Authors Note: Okay guys, so the first three chapters were kind of setting the basis for the rest of the story. Now we can dive into our plot and of course a whole lot of Cresswell fluff! This will be the first time Cress and Thorne really talk to each other so it will be a few awkward moments but overall I hope you enjoy!
Cress first considered throwing something. Like in those old movies were the heroine destroys a priceless porcelain vase in an ultimate despair. But Cress couldn't get up even if she wanted to. It was as if her legs were Jell-o and she would have to be stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of her days.
Cress read the note over and over again. Hoping that it would change from Hey sugar, how does November 13 sound? To the more appealing offer. Hello Cress, how about we will be just friends? The thought of getting that note almost made her laugh. Almost.
Cress looked at the engagement ring. It truly was beautiful. Something little girls would dream of for their own engagement. But Cress just saw how the diamond was a little over the top. And how she would've rather had a gold band than a silver one.
Cress slowly slipped on her finger seeing how it looked. Cress couldn't help but give a snort. It was like in the beauty pageants were they dress little girls in huge ballroom gowns and put on layer after layer of make up. You could almost be deceived that they were life sized dolls but deep down they were still a little girl who would much rather play with a doll than become one.
It was as if the Montgomery's were trying to do the same with her. Telling society to not notice the imperfect parts about Cress but instead focus on her big fat diamond. This resulted in another round of sobbing and Cress curled into a position of defeat.
After a while Cress' crying died down a few ragged breaths. It wasn't that she still wasn't upset it was just that her body didn't have anymore tears to give. She sat up a wiped away her tears leaving her hands moist but her face dry. Cress flicked over her watch to see how long it had been, 1:30?
Cress blinked had she read that incorrectly? She had been in her room crying for two entire hours? Suddenly she felt even more pathetic, probably half of her life had been spent crying or moping around. Why couldn't she be more optimistic like Iko? But just the thought of smiling made her face muscles sore.
Then for the second time that day someone barged into her door. Cress' first thought was that it was just Iko again but this person was definitely a man. Screaming Cress threw her pillow as hard as she could at his head. Only then did she realize that this wasn't an intruder or kidnapper but rather Kai.
"Maybe I should have knocked?" Kai joked handing back her pillow. He didn't look mad, rather he looked he looked amused like watching a comedy were the main character makes a fool out of themselves.
"Sorry, I didn't really see your face just you silhouette and I thought…. Well I don't know what I was thinking at the time." Cress admitted feeling absolutely mortified but at least proud of herself for not stuttering.
Kai nodded lending her a hand to help her off the floor. Which she was still on from her crying session. Only then did he notice how red and puffy her eyes looked. A look of concern came across his face.
"Hey, what is going on." Kai said his voice more serious than before. His eyebrows were bunched together in a look of confusion. Cress wanted to duck her head but common sense told her that would be rude.
"It's just um well this entire thing feels all wrong. I guess it doesn't help that I am hungry." Cress tried for a joke but her voice was beginning to get shaky again and this cause Kai to look panicked.
"Woah, don't cry. That makes you cry even more, at least I read that in a magazine somewhere." Kai said his voice actually kind. Suddenly Cress felt bad for laughing when Winter joked that he was a maid.
"Hey if your hungry I know the perfect solution. Its a place right in town and why have a Chauffeur if you don't even use him right?" Kai joked actually making Cress give a small chuckle. This seemed to boost Kai's ego because his worried expression was quickly wiped off his face and replaced with a large grin.
"C'mon Thorne usually goes stir crazy at this time of day. The Montgomery's rarely leave the house unless there is some exclusive social event so Thorne doesn't usually have to do his job. And everyone else is at there busiest in the middle of the day. I'm sure he needs to get out of this house just as much as you do." Kai added.
Cress followed Kai out of her room and down an unfamiliar hallway. This surprised Cress for some reason she just assumed that the staff was always in the kitchen. Of course that now seemed silly and half baked. Cress passed a huge painting of the Montgomery family were Julain was only 11 years old and the Montgomery's looked exactly the same at the ripe young age of 34.
Kai pushed through a black doorway and into a huge room. Cress couldn't help that her jaw dropped. Who would have thought you needed a room the size of a community center swimming pool just for cars. There was a huge sleek dark limo with tinted windows, a cherry red convertible, a small squat yellow Volkswagen punch buggy, a beige jeep, and a baby blue convertible the had all sorts of tools scattered around it.
"This is the garage, Thorne will usually spend a lot of time here." Kai explained as he weaved through the cars. "Thorne! The Captain of the Rampion! Carswell Thorne!"
"Kai, I get it I am coming." A voice hollered from behind the baby blue car. "I swear you are so impatient sometimes." Thorne popped from behind the car and walk over quickly. He was wearing a plain white T-shirt the was rolled up at the sleeves. Looking down at his hands Cress could tell he had been doing some maintenance because they were greased and oiled. His bright blue eyes flicked over to Cress making her cheeks feel warm.
"Whats going on." He asked his eyebrow quirking up. He didn't seem excited to see either of them but not disheartened either.
"I was just wondering if you could take me out to eat, Kai mentioned some place in town that would be good." Cress was amazed she was even able to speak right now with Thorne's piercing gaze on her but something about wearing her engagement ring reminded her that she had no need to be nervous around cute guys anymore.
"Oh of course I will take you there right now." Thorne said quickly. Cress couldn't tell if he was actually please to take her or if his years as a member in the staff had drilled his good nature into him.
"Okay well bye!" Kai chirped and then walked away whistling the song 'When you wish upon a star'.
"Sorry if I interrupted something" Cress said gesturing to his soot covered hands. She didn't want hime to think she was impolite.
"Oh, no problem I was getting so frustrated anyway that it is probably a good thing that your taking me away from it." Thorne mused wiping his handing off on a towel.
"What are you doing? I thought Cinder was the mechanic." Cress said feeling honestly interested as to what was going on. Something about Carswell Thorne made him seem endlessly deep like you could spend an entire day with him and know only a fraction of his life story. And for some reason Cress wanted to know him.
"Oh you probably would find it boring." Thorne waved his hand as if the thought of a rich girl knowing anything about cars was ridiculous. This time Cress raised her eyebrow.
"Try me." She challenged feeling slightly annoyed that Thorne would just wave her off so quickly. Thorne looked surprised that she pressed on as if people had asked him before but always backed down quickly.
Thorne shrugged and walked her over to the baby blue car. As Cress got closer she realized that the car was out of repair with the front hood cocked open. Cress snuck a glance at Thorne who was looking at the car like someone looks at there injured pet.
"Does it have any sentimental value?" Cress asked feeling suddenly very awkward. Thorne shrugged again while shaking his head.
"Its called the Rampion and its broken, end of story." Thorne grunted. Cress had a feeling that there was a lot more to it than just the Rampion being broken. They stood for a while in silence Cress wishing she had never asked what was going on.
"Um well okay, which car should we go in? They all look very impressive." Cress quickly changed the subject feeling as though she were walking on thin ice. Instantly as if someone had flipped a switch a completely different Thorne came back. He gave her a smirk and chuckled as if she was a young apprentice coming to the wise man.
"Any car is yours and before you chose I will introduce you to them." Thorne said spreading his arms like a ringmaster at the circus. Walking first to the sleek black limo Thorne introduced the car.
"This is Bronson the Limo usually the car that the Montgomery family uses." Cress giggled at the name Bronson.
"Why Bronson?" Cress asked feeling much more comfortable with charasmatic Thorne than moody Thorne.
"Why not." Thorne smirked.
"Good point." Cress said with a small smirk of her own. Thorne than came over to the cherry red convertible.
"This is Tiffany. Because the name seemed to sound rich." Thorne joked making Cress laugh again. Cress then promptly bit down on her lip not wanting to seem like one of those giggly air headed girls. Thorne didn't seem to notice and he stepped in front of the old fashioned punch buggy convertible with the top all ready down.
"This is Oswald don't ask me why Wolf named him." Thorne explained. Cress felt like Thorne was in his element with cars. It was how Cress felt when she baked the macaroons or finished a particular complicated program. She smiled but this time not because of Thorne's jokes.
"And this is Roxanne." Thorne concluded at the being jeep with not so much as a speck of dirt on it. Thorne turned around not bothering to introduce the Rampion which looked even older than Oswald. "You chose whichever car you want so pick away."
Cress instantly new which car she wanted it was the only one she actually felt comfortable in. Cress quickly walked over to the yellow buggy Oswald and smiled back at Thorne. His reaction was with raised eyebrows and a glimmer of surprise on his face like those people look after a clown slaps their face with a cream pie.
"What?" Cress asked wondering if she had something in her teeth. Accordingly Cress could feel the blush on her neck.
"Nothing." Thorne coughed while grabbing the car keys. Cress didn't say anything but calmly walked to the car trying to not seem like she was frazzled by the look he gave her. She quickly brushed her hair behind her ears and stood straighter pretending she was at least 5'5".
"You know I won't judge what you say—if its something about cars I get it, well I don't get cars but I get when someone is interested in something." Cress tried to seem considerate as she spoke keeping a curiosity down.
"Well, I guess its just that your so unlike the Montgomery's its kind of weird. I don't know how to explain. But like the cars for example the other Montgomery's would never even glance at any of the other cars besides a limo and even then they wouldn't be satisfied." Thorne mused while unlocking the door. He didn't seem malicious while saying this but Cress didn't exactly feel like this was a compliment.
Cress definitely didn't want to be like the Montgomery's but she didn't want to be seen as kind of weird either. Cress opened the old fashioned door handle and plopped down into the carpeted seat. There wasn't any air freshener in the car but it still smelled like Christmas Eve. Instantly her mood brighten most of her very few happy childhood memory occurred on Christmas.
Thorne came into the car with a smile dazzling on his face and slid on a pair of riding gloves on. He quickly fastened the straps and fitted each finger like he had done this a million times before. Cress had never seen anyone who used driving gloves much less for a regular car, but for some reason with Thorne it made perfect sense. He then placed a drivers hat onto his head that had cursive letters written on the side. Only then did he notice Cress sitting in the passenger seat.
"Gah!" Thorne yelped. Cress couldn't help but laugh, for once it wasn't her who was making a fool out of themselves. Thorne then pretended to faint with his hand perched over his forehead in destress. "What are you doing in the front seat?"
Cress wrinkled her brow in confusion. What kind of question was that? She may be petite but she didn't need to be strapped to a booster seat in the back like a toddler. Then Cress' years of watching movies came back to her. The chauffeur always sat in the front with the person they were driving in the back. Cress realized that she wasn't supposed to sit in the front seat.
Suddenly Cress felt defensive. "Well why shouldn't I sit in the front seat? It has a much better view and its weird to drive with someone and not even speak with them. This way we will be able to talk to each other easily. And whose to say were I should and shouldn't sit?" Cress was surprised with herself when she spoke it was as if someone who was actually good at speaking to people had possessed her.
Thorne laughed and said, "You know I am glad that your not like the rest of the Montgomery clan! I think it will be very interesting driving you Miss Darnel." He tipped his cap and Cress could see the letters spelled out Captain. "But just to warn you I am the captain of this ship and I need my first mate to be in top condition… that you buy the way, the first mate."
"Aye, aye captain. Hoist the sails—or start the engine!" Cress called feeling like she was little again and telling herself she was a pirate queen, a alien, an explorer, or the best one yet a first mate. The car started smoothly as if it was the first time it had ever been drove. Cress wouldn't surprised if that was actually the case.
The garage door automatically lifted revealing the cheery day. The drive way was made up out of orange colored bricks that looked like they were imported from Spain. There were cherry trees lined on the side of the drive and lavender was hedged perfectly in swirling pattens. Cress closed her eyes and felt the warm breeze on her cheeks.
"I just love Stowe in the fall. Don't you?" Cress asked. Stowe was the town Stowe, Vermont a small New England town that the Montgomery's lived right on the outskirts of. The towns main attraction was Vermonts highest mountain which of course brought in many skiers and tourism. Years ago the Montgomery's bought every single hotel and motel in the area and converted them into the Montgomery Home Inn the main reason for the family fortune.
"Of course, though I have to say that in the winter it truly is breathtaking." Thorne answered sounded as though her were smiling as he spoke. Cress opened her eyes to find him staring directly at her. At first all Cress could do was blush a deep pink color.
"Captain! You must keep your eyes on the road! What if we crash?" Cress then cried. Looking frantically around to see if there were any cars near by. Thorne just whistled to himself seeming entirely fine with the fact he may have just killed them both (and damaged the car).
"I call it the sixth sense." Thorne chuckled then noticed Cress' confusion. "Not like the kid who can see dead people in the sixth sense but like I can tell when other cars are coming. It's like a superpower." Cress bit her tongue keeping herself from making some snappy remark that she would regret later about how his driving skills should be counted as villany.
"So where are we going? All I heard you and Kai mention was that there was a good place to fix my hunger problem…." Cress trailed off wondering if they were even going to a restaurant. Instantly Cress' thoughts floated away to a picnic under a tree with fiery color leaves. She shook her head not wanting to get lost in her daydreams.
"Its a great restaurant called Solstice. Everyone in the staff loves it we go there every Saturday night." Thorne explained. Cress nodded already wondering if she would be invited to go along with them. Today was Wednesday it was still a few days off but Cress always liked to be prepared.
Thorne then veered of to the right of the road were a complex of brown lodges all stood as if they were huddled together from the cold even though winter still was a few months away. Cress couldn't exactly say that Thorne's skills at driving were amazing but she did view them as okay. But when they got the fact of parallel parking Cress had to change her mind. It took about 3 full minutes before he was completely backed into the space and even then the wheels were turned to opposite direction they should be.
"Yes! That Cress was a record. You must be a good luck as a first mate or something because usually it takes me ten minutes to get into this position." Thorne beamed seeming oblivious to Cress' unimpressed reaction. Not wanting to be rude but knowing that Cress' voice would give her away Cress settled for a weak nod as a way of agreement. Thorne seemed to see this as high praise because he jumped out of his seat, raced around the car, and opened her door.
Cress gently took his hand to get out of the car. She felt her entire arm go numb with pins and needles and she felt oddly calm at how easily her small hand fit into his large one. Thorne didn't seem to notice her reaction and Cress slowly slid her hand away.
"Okay Cress I hope you have a good time I will be waiting hear for your return." Thorne than began to walk back around the car and slid into the drivers seat. Cress opened her mouth in surprise. Thorne wasn't coming with her meaning she would have to sit alone. Maybe there relationship had gotten off on a rocky tart but she still didn't want to eat alone. Cress had definitely not planned for this.
"What no way your coming in to!" Cress said her voice sounded desperate and made her inwardly cringe. Thorne once again looked at her with his handsome surprise face. "I can't go to a restaurant all by myself. Think of how lonely that would be! And I don't even know were the restaurant is, I need you to come!"
Thorne slowly came out of the car looking somewhat pleased with a small knowing smirk on his face. "Sorry I didn't know if you would be okay with me coming and I didn't want to make anything awkward." Thorne calmly said. Cress gave him a shy smile suddenly feeling far less bold about her declaration that he must join her for dinner. But as he offered her his elbow to walk her to dinner any thoughts opposing going to Solstice with Thorne flew out of her mind and she happily accepted.
Authors Note: Okay so what did you think? Did you notice that 'When you wish upon a star' the song Kai whistles is from the Cinderella movie? And there really is a Solstice resturuant in Stowe, Vermont but it is also the name of Winter's mom? I thought that was just to perfect. Thank you to everyone who comments I can't wait to hear what you all think!