You continue to cry

And I just don't know why

unedited.

✝ Chapter Twenty Three | What Did I Do To Your Heart? ✝

"Are you sure you have everything?" My mom questioned for the millionth time as she sunk into the driver's seat and pulled the gear into park.

"Yes," I said slowly. "I had everything two minutes ago, and I have everything now." My eyes switched to the house in front of us, taking in the sight of the huge mansion. It probably had to have been three stories tall, with the addition of a basement. The beige exterior stretched so wide that you couldn't see the whole house with just one look. Rich bastard.

I haven't visited my father's new house until now, and it made me slightly envious. My mom sat at home, trying to conjure up a good book so she'll make some money, while my dad lived in luxury. It just wasn't fair.

"You having second thoughts?" Mom inquired, glancing over to me with her big, pale gray eyes. "We can go back, you know. I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

I knew that I would be uncomfortable spending the weekend with my dad and his fiancée, but I was doing this for Henri. "No, it's okay. I'll be fine." I sent her a reassuring smile as I gathered my belongings and stepped out of the Nissan.

"Lex!" She called out from inside the car. "Tell your father I said hi."

I pulled my brows together as I gestured towards the house. "Or, you can tell him yourself."

Her mouth fell open slightly as her gaze switched to the house, then back to me. "Honey."

"I get it," I spat. "I love you, Mom."

She smiled. "Love you too."

Pulling myself together, I marched towards the front door that was marked by two giant pillars and rang the doorbell. I could hear the chimes echoing throughout the house.

Not even a minute later, the door swung open and a tall, slim, blonde stood before me. "Hello!" She greeted with a bright smile. "You must be Lexi. I've heard so much about you!" Her forest green eyes narrowed in on me as she opened the door wider. "Please, come in."

There was no going back now. Suppressing a groan and internally rolling my eyes, I stepped into the house. Almost instantly, my jaw dropped in awe at the sight.

The foyer was wide and spacious and a pristine, winding, spiral staircase stood in the middle of the foyer, allowing it to be the centerpiece of the whole house. The hardwood floors were so polished that I could see my own reflection in them, and the peach colored walls brought the interior to life. I was already awestruck after seeing the entrance.

"Henri didn't tell me you were coming," the blonde spoke again as she followed me into the house. "But that's okay, we've got extra room in the car."

She was dressed in a long, white, pencil skirt with an equally white blazer over a plain, black camisole. Her long legs seemed to go on forever thanks to her white pumps. Her platinum blonde hair cascaded down her back in loose waves as she moved towards the spiral staircase. The way she carried herself gave me the impression that she was a model back in the day.

"Henri!" She called from the bottom of the stairs. "Lexi is here to see you!"

I shifted uncomfortably as I tried to take in the rest of the house. I'd probably need a few days to find my way around.

Henri darted down the stairs and when his eyes landed on me, he broke out into a full smile. "You came!" He exclaimed as he rushed over to my side. "I thought for sure you weren't-"

"I gave it some thought and decided that it wouldn't hurt," I explained briefly.

He laughed lightly. "Well I'm glad you came. We were just about to head out. Dad's just making sure the alarm system is working right before we go."

Henri's mom cleared her throat. "Honey, did you finish packing?"

He looked over his shoulder at her. "Yeah, I'm all done."

She folded her arms across her chest and raised a brow. "Are you going to put them in the van, or are you waiting for me to do it?"

Henri heaved a sigh. "Okay, Mom." He gave me a quick smile before dashing up the stairs again.

She switched her gaze to mine. "Do you want anything, sweetheart? Something to drink, to eat?"

"No, I ate on the way here."

Her gaze lingered on me for a second longer than necessary. "All right," she finally said. "Make yourself at home. After all, you're family now!"

Thanks for the reminder. I gave her a slight nod as she walked off into an unknown direction, her heels clicking against the hard floors. I, too, padded my way through the house and found myself in the family room. The huge flat screen TV and the many antique decorations made it obvious they were wealthy, but that wasn't what made me shocked.

I was shocked by the amount of family photos that hung on the walls. Each photo was professionally taken by a photographer, and each photo had all three family members: Henri, his mom, and my dad. They wore happy smiles on their faces in every picture, and it made me slightly jealous.

Dad ran off with someone much prettier and successful than my mom, and that was never going to change. He was happier with her. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. There was only a matter of time before he got consumed with his other family that he completely forgot about me.

"I'm glad you decided to show up," I heard my dad's voice bounce off the walls.

I kept my gaze fixed on a photo, not bothering to turn around to face him. "It's not like you invited me."

I heard him sigh. "If I had invited you, would you have come?"

No. "You look really happy in these pictures," I pointed out, changing the subject. "Were you ever that happy with Mom?"

"Of course I was happy with your mother."

I whipped around to face him, my eyes wild with disbelief. "Then why did you leave her?" I questioned. "Why did you cheat on her? You obviously didn't love her if you broke her heart like that!"

Dad ran a hand through his golden hair, breathing out a heavy sigh. "I loved your mother, Lexi, and I still do."

"That's bullshit!"

"It's the truth," he reassured me as he took a courageous step closer. "Our relationship faded throughout the years. We'd argue all the time and sometimes, we'd regret ever marrying each other. I do agree that cheating on Eliza wasn't the smartest decision, and for that I am eternally sorry. But I am thankful that I have Carla and Henri, and I'm thankful that I have you."

My jaw went slack, falling open slightly. There was no need to argue with my father because he was right. No matter what happened, he'd always love me. I was stupid for thinking he wouldn't.

He clapped his hands together and pulled his lips into a grin. "We're about to leave. Do you want me to carry your stuff?"

"No," I nearly laughed. "I wouldn't want you to strain yourself, Dad. You and I both know I'm stronger than you." A slight smile played at my lips as I grabbed hold on my suitcase and backpack and pushed past him.

Now all I could do was hope this trip would remain drama free.

✝ ✝ ✝ ✝

Forty five minutes later, Dad pulled onto a narrow dirt road. The car jolted from the many potholes, making my eyes snap open from my blissful sleep. I sat up straight in my seat and peered out the car window, seeing a group of kids run along the road.

I let out an over exaggerated groan and sunk into my seat. "Why are there other people here?"

Henri laughed as if I asked the dumbest question ever. "Well, it is a three-day weekend and it is a public lake, so there are bound to be people here," he pointed out.

I looked over to him and flashed a forced smile. "Thanks."

Dad angled his neck to get a closer look at the road ahead of him. "Keep your eyes peeled for cabin number six," he ordered as he proceeded with caution down the bumpy road.

As we descended, the lake came into view. The sun hit it right at the center, giving the dark water a glistening look. Kids of all ages were huddled around the dock; some were throwing rocks into the water while others were pushing each other into the water.

"There!" Carla spoke up, pointing into the distance. "Number six."

"Good eye, babe," Dad responded as he made a sharp turn, causing the van to jolt even more. I tried to hold back the bile rising in my throat. I could have tolerated their relationship if they didn't blatantly express their lovey-dovey-ness. Now I was really starting to regret my decision to come.

The van came to a stop and as soon as it did, I scrambled out of the backseat and trekked my way through the dirt until my eyes landed on the cabin with a placard labelled 'six'. I didn't waste any time in barging through the trap door and collapsing onto one of the beds, staring aimlessly at the wooden ceiling.

Not long after, the trap door reopened and the rest of the crew entered the cabin with bags at their sides. "Carla and I are going to head out to find something to eat for dinner," Dad announced. "Will you two be okay by yourselves?"

Henri hauled his bag onto his bed. "We're not kids anymore, Dad."

"I wouldn't be so convinced," Dad said under his breath before snaking an arm around Carla's petite waist. "We'll be back. Behave yourselves!" With Carla at his side, Dad walked out of the cabin, leaving the trap door to slam shut behind him.

Henri hastily began to unpack his backpack. "I've wanted to come here since forever!" He pulled out a pair of swim trunks and shook his head in disapproval, tossing them to the side. "You coming?"

I sat up on my elbows. "Where are you going?"

"In the water," he drawled with a tight smile. "I saw a hot guy with a sixteen-pack." He pulled out yet another pair of shorts but threw them into the rejection pile.

I stifled a laugh. "I thought you were head over heels for Adam."

He glanced up at the ceiling, pretending to think it over. "Don't get me wrong, Adam is beautiful, but he doesn't have a sixteen-pack." He continued to rummage through his bag until he tugged out a pair of shorts that he was satisfied with. "You still have to tell me how your little date with Jack went."

My heart skipped a heart just with the mention of Jack's name. "It was good."

"Good?" Henri questioned, raising a curious brow. "Just good? You're dating a bad boy! Your dates should be more than just good."

I rolled my eyes as I fell back onto the mattress again. "It was great, actually. I really like him, but I don't want to jinx it and he ends up being a jerk just like..." My words trailed off slowly.

"Like?"

"Nothing," I dismissed as I inched off the bed and stood to my feet. "Come on! Let's go check out the dude with the sixteen-pack!" Linking my arm through his, I dragged Henri along as I marched out of the cabin.

"I was just kidding about that," he joked as he tried to squeeze out of my grasp. "Though I'd love to be this close to you, I don't want anyone to assume that I'm straight, so ... do you mind?"

I released my hold on him and created a small gap between us. "I'm guessing your mom and my dad know that you're gay?"

He nodded. "They do."

"How did that go?"

"Great, actually." He smiled at the recovered memory. "It was kind of creepy, too. I found out that they already knew."

I turned to face him. "How did they know?"

His smile grew wider. "They checked my Internet history."

I had to let the information sink in before I finally understood the hidden meaning behind his words. I broke out into full on hysteria. "You're sick!" I yelled as I gave him a playful shove.

Henri laughed along too. "See, you look so pretty when you laugh. You should laugh more often."

There was a reason why I had a bad attitude, but I didn't dare share that with Henri. This getaway weekend would successfully take me away from my dreadful life, and I'll be able to laugh. But eventually, I would have to return to reality and be a pissy little girl with a bad attitude again. It just worked that way.

We walked alongside each other in silence for a while until Henri nudged my side. "Hey," he announced, stopping in his long strides. "Isn't that the guy with the pretty teeth?"

I scoffed, half-expecting it to be a joke. "Not funny, Henri."

"No, look." He nudged my side once more and pointed off into the distance.

I followed his gaze and my heart nearly stopped at the sight of West treading through the water, half-naked, with drops of water clinging onto his toned abs. Just when I was about to look away, his eyes met mine. Now I was really screwed.

"No!" I yelled. "Oh, no, no, no! Hide me!" I ducked behind Henri's small frame, even though it was too late. He was already making his way towards us.

Henri wasn't the least bit affected by my behavior. "Hey, look. He's waving at us!" He raised his hand and returned the wave.

"HENRI!"

He glanced over his shoulder at me. "Sorry."

West planted his feet into the ground, his eyes switching from Henri to me. "It's funny how we're always running into each other like this." He peeked over Henri's shoulder and flashed a toothy grin at me. "Hello, Lexi."

I groaned. "Running into each other?" I asked, my voice rising. "You're stalking me."

West returned his gaze to Henri. "Do you mind if I talk to Lexi alone?"

He shook his head. "Nope, go ahead."

"Henri!" I called out for what felt like the millionth time that day.

He raised his hands up to his chest, showing he didn't mean any harm. "It's okay, Lex. I'll be right over here." He began to take large steps backwards until he was about ten feet away from me. Flashing a quick smile, he darted off into the direction of the cabin.

Traitor.

Deep breaths. You can do this. I folded my arms across my chest and forced my eyes to meet West's. "What do you want?" I asked in a completely bitter tone.

The corners of his lips pulled into a playful smirk as his dark eyes burned into mine. "Why do you always think I want something from you?"

I narrowed my gaze. "You wanted my virginity and when I refused to give it to you, instead of breaking up with me like a normal person; you went around and had sex with tons of girls behind my back!" I accused him. "Please let me know if I got the whole story right, because I think I hit it right on the head."

The smirk seemed permanent. There was no doubt that he was amused. "I understand where your hatred towards me is coming from, but that was a year ago, babe. Surely, you can forgive me for my indecencies."

I shook my head in disbelief. And to think I actually fell in love with this jerk. "Forgiveness is earned. You've done nothing to earn my forgiveness, you egotistical asshole!"

West blinked and his smirk began to fade. "You make me sound like a bad person."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I made him sound like a bad person? He was a bad person! "West, stop talking to me. I don't want to talk to you. Please, just stop popping into my life and stop getting on my nerves. Just leave me the hell alone!"

He studied me for a moment and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "You're nervous," he pointed out.

"W-what?"

"You're playing with your fingers," he commented once more. "You only do that when you're nervous."

"I'm not..." My gaze shifted towards my hands. As if to spite me, my fingers were rubbing against each other, a nervous habit I've had for years. Flickering my attention back to West's face, I felt like something was stuck in my throat. I had no response. Whether I wanted to admit it or not, West knew everything about me.

He took a step closer. I tried to maintain eye contact with him, but I couldn't stop from looking down at his tanned, bare chest.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. There was a hint of sadness in his voice, along with regret. "I'm really sorry that I broke your heart. If I could take it back, you know I would. I miss holding you and telling you that you're beautiful. I miss your tantrums and your bad attitude." He reached out and twirled a lock of my blonde hair around his finger. I willed myself to stop him but my body was frozen. "I miss ... you."

"West, I-"

Another hand reached out and cupped my face. I flinched at the slight contact, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel wonderful. I wanted nothing more than to slap that smile off his face, but I just couldn't find the strength to do it.

"This past year has been hell without you, Lexi," his voice grew softer and sweeter. "I missed you so much."

I didn't notice how close he'd gotten until his lips were tentatively brushing against mine. My mind was telling me to do something, but my body was frozen.

"I miss you," he said again before he crashed his lips on mine.

✝

A/N: You have no idea how frustrated I am right now! I attempted to type up this whole chapter on my phone, and after saving my draft, I went back in and everything I wrote was gone! I hate having to type a chapter based off of memory, which is why this chapter will be the worst chapter that I've ever written. But hey, I tried.

I'm striving for weekly updates for now on, but that's not written in stone because things do come up.

Question of the chapter is ... what was your favorite and least favorite part of this chapter and why?

Am I the only one who likes West??

Please vote and comment and share this story with people that you think may like it. That'd mean a lot. Like, thanks.

Reminder: dedications go out to random commenters!