**edited 21/01/2021**

Elle

Wednesday 21st December 2018

         "Hi Elle!" Cady said happily when Ace and I walked down the stairs for dinner, she was stood outside of the dining room with a jug of water in her hand for the dinner table. 

 Ace hadn't been able to control himself upstairs and so we were there longer than expected as he had me orgasming multiple times on his tongue and fingers, which meant it was dinner time by the time we actually got downstairs.

 "Cady! How're you?" I asked her, giving her a brief hug before I pulled back and looked down at her growing baby bump. "You're absolutely glowing!"

 She chuckled to herself, pressing a hand against her bump. "I'm doing good, feeling like a boring old woman now I am picking out nursery paint colours and buggies... How is college? Tell me something exciting please," she said and I found myself laughing, looking over at Ace.

 "Well college is amazing, which is where I found Ace," I said, pulling Ace by his hand so he'd stand beside me. 

 "Ace? Nice to meet you," she said cheerfully and he nodded.

 "You too," he said.

 My mom scurried out of the kitchen, holding a tray of her famous lasagne. "Are we gonna stand here all day, c'mon, c'mon! I'm starving," she said, ushering Cady, Ace and I into the dining room where Harley and Sawyer were already sat down.

 Cady went to sit with Sawyer and I slid into the seat next to Harley, patting a chair next to me for Ace to sit down. Mom sat at one head of the table and I looked glumly at the other head of the table where dad used to sit. "Is someone else joining us?" Ace said into my ear, motioning to the plate, cutlery and wine glass that were set up where my dad used to sit.

 I glanced at my mum to make sure she couldn't hear and once I knew she was too busy chattering with Sawyer and Cady, I looked back at Ace and shook my head. "After dad died, she accidentally set a place at the table for him and at the time she felt stupid and cried for hours about it but now it brings her peace. She likes setting a place for him like he's still here," I explained and his eyes swam with sadness as he looked at the empty place. "She's not crazy, she doesn't ever put food on the plate or fill the glass but she likes the feeling of still setting him a place."

 "I don't think she's crazy for doing that, not at all," he said to me and I smiled, happy that he understood even slightly. Most people would think she was stark-raving-mad for doing that.

 "Elle, pass your plate darling," my mom asked and I knocked out of my conversation with Ace to hand her my plate, where she piled on way too much lasagne and some garlic bread before handing it back.

 "Are you trying to fatten me up?" I asked her with a laugh as I placed my plate back in front of me.

 "I don't know how you've been eating at college, wanna make sure you're fed here at least. Ace, dear, plate please," she said, taking Ace's plate from his hands when he handed it to her.

 "Well thank you, this looks delicious," I said.

 "Thank you," Ace said once she had also piled his plate to the absolute brim.

 "Dig in children," she said and I happily began munching on my food, groaning at how amazing homemade food tasted after so long of cafeteria food.

 I was pigging out on my good when Sawyer began speaking. "So, Elle, how's school?" He asked.

 I forced myself to swallow my food before answering. "It's good, my classes are great and I have a few friends in them. I'm really enjoying it there," I told him and he nodded.

 "That's good..." He hummed.

 "So what do you take, Ace?" My mom asked, genuinely curious.

 Ace placed his fork on his plate and swallowed his mouthful. "I take Business and Economics, I'm a Sophomore this year," he said and mom nodded.

 "Business and Economics? That sounds hard, what do you want to do?" She asked.

 "Mo-om," I said under my breath.

 "What? I'm just wondering," she said defensively but I didn't want her to push him if he didn't know yet.

 "No, no, it's fine! I think I want to go into accounting, but I haven't decided fully yet," he explained and I quirked my eyebrow, not knowing he wanted to do something like that. That man was full of surprises.

 Mom nodded, happy with the response. "A man with ambition, very nice," she smiled to herself and I found myself grinning too, happy that Ace was winning over my family without even trying. Carson had spent months trying to get their approval when we were simply friends, but I guess my family were good at detecting assholes.

 "Where do you live?" Sawyer was the one to begin the questioning next, but Ace didn't seem to mind. He didn't look awkward, or send me any 'help' glances and so I assumed he was fine.

 "My family live in California, actually not far from UCLA," he explained and Sawyer nodded before stabbing at some of his lasagne.

 "So what happens when Elena moves back to Portland after school, will you just break up or something?" Harley asked rather bluntly, receiving a swift glare from my mother who was basically sending him daggers with her eyes to behave.

 I glanced over at Ace who was looking worriedly at me and I immediately shook my head. "Well, Har, I might not live here after school. I want to be a photographer and there's lots more opportunities in places like California, or New York. I'm not saying I'd live in California forever, but there's not much for photography business around here," I explained to him and he darted his eyes to look at me, very offended.

 "What, so you're just gonna leave us? You told me you wouldn't! You said you'd always be back!" Harley snapped and I looked at him in surprise, not really sure what to say.

 "Sweetheart, she'll always come back for holidays and to see us and we'd go to see her too! It's just that sometimes people don't always stay in the place they were born forever," mom tried lightly explaining to Harley, who just huffed and stood up abruptly, his chair scraping loudly against the wooden flooring.

 "You said you'd be back," he said to me, his eyes brimming with tears.

 "Buddy-"

 "No, you're gonna leave and never come back, just like dad did!" His voice came out slightly high-pitched and wavy as if he was on the edge of crying. 

 My eyes widened at what he said and my heart felt like it had just broken in my chest. "Har, come on-"

 He looked directly at me and narrowed his eyes. "You're a liar and a bitch. I hate you," he snarled before storming out of the dining room.

 "Harley Edward!" My mother yelled after him, her eyes widened alongside mine. 

 "What the hell was that?" I asked in shock once I knew he was out of ear shot.

 Mum sighed and buried her face in her hands. "He's been rather tetchy since you left, I think he's feeling a little neglected," Sawyer tried to explain and my heart broke slightly. Harley was my little brother, so we'd always had a close bond as Sawyer left quite a while ago when he was younger. 

 I looked at Ace who was just watching the whole situation, slightly unsure of what to do. "I'll go and talk to him," I said and pushed my seat back, standing up. "You guys keep eating, I'll be right back." I shot Ace a quick, apologetic smile at how dramatic my family was before I slipped out of the dining room and walked up the stairs towards Harley's bedroom.

 When I opened up the door, I saw he was laying on his bed just staring at the ceiling of his bedroom. Tears had been clearly spilling down his cheeks and my heart shattered as I saw what condition he was in. "Just go away Elena," Harley sneered without looking at me.

 I walked further into his bedroom and to his bed, perching myself at the end. "What was that back there?" I asked him and he shrugged.

 "You told me you'd come back. You didn't tell me you might never come back," he said, his mouth turning downwards into a frown as more tears formed in his eyes.

 I sighed. "I'm not saying I won't ever come back, I'm just saying that I might find a career elsewhere in America. Lots of people don't end up living where they grew up, you never know, I might move back here and if Ace and I are still together, he'll come with me," I told Harley who still didn't make a move to look at me.

 "I don't trust him," he said bluntly and my eyebrows furrowed.

 "Ace? Why?"

 He finally tore his gaze from the ceiling and looked at me. "I've personally seen what happens when you get heartbroken, and I never want to see that again," his voice cracked as he spoke and I had to close my eyes to prevent tears. I knew what he meant, he wasn't talking about when Carson and I broke up, he was talking about when dad died.

 I finally opened my eyes after getting myself together and I forced myself to hold back my tears. "Even if the worst happens and Ace and I split, it's not the same as dad dying. You can't wrap me in bubble-wrap and protect me from everything, sometimes people get hurt and you need to trust that what happened then will never happen again. I wouldn't let it," I promised him in the strongest voice I could muster.

 He swallowed thickly and nodded. "I didn't mean to upset you," his voice was timid which made me chuckle slightly.

 "I was the one who upset you! I'm sorry that you panicked back there," I said and held out my arms for him to hug me. Without a second thought, he sat up and threw his arms around me, nuzzling his face into my shoulder. "I know it's been tough since dad's passed, but I won't leave you like he did, Har. I will always come back, I promise," I said to him mid-hug and I felt him smile against me.

 "Love you Elle," he mumbled and I squeezed him tightly for a second before letting him go completely.

 "I love you too," I grinned. "Now, let's go and finish dinner. I haven't had a home cooked meal in way too long," I joked, standing up alongside Harley.

. . .

   Dinner went swimmingly, and after we all sat and watched a Christmas movie together in the living room after. I snuggled against Ace, my head nuzzled into his chest as he lazily threw his arm around my waist, a soft blanket covering us until we finally retired to bed a few hours later. "I'm sorry about earlier," I said to Ace once we had gotten into my bedroom and closed the door.

 Ace glanced up at me after he had closed the door. "About what?" He asked.

 "My family drama?"

 A grin quirked on his lips and he shook his head. "You call that family drama? Just wait 'til you meet my family," he chuckled and walked over to me, wrapping his arms loosely around my waist. "It's no big deal, Princess."

 I sighed, leaning my head against his shoulder. "He's just got some attachment anxiety," I admitted, my heart feeling heavy. 

 Ace pressed his lips against the top of my head, inhaling a deep scent of my hair before he pecked my head again. "It's not your fault, Elle, he's young and he already lost someone close to him. It's probably hard for him to see you leave also," he told me thoughtfully and I nodded, although I knew the reason for his attachment anxiety was far different from that and was indeed my fault.

 "I know, thank you," I said alongside a sigh and then pulled my head back so I could peck his lips. "Shall we go to bed?"

 A mischievous grin lifted on Ace's lips. "Are you trying to seduce me, Miss Matthews?" His voice was low and raspy, which he knew did sinful things to me.

 I took my bottom lip between my teeth. "Maybe I am, Mr Grey," I said innocently and he let out an animalistic growl as he lifted me up, his hands gripping my arse, before he threw me down on the bed and crawled on top of me.