Just For The Summer: Book One

Chapter Four: Elena

I arrived home after my mind blowing day meeting the antonopoulos child - I mean man. I walk up to my tiny bedroom and collapse on my mattress - my mum can't afford to buy me an actual bed! I go to grab my laptop from my bedside table but my eyes are suddenly diverted to the picture frame next to it. My dad.

My dad died when I was really little. And ever since then everything seemed to go down hill. We had to move out of our 2 bedroom semi detached house as we couldn't afford it, and move into this bed sit instead, my mum lost her job due to grief, and I started misbehaving at school. Drawing my eyes away from the picture of my dead father I start to think about the happier things in my life. I think about these things whenever I'm feeling down or depressed. My best friend July, my mum - who would do anything for me, Rooben Antonopoulos...

Wait

Did I just count that as a positive?

No of course not. I'd only just met this boy, I mean man.

But was I already falling for him. Which, yes, I know it's ridiculous because I just met him but I feel like this boy, this man, he's nothing like anything I've ever seen before. He's such an asshike but behind that, in his eyes, I see something there. Something vulnerable. Maybe.

One of the perks of living in a the mansion of a wealthy family is being able to use their gigantic swimming pool.

In my bright red bikini top and bottoms that my mum got for me when I was about fifteen, because she hasn't been able to afford a new one for my developed body, I stride over to the poolside chair and stretch my foot up, pop in my earbuds and open my Jane Austen novel.

I must have dozed off because a splash in the pool. I start and pull the Taylor Swift song from my ears and look up. And there he is. The British Asshole. Swimming laps in the pool. His back muscles. The way his arms are pushing through the water is almost God-like. He's moving like he is getting his anger out. And it is the hottest thing I have ever seen. He pushes up from beneath the water and stands right in front of me and I nearly drool.

He does that thing again where he eyes me from top to bottom and this time, considering what I'm wearing, it's hotter. More seductive.

"Not so little Elena...," Rooben mumbles and I gasp as he grabs my hand, Pride and Prejudice in my other hand and tugs me straight into the pool. With him. We both crash into pool with a massive splash and I splutter. "What the fuck was that?" I say breathlessly and I wipe the water from my face.

"Let's just say I really wanted to see you wet..."

I gasp and reach up to slap him with my hand free from the book but he grabs my wrist. Hard enough to stop me but not hard enough to hurt.

"Oh no sweetheart," he tuts at me, "don't you remember what I said last night. You're the help. Nothing more. Nothing less."

Ugh, he knows how to make me so angry.

"You are so fucking infuriating. You just... open that stupid mouth and... stupid words and..." I shove his chest and I realise his hands are gripping my waist, keeping me close to him. "Get your hands off m-" I'm cut off as his lips press fiercely again mine and just like that, my world comes crashing down. My mouth opens wider on a gasp and his tongue sweeps in and devours me like he's starving and I'm something that'll quench this hunger. I pull my lips away and we stare at each other for a couple of heartbeats.

Rooben looks me in the eyes and then he laughs. He bursts out laughing at me and I'm shocked. Why is he laughing? At me.

"Oh little Elena, you didn't honestly think I could... like you, did you?" I move back slightly as realisation dawns on me, he doesn't like me. He won't ever like me. "Oh sweetheart," he continues with a fake look of apology on his face, "you're just the help. You come running when we call. You and your mother cook and clean and we... Well we just make you do what we want. This will never be a thing. We will never be a thing."

I step back again, shocked. My heart thumping in my chest. But the tears filling my eyes don't stop him from continuing his hurtful words.

"You, Elena Rodriguez, are not what I was expecting. I kissed you thinking you would push me off but, to my surprise, you kissed me back."

"That's enough!" I snap as I walk towards the pools stairs. "I heard you loud and clear." I wipe the tears from my eyes angrily and climb out of the pool. It was a game. It was a stupid little game.

I haven't felt this sad since my dad, a hero, jumped out of an airplane to raise money for underprivileged pets, plummeted to his death after his parachute, which had 'I'm a hero for the kids,' written on it refused to open and he crashed into Lake Selhurst at 14,000 miles per hour. I haven't felt this upset since then. I feel lost. Alone. I wish I had someone to talk to. Someone to confide in. But I don't. I'm all alone.