Massie will fully admit that when she invited Chris and Derrick to spend the night, she did not know what to expect. All she knew was that she was tipsy off of the white wine from the italian restaurant and didn't want to risk them driving home considering they had double what she had. And, she didn't want to be home alone with William after reading the prenuptial agreement. The boys, on the other hand, didn't want to leave Massie alone, for different reasons.
Chris didn't want to let her be by herself because he knew she was especially fragile right now. He knew she was internally heartbroken because of her father's choices, she felt like she was losing everything she had worked for since she was in school and she was right. Chris knew she felt trapped and wanted her to know that she had a way out, and that he would make sure of it, even if it came down to Chris himself marrying her on papers to end this whole thing.
He and Dylan had discussed it, the possibility if Derrick didn't fall through with it. It would be almost like a citizenship wedding - it would last long enough for the papers to be signed, and then they'd end in divorce, or annulment. Dylan was comfortable with it, and she was impressed that Chris cared enough about their friends wellbeing enough to put his ass on the line for her.
Derrick, on the other hand, didn't want her being alone because he wanted all his time to be consumed by her. He was her shoulder to cry on, he wanted to be there for her, to nurture her and cherish her the way she should be nurtured and cherished. He wanted to take care of her and love her and show her what a real man does when he loves someone, not what Tristan has been doing to her, or what he did to her back when they dated in middle school. He wanted to right his wrongs and Tristan's.
Currently, though, Chris and Derrick were bickering as they attempted to pull her futon out of its resting position.
"I've never pulled out a futon before!"
"Do I look like I have?"
"What do girls even do at sleepovers?"
"Well usually we all share my bed, but I think my father would faint if he came in here and saw me in bed with you two, so…"
"Wait, all you girls share a bed?" Derrick asked, poking his head up from behind the futon mattress to look at Massie with an amused grin on his face.
"Yes, you pervert, get the images out of your brain and help Chris with the frame!"
"Hey hey hey, I wanna hear about you girls sharing a bed too!"
"Oh my god, all men are dogs."
"I find that highly offensive." Derrick commented as he unlatched the wood.
"Would you rather be a dog or a pig?"
"Probably a dog, at least it could be somewhat endearing. Not like a pomeranian or a chihuahua, though. I'd have to go for a golden, or an irish setter, something bigger and more lovable. Being a pug would be lit only if I was Bean. He lives the life. " Chris decided, nodding his head and letting the frame lower to the ground.
"Have you seen Ariana Grande's mini pig? It's fucking adorable. How could you even say pigs aren't endearing? He has his own instagram page with like fifty times the followers you have, Plov.."
"Wow, Derrick Harrington keeping up with his pop culture? I am so impressed."
"Color me surprised, I'm impressing Block, did you hear that Plovert?"
"Loud and clear! So did my 393 Snapchat followers!" He announced before flopping down on the black mattress and smiling smugly as he posted the ten second black and white filtered video clip to his Snapchat story. All of Plovert's stories were black and white, it was his thing and it drove everyone else fucking nuts.
"Get awf, I need to make the bed still!"
"Eh ma gawd, it's back! The voice is back!"
"God, you're so annoying. Why did I invite you over again?"
"Because you love and miss us both when we aren't around you."
"I mean I think that's highly debatable," Massie rolled her amber eyes alongside her swift lie before swatting at him with one of the down feather pillows in her hands. "Now, get awf so I can make your bed!"
"That is so sweet of you, Massikur. I thought you were going to make us sleep on this cold mattress with no pillows or blankets or sheets."
"Wanna test me?" She asked, raising her perfectly plucked chestnut brown eyebrows and tossing the pillows to the floor so she could prop her hands on her hips.
"Not really." Derrick gulped back a reply.
"I figured you'd come to your senses."
"So, like...let me play devil's advocate here and just ask this. What if Tristan comes in in a few hours and sees us here? How is that really gonna go over? Is he gonna start throwing shit? Is he going to stay completely calm? Like….I guess, how is he going to act around us when we're technically 'in is space'?" Chris prompted the question Derrick had been avoiding asking all night.
The three were currently finally set up in her room, with the 4k HD flat screen TV mounted on the wall showing a queue they set up of netflix originals. Massie was in her bed and the boys were sharing their futon, and all three were drunk-snacking on their treasures brought up from when they first arrived and rummaged through the kitchen on their way into the house.
"Firstly, this isn't 'his space', it's my bedroom, it's my home."
"You know what I mean, Mass. We're sleeping in the bedroom of his fiance. He and William are going to react very differently to this, you know that."
And Massie did know this. She wasn't stupid, neither were the boys and they all knew the risks of sharing her room tonight but at the same time Massie was so fucking tired of feeling like she couldn't just enjoy her friends or enjoy her own bedroom or her own home anymore. Like, how sick is that? Coming home to your solstice, your place of refuge that just...isn't yours anymore? What else did Massie have to look forward to than her bedroom and the pug currently snuggling into her custom down-filled doggy bed at the foot of Massie's California King mattress?
"Look, you both are here. He's very logical, Tristan, very calculating even if he doesn't seem to make any sense in what he does. He wouldn't do anything, not in front of you, at least. The damage in his mind is done so to speak, like you already slept in my room. He wouldn't let you see him freak either, like he wouldn't throw things or any of that, he'd just be calm about it and leave and then flip out when we're alone. But he wouldn't come by until after work, so he won't be here until late tomorrow."
"I guess that makes me feel better." Derrick replied dryly.
"Look, I don't think he'll ever be okay with you and me being around each other, he just won't. Chris and I are different, he likes Chris and he knows we're totally platonic."
"Unless things fall through."
"What do you mean?" Massie and Derrick both asked at the same time, turning their attention to Chris.
"Dyl and I spoke about this. If for some reason Derrick can't go through with it, whether his family gets involved or whatever may happen that throws a wrench in this...I'd basically do a citizenship wedding, in a way? Obviously we'd stay married as long as we had to, legally, but that would be it, then we'd get annulled or divorced or whatever we had to. I just want you away from him, so if something happens...I don't have a problem stepping up, is what I'm saying."
Christopher Plovert, for growing up in a house full of sisters, was not one to talk about his feelings. His face was already bright red, his cheeks felt hot and his skin was itchy to the touch but he wanted to make sure Massie knew he was serious about this.
He maintained his eye contact with her and Derrick the entire time, and couldn't tell if Derrick wanted to kill him or not, but he figured he'd handle that later. Right now, his concern was the girl in front of him who weeks ago was so close to losing herself again for another boy who didn't deserve it.
Derrick being the first boy to trigger it, then there was Landon Crane, and after Massie had a few flings throughout high school with random Ralph Lauren wearing boys who broke her heart and publicized it. Chris helped as much as he could, but he finally felt like now he had a chance to really step up and if the situation presented itself he wasn't going to hesitate.
"You'd really do that for me?" It didn't come out louder than a squeak. God, Massie, could you be any more emotional lately? Someone remind her to change her birth control prescription, this was so not okay.
"I would. And I will, if it's your way out of this, Massie."
"Thank you, Chris."
"You don't have to thank me. I should've done more when we were younger, I know that, but I didn't because I was wrapped up in my own issues and my own identity. You're important to me and Dylan and the two of us will do whatever has to happen to fix this, whatever we're able to do."
"My my my, let me just say that eight years ago I expected to wake up and find boys spending the night in my daughter's bedroom. Now, though, I'm at least happy with the ones she chose."
Massie, Chris, and Derrick were seated at the Block's breakfast bar where her staff had laid out a plethora of breakfast items. There was strawberry cream cheese stuffed french toast, scrambled eggs with shredded cheddar cheese, blueberry apple and banana smoothies, and a fruit platter made up of cut watermelon pieces, strawberries, kiwis, raspberries and mangos. Usually Massie just took a breakfast bar and a black iced coffee to go, so her staff was excited to get to actually cook some semblance of a meal for the week.
"You know, Daddy, you don't have to do this whole intimidation thing. It's kind of overbearing."
"It's a compliment!"
"Well thank you, sir, and thank you for letting us stay the night."
"Anytime, Christopher. How is your father, Derrick?"
"He's good, he's good. How is Kendra doing?"
"She's great, busy as always what with the wedding and all."
"I believe it, sir."
"How are your parents, Christopher?"
"Oh you know, busy with my little sister. She just got accepted into Duke, so they're going crazy with party planning and dorm room ideas and graduate school already. She's not even eighteen yet, I swear they try to age us so quickly."
"They just want to make sure you all make the best of your time in college, I'm sure."
"Oh, I'm sure their intentions are great. But, she's not even finished with her senior year of high school yet. I feel like she's getting more and more pressure from both our parents and Westchester Prep to finish quicker, work harder. I'm not sure how we did it way back then."
"You know, it's funny. Way back when Massie first brought you both home, I never expected to be sitting here with you both. You both grew up and matured very nicely, and I'm very happy she's spending time with such mild-mannered men."
"Thank you, Mr. Block."
"You can call me William, both of you."
"God, Dad, come on."
"Bill is fine."
"Dad!"
Leaning back in his Perigold High-Back Leather Stuffed Executive chair at his desk, Derrick blew out a puff of air and pressed his left palm against the cold marble top of his desk as his right hand scrolled through his emails. Most of the time, secretaries managed emails but he refused to allow anyone access to such important information.
For Derrick, majority of the emails he received was confidential and he had seen from a young age how quick secretaries, office assistants and even other employees were to sell you down the river for a quick buck from competitors in the industry and he refused to fall into the same traps as his father.
As he read over terms and conditions for one of the new business ventures his father's attorney sent over earlier that morning, his iMessage popped up in the upper right corner of his iMac and his eyes drifted to the message block.
Plov: hey man
Plov: i hope i didn't put you on the spot at massie's
Plov: i just want her knowing she isn't stuck if something ends up falling shrot on your end
Plov: **short
Derrick: I know, and thank you for that
Derrick: We bth want whats best for her, you know that
Derrick: I don't know how my parents will react, but I know I'm not backing out
Derrick: but it's comforting to know if something does happen you're there
Plov: ofc
Plov: she's like a sister
Plov: a fourth sister god help me pls
Derrick: HA
Moving to the right of his desk, his fingers punched in a few numbers before picking up his telephone line and getting Alicia's father on the phone. After discussing business for a few minutes, he asked to set up a private meeting in his office this week with him, Massie, and Len. Derrick knew the two of them had to get the ball rolling so that they were ahead of the game when the other shoe started to drop.
Once he hung up the phone with Len, he speed-dialed Massie.
"Hey," she said breathlessly.
"Bad time to talk?"
"No no, I'm just on the treadmill sending emails, what's up?"
"You don't stop working, do you?"
"Are you not reading emails while you're talking to me?"
"Touche."
"We're both workaholics and micromanage the shit out of everyone, come on now."
"You're right, you're right."
"So what's up?"
"How does Thursday at seven work for you? Len is going to be at my office to meet us and go over some terms and contracts."
"Oh wow, so soon?"
"I think we have to, Mass. We need to know what we're up against and this way it's at my office so no one's going to know or be suspicious. The office closes at four, so we'll be set with that. I just want to make sure we have everything in order before things start moving."
"I agree. I'm still in shock from what Chris said, what he offered to do for me." Massie spoke as she lowered her incline on the treadmill, raising her forearm and dabbing her sweat off of her forehead.
"Honestly? I am too. But that's also the guy he is, you know that."
"I do, I do. I just… you know him and Dyl want to get married, like, soon. So, to even offer to put that on hold for me is like so shocking and it just...it means a lot to me."
"I'm really impressed by the offer too. I just...I don't think we're going to need it, I really don't see any issues, but if something arises it's nice to know we have someone like Chris here to help, who won't try to steal you away."
Derrick grinned, hearing Massie's giggle on the other line. He knew the two of them couldn't be very public about their affection, it would be detrimental to both of them if news got outside of their inner circle. He wasn't sure how surprised Westchester's Elite would be when the news finally broke, considering how many of them always assumed the two would find their way back and how according to his father, Tristan was not well liked.
Tristan Montgomery was an outsider, as far as anyone else saw him. After the stunts he pulled at the party, that much was clear. William had a lot of work to do with Tristan, but if Derrick could help it, he wouldn't have to.
"Mass, when are you gonna tell him?"
"I haven't decided."
"You need to, soon."
"How do I even tell him?"
"He's your father, you can't tell me you don't know how to talk to him."
"Not about something like this, not when Tristan thinks he has such a hold over him. I can't be sure how my dad's going to react, if he's going to even believe me or if he'll question Tristan and if Tristan denies it then William might just think I'm lying because I'm scared or something about cold feet."
"Do you think that's how it'll go?"
"I think it could go one of two ways. He could believe me and freak out, calling the whole thing off and resolving our problem…"
For some reason, the sound of that made Derrick's stomach fall.
"Or, he could believe Tristan denying it and think I'm trying to back out for cold feet or nerves and try to make me go through with it. I really am not sure, Der."
"Either way, we have our answer, but sooner or later you're going to have to rip the bandaid off. If you want me there, I'll be there."
"I think I have to do this alone."
"I respect that."
"I just can't promise it's going to be soon."
"Mass."
"Der."
"You can't put this off for much longer."
"Can we see what happens Thursday? See what he says to do, I trust his judgment."
"Fine."
"You know you aren't mad, so don't pretend to be."
"I'm just saying, you can't keep putting this off. Hey, someone's knocking on my door, I'll call you back later, okay?"
"Okay, bye Derrick."
"Bye b-Massie."