Thanks to the fast & amazing responses I received for the last chapter, I was able to crank out this chapter much quicker than usual. A huge thank you to everyone who read & reviewed. You are my motivators.

I hope you all equally enjoy this longer than usual chapter.

Nothing But A Lie

Chapter 20

He could hardly bear being alone lately.

Which was quite humorous, considering the fate he'd been doomed to since some cruel creator thought it was a bright idea to bestow this face upon him at conception. Still, he knew if he remained home alone all he would do was indulge in her, and he had to at least try to control himself. He would lose his mind if he let himself continue on the way he had been, live in some unhealthy fantasy of something he'd never have.

Nadir had called him the night before and invited him over Saturday afternoon for grilling and beers and some televised sporting event and whatnot. Erik, of course, had declined the invitation immediately, insisting it all sounded awful and he would much prefer being home composing. Nadir had pressed him to consider it, claiming that they needed to "hang out" more, to which Erik had laughed and sarcastically said, "Oh, yes, please. That is exactly what I need."

He still felt slightly chagrined to be knocking at the old man's door now, stubborn as Erik was. But he knew company would do him at least some good.

Nadir greeted him enthusiastically when he answered the door. "Hey, Erik! I'm glad you changed your mind! Come on in, I was just about to fire up the grill."

The moment Erik stepped inside Nadir's small, single-story house, he regretted it. "It is a thousand degrees in here," he complained.

"What? The thermostat is set at seventy-six. Now that's generous, Erik. You know I wouldn't notice a difference if it were set at eighty." Nadir led him into the kitchen and handed him a cold beer from the fridge. Erik could see Nadir had been prepping the food all morning, the countertops covered with condiments and hamburger buns and vegetables and meat and such.

"Damned Middle Eastern blood," Erik muttered, twisting the top off the glass bottle and taking a deep gulp.

Nadir chuckled. "Exactly. Oh, and just a heads up, my neighbor Anne is coming over too."

Erik blinked.

"She's bringing dessert."

"Lovely," Erik grumbled, his teeth clenching.

"Oh, come on, I think you'll like her! She's my age, but more like you personality wise. You know, tough, uptight…" Nadir chattered on as he picked up the platter of hamburger meat and opened the sliding glass door to the backyard. Erik followed him reluctantly out into the heat, listening to him in amusement as Nadir turned on the grill. "Anne's daughter is a single mother. They were supposed to come too, but I guess Meg had somewhere else to be. She's about your age, I think, maybe a bit younger. Teaches dance at a private high school. Very pretty. And her little girl is just darling! I was hoping you would get to meet Meg. I bet you two would get along nicely."

Erik very nearly spit out the sip of beer he had taken. "Have you gone mental?" he sputtered.

"What?" Nadir pointedly ignored Erik's fiery eyes as he placed the meat on the grill, sizzling and smoke following. "You need to find a good woman, Erik. You could use some female energy around to soften you up."

"You can't be…you—" Erik made a sound of disgust in the back of his throat. "First of all, have I ever expressed interest in you setting me up?"

Nadir shrugged. "I just thought you might be looking, that's all." It wasn't that Nadir actually thought Erik was the right man for Meg—Allah knows Anne probably would not approve either, strict as she was—but he knew broaching the topic of women might make him bring up the mystery woman he had drunkenly mumbled about the last time again. He didn't think it wise to mention it outright. If Erik wanted to talk about it, he would bring it up. Otherwise, Nadir knew if he pestered Erik about it, he would just close up and pretend his feelings were nonexistent, as per usual.

"Well I am most certainly not," Erik grunted, taking another long gulp of his beer. "It's all futile, anyway. You know that as much as I do."

Nadir sighed. "We do not know that. I am sure if you actually tried…"

"Enough, Nadir," Erik snapped. "I am finished with this conversation."

"Okay, okay. I didn't mean to offend you. I just want to see you happy. You know that."

Hah. Me, happy? What a concept. Erik didn't say it aloud. He knew there were few things in the world that could make him experience true happiness. And the very thing that would make him happiest seemed impossible. But he wondered… would it be easier to bear if he never did try? Or would it be worth it to try, even if he did inevitably fail? The old man's words made him uncertain.

"Fine," Erik broached slowly, unsurely. "Let us say—hypothetically, of course—that I did meet someone of…interest to me…"

Nadir was thrilled, but he maintained his composure, pretending to have his full focus on grilling the burgers and only half listening to Erik's words. The only indicator he gave was a nod, and the smallest head tilt in Erik's direction.

"I am obviously not attractive, nor charming or charismatic in any way. Just what would you suggest I do, old man? Demand she go on a date with me and threaten her if she refuses?" He kept his tone sarcastic, though sadly he would be lying if he said the thought had not crossed his mind before.

Nadir took the bait and laughed as he flipped the burgers. "Definitely not. And—hypothetically—I would tell you to make a gesture. Get her a gift; something obviously romantic so that she'll know that you are interested."

"Gift?"

"Sure! Like a card or some candy or…or flowers! You can never go wrong with flowers."

"Hmm. Interesting," Erik mumbled, finishing off his drink. "I am getting another beer."

"Grab me one too, would you?"

Erik left the conversation at that, but he honestly considered it, wondering if it would be so terrible to try something like that with Christine. She seemed to be…girly. Perhaps she would like something along the lines of what Nadir had suggested. Of course, she was already in a relationship with that man (which Erik still did not understand in the least bit), but perhaps she was looking for an excuse to leave. She never seemed to gush about her lover any chance she got like most young women would. And…she did touch his hand, completely at her own will…

Or perhaps it was all just wishful thinking. He seemed to do that a lot these days.

It did not matter. He was already suffering every second since she came into his life in the first place; why not experiment a little?

Erik had his mind made up by the time he returned to the backyard with two more beers. He would get a gift for Christine on the evening of her performance. Anonymously, of course, so that he could gauge her reaction before deciding if he wanted to reveal if it was him or not. If she seemed excited by the prospect of an admirer outside of her current boyfriend, then perhaps there would be hope after all.

The doorbell rang shortly after they returned inside, to which Nadir swiftly paced to the front door to answer. Erik stayed in the kitchen, busying himself with setting out plates and utensils, dreading having to meet someone new. It was effort enough to be around Nadir, his one and only friend, let alone a complete stranger as well.

"Hey, Anne, thanks for coming," Erik heard Nadir greet. "We just finished grilling."

"We?" the woman questioned, her voice deep and raspy.

"My friend Erik and I," explained Nadir, leading her to the kitchen. "He decided to come after all. He's right in here. Erik, this is my neighbor Anne Giry. Anne, Erik Gabriel. He recently started working at the university with me, but we've known each other for years."

Anne was tall and thin, with black hair up in a tight bun and icy blue eyes. She was dressed professionally in black slacks and a white blouse. Her skin was quite pale considering they lived in the desert—not that Erik had any room to talk—and her thin smile was polite but not necessarily friendly. She made no move to shake Erik's hand, thankfully, so he simply nodded once in greeting.

She nodded back. "Nice to meet you," she said, turning back to Nadir. "Sorry I'm late. I made Meg promise to call me every hour. She called just before I was going to leave. Ah, here're the brownies."

Nadir took the tin foil-covered dish Anne offered him, setting it on the counter with everything else. "I'm sorry they couldn't make it. What are they up to this weekend? Sounds serious."

Anne sighed, side glancing at Erik, as if she were uncomfortable speaking about it with him there.

Erik cleared his throat. "Pardon me, I will step outside."

"No, no," Anne insisted, stopping him. "It's okay. I would just…feel rude if you didn't know what we were talking about." She paused, taking a breath and stiffening. "Nadir already knows, but my daughter, Meg, was in an abusive relationship a couple years ago. Her child's father is no longer a part of their lives."

Nadir gasped. "Don't tell me they're with him, are they?"

"Of course not. Meg never wants to be near him again. But they are visiting his family. They swore he would not be there, but I don't know if we can trust them. So far it's been fine, but it is still early. I'm just worried."

"That's completely understandable," Nadir said, touching her shoulder.

"Thanks. Anyway," Anne sighed, relaxing again. "If I keep stepping out to answer the phone, that is why. Now, I'm starving. Erik, would you be so kind as to hand me a plate?"

Sky went over everything with Christine once more: how she should act, what she should say, not say, etc. She felt numb as she nodded along to everything he said, unsure how she would be able to do it. She already felt completely drained after everything that had already happened that morning, and the fact that he expected her to be at her absolute best the rest of the day was just unfair.

But he did, and he made it very clear that if she messed up in any way, she would be in big, big trouble. There was nothing she could do but swear to him that she would do her best. And she had to.

When Sky finally helped her up off the floor and told her it was time to go downstairs and meet his mother, Christine asked for a few minutes to freshen up in the bathroom. He agreed easily, probably able to see that she desperately needed to wash her face and fix her hair.

She was lucky to have put on waterproof mascara that morning, so her face didn't look too atrocious. After splashing some cold water on her cheeks and finger combing through her waves a few times, she looked almost normal again. Nothing a stranger would notice. Before stepping out, she curiously lifted her silky shirt to examine her bruise in the mirror, feeling light headed when she saw it. Fresh and angry, red and purple and blue against her pale skin. It was a miracle she couldn't feel it. It looked so awful she was getting nauseous at the mere sight.

Putting her shirt back into place with shaky hands, she took a deep, shuddering breath. If Sky had no problem doing that to her, there was no doubt that he wasn't bluffing about the other threats he'd made. And that fact not only made her more scared of him than ever, but also put a strange ache in her stomach. Her heart felt hollow too. Betrayal? Hurt? She wasn't sure what it could be. But it felt awful and wrong, and she had to swallow the lump in her throat before exiting the bathroom and facing him again.

She must really be losing her mind. Why was she sorry for how she'd behaved? Why did she suddenly wish for his approval? His forgiveness?

Sky's brows came together in concern when she came out. "Hey," he asked gently. "You okay? Are you in pain?"

She shook her head. "No…I'm f-fine. I'm just…really sorry, Sky."

Grasping the sides of her arms softly, he sunk down to one knee; their faces near the same level that way. She clearly avoided his eyes. "Look at me," he commanded softly. When she did, he smiled. "You will be totally forgiven if you do everything just how we talked about. You're going to be perfect. I know you are."

"How?" she whispered.

Sky cupped either side of her face, brushing her cheeks with his thumbs. "Because you are perfect. God, baby, you are so beautiful. I mean, look at you."

She bit her lip, her cheeks going warm.

"Come here." He pulled her face down, kissing her plump lips softly. "I love you. Okay?"

"Okay," she murmured, slightly appeased. And that terrified her.

He stayed on his knees in front of her. "Now, smile for me, baby," he said cheerfully. "Let me see those pearly whites."

She made a halfhearted attempt, but it must have looked as bad as it felt, because Sky groaned.

"Come on, you can do better than that," he teased, beginning to tickle her upper ribs softly, careful to avoid her injured area.

"Sky, stop," Christine protested, squirming.

"Not until you smile like the sun! Come on!" He laughed again, putting more pressure on his tickling fingers, and sure enough, Christine burst out a giggle.

"Okay, okay," she tried to stop him with her weak little hands, trying not to laugh and failing. "See, I'm smiling. You can stop now!"

"That's my good girl," he cheered, kissing her cheek before rising back onto his feet. "Now, let's go meet my mom. Start you off easy. She's going to love you."

By the time they made it downstairs, the kids were finishing up lunch and bouncing with excitement to go swimming. Peyton ran to Sky as soon as she saw him, hugging his leg and asking if he would swim with her. Sky picked her up and spun her around, making her squeal and laugh, and remorsefully told her he still had to eat lunch, but that he would come outside and watch her as soon as she was finished. He kissed her cheek and set her down, and she ran back to the other kids, babbling in excitement.

With Christine's hand in his, he led her to their giant kitchen, where his mother was much too focused on cleaning up after the children's lunch to notice their entrance. "Hazel," she called over her shoulder, rinsing dishes in the sink. "Make sure all the little ones have their floaties on. But don't let them go outside yet. I'm almost finished."

Sky cleared his throat, and when she turned her head, his mother gasped. "Skylar! Oh, there you are," she gushed; quickly wiping her hands on a kitchen towel and rushing over to hug him. "Peyton was going on and on about you so I knew you had to be around here somewhere. Oh, I'm so happy we're all here."

"Me too," he said, pulling away with a warm smile for the bubbly woman. Sky's mother was definitely the most bearable to be around out of his whole family. Of course, her motherly teasing and smothering could be extremely annoying, but he knew she didn't mean any harm by it. The poor woman just wanted a happy family.

It was sad that she had to waste all her efforts on theirs.

Christine couldn't resist. She snorted. "'Skylar'?"

Sky rolled his eyes.

His mother laughed, turning to Christine. "Oh, it's just something I call him. His father refused to let me name him that. I was lucky he bent on Sky alone. But I do so love Skylar."

"Oh, me too," Christine giggled with her. "I might just have to start calling him that myself."

Sky's own laugh was tight. "Ha, don't even think about it."

Christine pressed her lips together to keep from laughing anymore.

"Oh, Skylar, I like her," the older woman commended. She turned to Christine, extending her manicured, suntanned hand. "I'm Denise."

Christine shook it with a warm smile, finding it easy to be sweet to her. She seemed very nice, though she had every look of being an extremely rich woman: perfectly blown out and highlighted hair, skin tight, knee length dress showing off her gorgeous figure, high heels that clicked on the hard floor when she walked, impeccable makeup and white smile.

Of course, she definitely didn't suspect her son of being a delusional, insane kidnapper and abuser. So that was a downside.

"Christine. Lovely to meet you."

The shouts of restless children interrupted them, and soon after, Hazel ran in and stood close to Denise's side.

"Can we go swimming now, Grandma?" Hazel asked quietly, her face slightly distressed from being in charge of all the other kids, no doubt.

Denise patted her head. "Sure, honey. Let's go." She blew a kiss to Sky and Christine as she followed Hazel out of the kitchen. "Have some lunch and come outside when you're finished, okay?"

Without waiting for a response, she disappeared around the corner, letting the kids out the backdoor. Their excited screams were finally quieted with their exit, and Sky let out a sigh as he took a couple plates from the stack on the counter. "Lunch?" he offered, handing her a plate.

"Please," Christine nodded fast, desperate for something to fill her still slightly queasy stomach. All the food lain out on the kitchen island looked to be purchased from some high-end deli: fancy platters of meat, cheese, bread, vegetables, and fruit. There was a huge cooler open on the floor next to the island as well, filled with an array of sodas and beers. A coke sounded amazing, and Christine dug around the ice until she found one. Sky favored a beer, picking one for himself.

"Are you sure I can't call you Skylar?" Christine asked casually as she filled her plate with food, unable to keep from teasing him now that they were alone. Though she had been terrified of him ten minutes ago, the meeting of his mother had put her in a lighter mood, and he seemed to be in similar spirits now. So, why not have a little fun? She'd always hated when he would make fun of her, which he did pretty much every chance he got, and it felt nice to hold something over him for once.

Sky scoffed, shaking his head as he looked down at her. "You know, I've always wanted you to be playful with me, but this? You're playing a dangerous game, baby."

The warning in his tone seemed light, so she didn't see the harm in pushing him further. "I just think it suits you better. That's all," she said innocently.

"You think so, do you?" he muttered, taking his lunch to the kitchen table and placing it down before stalking back to her with a grin she could only describe as evil.

Her stomach turned, and she left her own food on the counter where she stood and tried to run. A wasteful effort, of course, as Sky caught her within seconds and crushed his mouth down on hers without warning. She whimpered, shocked, yet relieved that it was a kiss and not something else. However, this kiss was rough and hungry and demanding, and she struggled to respond to it with enthusiasm that matched his own. She let out a startled squeak against his mouth when he lifted her onto the countertop by the sink.

"Fuck," he gasped, moving his grazing lips to her neck. "I want you so bad right now."

She half pushed-half held onto his shoulders, her heart pounding in dread. "W-we can't, though," she reminded him quietly. "We have to eat… and g-go outside."

"Mmm," he hummed, biting her earlobe and enjoying her shiver. "I'll eat you for lunch, how about that?"

She shook her head. "N-" she tried to protest, but his wet lips were insistently on hers again.

The sound of the front door opening and male voices made Christine panic, and she pushed Sky with all her might, thankful when their lips broke apart.

"Someone's coming," she whispered, and Sky chuckled quietly as he helped her down from the counter, smoothing her hair back into place.

Three men, one being Sky's father and the other two vaguely familiar from the photo in Sky's bedroom, stopped in their tracks when they caught the two of them. They had to be Sky's sisters' husbands. Christine cheeks were on fire, knowing how they must look: clothing slightly rumpled, face red, lips swollen and glistening, Sky obviously pleased with himself as his smug smile suggested.

The men's expressions became amused, and Christine resisted the urge to run from the room and never return.

"Well, I hope we're not interrupting anything," Ben finally said, his tone saying otherwise.

"Not at all," Sky replied without missing a beat. "Robbie, Connor, this is my girlfriend Christine. We were just about to eat lunch if you three would like to join us."

They did, to her dismay, and lunch was awkward and uncomfortable. She didn't think her blush ever lessened throughout the whole ordeal. Though they barely spoke to her—favoring talk of work and money and nonsense that was pretty much all gibberish to her ears—each of the men couldn't seem to stop glancing Christine's way every few moments as she ate in silence. They probably thought her to be some trollop who couldn't keep her hands off her "boyfriend" anytime they were alone. How humiliating.

Christine did figure out that Robbie—fit, dirty blonde hair and beard trimmed to perfection, green eyes—was Lacey's husband, and Connor—tall and lean, light brown hair and blue eyes—was Serena's husband. She wondered when she would meet the sisters. Sky had informed her before that they had stolen Peyton's mother away for shopping or something. There was no telling when they'd be back, but she hoped it would be soon and that she wouldn't be the only female in the room anymore. Perhaps then they would stop looking at her like that.

Christine excused herself from the table quietly when she finished eating and made her way to the bathroom, desperate to get away. She tried to ignore the whispers and low chuckles she could still hear as she turned the corner to the hallway, hoping Sky wouldn't urge them on. A feeling in her gut said that was unlikely, and her fists clenched at her sides.

After washing her hands and taking her sweet time freshening up, Christine exited the bathroom with reluctance, making her way down the hallway slowly. But as soon as she passed the front door in the foyer, it swung open, and she froze.

Three chattering women entered, countless shopping bags attached to their arms. Twins seemed to run in the family, Christine realized, as Serena and Lacey were clearly identical. She wondered why she didn't notice they were twins in the family portrait. Perhaps it was because they hadn't been standing close together like they were now. They were stunning; each like a younger version of Denise, and again Christine was startled by Sky's plainness compared to the rest of them.

The third woman had to be Peyton's mother, then, which Christine could have gathered on her own. She had the exact same dark curls and chocolate colored eyes as Peyton, and the same captivating smile, except her skin tone was much darker than the child's, and not unnaturally so, Christine could tell. She was beautiful, and Christine almost couldn't believe that Sky had somehow gotten her, once upon a time.

When they finally noticed Christine standing there, the conversation stopped and their faces turned questioning.

"Who are you?" one of the twins asked rudely.

She hesitated, and then answered warily, "C-Christine."

"Christine?" the other twin echoed, then turned to her sister. "Did Mom hire a babysitter or something?"

"No, I came here with—" Christine tried to say, but a gasp interrupted her, and she focused on the source.

Peyton's mother's face flickered with different emotions, and Christine watched as first shock, then anger, pain, fear, and betrayal settled in with whatever she was staring at. Christine thought she had a good guess, and then the woman choked out an outraged, "Sky?"

She was right.

Sky stood across the foyer, having just stepped into view from the dining area. He held his head high, slowly made his way to Christine and draped an arm over her shoulder, dark eyes never leaving the distressed woman's. His voice was relaxed and easy as he said, "Hello, Meg."