Lonely Together

11

MARIAH

As soon as Valentino knocked on the front door, I whipped it open and rushed out into the hallway, slamming the door shut behind me.

After he had left earlier, Myles tried to get me to leave my room for at least an hour before eventually giving up going so far as to leave the house. I cried the entire time, unable to take my mind off of Audrey and the fact that he was trying to take such a sentimental picture of us from me.

"I'll explain," I told him hastily when he looked at me with a curious expression, grabbing his wrist and pulling him down to the elevator with me.

"Where we going, Ri?" Valentino inquired once we were standing beside his motorcycle and slipping those hairstyle-destroying helmets.

"Your place?" I questioned boldly as I pulled the cover over my eyes, doing so to hopefully alleviate even an ounce of embarrassment if he said no.

"Of course."

We took off down the street, him weaving through the traffic that was beginning to grow. The sun was beginning to set and it was such a gorgeous sight that I couldn't help but to rest my head on Valentino's back and gaze up at the sky. I was a sucker for sunsets.

"You sleep back there?" Valentino inquired jokingly once we were in his garage, my arms still wrapped around him tightly and my head still resting on him.

I let out a fake snore before lifting my head and pulling the helmet off, a goofy grin on my face as I looked up at him. He grabbed my helmet out of my hand, his gaze lingering on me as he hung them both up on some hooks.

"I already ate but do you want me to order you some food?" he asked me as we entered his penthouse, the sunset looking even better from this high and through those big windows.

"It must be amazing waking up this view every morning," I said dreamily as I approached the windows, completely ignoring what he had said. "I can only halfway see it from my place."

"It is nice. I take it for granted sometimes," he admitted, coming to stand beside me as his emerald eyes traveled the city before turning and landing on me.
"You okay? You don't have to tell me what I happened, but I want to make sure you're fine."

"I'm better. Seriously...just got a little upset for a while," I said, which was kind of the truth. I definitely wouldn't tell him why—yet at least—because I knew it would make me cry even more. "I've only ever seen one room in this place. Can you give me a tour?"

He nodded and placed a hand on the small of my back as he led me to a room just off of the living room. He pulled the door open but didn't step in, letting me know that it was a game room and giving me a chance to peek in. We then walked back past the kitchen and dining room and over to a door that he pulled open to reveal his own personal gym.

"This place is unbelievable!"

The door next to it opened up to a bathroom. We then walked up the stairs and he showed me the guest room where I had stayed, his huge and ominous looking office, another guest room, and a bathroom.

"I saved the best for last," he told me with a smirk, opening the door slowly before we stepped into a completely black, gray and white bedroom. There was a gargantuan California king, looking much bigger than the one I had slept on but not even taking up half of the room.

Everything was so tidy and clean, but there were definitely still personal touches of his, such as the books that we had brought the other day, his watches strewn across the top of his dresser, and even a picture of him as a child on his nightstand.