Christmas Eve was a nice little day. We all knocked out at 3 A.M after talking, and dancing, for a bit more. We all went to IHOP for a late morning breakfast then everyone was in a kind of rush for the rest of the day. Me and Dani had to go to the mall for some last-minute shopping while all the guys went to go get haircuts. There was literally almost nothing on the shelves but luckily, she didn't have to get much. She did decide to get a bit of a pricey purse and wallet set for her Tio and Tia, which was the last in stock. As for the boys, they went to 3 different barber shops, but all were busy. Luckily Joshua has a friend who does haircuts, and they were willing to do all the guys today. I don't know how we managed to do anything today, but it all worked out. Call it a Christmas miracle if you will.

Dani and Joshua left for the airport around 1 o'clock; Dani left with her family and Dad dropped off Joshua on his way to work. They both sent videos of the airport and it was packed. Not enough space to put a puppy. So many people were catching last minute flights back home. Both actually almost missed their flights but ran like madmen to make it to their gates. The videos of them running were funny; I haven't seen Joshua run since the 8th grade. But both made it on the plane and are on their way to enjoy a nice holiday vacation.

Dad has work until 7 o'clock tonight but has a dinner party to attend at 9. He vowed to me that he would not take a sip of eggnog. Texts were also promised every hour. But I have to remind myself to put my phone on silent. He is that type of person who sends multiple texts at one time.

Right now, though I was at home getting ready for the dinner party. Or maybe dinner hell would be more of an appropriate word for it. I wanted to go to the salon to get ready, but they were all busy. Love that for me. I started doing my makeup about 2 hours ago and I barely finished my eyes. I still have to do my base, hair, and get changed. Luckily 2 out of the three are easier than the odd man out. It is true that if you take care of your skin, you don't need a butt ton of makeup.

Greyson came inside Dad's bathroom after he showered. Dad has a double vanity so it would be easier and much more peaceful for us to get ready here than our cramped bathroom. He dried his hair and took his time styling it. He was carefully putting in all of his products. By the time I did my base and hair, which I ended up just straightening, he was still tending to his hair.

"Do you like it?" I asked, closing my eyes and showing him my makeup.

"It looks nice," he said after a quick glance. He then returned to his hair after the brief interruption.

I rolled my eyes and went to change. To go along with my copper makeup look, with glitter may I add, I wore a bronzy-golden satin dress. It is Dani's but it is beautiful, nonetheless. It was a body fit dress but breathable and was comfortable. It was long-sleeved and was showing a bit of skin at the chest, but not too much. It was a modern modest look if that could make any sense in your head.

I went back to the restroom and Greyson was still at the mirror.

"Dude, hurry up, we are getting late," I said as I walked out of the restroom.

"Five minutes," he said, spraying hair spray in his hair.

I ran upstairs and grabbed all of my things. I took out the one pair of party heels that I own and strapped them on. There were a black pair of heels, rather shiny, with a thick heel and about 3 1/2 inches tall. It had a golden buckle that was cold when pressed against my warm skin. I looked at them and thought of the upcoming 2 hours. They would be the most uncomfortable 2 hours of my vacation but at least they looked great with the outfit, and I am eternally grateful that I got that pedicure recently.

I sprayed some perfume on - my special occasion one - grabbed my purse and headed downstairs.

Finally dressed, Greyson was tying his dress shoes at the bottom step.

Making my way downstairs ever so sweetly, Greyson got up, turned round, and was in awe. His eyes were soft and all. As I finally reached the 2nd last step, I looked at him.

"You clean up nice," I joked around as I straightened his perfectly laid tie.

"Tell me how I ended up with such a beautiful goddess," he said quietly. He slipped his hand around my waist and was lost. His eyes were at my face and his lips were looking so soft and velvety. I placed both of my arms around his neck.

"Tell me how I ended up with perfection in front of me," I said in reply.

He laughed at our stupidity and kept his gaze on me. The whole world could be in chaos and turmoil and pure craziness, but he would still look like that.

"What if we skip it?" he asked.

"Whatever you want," is all I said.

He sighed and offered me his arm. "Let us forge on this dangerous journey, my lady," he said in a terrible medieval accent. He smiled as I looped my arm around his. I grabbed the house keys from the hook and headed out.

As Greyson climbed into the front and turned on the car, I heard the big dog roar. Today our ride is the Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class - the one and only present Greyson's parents gave him in his entire life. It was a sleek jet black and classy. He had to pick it up last night which already pushed him to the edge. The interior color was white with a little bit of gold. The seats were leather, and cold, and it smelled like the mahogany teakwood candle from Bath and Body Works. It is the most luxurious car I will ever ride. And the only reason we are using this car today is because his family does not allow him to bring any other car to his house.

Sitting in the passenger's seat I mentally prepared myself for tonight. There was going to be a bit of tension in the air, but we all are going to act like it is fine. And as an added bonus I was probably not going to take a bite out of dinner tonight. Being rich means eating extremely weird and extravagant food. Caviar, truffles, gold - literal edible 24-karat gold - are used often on any food from a king crab which can feed about 10 people to even the plainest lasagna.

"What are they serving tonight?" I asked as my stomach grieved.

"I think the menu said fish, but I am not exactly sure," he said as he made a left.

I sighed. When fish is being made, I think of fried fish or fish tacos. However, at his house, it could literally mean a pufferfish. God, help me.

Well, as the saying goes, it is not the destination that matters, it's the journey, and the journey to his house was showcasing an array of emotions from anxious to irritated. Each star steals the show just briefly. As the air was getting too thick with too many things, I decided to open my mouth.

"How far are we?"

"10 minutes," he said. As he said this, he looked at the time and realized that it is already 7:45. His hands were starting to shake again. It was not as bad as last time, I mean the car was still in one lane, but you could tell. His arm kept on twitching to the left, like he wanted to jerk it in that direction. Luckily, for the safety of our lives, his phone screamed that he got a text. He pulled it out of his pocket and opened it.

"Eric and Aurora just landed,'" he said as he stared at the message.

"Just now?" I asked, confused.

"Father and Eva probably gave them a private jet or something." This seemed to bother him for some reason.

To clear some confusion, Eva is his birth mom. For some reason, best known to herself, she made it punishable by law for her kids to call her "Mom" or "Mother" or anything that resembles a person who identifies as a female and can give birth.

Speaking of mothers, we pass by the big scene of the birth of Jesus in front of the big church. It has a name, but I do not have enough brain capacity to instill it in my brain. As we leave the church and move along in the city all the streets, shops, and apartment balconies are decked out in various Christmas decorations. It looks like a Hallmark card but a bit sloppier. Though it is beautiful and Instagram worthy, no one can beat the Big Apple when it comes to decorating during the holidays. I would love to spend the holidays there.

We soon arrived at the Rose Bush Road. That is at least what I call it. On this road are divine lamp posts shining bright white light into the night, and underneath are rose bushes all lined up, about 15 on each side of the road. I also see that they added little decorative cranberries in the bushes. The grass is freshly cut but usually looks so soft that all you want to do is run around with your shoes off. As we are driving a smooth 3 miles per hour on neutral the golden gates are slowly becoming visible. But beyond all the beauty and vanity is the haunted house.

At this sight Greyson loses it. He is shaking - like my bad shaking- which is making the car move. His jaw looks like it is locked, and he is fighting with the seatbelt to get out of the seat. The seatbelt, in self-defense, locked itself which sent him into a frenzy of panic. He was literally throwing his body around while keeping his hand on the wheel. He had tears streaming down his face and was muttering something. "Ple- Please- Please don't- make me- g- g- go." He closed his eyes and flinched. He couldn't control himself.

"Greyson," I said, grabbing his arms. He let go of the steering wheel and grabbed onto me for dear life. His fingers were digging into my arms pretty hard. 

"Please-" he took a sharp breath in, "Please don't make me go. Please, they- ar- going- to-. Please. I don't want to go. I don't want to go. They are-" His eyes were looking all over the place, like a child looking for an escape. He threw his head down as it was tiring to hold it up.

"Greyson, I am so sorry," I said, terrified by the scene in front of me. Greyson may get upset or anxious, but to see him scared is a rarity. And to see him go back to that time almost never happens; the memories only come back when he is truly immersed in fear. It reminded me of myself not too long ago.

We soon reach the gates. The keys to this car and the gate have a little sensor and the gate opens when it senses the key is nearby. The car wheeled in and made it to the front door safely. Well, we made it to the front door safe physically. The car is not a wreck and there was not a scratch on us, but emotionally was a different story. He took off his seatbelt and threw himself out of the car. I got out and went to see him. I took a deep breath in before I went to go help him. A person nearby, who saw us, just left us alone and went to park the car.

He was bent over, hands on his knees, panting like he ran a marathon. His sweat was literally dripping down his entire body. His face was red in color and drool was oozing out of his mouth. I placed a hand on his volcanic-temperature'd neck and felt the drums playing in my palm. I saw his eyes roll and his body started to fall sideways. I grabbed him and the weight of his body and mine pressured me into falling backwards. I looked around in the barely visible night and saw a bench nearby. I dragged our butts to it and threw him before we collapsed. I sat down and caught my breath while he sat there dying. I wiped the tears from my eyes and squared my shoulders. Not now. I can't fall apart.

"Greyson, please, we need to go inside." I tried to say in a calm voice.

"Please," he said so faintly.

"Please Greyson, I need you to get up. I promise you everything will be fin-," my voice cracked due to the ostrich sized egg in my throat.

He dropped his head on my shoulder and tried to catch his breath. He closed his eyes and looked like he was about to fall off the face of the earth. But he opened them again and looked okay. He used his arm to get up but failed numerous times. I was trying to help him, but it was literally something I could not do. He finally figured it out though and started to pull himself together. He took out the usable handkerchief from the inner pockets and wiped his face with it. I was trying to fix his tamed hair, though it was not ruined in the slightest.

"Daisy-"

I could not hear this right now. "Not now. I need you to get up and walk with me. I promise you everything will be fine."

"Please, listen to me-"

"Greyson, get up."

He finally lost what he was trying to say and just got up. While he was trying to figure out his left from his right, I fixed his suit. "You ready?" I asked. He tried to grab my hand, but I felt a bit hesitant. He ignored it though and slipped his fingers into mine. He nodded and we started to make our way to the house.

The gravel was crunching underneath the soles of our feet. The light was starting to illuminate our faces, and I could see his eyes flying all over the place. He hasn't been here in a while, so I understood how he felt. Where I hate going back to the apartment, where a drunk coward lived and it was dingy and smelly and dirty, he hated and feared going back to his house, where it is filled to the brim to random people, stress, a bunch of silver spoons and the people who ate from them.

We got to the steps, and it was near impossible. With his still being shaky and my inexperience of wearing high heels we could not run like Joshua from the 9th grade. We tried to walk in a civil manner though. No tripping or flailing arms. It would be a bit embarrassing for me, but his parents would never live it down. We finally got to the top step, and standing in front of us, a few feet away, was a magnificent door. We walked towards it, every step ringing in my eyes, and stood in front of it. He couldn't bear touching it, so I did. I raised my hand to the doorbell, but I stopped in my tracks. I don't know why I stopped but soon I stepped on the accelerator and went ahead. We are already here, may as well.

Greyson's legs were going all jelly on me again. I tried to hold him upright, again, until some came to open the door.

Some random guy came to open the door. He looked at us as though trying to figure out that this is the second son and nodded. At this Greyson tried to stand, and act, upright. From this point on he is being watched. He knows that anyone who sees him will have to answer truthfully to the king of the house.

"Come in," said the guy. We stepped over the threshold and into the first part of the maze. The foyer was decorated beautifully, like every other part of the house. The sort of theme for this house was an Italian Villa style. The high ceiling was able to afford the second biggest chandelier in the foyer, and the first was in the living room. Along with the marvelous light fixture was a big entrance counsel, a brilliant piano, a fireplace, and a small couch set with an unexpected test.

Sitting down was Eric and Aurora, sipping on water. Since Eric's back was towards the door it was Aurora who stopped the conversation and looked at us. She looked at us for a second then stood up and came to greet us. She threw her goldilocks behind her and walked towards us. Eric set down his glass and his confused eyes followed his petite wife and found his little brother. He looked annoyed but came to us as well. He rearranged his cufflinks and came to stand in front of us.

It was silent for a second. Greyson and Eric were looking at each other for a second, each disgusted with the other. Aurora, who was looking at her husband, broke the ice and greeted us. She kissed both of Greyson's cheeks then kissed my pair too.

"It has been too long," she said as she held my hands. I nodded and said "And you too. How is New York?" She smiled and said "Simply wonderful. You must visit." I would if she lived alone. Out of everyone in his family, Aurora is the only one who treats him at least with respect.

I looked at her smooth and beautiful hands holding my rough ones. It is covered in diamonds that compliment her so artistically. Her outfit looks something fresh from the mind of Donatella Versace. It is a black jumpsuit dress streaked with gold from the left side of her chest to the right side of her waist. Her hair is curled and almost reaches to her hamstrings. The first thought that really came to my head was how she is holding her head with all the weight. Hair is heavy.

Finally, our heads turn towards the men. They looked at each other, seeing who would do something first. It was Greyson who extended his hand.

"Eric."

Eric looked at it and decided to get it over with.

"Greyson." At least he said his name.

He didn't bother saying anything to me. They didn't follow up with any questions or comments or anything that suggests catching up. That would be enough for now though. The rest would happen at the table.

So as the silence grew louder and more silent, I asked, "Is dinner ready?" I asked this question to anyone in the vicinity rather than the other three.

"Ah, yes Miss," the guy from earlier said, holding his finger and moustache in the air. We all whipped our heads around to see him. "This way." He turned around sharply and started to walk towards the secret evil lair. We nodded and walked with our respective others to all of our doom. As we walked, we all were trying to smarten ourselves up before presenting ourselves to the big people.

By some weird protocol we all are supposed to walk in together. We stood shoulder to shoulder at the door, a bit of space between me and Eric. We would walk in and Eric and Aurora would go to the left side of the table while Greyson and I would go to the right side of the table. It seems manipulating to put Greyson on the right. The right side is a seat of honor and privilege. But in his parents' eyes, he is anything but.

The door finally opened, and we were soon walking towards his father and Eva. Greyson and Eric let go of us and walked ahead towards their parents.  They did not get up until their sons reached them. They greeted both of their sons so similarly yet so drastically. With Eric, they embraced him like a true son, like someone who has a place in your heart, but with Greyson, they hugged him and gave him a kiss on each cheek, it was like they were still following protocol. The hands were shaken, and the holiday cheer was in the air. I risked a glance towards Greyson, and he looked like he wanted to leave already.

Finally, it was permissible for the women to approach them. If I was in Aurora's shoes, I would have felt a bit uncomfortable to see my dreaded in-laws after a long time. But then again, she got all the riches and accolades she wanted. However, for me it was nothing but disappointing. His father, Stefano, at least shook my hand whereas Eva did not even bother batting an eyelash towards me. I nodded and said a brief hello before taking my seat next to Greyson. While they sat down, I noticed how they were dressed this evening. Stefano wore a crisp suit, blue and gold, which made him look like an old savvy businessman, which he is. Eva has her hair pulled back into a tight bun and is wearing a glorious dress. It is the color of a red panda and is actually making her look like one.  It hugs her body and is making the elegance from within her glow brightly. Seeing how everyone else is dressed tonight makes me feel so underdressed.

We all got situated and waited for the food to be served; soup and salad was plated in front of us, and some drinks were served to the adults. As they took sips and bites, conversations were sparking over the table.

"How is New York treating the both of you?" Eva asked the dazzling couple.

"I think Aurora loves it too much," Eric said with a sideways glance at his wife. Aurora was red at the face and spilled some of her drink on her dress in embarrassment.

"I must admit that the night scene is rather fantastic, but Eric is overexaggerating. He loves it as much as I do," she shot back at her husband.

"It is the best place for new opportunities," he said with the air of a fresh start.

"New opportunities," she said mockingly. Arranged marriages can be fun!

"Hey, you only live once," Stefano said smiling, breaking the tension.

"You should do it without cheating," Eva said over her glass.

"I bought you a house," Stefano said in an apologetic way.

"And I sold it. Good but hard cash, mind you," she said with a wink towards Aurora. We all chimed in with a soft, ridiculous, laugh. They continued to talk about who knows what. About life, who was with who, who went where, business opportunities, and more. By the time they were talking about some family in California who invited them to their daughter's wedding, which can then lead to new business opportunities and when I kind of zoned out of the conversation, the main course was served.

The cart with 6 trays was wheeled out from the kitchen and served in front of us. The guy from earlier put the tray in front of me and took off the lid I saw the most dripped out fish I have seen. It was a whole fish, tilapia, around 1 pound on each plate, grilled. Around it was more salad and sauces to be drizzled around it. The eyes were still in, staring at the ceiling so lifelessly and the mouth was slightly open. The truffles were in a cup on the side to put on the fish. The guy also refilled the glasses and worked on whatever request anyone had.

"Caught all these myself last week. Tough fellas they were. Had my friend hold them while I tried to- well you get the picture," Stefano said while putting in his fixing.

And that is what ruined it for me.

"With whom?" Eric asked.

"Some friends invited me on a little trip," he said merrily. 

"A goodbye party or good luck party?" Aurora asked, a bit excited.

He pointed his fork at her, like he is saying she had a good point. "A little bit of both. I have noticed that if I fish before I leave for any trip, I have more luck with business matters."

"But love matters, maybe not so much," Eva said, trying to bring that up again.

Eric gave Aurora a look and she was allowed to continue her conversation with Stefano. "Oh my, I am very excited for this year. A lot of countries look like they are going to have a good display," she had a glint in her eye.

"Well, the day after Christmas you will be able to do whatever you please. And may I tell you that Goldsworth has pitched into some shows this year." From the face Stefano made he was not supposed to let that slip. Eric laughed at his father and even Eva let a smile on her face.

Aurora looked ecstatic at the sight of this news "Do tell!"

Eric opened his mouth and "Well it will-"

"Not until the big show!" Stefano said, even though he was the one who let it slip in the first place. 

Eva playfully hit Stefano's arm and said "Oh, go on Stefano!" She was extremely amused by this situation. Or she was getting down with her bad self as half of her glass was empty. Or is it half full? I don't know. Live your life the way you want too. 

"Not until the big show," he said again.

The table went quiet at his final verdict. As I finally tried to take a bit of fish, after Eva gave me the side eye, my phone dinged. I immediately went red and cursed myself into oblivion for not silencing it. As expected, it was Dad who texted "I am not out of it." which was followed with a "hope you are having fun!" followed with a laughing emoji followed with a heart and sorry eyes emoji. I read all these and turned it off.

"I am so sorry," I said to the table.

"Who was it?" Stefano asked.

"It was my father," I said.

He sat back in his chair and asked, "Remind me what he does again."

"He is a radiologist," I said quickly.

"Ah yes, I think I ran into him the other day. Dark-ish hair, has a big cross body bag?" he said, a hand reaching for his drink.

I nodded and put my head down as a signal that I wanted out of this conversation. I think Stefano took the message and stopped talking to me. Eva saw this and decided to continue this. But she made a comment towards Greyson instead.

"You know Greyson, the Vestros phoned earlier today and said that they were coming to the Expo this year as well,"

"So, are they?" he asked as he wiped his mouth.

"Yes," she said with a dignified manner. "Their daughter seemed excited to go. She rarely goes outside, poor thing," she said in a mock misery for the girl who barely touches grass.

"Well, Lauren tends to get in trouble if she goes out," he said quietly.

"All the same," she said as she reached her glass.

"That reminds me, they did ask me, when they called earlier, that you should take Lauren out after Christmas Day- and that you should reconsider their offer," Stefano said a bit pressingly.

"I will happily show her around," he said, ignoring the second part. He tried to go back to his fish, but it failed. The table was quieter than ever. Stefano looked at Greyson, looking thoroughly disappointed. Aurora was focused on eating her food too, but Eric looked slightly livened. Eva glared at him with such a sickening look. "She is a beautiful girl," she said. 

"She is," Greyson said.

"Much more than this one," Eva added as a side comment. She looked at me, her glass covering her mouth, expecting me to burst out. Unfortunately for her I did that last week. Greyson however opened his mouth, ready to start something, but I found his hand under the table and squeezed it, urging him not to burst out. The first wish out of three to get through this dinner in a calm, orderly fashion, and the second thing is to find out what this offer is.

"Plus, it will be a huge advantage for the business," Stefano said.

This is what ticked him off. "Father, I am simply not interested in marrying her!" he tried to sound reasonable, but he just sounded like an annoyed kid.

Well second wish granted.

Eva, annoyed, asked "Well you must have a reason not to marry her, if we are being reasonable. What is the matter with her, then?"

"Nothing," he said.

"Then why don't you accept?" she pressed on.

He looked like he had this argument before. "I am 18. I am too young to get married."

"That is how old I was when I got married," Stefano said.

"I was 15," Eva added in agreement.

"Times changed," he said in a final sort of way to his parents. They looked at each other and shook their heads to the other, at a loss for what to do. Eric though had an idea. He opened his mouth, and I knew what was about to come out of it was not good. "What are you going to do in the future? When the company is yours?"

Greyson ignored Eric and went back to his fish. My face was tense. I knew what was about to happen.

When Greyson did not reply Eric turned to his parents and started to talk.

"He can't keep acting like a child when it comes to business. What is he going to do when he has to make a decision for the company? Is he just going to throw a tantrum and eat the food we work hard for? Is he just going to sit around and cry about it? Does he think that this- this girl will understand the business? She has a problem she can't even fix!"

That is what set him off. Before I could do anything, he got up, knocking down his chair. He tuned out the rest of the world except for his brother.

"Don't you dare say anything about her," he said shakily.

Eric got up, appalled, and almost proud, of how his brother was acting. This trick not only tricked their parents but also Greyson. I knew it was for his personal gain and nothing more.

"Please Greyson, you can do so much better than this piece of trash." he had a linger of a smirk on his face.

"Don't you dare say anything about her," he said again.

"What are you going to do about it? Cry and-" Eric said. He stopped to see what Greyson was doing.

Greyson grabbed Stefano's glass and drank all the beer in the glass - it was a big, tall glass with a considerable amount. He wiped the excess of his lips, tossed the glass to the side, then proceeded to his brother.

I sat frozen in my seat while he did this. Greyson reached Eric, his brother, the person who would silently swear to be on your side forever and punched him in the stomach. This sent Eric flying backwards into the wall. Eric, now really mad, got up, dusted himself off and decided to fight back. I saw the alcohol work into Greyson's brain as he started to sag a bit. Eric punched him in the stomach too and after that it was free reign. They were hitting each other at every possible area at every free moment when their enemy was wounded. When the sound of breaking China hit the air Aurora, who was frozen with shock, got up and tried to pull Eric out of it. Stefano and Eva got up and tried to get their sons to stop. They were screaming and yelling, more plates being broken, and sobs all around the place.

I sat frozen in terror. There was a small cut above Eric's eye and Greyson literally looked like he was about to fall. When he tripped and was about to fall, his eyes looking very unfocused, I got up. As I walked over quickly to the situation I started to pull at Greyson. I barely missed a salad plate being thrown by Eric when I grabbed Greyson. I grabbed Greyson by the shoulder and arm and was attempting to pull him away with the help of Stefano.

"Greyson, please" I choked out as tears spilled all over my face.

He was still trying to fight with Eric. When he was about to fall again, I took my chance. Standing in front of Greyson I started to push him out of the dining room. He was now fighting two people: Eric and me. He wanted to take another swing, but I kept on forcing him out of the dining room. Stefano helped me get him then went back inside. He kept on yelling and yelling when his voice grew hoarse. It rang all over the house until we stepped out onto the driveway. I didn't stop until the cold air hit both of us. I let go of him and he started all over again.

"You shouldn't have come!" he spat at me.

I was tired and hungry and drained, but I couldn't do anything about it. He kept on going on a rant about everything that happened in the last five minutes.

"I was so stupid to let you come! I knew that these- these- these people are horrible! Look what they did to you! We are so stupid! STUPID!" he yelled into the night.

He kept on going and going and going. After a while everything hit me, and I just had to sit down. He was still going on but when he saw me sitting on the steps, not looking at him and just crying, he finally became quiet. He looked at me like he realized I was just here. His hands were limp at his side and his body was looking like it needed to be comforted.

He sat next to me, the stillest I have seen him in a couple of days. His hands were shaking uncontrollably though. We sat there, consuming what had just happened. We both were crying, not looking at each other; I was looking to my right, my hands grasped in front of my mouth, and he was looking down, his hands shaking uncontrollably.

"I am... so sorry Daisy. I am so sorry," he started to sob loudly. His entire body was shaking as he sat there. I faced him and he looked so sad. That is the only way to describe it. Sad.

I turned around and faced him. He looked at me and had tears all over his face. He wrapped his arms around me, digging his face into me, trying to find some comfort. He kept on crying and coughing and trying to talk but failed miraculously. I just put my hand on his head, slowly brushing his hair with my finger while just staring blankly into the wind. 

"Daisy- I- I am so sorry. Please... Please forgive me. Please forgive me. Please forgive me..." he kept on saying over and over again.

"It's okay," I kept on saying. "My love, I need you to listen to me."

"I don't ever want to go back to me. Please. Don't make me go back to them," he said, like a person begging for spare change. "Please, please, don't make me go there. I want to leave. Please let me leave. I never want to go back. I don't want to be here anymore. Please."

I wiped the tears from my eyes and thought quickly about what I am about to say. I don't like it, but he needs to do it. To prove so many things to other people- but most importantly himself.

"Greyson, I need you to listen to me."

"Please-"

"Greyson, I need you to go." I said softly. 

He picked up his face, his eyes red and puffy and the color high in his cheeks and looked at me confused. "What?" he asked, his voice sounding like it was going away.

"Go. I need you to prove to them that you can do it and- and that you are going to be a better person." tears were spilling but I tried my hardest to ignore it.

He looked mortified. He immediately rushed what he said. "Please, no, Daisy. No. I want to go home. Please, let me go home. I don't want to go anymore. Please, I just want to go home."

I painfully said "Greyson, you need to go. Please go for me. I need you to go and do what you need to do. And then you can come home."

"Home?" he asked, like he never heard that word before. 

"Yeah, home."

The door opened and Aurora saw us on the floor. She too was red in the face and was breathing very hard. "Greyson, Stefano asked me to tell you that we are leaving in 15 minutes and that he is wondering if you are coming."

He stared at me, still silently begging me to let him stay. A part of me wanted to let him stay but he needs to do this. I don't know if this is the best idea but it's like he said, 'It is better to fix broken bridges right now than 10 years later". 

"Tell him I will be right there," he eventually said, hiding his face from her while saying all of this.

She nodded to his back and swayed her hips back inside. Once I heard the door close, I turned back to Greyson. He had his face to his knees, staring at the gravel. It was like a child sitting in the time out corner. I saw a bruise above his eye becoming more purple. I touched it and he flinched at the pain.

"Greyson?"

"Hmmm?"

"Did he hurt you?"

"Just a few times in the stomach and that bruise."

"Okay."

We sat there in the night. It was soothing to us, the cold wind and all. His eyes were fluttering between open and close, tired beyond imagination. After a while I got up and encouraged him to do the same. I tugged on his arm, but he either would not or could not get up. Finally, using all the remaining strength he had he finally got up. He swayed a little from the beer but did just right. He grabbed the handkerchief again and used it to fix his face. I was running my hands over his suit, hoping it would be straightened out.

"Go. They are probably waiting for you." I felt like throwing up at these words, but I managed to swallow all that ails right now. I looked at his face while he stared at our hands. He kept on trying to say something, but it all came out slurred. He left it and just stood there. Finally, when his conscience regained him, he walked me to the car where the guy from earlier, the guy who parked the car, was smoking a joint. He looked at the guy and said, "Make sure the lady gets home safe." The guy nodded and put out his joint, heading towards the car. Once he left us alone Greyson looked at me again.

"I will come home as soon as I can. The first flight I can catch I will take,"

"I will be waiting," it was my turn not to look directly at him. Exhaustion mixed with hunger can certify me as dead.

"Merry Christmas," he said so quietly it was almost missed. In the darkness of the world, he can still find the light. He lifted my face and gave me a kiss that did a lot of things to me, but mainly made me miss him even more.

The car pulled up next to me. Greyson opened the door and looked tired again. Before I sat down, I asked him "Are you going to be, okay?" There are a lot of good and bad things about him going.

After a moment's silence he said, "I love you."

"And you too."

He gave me another long, slow kiss then situated me in the car. He slammed the door and talked to the driver before he drove off. What he said did not help. The guy got to the gates while Greyson started to walk towards the house. I turned around and saw the fear etched in his every moment. The tears, the burning, helpless ones, began flowing at this point. All I want right now is to be by his side. Too help him in his need. But I couldn't. I was stuck here, and he was stuck there.

We finally left the house and were starting to make our way towards the highway. "Want one?" the guy asked as he held another joint to me.

"No, thanks," I said. He shrugged and lit it up. He rolled down the window and let the world melt around him in happiness. I was still here though. I was going to be stuck with my thoughts and the memories and the feelings for a while.

...

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