Total pages in book: 189
Estimated words: 174749 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 874(@200wpm)___ 699(@250wpm)___ 582(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 174749 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 874(@200wpm)___ 699(@250wpm)___ 582(@300wpm)
THANK YOU,
THE NEW YORK Daily Journal Editorial Board
35
VIVIAN
I
pour the white wine into my glass and take off my heels, feeling the soft carpet under my feet. Walking over to the large windows of our new apartment, I take a sip out of the Chardonnay wine and look at the sprawling city underneath. The sun is setting on the horizon, its orange glow flooding the New York skyline and painting it in mellow tones. Soon enough the night will fall, and true to its soul as the city that never sleeps, the Big Apple will light up like a Christmas tree
New York might just be a city to some, but it’s everything to me. It’s my home, now more than ever. It’s a concrete jungle, yes, one where you have to prove what you’re worth before you get what you want; but it’s my city nonetheless, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. After all, it was New York City that gave me the most important thing in my life: love.
I smile, remembering how it all felt so hopeless before. Liam and Carter were involved in a bitter fight, and I was right in the middle of it, trying to solve the unsolvable and making it even worse every step of the way. But now here I am, standing in a brand new penthouse, bought by us for us.
To be honest, I don’t really care about it. I would be just as happy with a tiny house or a one-bedroom apartment, as long as these two were by my side. Sure, I love the view from up here, and I don’t mind the luxuries, but it’s their love that makes it perfect.
Taking another sip from my wine, I let its vanilla and oak taste settle on my tongue, and I close my eyes for a second. Carter and Liam will be home soon, I think to myself, allowing the sweetness of my thoughts to echo inside my mind.
“Home,” I whisper to myself, smiling. It’s still hard to believe, but we’ve built a home for ourselves. Even though we didn’t know how the world would react to what we had between us, we raised our chins and went right ahead. Against all odds, I’m now the happiest woman on Earth.
I open my eyes as I hear a key turning in the lock, and I turn on my heels to face the door. They step inside the apartment together, and I just look at them in silence, that silly smile in my lips. Dreams do come true.
“We’re home, baby,” Carter says, walking up to me and kissing me on the lips, his hands on my waist.
“Are we having a party? I fucking love parties.” Liam laughs, a grin on his face as he picks up the bottle I left on the coffee table.
“Oh, she’s having a party, all right. And she started without us,” Carter chuckles, pulling back from my kiss and looking me in the eyes.
“I was just having a glass,” I tell them, moving toward the center of the living room and setting my glass on the table, next to the bottle. “Although now that you’re here, I don’t need the wine to unwind anymore.”
“You don’t. We can make you unwind pretty easily.” Liam looks at Carter, unspoken agreement flashing in their eyes. They are hiding something from me, and I want to know what it is.
“What?” I ask them, looking from one to the other. “Tell me.”
“Fucking hell, Vivian. When are you going to learn the virtues of patience?” Liam laughs, mocking me as he runs one hand through my hair, a gentle smile on his lips. “We have a… surprise.”
“I love surprises.” Especially when they come from Liam and Carter; I know the kind of surprises these two can plan, and they never fail to disappoint. “Does it have anything to do with the off limits bedroom?” For the past few days they have kept one of the spare bedrooms locked, and I wasn’t allowed a key to it. I asked them countless times why they didn’t allow me there, but they never gave me a straight answer. It seems that I’m about to find out what they’re hiding there.
“Oh, it has everything to do with that room. And you’re going to love it,” Carter whispers against my ear, standing behind me as he presses his body against mine. “Close your eyes,” he tells me, and I do it without bothering to know why. A few seconds after I’ve sunk into darkness, I feel him sliding a soft thread of fabric around my head and over my shut eyes. It smells of Carter, and I don’t need to touch it to know that it’s his tie. He ties it on the back of my head, and then places both his hands on my hips.