Seraphine studied the surroundings as they drove up the long, private road towards their new home. Drew had inherited the house. She hadn't been there in person yet but the pictures of it had made it look so beautiful and romantic. She hadn't known it would be this secluded. No one would make it in time if they needed help out there. The big gate appeared in the distance and she swallowed nervously at the sight. It had barb wire on top. She turned her ocean blue eyes to her boyfriend and tried not to look nervous.
"Barb wire? Is there a lot of crime out here?" She asked.
"You know how it is when people see a house this size. They automatically assume you're rich and keep it all locked up in a safe inside," he said.
He stopped in front of the gate and she nervously fiddled with her long, dark blonde hair. He reached a hand out through the open window to enter the code for the gate. She tried seeing the code without making it obvious. She had always been good at observing people when they weren't noticing her doing so.
"There we go," he said.
The gate opened and she smiled at the house that came into view.
"It's a great system we got with this gate. No one can enter with my code now," he said.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"It's to make sure no intruders enter if they get their hands on my code. Now I'm inside, the system won't open the gate unless it's from the inside. That way it knows I'm the one leaving again," he said.
"What if we're out separately and one of us returns home first?" She asked.
"That won't happen," he said.
He parked the car and looked at her. Her facial expression gave her away. He broke out in a reassuring smile.
"That came out creepy," he laughed. "I didn't mean it like that. Mostly we'll probably leave together. That's all I meant. But no worries, darling. I'll put in a code for you in the system too."
She smiled back at him. She could work with that. A code for her only so she could come and go as she pleased.
"I need to call Seth and tell him I arrived safely," she said.
"Don't you wanna see the house first? Your brother can wait another 15 minutes until I've shown you around. That way you can tell him about it all," he said.
"Good point," she said.
"I'll grab the bags," he said.
He grabbed the bags from the trunk and they walked up to the house together. He unlocked the door and dropped the bags on the floor.
"Give me your phone," he said.
"Why?" She asked.
"Because I know you'll be busy snapping pictures and trying to facetime Seth. I just want 15 minutes alone with you for the grand tour," he said.
"You're in a weird mood today," she giggled. "Fine, I'll play along."
She handed her phone to him and watched as he placed both of their phones on a small table in the hall.
"Let's go upstairs first. The bedrooms are up there," he said.
"Do you want to give me a tour or fool around first thing?" She asked.
"We'll see," he smirked.
He smacked her ass and she jumped forward with a laugh. She hurried up the stairs and he stopped halfway up.
"I'm gonna grab our bags. They're gonna go up there anyway. I don't wanna run up these stairs more than I have to. The bedroom is down the hallway," he said.
She nodded at him and followed directions to the bedroom. It didn't take long before he came into the room with all their bags. He dropped them on the floor and pulled her into his arms for a kiss. He tried moving her over to the bed but she broke the kiss and slid out of his arms.
"I want the grand tour first," she said. "And then I'm all yours in whatever room you want."
"One room simply won't do it for me," he chuckled.
"You're bad," she said.
He grinned at her, walked over to her, and pecked her lips.
"This way, darling," he said.
He showed her through the upstairs and then they walked down the stairs again. He turned to the right but she stopped and looked at her phone on the floor next to the table. She walked over to it and picked it up. The screen was completely shattered.
"What the hell happened?" She asked.
"It probably fell down," he answered.
"It's ruined," she said.
"We'll get you a new one," he said.
"But I need to call Seth," she said.
"You can call from my phone or use your tablet. We have internet here. I'll give you the password so you can mail him," he said.
"I want it right now!" She said firmly.
"Okay. Go get your tablet then," he said.
She ran up the stairs again and he followed her up there. She found her tablet in her bag, turned it on, and looked at him.
"McIntyre," he said. "Exactly like my name is spelled."
She typed in the password and furrowed her brows.
"It's not working," she said.
"It's often down out here. If you haven't noticed, we're far away from civilization. It'll work eventually. It always does," he said.
"I wanna call Seth right now," she said.
"Okay. Use my phone," he said.
He unlocked his phone and handed it to her. She dialed Seth's number and was happy to hear her brother's voice.
"Hello?" He asked.
"Seth, it's me," she said.
"Seraphine!" He said happily. "How's the house."
"It's big and very beautiful," she said.
She relaxed hearing her brother's carefree voice. Everything was alright. She still had a direct line to him. She wasn't alone in a place with no one to trust but Drew.
"My phone broke," she said.
"That sucks," he said.
"I'll get a new one tomorrow," she said.
She looked over at Drew who smiled and nodded at her.
"I gotta go, Seth. Love you," she said.
"Love you too," he said.
She hung up and handed the phone back to Drew. He smiled again and held out his hand.
"Now can I show you the downstairs?" He asked.
"Yes," she smiled. "I'm sorry for losing my mind for a moment. It's just all so new and scary to me."
"You're kinda cute when you're being all stubborn and demanding things," he chuckled. "I get it, darling. I took you away from everything you know but I promise you'll be happy out here."