing into my bikini... still looking around. Eleanor came prepared and put her swimming costume on under her clothes. She’s been wearing that thing since we left the house.

I realise it’s gone quiet in the bedroom so I roll my eyes and brace myself for what I’m probably about to see.

Yes, I’m correct. Eleanor and Jack are kissing in just their swimming costumes.

“Guys” I groan, clapping my hands together. If Matt had to walk into the room now he’d probably beat Jack to a pulp.

“Let’s go” Jack smirks down at Eleanor as we all make our way out of the room. I roll my eyes as I follow them outside to the back garden. Conor gave us a tour of this but I’m still just as shocked.

There’s a patio with a little shelter over the stop with deck chairs and a table on it. The pool comes directly off the patio and it’s a pretty decent size. Conor said it was 10 meters long... Behind the pool is a massive grass area, almost like a field. The grass is bright green and has a trampoline next to the pool. The barbeque is opposite that and... yeah, that’s pretty much it.

It’s amazing... His house makes his one in Brighton look tiny and even that one always blew me away. My house is a shed compared to this.

Jack’s the first one to throw himself into the pool, attempting to do a back flip but landing flat on his back. I’m practically crying with laughter but also cringing at how much that must’ve hurt.

Eleanor and I are next to be thrown into the pool but not on our own command. No, Matt slings us in before doing a cannonball into the deep water. My head bobs out of the water and I see Conor stood at the side in nothing but his shorts, rolling his head back in laughter.

Damn... Too many surprises in one day.

-

I have a balcony...

I have a balcony! What the heck?

I open the doors in my bedroom and take a look outside on the balcony. The view is incredible from here and the sky’s so clear that I can see all the millions of stars dotted around the black sky. I lean on the railing and look down where I can see the lights from the pool reflecting up at me.

I’m in LA...

I’ve still not come to terms with that.

“Nice isn’t it?” a voice says from behind me. I’m surprised I don’t fall off the balcony from the height I just jumped. “Woah, easy there” he chuckles.

“What are you doing here?” I pant, angry that he almost made me jump.

“Well it is my house, Lucy” he laughs dryly.

I just roll my eyes and stare off into the distance, admiring the view a bit more whilst trying to ignore the fact that Conor’s stood right next to me. I’ve also not come to terms with the fact that I’m with Conor Maynard after all these years. Well, two years.

“What are you doing up at this time? I thought everyone was asleep” he asks, leaning on the railing next to me.

I shrug, “I found something interesting to do”

“At one in the morning?” he smirks. I smile slightly, nodding.

“The view’s incredible. I probably won’t be asleep until three anyway so why not make the most of it?” I shrug. You think I’d be jet lagged with such an extreme time difference but I’m a weirdo that stays up late no matter what the time zone.

“I thought you would, that’s why I came here” he nods. I smile again, sort of happy that he knows how late I like to stay up. “Come here, I want to show you something”

He takes my hand and guides me out of my room making my heart beat rapidly. How after 2 years does he still have this affect on me? I don’t even realise what we’re doing until he lets go of my hand and I realise that we’re on the roof of his house, overlooking what looks like the whole of LA. It’s probably not but hey, a girl can dream.

“This is amazing” I gasp, walking over to the edge of the roof.

“Don’t walk too far. I don’t want you dying on your first day here. I still need to take you out for a spin in my Lamborghini” he says, a smirk to his voice.

I spin around to face him and see him stood with a small smirk on his lips. He’s wearing some grey joggers and a white shirt from earlier on. He runs a hand through his messy hair and I think that’s enough to make me fall off the top of this house to be honest. He’s definitely not lost his looks. In fact, I think he looks better than what he did 2 years ago. Or maybe I just appreciate his looks more seeing as I haven’t seen him in so long.

“Done checking me out?” he raises an eyebrow at me, making me snap out of my escalating thoughts.

“I wasn’t checking you out” I roll my eyes. “I was thinking about the ride in your car actually”

“Is that the only ride you were thinking of?” he winks, making my jaw drop.

“Conor!” I gasp. He rolls his head back in laughter and walks up to me, staring into the distance.

This view really is incredible. And no, I’m not staring at Conor...

Conor practically lives in the middle of nowhere. His house is surrounded by trees and there’s just a long, narrow road that leads to his house. He has no neighbours, which makes me think that he must be pretty lonely out here. Past all the trees, I can see loads of city lights that go on as far as I can see. You could say this is a pretty amazing view.

“I’ll take you out there sometime. It’s pretty cool” he nods towards the city.

“Yeah, that’ll be nice” I smile.

He walks over to edge of the roof and sits down, his legs dangling over the edge. There’s a little ledge around the edge of the roof so I don’t think there’s any way he could fall off unless I came behind him and karate kicked him in the back. I don’t dislike him enough to do that though, don’t worry.

In fact, I actually follow behind him and sit down next to him. I don’t think anyone in the house hates me enough to push me off the roof so I feel pretty safe out here.

Conor and I sit in comfortable silence for a while until I decide to speak.

“Why did you invite us here, Conor?” I frown, turning my body to face him.

He shrugs, “I just thought you’d like to see my place”

“Why invite me after two years of not knowing each other. Why have you suddenly come back and invited us here?”

“I don’t know, Luce” he sighs. “I guess I just wanted to thank you”

“Thank me?” I frown in confusion. “For what?”

“Well if it wasn’t for you, none of this would’ve happened”

“But I didn’t do anything” I shake my head.

“Are you kidding?” he laughs dryly. “Lucy, if you didn’t buy me a recording studio and give me the confidence to actually do something with my voice, I’d be nowhere in life”

I guess he does have a point. But hey, he can’t let me have all the credit.

“You’re the one with the voice” I shrug and he just chuckles. “I always said you could do it”

“I know” he nods. “That’s what gave me the most confidence. You always believed in me. No one else did”

“Yeah, well you’re amazing” I shrug.

“I’ll always remember when you listened to my cover of ‘Breathe’ before going out for Jack’s birthday. You were saying I’ll be selling out arenas worldwide and I’m definitely going to be famous” he reminds me and I smile at the memory. It feels like ages ago when that happened but I still remember. I’m surprised Conor does... “You told me not to forget about you when I get famous”

“And you didn’t” I smile slightly.

“How can I ever forget about you? It was a stupid thing to ask of me really” he winks and I just laugh, secretly buzzing at the fact he’s always going to remember me. “But on a serious note, you never once didn’t believe in me and you don’t understand how thankful I am for that”

“Yeah, no problem” I shrug, the smile never falling off my face.

I think I’d be more surprised if he didn’t get famous to be honest. I still don’t think he realises how good of a singer he is.

“So you have to fly me out to America to thank me?” I tease.

“It’s the least I could do” he smirks. “There’s a lot more I want to do to say thank you, you know? And apologise I guess for all the shit I put you through since we met”

“I’m looking forward to it” I tease, making him smile. “You’re nothing like Nick by the way. I said it out of anger”

“No, you were right. I was an ass” he shrugs.

“You were nothing like Nick, Conor. Trust me” I sigh, turning to look at the city lights again.

“You deserve so much better, you know?” he breaks the silence. “The way he spoke to you was absolutely disgusting”

“I know” I sigh.

“There’s someone out there that will treat you right and make you feel good about yourself and you should never settle for less than that”

I turn to him and smile, “Thanks”

Why is he being so sweet to me? I shouldn’t be complaining but I’m mad at the asshole for making me fall for him already. When this week’s over, I can move on with my normal life without Conor, because the more sweet things he says to me, the further I fall for the guy and this is only day one...

“So are you up for that ride in my car yet?” he smirks, standing up in his place.

“Now?” I frown in confusion. He holds a hand out to me which I take and he pulls me up.

“Why wait?” he shrugs. “Besides, if we do it tomorrow, the others will want to come and I don’t like driving in a full car. Too many lives at risk” he winks.

“Oh so just having my death on your case is fine?” I raise an eyebrow.

“You think too much” he shakes his head in amusement. “Come on. If we go now, we can get a Starbucks for the way back”

And without any further persuasion, I make my way off the roof and practically race Conor to his Lamborghini. He knows how to spoil a girl.

-

“Well, Conor. I think that was the most fun I’ve ever had in my life” I smile brightly as he opens the car door to let me out.

“I’m glad I could entertain you. We should do this again sometime” he smirks, closing the door behind me. I take a mouthful of my FroYo and nod, wide eyed at the boy.

We went everywhere. He showed me what felt like the whole of LA but he said that’s only part of it. The deal was that if I come with him to his concert he’s having on Thursday night, then he’ll show me the rest of the city the same night. That’s an offer I couldn’t refuse. I would’ve gone to his concert anyway because I’d love to see him sing live, but I won’t tell him that.

“We should get some sleep now. It’s four in the morning, you know?” he informs me as we walk towards his front door.

“You’re kidding?” I gasp.

“Nope” he shakes his head, popping the ‘p’.

“Well it’ll be hard for me to get to sleep now that I have ‘Vegas Girl’ drilled into my head” I send him a glare for blasting out his album for almost the entire journey.

Don’t get me wrong, he’s an amazing singer and should be extremely proud of his work, but that damn song was on repeat for a good half hour because the ‘beat is sick’. I almost threw myself out of the car.

“Aw, maybe I should sing you a lullaby. I can do opera you know” he clears his throat. “This is for the-“

“Stop” I slap a hand over his mouth as he starts to sing the song in opera. “Please don’t sing that song again”

He chuckles from under my hand, “I thought I was good”

“I’d stick to your usual style of music if I was you. Do opera as a hobby” I roll my eyes, following him upstairs.

“Yeah, I guess” he smirks, stopping outside my bedroom. “If you still can’t get to sleep, my room’s just down the hall” he sends me a wink.

I roll my eyes, “I’ll manage”

Maybe...

“The offer’s still there, Luce” he mutters, keeping his voice low so we don’t wake the others.

“Night, Conor” I chuckle, walking into my room.

“Night, Princess” I hear him say before he sets off down the hall.

He’s really making it hard for me to not fall for him, isn’t he?

-

Happy New Year guys!! Here's to 2015 :)