Serenity

Ares drove us to his house afterwards and I was shocked to see how big it was. At first I thought he was joking when he said that was his house, but he soon confirmed he was telling the truth when he pulled out the keys and unlocked the front door.

"Do you like it?" He asked. I looked around the spacious hallway in awe.

"Of course!" I said following behind him. I kept twirling around wanting to see everything inside.

It was really nicely decorated. It mostly had dark colors but not to the point where it became miserable.

He showed me every room downstairs and then led me upstairs. I was patiently waiting to see my room. I was really excited about having a new room.

"Ready to see your room?" He asked the question I was waiting for. I bounced on my toes and clapped in excitement as I nodded. He chuckled and opened a door.

I peeked inside and instantly felt my eyes widen as I let out a gasp.

The room was already beautifully decorated. In contrast to the rest of the house, this room was almost all white, which was my favorite. It had a queen sized bed that looked like it came out of a princess movie and of course a nightstand, but there was also a bookshelf and a desk.

I was wondering about one thing.

Where is the closet?

That's when i decided to step inside and I noticed there was a walk in closet.

I turned around to look at him with a goofy smile on my face. He looked nervous and he was fiddling with his fingers.

"Do you like it?" He asked. I couldn't stop myself from running towards him and wrapping my arms around him.

Well as much as I could since he was so big.

"I love it!" I whispered. He too embraced me making me feel some kind of warmth inside.I unconsciously sniffed him and found out he smelled really nice, kind of like a cool clean manly scent and I nuzzled my face more into his neck.

Your girl is acting like a werewolf.

"You can decorate it however you like, I'll buy you any decoration you want, we can even paint the walls if you want-"

"Ares" I interrupted his rumbling, "It's perfect" I looked into his silver eyes as I pulled away from the hug.

"I'll leave you settle in now. My room is right next to yours if you need anything" He said smiling and left closing the door behind him.

_______

"Girl, for real?!" Tessa exclaimed, "You need to invite us over"

"Tessa don't be rude" Jane scolded.

"Who are you? My mother?" Tessa challenged squinting her eyes.

"Girls. Enough" I said sternly. They both looked down and stopped fighting. "You'll come over some time soon, I promise"

"So how is this man treating you? Any weird gestures? Anything we should worry about?" Jane asked. She really was like a mother to us.

"No, he's really kind actually"I smiled warmly at the thought.

For some reason the mention of him brought a smile to my face. I thought about all the moments we spent together and instantly felt happy and warm inside. I guess it was because he was so nice to me and no one has ever treated me like this before except the girls maybe.

"I see you smiling" Tessa said in a sing song voice bumping my shoulder.

"He's just really sweet, that's all" I said shaking my head.

"He doesn't look like it. He seems dark and dangerous almost" Jane said raising an eyebrow.

I couldn't argue with her. He did seem dangerous at first glance, he was dangerously handsome but also created a dark atmosphere.

"Well to me he's really sweet and  looks can be deceiving so I don't care. Plus he's my guardian, I can't do anything about it" I said, "He even cooked dinner for me"

Suddenly we heard a notification sound and I noticed Tessa checked her phone. Her face instantly lit up and I knew it was Leo, but soon her face fell and she typed a reply.

"Everything okay?" I asked her putting my hand on top of hers. She looked up at me with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Yes, everything's fine"

Oh Tessa, why are you lying?

I was curious about what was happening with Leo lately, but I wouldn't push her if she didn't want to talk about it. Maybe ignoring it made her happier, maybe it took the pain away for a few moments, but she needed to understand the pain is still there, she just doesn't realize it until she's alone.

"You know, just Leo and his mood swings" She chuckled.

"You can talk to us you know" Jane told her.

"There's nothing to talk about. It's okay" She said and then changed the topic.

After a while the bell rang signaling we had to get to class. My and Tessa said goodbye to Jane and started heading to class.

"Tessa I know you're not okay with Leo" I told her not being able to see her like this. "You need to talk to him about it"

"You don't understand" She shook her head.

"I won't ever understand if you don't tell me about it" I said.

"There's nothing to tell you Ren, we're just fine. Now drop it" She said raising the tone of her voice a bit.

That's what you get for being a nosy bitch.

You're pathetic. Weak. Made to be stepped on.

My father's words were clouding my head and I felt trapped, I felt my eyes watering and I didn't know what my father had to do with what happened. For some reason whenever someone was a little harsher than normal to me, I started thinking about father.

He ruined me.

"Ren, I-I'm sorry" She said touching my shoulder. She probably noticed my tears.

I blocked off the tears and put a smile on my face.

"No need" I said with a cheerful voice. "I shouldn't get into your business, you're right. I won't ask again"

"No, Ren-"

"Don't worry" I chuckled. "You'll tell me if you want right? I don't want to push you" I said and walked faster wanting to be alone.

Alone with my thoughts. It seemed scary, but peaceful.

________

I was sitting in my room studying when I heard a knock on my door. I smiled knowing it was him and told him to come in.

He was so kind and sweet that he made sure to knock before coming in even though it was his house.

Subconsciously, I made a comparison to my father. He would always kick the door open or bang on it repeatedly when it was locked. The more he banged on the door, the more I felt my anxiety rising. It was just like a horror game, but reality.

I shook off the thoughts and turned to look at him.

"Hello" He simply said.

"Hi" I replied.

"I just wanted to let you know I'm home and see how you're doing"

So sweet.

"I'm good, you?"

"Perfect. I'm perfect" He chuckled. "I was wondering if you want to go out? Just for a walk or to get some food, anything"

"Oh s-sure" I said feeling my face heat up for no reason. I was still not used to interacting with a handsome man.

Gosh that sounded sad.

"Great, I'll go have a shower and you can tell me when you're ready" He said and left.

For some reason I felt nervous.

Why does he even want to spend time with me? Does he want to get to know me better? Does he see me as his daughter or something? Why would he even want to be my guardian at this age?

I had learned that he is twenty two and I couldn't help but wonder why he seems so comfortable with me being his 'responsibility'. Guys his age don't want responsibilities, they want to live their lives to the fullest.

Maybe I should ask him.

I decided that it wasn't such a bad idea since he's been so kind to me. It wouldn't hurt to ask right?

I put on some clean clothes, combed my hair and put on some lip balm before knocking on his door.

"I'm ready" I said when he opened his door. He nodded and took my hand leading my downstairs.

His fingers intertwined with mine and I knew my cheeks were bright red now.

Holding hands was completely unnecessary, but he wanted to do it.

He grabbed his keys and we left the house.

"Did you eat breakfast and the lunch I made you?" He asked.

"Yes, thank you for making me lunch, you don't have to. I can cook" I said and he chuckled.

"I know you can cook little one, I just don't want to put any more pressure on you, school is enough pressure. I am responsible for taking care of you now"

As much as my heart melted at his answer, it was the right time to ask him now.

"I need to ask you something"