Riley was supposed to leave for Henry's house in the morning, but he has no idea why he was dragging the departure, and it's not that he was having second thoughts.
Something in him simply kept holding him back, stretching the hours until daylight had slipped by without him realizing.
He hasn't even replied to any of Henry's messages, not one of them, though his phone has been buzzing since dawn.
Still, for reasons he can't explain, he stayed silent. And yet, in the end, despite everything, he is here... standing before the same gate he had sworn to himself he won't walk through again.
It is only seven in the evening, not so late, but darkness has already swallowed the sky.
The shadows settle thickly over the estate, and though lights glow from every corner, illuminating the walls and the paths, the night feels heavy and pressing, as if determined to remind him how out of place he is here.
"Finally, you are here," the guard at the gate says the moment Riley knocks. He swings the gate open with a grin.
Riley stiffens, but doesn't say anything.
"At least now I get a workmate here," Andrew continues quickly, words tumbling out as if he has been holding them in for hours. "The only good thing around here is the salary, otherwise... It is always boring around here. You won't believe the madam of this house, she sent awa..."
Riley cuts him off before the sentence can finish, not sharply but firmly enough that the man knows he doesn't want to hear it once again.
"Yeah, you already told me that. But thanks for the heads-up," Riley replies, his tone unreadable, deliberately flat, giving nothing away. "Are they home?"
"The whole family is here," Andrew says, and Riley's brow rises involuntarily, caught by the way he emphasizes it. Almost as if he is warning him.
The man doesn't stop there. "And when I say family… I mean the boss's father, his two stepbrothers, his stepsister, and his stepmother.
What?!
Riley can't help but wonder... All step-s?!
But Andrew just goes on anyway, "I heard Mr. Scott is not in good terms with any of them… especially his father. Actually, I didn't hear it, I can tell. Every time they come here, for some kind of family dinner or whatever, Mr. Scott is always terrible afterward. You can just tell by the way he carries himself, the way the mood around changes..."
"Okay, okay." Riley interrupts him again, this time not out of boredom but because the man seems incapable of stopping. He talks like he doesn't even need to breathe, his words tripping over one another.
A part of Riley wants to let him go on, wants to hear more about Henry, about the parts of his life Riley doesn't know and shouldn't want to know.
But he forces himself to remember why he came here. He only has two reasons: Skye, and the hope of making enough money to finally join college.
Nothing more.
Nothing about Henry's family or their endless complications matters to him. He doesn't need to know what isn't necessary.
"Since I'm so tired right now, I'm coming from really far… how about we talk more tomorrow?" Riley says, already stepping past him, his feet pulling him toward the house before Andrew can answer.
"Sure," he agrees cheerfully, his voice buzzing with excitement. "Welcome… but one more thing," he adds eagerly, as though he can't help himself. "You only need to be cautious with Mrs. Scott. She can really be too much sometimes. But maybe she won't have a problem with you since you are a guy, you won't be looking at her husband." He laughs loudly at his own words before adding, "Can you believe she sent away the maids just because..."
"You already told me that too," Riley says quickly, his tone tighter now. "And yes… it's unbelievable." He turns away, determined to escape before Andrew can drown him in more words.
The moment Riley reaches the door, he hesitates. His heartbeat quickens, pounding too fast against his ribs. He doesn't even know why.
From inside, laughter bursts out.. loud, unrestrained, spilling into the night. It makes him wonder if he should wait until it quiets before going in.
He imagines the stares he will draw, the questions in their eyes, the unspoken judgments.
The weight of it all already feels heavy before he has even stepped through the door.
Almost without thinking, his hand slips into his pocket, pulling out his phone. He opens Henry's chat and types out a single, simple message:
~I'm here.
He stares at the screen, waiting for the reply that doesn't come. Minutes drag by, the silence of his phone louder than the laughter echoing inside the house.
Finally, Riley makes up his mind. He presses the doorbell.
It takes only a second before the door swings open. A stranger appears, at least to Riley he is a stranger.
A man who looks no older than his early twenties, striking in a way that is almost unsettling. From head to toe, his appearance is flawless.
His face alone is sharp, handsome enough that Riley can imagine girls lying awake at night, dreaming about it.
If this man is Henry's brother, then perhaps perfection runs in their blood, passed down from their father. Whoever he is, his presence makes Riley feel suddenly smaller at the threshold.
"And you are?" the man asks, his tone indifferent.
"I'm here to see Henry," Riley answers. For a fleeting second, he regrets not calling him Mr. Scott, something more formal, something that might have sounded more proper for his job here.
"Oh? Come in," the man says carelessly, already turning his back as he walks inside.
The moment Riley steps through the door, the rich aroma of food hits him hard. It is warm, inviting, making his empty stomach tighten with hunger.
The scents of roasted meat,.. spices mingle in the air, reminding him how little he has eaten all day.
Inside, the family is gathered in the living room.
Skye is perched uncomfortably on the lap of an older man who must be his grandfather, he looks like he is kept there by force. But the instant his gaze flicks up and lands on Riley, the iPad slips from his hands and crashes to the floor, forgotten in an instant.
Without hesitation, Skye jumps down, his small feet hitting the ground with a soft thud, and runs full force toward Riley.
His tiny arms wrap around Riley's legs tightly.
For the first time that day, Riley feels something inside him soften. A genuine smile tugs at his lips, unforced, real. He bends down and lifts him into his arms, holding him close.
How does Skye remember him so clearly? Riley can't help but wonder. Most of their time together had been in the dark, yet he remembers his face without hesitation.
When Riley looks up again, he feels the weight of the room pressing on him. Every gaze is pinned on him... curious, suspicious, piercing.
He scans the room quickly, searching, but Henry is nowhere to be seen. Neither is Victoria.
"Who is he?!" one of them demands.
The one who had opened the door speaks first. "He said he's here to see Henry. I thought he was just a no one, but then Henry's pup ran to him with such excitement... And now I doubt my judgement."
Pup?
The word sticks in Riley's mind, rolling around without settling. He can't decide what it means.
Was it spoken with affection, or was it meant as an insult? He can't tell. The uncertainty gnaws at him even as he stands there with Skye in his arms, the family's stares burning into his skin.