Under the Facade

Chapter 13

Hey guys! Sorry for the delay again! School's been crazy. A thank you to Joanomua and coolgirl7767 for your support. It meant the world.

This one's to coolgirl7767 for giving me some much-needed motivation. Here's another chapter just because you asked. ;D

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TORI'S POV

"Where, exactly, do you live?" I asked Justin as we drove to his place the next day. Jake was riding with Becca in our car for a date, and I'd gotten in with Justin. Justin raised an eyebrow at my question.

"You sound as if you know every other place in the vicinity," he teased. I blushed, remembering how hopeless I still was at directions. I could drive from the apartment to the grocery store, but that was about it.

"Whatever." I rolled my eyes. We were there in a few minutes. His house wasn't that far from school. I held my breath as I took in the view. The house was beautiful. It had a homely air about it, with the treehouse at the back that I saw as we rounded the bordering walls. The house was modern, yet comfortably so, if you know what I mean. Not like the penthouse.

It had two storeys and was spread out over a wide area. The gates opened when he clicked a button on a remote, and I saw a cute little garden out front. There weren't many bushes, just a lot of grass and a few potted plants. He parked in the garage and we made our way back out.

"Do you have a gardener?" I asked appreciatively as we stepped out. Justin chuckled.

"I wish. Hard to find anybody for hire around here. I mow the lawns myself. The sprinkler systems take care of the rest." I had a sudden vision of him mowing lawns shirtless like that guy in Call Me Maybe. Now that would be something drool-worthy. I nodded, looking around.

He clicked his car keys, locking the door and closing the garage door before fumbling with the various keys on the key ring and fitting it into the ornate carved oak front door. I figured that the house was pretty old, and that Justin had renovated the place to look more up-to-date. My theory was confirmed as we entered the threshold.

I gazed in wonder at the marvelous architecture. The walls were each painted a different color, contrasting with the other, and beautiful paintings and photos hung on them. On the other hand, all the woodwork, though polished, looked considerably old-fashioned, with its carvings and arches. The kitchen was humongous, the living room and dining room spacious, and the bedrooms comfy. There were two bedrooms downstairs and three upstairs. The twins shared a room upstairs and Mike had the one next to them, while Justin's room was downstairs. We came to a stop in the hallway.

"It's a beautiful house. However did you find it?" I asked, glancing at the colorful paintings hung on the walls.

"This place belonged to my maternal grandparents," he explained. "They left it to my mother when they died, and it went to my father when she died. He sold it off, obviously. Not like he had any emotional attachment to anything that was hers. But I used to come here when I was little, and it was the only place I could think of moving to." He sighed, tracing a line on the wall. "There was a lot of bargaining and fighting over it, but eventually I got my hands on it."

"Has....has your dad ever come searching for you?" I asked hesitantly.

"Nah," he said, shifting his weight to one foot and ruffling his hair. His demeanor gave off an air of carelessness, but I could see the intensity in his eyes. It had affected him more than he wanted to admit. "And I don't even care if he doesn't. I'd rather the twins and Mike grow up without a person like him in their life. He doesn't deserve to know them."