You Live Here?
Chaos glanced over at her silent passenger for the eighth time since she'd hit the road into her neighborhood. The Bixby Knolls was a nicer suburb of Long Beach and she knew that if anyone from the garage had ever been here it was because of a boost.
Which had her a little on edge with her current company.
She was sure Sphinx would behave but what about the others when she finally let them see her house?
She might not like her neighbors but she didn't need the cops out here either. Especially with how her Uncle Otto had warned her to be wary of Detective Castlebeck and his partner Drycoff. If they so much as heard a peep of boosting they went straight to Otto's and started harassing the crew . . . that she was now (for better or worse) and impromptu member of.
She sighed, pulling down one of the side roads towards her home. She sighed and pulled into the driveway, glancing over at Sphinx again. He was currently looking up through the windshield at her two story Spanish styled home.
She sighed again. It was times like these that she really despised the fact that her father had come from the 'right kind of' family in Britain and had been so damn frugal with his boost earnings. He couldn't just blow it like any of the other million boosts she'd met in her lifetime?
Oh no.
Her father had laundered the money and invested, proof that he knew the lifespan of a boost was limited.
And his investments had more than paid off. The interest alone on two of his smaller CDs paid the utility bills for his shop and for her youngest brother's private school tuition. And while that should have been something to be proud of, she found herself more often than not hiding it.
She and Mikhail had never fit in with the yuppies the way Bastian had. Then again, his mother was a yuppie herself with pedicure bills that would pay for Mikhail's dream car so it was at least understandable for him.
But she had taken after her father and her mother. She liked to work and to be outside. She loved the ocean and most of the things in it. And she didn't care about what other people thought of her as long as they were judging her on her own merits. But people always treated her differently after they saw her house or the cars . . . which is why she'd been trying to stall bringing anyone from the garage out here. Hell even Otto and Junie hadn't seen the house yet.
She turned and looked to Sphinx, killing the Cayenne's engine.
"Okay. I want to . . . just don't . . ."
She sighed, running her hands through her hair again.
"Just don't let this make up your mind about me okay? The house was a wedding present to my parents from my grandmother. She apparently realized that old age was worthless without family after my grandfather passed away. So to make amends, my Mother and Father got a six bedroom five and half bathroom house they've never stayed one night in. I'm the first family member to actually live here."
"What do you normally do with it?"
Chaos shrugged, getting out of the car and grabbing her purse.
"Dad usually rents it out. But the last tenants lease was up two months ago and Dad knew I'd need a place to live. He keeps telling me that I shouldn't lease an apartment when I could have a damn house for free . . . I just don't particularly like it. It's too . . ."
"Big?"
She laughed, walking up the stone walkway to the door.
"Well, I was going to say pretentious but big works too. C'mon, I'll give you the grand tour while we wait on the Old Man."
Sphinx was impressed. He had to admit it. The house was nice. Ultra nice.
The entranceway alone was bigger than Otto's office . . . and Chaos had done well to make it feel like a home.
The walls were painted a dark almond with white trim, making the dark hardwood floors seem to gleam under the Tuscan styled lights. A nice sized mahogany table rested just past the door with a huge bowl of sea shells and car keys at one end and a sea grass basket holding mail on the other. A mahogany timed mirror sat above it, reflecting he light from the table lamp.
He shook his head, venturing into the huge living room. A large charcoal leather and tapestry sofa sat against the wall of windows, facing the stone fireplace. Perpendicular to it was a matching loveseat, both covered in huge pillows. A large coffee table sat in the center of the room, atop a cowhide rug similar to the one she'd used in the office.
A painting of a Rolls Royce Silver Wraith hung above stone mantle, small car trinkets lining the shelve. On the back wall a chair was situated with a small writing desk, a row of vintage black and white car pictures above it.
All and all the room looked formal but it was easy to see that a boost had lived here. Chaos walked away from him, going down the hallway and through another open doorway.
"I'm going to change shirts before Dad gets here. Make yourself at home. There's beer in the fridge and some cans of coke if your get thirsty. I'll be right back."
Sphinx nodded, watching her disappear. He was right, this place was too big.
Especially for her.
It seemed to swallow her whole.
As he left the living room and ventured into the kitchen he gave the curved dark mahogany cabinets and taupe granite countertops an appreciative glance, turning his attention to the stainless steel appliances. A huge range stove with hood, stacked double ovens and a large dual door refrigerator made the room seem modern and balanced the warm tones of the wood and the goldenrod walls.
The tile backsplash carried the same tones as the granite, bringing the room together well. Four wooden barstools sat around the concave bar, tucked under the ledge and out of the way, each with ochre seats. The golden orange pendant lights glowed to life as he flipped a switch, bathing the bar with warm light.
He shook his head and walked into the adjoining den. This room was larger than the first living room and much more casual. The right side wall was lined with ceiling to floor windows and curved the same way as the wall in the kitchen. A large curved beige sectional sofa sat in the alcove; an array of different jewel toned and patterned pillows tossed about it. Two large beige arm chairs sat against the opposite wall, each housing a corresponding pillow.
Two huge chocolate leather ottomans were pushed together and acting as a large coffee table with a silver serving tray in the center holding a coffee cup and remotes to the TV and entertainment system on the only empty wall. The windows were framed by a long beige scarf that lightened the darker taupe walls of the room.
A curved stair case took up the back wall, leading you up and into the second story of the house. But what drew Sphinx's attention was the huge chocolate leather arm chair tucked beneath the stairs, a wall sconce mounted beside it with a small table to its side. The ottoman nestled against it, a dark turquoise afghan tossed over it with a huge worn book atop that.
A sound from the staircase brought his attention upwards. Chaos still had on her tattered cropped jeans but she'd put on a form fitting white turtleneck with long sleeves. She was barefoot, as usual. She smiled at him, blushing.
"Want to see upstairs? The only thing left down here is the laundry room and the prep kitchen off the garage."
He raised a brow.
"You have two kitchens?"
She nodded, blushing like she'd just admitted she had a third eye or something.
"Yeah one's for the grill and stuff outside with this huge prep sink that's almost a bathtub. I doubt I'll ever use it. Come on."
He followed her up the steps and looked into the bedrooms as she opened doors. There were apparently five regular bedrooms and one huge master suite.
One had been turned into a proper English study and office with a huge mahogany desk and leather armchair to match the one under the steps.
"This is my office for school and work. The desk actually belonged to my great grandfather and was shipped here from England. MY grandmother had the walls recovered in the wallpaper and siding when she bought the place. My Dad refuses to set foot in here but I kind of like it. Besides, how many people have a desk that a Duke signed papers on?"
Sphinx shook his head at her but followed her back and out. The paintings of fox hunts and long dead British lords had taken him back to his earlier days in England . . . so he could understand her father's aversion to the room.
Especially since he'd left on bad terms himself.
Chaos showed him the room her youngest brother would be using when he visited for the summer, already painted a dark taupe grey with black furniture and red and white accents. He gave her a look as she rolled her eyes at one of the many robot statues and models. The connecting bathroom was in the same state.
"I swear he's going to turn into a car or robot or skateboard one day. He needs a damn girlfriend so I don't have to hear about Gundams all the damn time."
The other three were decorated pretty much the same with the exception of different colored comforters and varying pictures. Her bedroom was what threw him, though.
The large Cali King Four-poster bed was not what he expected. Instead of the dark wood that seemed to dominate her home, Chaos had chosen a light almost white colored wood set for this room. The posts of the bed were carved and decorated while the dark bronze canopy framed the top. The huge headboard was upholstered in matching leather that looked soft to the touch.
The plush cream sheets and light aquamarine duvet made it seem airy, especially against the dark taupe walls with the turned down shimmering silver and turquoise comforter. What seemed like a thousand pillows crowned the head of the bed, still leaving plenty of room to stretch out and lay down. The windows were covered in cream sheers, breaking up the dark color.
Silver framed pictures and mirrors were placed on the far wall, a mirrored dresser beneath them. Her bedside table was mirrored as well, with a remote control atop it beside the large seashell filled crystal lamp. He looked around, only seeing the white armoire the glittering dresser and the doorway to the master bathroom.
She caught him looking and asked, "What? Too girlie?"
He gave her a deadpan look and rolled his eyes, picking up the remote and handing it to her.
She smirked before falling back on the bed. Sphinx closed his eyes, shaking his head at her antics.
Seriously this girl was insane.
He was so caught up in his mental evaluation that he didn't register her pulling him onto the bed until he was sprawled out beside her. She laughed at his shocked face before holding her arm, and the remote straight up. He looked up, seeing the silver flat screened TV flicker to life. Okay she wasn't insane. She was brilliant.
She laughed as he looked at the TV in awe.
"No one hardly thinks to put them there, do they? I wasn't buying a stand to take up space. I mean sure, this is a 5028 sq. ft. house but still. I'm too graceful to have to remember where everything is in the middle of the night."
A door opening and slamming caught their attention and Chaos groaned, shooting off the bed and down the hallway.
Sphinx shook his head, getting up and following her at his own pace.
The girl was going to be the death of him, he just knew it.
