The Underground

Chapter 40: The Move

The day arrived for me to move away from home. I was much more emotional about it than I expected to be. But a lot had happened in such a short amount of time – a hell of a lot! So I just let myself feel the emotions instead of trying to determine whether they were good or bad. Even though I had made a conscious decision not to bury my emotions anymore, it was second nature to try to hide them.

Preston and Louis each drove one of my cars, and my father personally escorted me in his limo. I hadn't seen the house yet, except in pictures, so I was excited to check it out and make it my own. I knew that I was exceptionally lucky to have my own house as a freshman in college, and I made sure to tell my father how grateful I was. 

On the drive, I could tell that Daddy was worried about leaving me on my own. “Don't forget to take your cell phone with you everywhere, in case you get into trouble. And it might not be a bad idea to buy some pepper spray.” He took out his phone and made a note to himself. “I've told both Preston and Louis that they have double duty, so they will be looking out for you. In fact, I made them enroll in tae kwon do so they will be prepared to protect you. And for the love of god, Ashten, please don't go anywhere alone after dark.”

“Daddy,” I laughed. “Are you sure you don't want to move in?”

“Can I?” He asked playfully.

“I'll be fine. I grew up in New York, remember? And you can come and visit as often as you want to.”

“Darn right,” he winked. “It's my house!” I laughed and rolled my eyes a little. “You sure you're going to be okay without a cook or a maid or a personal servant?”

“Louis is a fabulous cook, and I will be putting Preston to work, too. However, I'm thinking that they won't be crazy about having to do my hair and make up.”

He laughed and then relaxed. We rode in silence for a while until I worked up the courage to ask about my mother.

“Do you think Mom will be okay? She doesn't seem like she's doing well.”

I knew by the way that he hesitated that she was getting worse. “I don't know how to help her anymore.”

“It feels like it's all my fault. She started going downhill after I broke up with Richard. It's like I ruined her life.”

“Hey, now, don't say that. Your mom sometimes has unrealistic expectations for her life, and that's nobody's fault but her own. Sure, she was disappointed about Richard, but she'll come around.”

“Just take good care of her,” I said softly. “We haven't been on the best terms, but she's still my mom and I worry about her.”

“You don't worry about a thing except getting out there and taking the world by storm!” He told me.

I asked him to keep me updated anyway, and he agreed. We also agreed to FaceTime and Skype whenever we could.

We arrived at the house, and I was pleasantly surprised. Daddy had told me it wasn't very big, but it was quite lovely. It was a charming brick townhouse with four bedrooms and a study. There were no servants' quarters, so the guys would just have to sleep in normal bedrooms and share the house.

The interior was mostly white and brick which made it fairly bright. The kitchen was small but pristine. The living room and dining room were decked in gray and white with a little splash of pink. I hoped the guys wouldn't mind too much, but after all, it was my house. My father had it professionally decorated, but he said I could change anything I wanted to. My bedroom was white with gray brick, and there was a small sitting room attached so I could have my private space to study or just relax. The guys' rooms were basic brick with white and blue bedding. And there was an extra bedroom, along with a study that would be helfpul when Louis started med school.