The Journey Taken Together

Chapter Nine

**Dedicated to Carolyn_Hlen**

(Officially Edited)

~Thea~

Dennis and I get into the car and he types the address into his GPS. I eagerly put it in drive and begin towards his house. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Dennis trying to hide his boner. I giggle softly, trying not to make it obvious that I noticed it.

"What are you laughing at?" he asks, and I turn my head to look at his face. I notice that it is very red - almost like cherries - and hold my breath, trying not to let out another laugh.

"Oh nothing, I am just really excited about seeing your house," I say, and he glares at me. The rest of the car ride is silent.

When we reach his house, I gasp. The gravel driveway is surrounded by a mass of dark green trees. The sidewalk leading up to his front door is made out of blue and white stones, and it looks like a nice brick home. By the size of it, I would guess that it is at least two stories high, if not larger.

We get out of the car, and he takes my hand. He walks in front of me, slowly guiding me along the sidewalk. We walk up the steps to his front porch and come to a halt as he fumbles with his keys. He manages to find the right key and opens the door. I step in before him, letting out a huge gasp as I examine the inside of his house.

On my right is a black spiral staircase that leads to the upper floor. To my left is a pristine white kitchen. I walk into it only to find that nothing is out of place.

I reach the door of the kitchen and look to my left, then to my right. To my left is a room with the lights off, so it is hard to make out what is inside. To my right is the living room. I let out a sigh as I feel Dennis's hand on my shoulder. I feel the storm of butterflies that I felt the last day of school. I smile and ease up to him.

"Would you like to see the dining room?" he asks, and I nod. We walk into the room and Dennis turns on the light. In awe, I look around it. A single silver chandelier hangs on the pink ceiling, giving the room a nice tint. Directly under the chandelier is a long, rectangular, wooden table that has been polished to perfection. Surrounding the table are six wooden chairs to match. I step onto the soft, wool carpet and instantly love his house.

The room smells of vanilla, which reminds me of home. My mother loved buying air freshener with the little bit of money she had left. I pull out one of the chairs and smile. Lying on the chair is a pink cushion that matches the ceiling. I couldn't help but turn around and hug Dennis, because I adore his home.

"This is just the beginning," he says, taking my hand again. We enter the living room, and I immediately flop on the black leather couch. Dennis laughs at me, and I glare at him playfully.

"What? You don't like this side of me?" I ask, and he sits next to me.

"I'm not used to it, really," he admits, and I sit up. I stare into his brown eyes - for the longest time - and he finally looks over at me. We stare at each other in silence, until I finally sees his eyes wonder around my body. I grab my arm with my other hand and bite my lip from embarrassment.

"What happened, Thea?" he finally asks, and I knew it was coming. My eyes return to him as I try to hold back tears. He scoots closer to me and I slowly shake my head.

"Why not? Why can't I know? Who hurt you?" His voice gets a bit louder, signifying that he's getting angry.

"Do you have any cream?" I pipe up, and he nods. He gets up and walks away to another room, while I sit and stare at the blank TV in the living room. Looking at myself, I run my finger down my cuts and sharply inhale, the pain almost too excruciating to deal with.