Chapter 28

The drive to her house is silent. She was silent after she told me where she lived. I glanced at her on the passenger seat. She's doing it again, that sight-seeing thing of hers, but this time I can tell that her mind is somewhere else. I can still hear her heavy breaths, her leg is bouncing up and down and she's picking on her nails again. Was it really that bad? How I left her? Because it looks like it left a really deep mark on her.

I gave it a good few seconds until I reached for her hand lacing it with mine then placing a kiss on the back of her hand. She looks at me with disturbed eyes as her lips curved slightly into a small smile. She sighs placing our hands on he lap.

"I'm sorry" She whispers. "I just, It slipped out of my mind and you were having flashbacks and I thought it was going to happen again and-"

"That's okay sweetheart, you don't have to explain. I know now. Trent told me." I say and she hums in response turning her head to go back to her thing again so I squeezed her hand to keep her eyes on me. I need a diversion, some kind of a distraction from the tension surrounding us.

"Good thing is you would get to show me your house." I smiled and she lets out a breath of relief and smiles. Its fucking working, and now it made me so intrigued on how her house looks like. I bet its huge too, like her mom's and Scarlett's, with big rooms that no one gets to use just when someone comes over or her family sleeps over. Maybe a bunch of random rooms like a gym or an indoor swimming pool or even an entertainment room, those houses you see on television that rich people own nowadays.

"I bet its big" I say simply stroking the back of her hand making her giggle and bites down on her lower lip and says.

"I can't wait for you to see it." She whispers with that sweet smile of hers and I raised my brow glancing at her. "Watch the road." She scolds and I smiled feeling her hands warming up in mine and that just tells me that she has totally calmed down.

"Why? Is there something special waiting for me to see." I hear her giggle again and this time, she lets go of my hand and let it rest on her leg covering it with her other hand while the other travels to the back of my neck. I can feel her eyes digging through my soul as she plays with my baby hair and to be honest it really feels good.

"Maybe, you'll see." She whispers and I let out a soft chuckle.

"You're really going for the suspense kind of thing for a surprise sweetheart."

"Well, it wouldn't be a surprise if I'll tell you now won't it honey?" I squeezed her leg as I rolled my eyes making her laugh. My lips curved into a wide smile upon hearing that. Her laugh really makes my day complete. "Turn right here honey"

I followed her direction and for some unexplainable reason, a sense of familiarity washes over me. These streets, I felt like I've walked on them before even though I don't remember when or how on earth will I go here. Its out of my usual way from home to work and vice versa and even to the city.

"Hmmm" I frowned slowing down as I passed by a sky blue painted house with a cute front porch and- wait, this house. "That house is so familiar" I say before glancing at Elizabeth. She raised her brows in confusion before looking away.

"Take a right turn here." She whispers so I did and now we're being surrounded by tall trees which is very creepy at night and yet that very strange feeling hasn't left my system still instead, its getting stronger by the minute. We passed one or two houses until we reached a left turn and a few miles led to a gate that automatically opens up.

"That is sick" I mutter as I drive through the gate which then closes as soon as we were in. Elizabeth giggles as she instruct me to park under the dim light parking shed beside other cars that are neatly lined up with each other. But then I wonder, where is her house? I can't see anything other than a huge space and a huge hedge surrounding the area. I parked the car and turned off the engine.

"Are we here?" I asked and she nods smiling from ear to ear making my heart skip a beat. At least she's in a good mood already. That's all I want. I climbed off the car before jogging towards her side and opening the door for her earning a sweet 'Thank you honey.' from her.

"Wait for me here and I'll get our things okay?" I say and she nods. I popped up the trunk and got two suitcases out plus my traveling bag. Yep, the two huge suitcases are all hers. I placed my bag on top of one of the suitcases so its easier to carry later on before closing the trunk and making my way back to Elizabeth.

"Okay, where is that house of yours." I say and she giggles taking the lead with me following close behind. She goes to a small black gate in between the hedges, which I didn't noticed when we got here and that is too smart for a celebrity who knows to keep her privacy in tact. I wait for her to secure the gate after we got in before she takes on the lead again.

The small gate leads to a garden path and slowly revealing a huge dark taupe modern house with tinted windows and warm outdoor lighting portraying a romantic vibe to it. My jaw dropped at the sight. Its so beautiful, more beautiful than Scarlett's and her mom's. Its like a hidden paradise. Trees surrounds the area with flowering bushes and something in this place is giving me that sense of strange familiarity.

"Earth to Shannon!" I snapped out of my thoughts swallowing before looking at her. She's giggling with the sweetest smile on her face. Well, it figures, her personality reflects in her home, amazingly beautiful. I smiled

"I take it, you love it already." I nod vigorously, this is not just a home. Its fucking paradise. "Let's go in honey." She says and opens the door for me stepping aside since I can't do that because my hands are quite full.

I stepped in and as soon as the lights are on, my jaw dropped for the second time around. The outside view is stunning but the wooden interior tops it all off. Brown maple colored hardwood floors, wooden walls with a lighter color and framed paintings hanging with a distinct distance from each other that makes it so clean to look at. Plants on the corners of the room and furniture with the same vibe and color to it and to top it off a cozy modern fireplace for that romantic vibe. Just wow.

"Damn baby." I whispered as I scanned my eyes around the room. She giggles and put her arms around me making me glanced down at her. Her eyes are bright and it sparkles under the light and it was luring me into some kind of a trance.

"You're house tops all the celebrity houses I've known and seen my entire life and I read Architectural Digest." She laughs and shakes her head and hangs her keys on the key holder near a coat rack.

"Well, that is the best compliment I've heard so far so thank you very much." She smiles leaning against the beige colored couch biting her bottom lip as I approach her leaving our baggage to rest near a bookshelf.

"Oh really?" She hums in response as my arms travelled around her waist while she hangs her arm around my neck with one hand on my chest smiling sweetly to me. I lean down to kiss her, capturing her sweet tasting lips in mine and as I close my eyes that blue house we passed by earlier pops into my mind like lightning and a scene of Robbie and I fighting in front of it flashes in front of my eyes.

Get the fuck off of me dyke!

"Ow." I pulled away snapping myself into reality. I looked at Elizabeth and she has her eyes scrunched tight and a hand on her mouth.

"Babe?"

"You bit me." She mumbles and that made my heart race and my eyes widen while the blood in my system dropped down to my feet. I rushed to her.

"Let me see." I say in urgency. She removes her hand from her mouth and pops out her bottom lip, there are teeth marks that is obviously mine but was a slight relief it didn't bleed, but still, I hurt her. God, what is wrong with me.

"I'm sorry. God, I'm so sorry sweetheart." I'm worried and worried sick and if she haven't had a giggle, I might've cried in terror. I can literally hear my heart pounding like a strong bass in my heart wanting to just jump out of my chest.

"Its okay honey, might be a little aggressive today huh?" She giggles trying to make the situation lighter by turning it into some kind of a joke, but I don't laugh, instead I stared at her not knowing what the fuck will I do. I just hurt her, just because of a fucking flashback with her psycho ex on that blue house. Wait-

"Shan, hey its alright baby. I swear." She walks closer touching the side of my face and before she could even say anything I say,

"I had a flashback while we were kissing." She stops looking at me her face changes into a worried expression. "What did you see?" She whispers.

"Robbie and I fighting, it was dark and there were sirens and I was on the ground bleeding and he was drunk. We were at that blue house we passed by earlier. I'm sorry, I'm really sorry sweetheart." I was about to step back but she pulls me in again much closer this time keeping my head in her hands.

"Hey, hey. Its fine really. Are you okay?"

"No, I hurt you. I-" I was cut off by her lips on mine kissing me softly this time. Feeling some quite of a reassurance on that.

"Stop it" She whispers against my lips before giving me one last kiss. She pulls away and I dropped my head on her shoulder. My head is starting to hurt again, the pain feels like someone is pounding my brain inside my skull.

"That house was yours." Everything stops and my head snaps up which I regret because the pain just got worse making me scrunch my eyes as I felt cold hands on my cheeks. "Hey, baby you okay?"

"Yea" I breathe. "That blue house we passed by earlier that was mine?" Her lips curved into a small smile, so small you barely could tell it was there. She nods.

"The house that you told me that was ours?" She nods again but this time she refuse to look into my eyes, her hands dropping to my chest and it made me confuse.

"That fight? was it real? It wasn't the one on the tabloid I read about us having a fight this was different-"

"Yea." She says keeping her eyes on my chest. "Based on what you told me, I think that was the time when he cheated on me." She finally looks up to me and all I can see was fear and a spark of fire ignites inside of me because of that.

"Tell me" I whispered. She sighs as she breaks eye contact with a frown on her face, maybe recalling what had happened that time.

"You were in Canada at that time. I found out Robbie cheated in the middle of work and I just ran off and didn't tell anyone where I was, even you."

"Shannon. We can't find Lizzie." My heart jumped out of my chest with the tone of his voice. What's going on.

"Wait wait, what's happening? What about Elizabeth?" I felt my heart racing. Something's wrong I can feel it.

"She found out Robbie's cheating and she ran off"

"Wait, WHAT!" I practically yelled through the phone my blood instantly rose to the top and I'm just fuming. That fucking bastard. What the actual fuck!

"I followed her but I just lost her and I can't find her."

"I'll call her. I won't stop. I'll book a flight back, I hope I get one right away. Fuck! What the actual fuck. I will kill him."

"You called hundreds of times and even booked a flight back just to look for me." She pulled her phone out of her pocket as I try to process these things she's telling me. "Here listen" She whispers as she plays a voice mail, I hear my voice.

Elizabeth, Its Shannon. Please answer my calls please. I'm so worried . If you hear this, you don't have to call me back. Wherever you are, if you're at our spot just please go to my house. There's a spare key under the plant near the door. Use it. I'm coming home, I'm at the airport right now, I'll be there in a few hours. Please just let me know your safe. Text me anything. Please.

It ends there and she played a couple more and I swore the pain in my head is getting stronger and stronger by the minute with all of these information I'm currently receiving, but still, I can't stop. I want to know everything. Why did I had that flashback? Why here?

"You took me to your house by the time you found me and you let me stay there for the night, then Robbie came."

"Elizabeth, wake up." She looks up to me with groggy eyes. Her eyes widen when we heard yelling from outside. She's terrified, I can feel it.

"Don't go out of this room okay, I'll take care of it."

"No, you don't know what he-" Her lips started to tremble and it was making my blood boil behind my head. I can fucking feel my adrenaline pumping fast.

"No matter what happens, Don't go out of this room. I want you safe. Hide if you need to just-" She looks at me with worried eyes and I placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"It's going to be fine. Don't go out." She nods and I pulled away and headed towards the door. I gave her a small smiled before closing it completely. I took a deep breath before calling the cops. When I heard banging on my door that's when I had enough.

"Yes?" I said as soon as I opened the door revealing a very wrecked Robbie right in front of me breathing heavily and reek of alcohol. I clenched my jaw trying to compose myself.

"Where is she?"

"Who? Elizabeth?"

"Don't fuck with me Shannon, I know she's here." He was about to go in yelling Elizabeth's name and all that shit begging her to talk to him. I pushed him out of the way and he forcefully stormed in knocking me over,my back hitting the end of the couch. Fuck! I can taste my blood on the corner of my mouth.

He kept yelling her name and it was ringing in my ears. I couldn't stand it when he was about to go to the bedroom, All I see was red. I stood up and charged at him grabbing him by the collar and slam him on the wall.

"You have no fucking right, to barge in here like you fucking own this place!"

"Get the fuck off of me dyke!" He spat. Oh! He's really asking for it. I don't know what has gotten into me my adrenaline pumping real hard. I gripped on his collar too tight and threw him out of my house, the same time we hear sirens but even though he charged at me punching me on the cheek and that threw me to the ground. Fuck!

My hands flew to my head as I winced at the sharp pain.

"Shan, hey." I felt her freezing hands back to my cheeks as I struggle to open my eyes but I can't stop. I need to know. I'm desperate to know and so curious on where she was the whole time.

"It's fine."

"I think we should get some rest. That's enough for today-" She was about to pull away but I held her hand and stare at her desperately, she can't just leave it off like that.

"No"

"Shan-"

"Where did I find you?" I felt her froze and her breathing starts to get heavier. I know, I can see it and I can hear it. But she smiles, a nervous smile lacing our hands together tight as possible before whispering,

"Come with me." Like in a trance, I followed not saying anything. We walked out of the living room and into the hallway with the same colored floor and walls with a huge painting of what it looks like birds in the sky, quite calming actually. She slides the glass window open, letting the cool LA breeze in before stepping outside.

That sense of familiarity hits me like a huge wave this time as we walk hand in hand further into the open space. Suddenly, I'm seeing things. Her seated on the grass and me coming to her then she launches herself to me as soon as she turns around. Picnics by the spot under the huge tree by the lamp post. Her filming me and my mom. Me tossing empty cans of beers beside me and then punching a the bench on the other side. Me writing on something a she arrives with a picnic basket in her hand. Its like watching scenes from movies happening right in front of my eyes.

She didn't have to say anything because I can feel my heart beating loudly in a way it didn't before and it was somehow scaring me because I don't know why. She stops in her tracks and turns to me. My heart is racing as she raises her hand to my chest where my heart is and the other made its way to the side of my face fingers curling up on the back of my neck.

"What is this place?" I whisper and she smiles her eyes glistening under the moonlight.

"This is where everything started. This is our special place." She whispers looking deep into my eyes. " And this was the closest I can get to you these past few years."  I can feel my heart exploding into pieces like fireworks on display. I can't believe what I was hearing,

Is this real?

I ask myself over and over again. She built a house, on our spot, where everything began. All these years she kept me in place, in her heart and mind. Maybe what we had was really real. She suffered that long and now its here, I'm here. Now I understand, why she's so scared of everything. She's just afraid to lose this again, to lose what she's been longing for, to lose us again.

I know I messed up leaving her. But this time, I can truly and sincerely promise her. I won't. Never again. I just can't and Its quite overwhelming how much I love her. Its strangely odd for me to feel that way for a person I just met two weeks ago. But it doesn't feel like two weeks, it feels like forever.

I looked into her eyes and get lost in them, letting myself fall into a trance that I don't want to fall out of and slowly lean down to kiss her. She kisses back wrapping her arms around my neck while my arms wrapped around her waist, telling her all she wanted to know in that kiss. I won't leave, never again.

We pull apart when air became an issue but kept our foreheads together. She smiles and whispers.

'Welcome home honey'

And hearing that just sends me to tears dropping my head on her shoulders with relief in my heart and an overwhelming feeling of love exploding in my chest. I once asked myself, is this how it feels? Falling in love. Now I know, its not just about the sparks and the cheesy lines and romantic dates. Its a feeling of extreme euphoria that comes with pain and all things mixed together and I learned that, love will remain even under unfortunate circumstances. If its meant to be it will happen, no matter what happens.

'I am home'

A/N: Just want to greet our one and only muse. Happy Birthday Lizzie!!!🥰❤️