17 Years Later. A New Dark Romance (sispuppet & LaBellaMia)

"Oh you know, movie, maybe some Twister..." Rhia popped some pepperoni in her mouth before spreading cheese and then sauce followed by sausage, pep and hamburger. Having a personal brick oven made things easier and it was already hot. She grabbed the wooden paddle, sliding her pizza in before doing the same to Tamra and Leah. "What movies do you have?" Leah asked curiously.

"Any one you can think of. Even stuff in theaters. Dad has a business associate who is a member of the ratings board for MPAA and he gets copies of everything. If it has a rating, we have it here. Horror movies one and all. Nothing bests the classic Scream," she grinned and Tamra rolled her eyes.

"Please...not even scary..."

"No...but it's a horror movie, making fun of slasher flicks, whilst being a slasher flick. The only Wes Craven movie I like. If I have to sit through another lost footage movie though, I will croak," Rhia mused and Leah smirked.

"I know. So 90s. Blair Witch Project is enough for me," she laughed.

"Well Evans since you have to sit with us, maybe you could suggest the best horror movie...we are all in for a good scare," Rhia grinned. "What's your favorite?" She asked, her friends looking just as expectant, awaiting his answer.

Andrew had tuned out the girls as he focused on keeping an eye on the pizzas, taking over pulling them out of the oven. He didn't need any of them accidentally burning themselves. He looks up in surprise when Rhia asks him what he thinks. "Oh, horror movie, uh..." The first one that comes to mind is Last House on the Left, but he's not about to suggest that one considering the content in it. "Scream is fun, but it really isn't scary. The original Nightmare on Elm Street is good, um, Final Destination, the first one, was suspenseful. House on Haunted Hill is scary, both versions of it, and Child's Play will make you afraid of dolls." He sees the girls staring at him. "I'm not a fan, but at the bases, movie nights were pretty popular, so I've seen a lot." He explains to them.

Once the pizzas are ready, Andrew pulls them out of the oven, setting them in front of each girl and cutting them. Letting his guard down and having a bit of fun, he steals a piece of meat off Rhia's pizza and pops it in his mouth to her disapproval. His own pizza is covered in meat, but he had added jalepenos, hot sauce, and crushed peppers. "I'd offer you to try some, but it's pretty spicy." He warns before going to the fridge. Pushing the beer bottles to the side, figuring they wouldn't be wanted tonight, he grabs some lemonade for everyone before returning to his seat and pulling apart his first slice, blowing on it before biting into the spicy piece.

"Oh. What about The Strangers. Creepy...I watched it when I was younger. It's about this couple who get attacked by these four people who all wear masks. Super good..." Leah suggested and Rhia considered it.

"I'm game..."

"Me too," Tamra chimed in, thanking Evans for her pizza before letting it cool a bit.

"Hey!" Rhia exclaimed, hitting him in the chest. "Jackass," she gave a playful glare before smirking, lifting her own slice of pizza and taking a bite. "Mmm...best idea...so full of calories but so good. Way better than fish every other night."

"Or Hamburger Helper," Tamra said, wrinkling her nose. She had made a sausage and bacon pizza with red onion while Leah had a simple cheese and spinach.

"At least you two don't have to eat vegetarian. My dad insists on me losing the weight. Doesn't understand that it's hard to lose weight when you have to take steroids," she said, rolling her eyes upward before adjusting her glasses on her nose.

"Yeah. Dad's are something..." Rhia sighed.

"So, Evans," Tamra prompted. "Is it really true that you nearly took a bullet for someone?" She asked, giving a smirk.

Andrew laughs at Rhia’s cursing him out, he finds himself about to step over and kiss her, but manages to stop. That would have been bad, to say the least. As they eat, he listens to them complain about their dads. Well, they were teenage girls. He wasn’t about to sit here correcting them about all this. There was no real point to it. One day they would get over their resentment and realize their fathers were just worried about them. Instead he focuses on devouring his pizza, trying to tune the girls out again when Tamra asks about his previous jobs. “Oh uh…” He starts to say, coughing and quickly gulping down some of drink. “Well, um, yeah, for that job I almost did.” He admits, deciding not to go into detail about his military history right now, or the things he saw there. “The person turned out okay, and we got the guy. Usually though, we don’t have to deal with that kind of stuff. It’s mostly just guys trying to get too close. A lot of them are harmless and just not really thinking. On occasion, you get some psychos, but they’re rare, thankfully.” He looks over to Rhia, remembering the encounter she dealt with on Saturday before turning away. He wouldn’t be letting that happen to her again.

"That's so cool," Tamra grinned. "You know with your bald head, you kinda look like Bruce Willis, except not old. Or Vin Diesel."

"Oh my God Tamra. He does not," Leah said rolling her eyes. "Forgive her. She doesn't have a filter for her mouth..."

Tamra stuck out her tongue and Rhia laughed, finishing her small pizza before cleaning up. "Well I'm ready to go upstairs to the theater. Are you two finished on deciding what my bodyguard looks like?" She asked and the two nodded before cleaning up. Rhia followed them out the kitchen, trying not to feel a little jealous. They didn't know what was going on between herself and Andrew. Once upstairs, she got the theater set up, searching through the database for The Strangers then put it on, settling into one of the seats and reclining back while her friends settled down in the dim light to watch the movie.

“Vin… Diesel?” Andrew asks with a confused look, lost on if he should be taking what the girls said as a compliment or not. He just decides to stay out of it, but notices the look on Rhia’s face. Not saying anything yet, Andrew waits until the girls are settled in and starting to watch the movie. He watches the first few minutes with them before deciding that it’s not really his type of film and heads back down. The bodyguard cleans up around the kitchen a bit, and gets some popcorn in the microwave before hitting the intercom button. “Hey Rhia, could you come down here for a second?” He gets the affirmative and waits for her. Soon enough, the teenager comes through the door, asking him what’s up. Smiling, Andrew moves forward and puts his hands on her waist while kissing her. “I just thought you could use this right now.” He whispers to her. “Your friends seem nice enough, but I wanted to see you alone for a little bit.” He gives her another kiss as his hand moves to grab her ass, pulling her to him by it.

Rhia smiled as he caught her waist and then moaned softly as he kissed her. As she drew back, gasping for air, she smiled up at him. "Mmmm. I certainly could use that," she whispered then leaned up, kissing him again before drawing back. "And as much as I would love staying down here, letting you kiss me senseless, I have guests. Guests who think your hot I might add. Tamra anyway. She has a ruling for that guy from The Fast And the Furious. She is weird. Your to sexy to compare to anyone..." She smiled then kissed him again before drawing back. "Mmmm. I should...I should go back upstairs...before either of them starts to look for me..." She whispered softly.

Andrew smiles and kisses Rhia again. “Well, any time you need one, please feel free to ask.” He tells her, not letting go just yet. “I thought that might have been a good thing, but it is always good to double check. I’m not that sexy, but I’m glad you think so.” He whispers to her with a chuckle. “You can go back soon.” He tells her, wrapping his arms a bit tighter around her waist before pulling her with him around a corner, just to give the two of them a bit more distance in case her friends do come looking. They’re lips lock again, tongues dancing as they groan into each other’s mouths. A beeping sound reminds Andrew of the popcorn, but it’s not until the voice of one of Rhia’s friends comes in over the intercom, telling her to hurry up with her bodyguard so they could unpause the movie. “Okay, I’ll let you go.” He says, giving his lover one more peck on the lips. He empties the popcorn into a bowl and hands it over to Rhia. “I’ll be in the gym.” He tells her. “So just buzz if you need anything from me, alright?” He asks, smiling at her as she takes the bowl.

She nodded and took the popcorn, trying to control the blush in her cheeks as she made her way back up to the movie theater. Stepping in, Leah groaned. "Finally! What took so long?" She asked and Rhia settled between her friends with the popcorn.

"Evans burnt the first batch...." She lied smoothly, popping a piece into her mouth.

"Sure..." Tamra said cryptically. "Rhia, is there something you care to share with the class?" She asked. "We aren't stupid. The guy has been giving you the look, all night. He does it at school too. Come on. Fess up. You totally dig on him..."

Rhia looked at her. "Oh please..." She denied but her cheeks were flooded. "Is it that obvious?" She asked.

"Yeah...at least to us. I mean, he is your bodyguard. You two aren't sleeping together are you?" Leah asked, wide eyed.

"No! I mean....we don't have sex..." Rhia flushed. "You guys...you can't tell anyone. If my dad found out that Evans and I might have even a little bit of attraction, he would get fired. I will be eighteen in two months...we just have to keep it secret that long...please..." She begged them. Tamra nodded.

"You're our best friend Rhia, we won't say anything...we promise..." She said, and Leah nodded.

Rhia hugged both of them and then sighed, turning the movie back on.

-----

The rest of the night passed uneventfully and once she and Andrew had dropped them off, she sighed. As much as she loved her friends, it was nice to have Evans all to herself. "So...what do you want to do today?" She asked curiously, glancing at him, giving a smile.

Andrew finishes his workout and checks on the girls to see if they need anything. They all answer no, Rhia’s two friends bursting into giggles as he leaves. Well that was odd. Still, he didn’t think too much about it. After taking a quick shower and changing into a pair of sweats and a loose t-shirt. He tries to stay out of the way of the girls for the rest of the night, but he doesn’t miss the constant whispering between Leah and Tamra, or their constant fits of laughter. He just chocks it up to girls being girls and tries to ignore it though. Finally, after what feels like an eternity, they all head up to Rhia’s room. Andrew heads off to bed, closing his door and laying down. He can still hear some muffled speaking and laughter though. Smiling, the bodyguard closes his eyes and drifts off into a light sleep. Rhiannon was having fun, he realizes. She was safe and happy, and that was all that mattered.

The next day, Rhia goes with him to drop her friends off. They exchange goodbyes with the two girls before heading back home. “Your friends were great. It seemed like you all really enjoyed yourselves.” He tells her once they’re alone. When she asks what he wants to do, he thinks about it for a moment. “I don’t really have anything planned out. I guess if you want to head home, you could finish up your homework and we could get some more self-defense training in.” He smiles and turns to her while at a stoplight. “Although, if you’d rather, we could go out somewhere.” He suggests. “I mean, this is a big city, and in normal clothes, we’re not that recognizable. I feel like I owe you at least one date.” Wow, how long had it been since he asked a girl out? Andrew actually feels himself blush a little, wondering if she would even want to.

As he suggested a date, she looked down at her appearance. Skinny jeans with rips, sneakers and a simple black tank, she certainly looked like a normal girl and the idea of going out and being an actual couple made her almost giddy. "A date sounds amazing..." She grinned then leaned over, kissing him. "Take me wherever you wanna go baby," she smiled, giving a mischievous grin before looking forward and remastering her seatbelt as the light turned green. "I haven't ever been on an actual date before. Does this mean cheap food that will clog our arteries?" She asked hopefully, not really allowed the stuff at home. Her dad liked the idea of his wife and daughter being healthy after all. Such a control freak. She wished he would be more open with her.

Heart skipping a beat, she anxiously awaited wherever he decided to take her, looking at the traffic and then back at him, her face one of pure elation.

Andrew thinks about it for a moment and nods his head. “Okay, that should be fine. Something greasy every once in a while won’t be too bad.” He tells her as he changes lanes to get onto the highway. He decides that one of the bigger malls at the edge of the city would be the best option. There would be less of a chance that either of them would be recognized in the crowd, and the huge food court there would give Rhia plenty of options. He gets lucky as he enters the parking lot, finding a close shaded space that someone was just pulling out of. Snagging the spot with a triumphant smile, Andrew gets out and heads to Rhia’s side to get her door for her. “Here we are.” He tells the girl as he takes her hand. “This is a big place. I have to do my job and make sure you don’t get lost.” He tells her with a wink as he squeezes Rhia’s fingers. Hand in hand, the two walk into the mall’s food court entrance.

She smiled and brushed he fingers through her hair, walking with him into the food court side of the mall, seeing every single greasy food joint one could think of. She smiled, settling for a bit of chikfila with a large waffle fry and fried chicken sandwich. She waited him to order what he wanted, loading up on ketchup and a couple of packs of mayo then sank down at a little table. She prepped her sandwich and then made a pile of ketchup on her tray before eating a fry. "Mmm...god it's so good..." She ate another bite, following it with a sip of coke.

"Man...I can't remember the last time I had fries. So good," she sighed then looked at him. "I mean you have seen the menu. It's always fish or small card deck size steak cuts, and grilled veggies. Just because there is money, doesn't mean we should eat five star every night," she laughed and then lifted her chicken sandwich taking a bite. "Mmm."

Not being particularly picky, Andrew gets from the same place as Rhia, stocking up on a good supply of nuggets and fries before following Rhia to a small corner of the food court. He sits down next to her, his eyes roaming the open area for anything suspicious. He puts an arm around the girl’s shoulder, eating with his free hand while watching her with an amused expression. “Well, I’m glad you’re enjoying it so much.” He tells her with a laugh, dipping a fry in his little container of buffalo sauce. When the conversation turns to Rhia’s parents, he listens intently. “Huh…” He mutters. He had noticed that about the food, but figured it was just his own preferences making him see it that way. “I was actually wondering about that.” He tells Rhia. “I mean, both your parents don’t originally come from wealth, do they? At least, that’s what I’ve read, and what you’ve told me makes it sound like that as well.” He shrugs his shoulders. “Maybe this is just their way of compensating for what they didn’t have when they were younger?” He suggests to her.

"I actually think mom does it for her figure and dad does it to keep healthy. Is all well and good but it's alright to be greasy now and then. Dad grew up in rural Colorado, just outside Denver, mom grew up on the wrong side of town. Dad went to college, made a name for himself in the business world and by thirty was CEO and majority stock owner in a major tech corporation A bit of a genius when it comes to the market and now has his hand in all sorts of tech companies and robotics engineering. Makes more money than anyone knows what to do with. At least 1.6 billion in net worth. Crazy right? And he wants me to be a business head like him. But I won't. Because I'm his rebellious teenage daughter that has an eye for my sexy bodyguard," she whispered then kissed him gently before drawing back, continuing to eat her fill.

"I could live without the money I think. My grandparents were hardly rich. Granddaddy is still a deacon of the church he was pastor over for like forty years. He still disproves of the fact that we don't go to church. Mom joked once that the church would probably explode if she and dad stepped in though I can't see why," she laughed.

The information just seemed to be flowing in at this point. Andrew had done his research, but it was interesting to hear this information first hand. It did sort of make sense that Alex would be pushing his daughter to work in business though. If she was his only daughter, then he probably had hopes for her to carry on and take over the company. It could be something amazing for her. Still, if it wasn’t what Rhia wanted, then she had her right to seek other prospects. A smile spreads on his face when she leans over to kiss him, an action that he happily returns. Her comment concerning the church has him a bit worried though. With all the rumors that were swirling around about her parents, it could be that some of them… no, he couldn’t think about that. “Well maybe it’s just because of um, I mean, obviously she had you pretty young. So maybe she means they weren’t married when they first got together.” He suggests.

Noticing that the food is finished and wanting a change of subject, Andrew stands up and grabs the trays. “Right, well then, let’s walk around a bit, what do you say?” He suggests, throwing the trash away. “It’s not too late to stop by a dress around here, you know, in case you reconsider your whole stance on the prom.” He offers with a smile. “We won’t really be able to dance together, but I’ll still be there with you.” He suggests, pulling her to the side so he can kiss her without being in anyone’s way.

"I will live without going to prom," she laughed then kissed him once more.

Two weeks later, Rhia was just glad for the weekend. With finals in less than a week, she doubted her brain could absorb any more fresh material. As Andrew pulled them up to the house, she saw people bringing in luggage meaning her parents were home. Smiling, she glanced at Evans and then slipped from the car as he pulled it to a stop. Rushing inside, she gave a squeal of joy at seeing her mother and collided against her with her arms wrapping around her.

"Well look at that. Someone happy to see me. Must be a dream," her mother laughed then kissed her cheeks before drawing back to look at her.

"When did you get back? Where's dad? How was Paris?" Rhia was asking all in a rush and Cait smirked.

"We got back about an hour ago. Decided to surprise you and didn't say anything about leaving. And Paris was Paris. Got you something!" She smiled and then led her into the living room and handed her a box. "Open it..."

Rhia smiled and slowly taking off the ribbon and then opened the box, gasping when she saw miniatures if several paintings on card stock. "Oh my gosh. This is so cool..."

"I thought you might like it. Those are miniatures of every single painting in the Louvre," she smiled and Rhia grinned.

"Mom...you are amazing. This is great!" She shut the box, hugging her again then turned as her father entered and smiled. "Hi daddy," she greeted then gave him a hug before drawing back. "Thank you off the gift!"

Andrew is sad to see the two weeks come to an end. It would be weird, now that her parents were back, for them to go back to acting like they were just bodyguard and charge again. Every night for the past two weeks, they had slept in either his bed or hers. They woke up together, kissed, saw each other completely exposed, and while they didn’t have actual sex yet, they did pretty much everything else. As the bodyguard pulls into the driveway and sees the staff unpacking the luggage, his heart actually sinks a little. He smiles at Rhia when she gets out of the car, not wanting her to take it the wrong way. He was happy that she was happy. That should be enough.

Walking into the house, Andrew tries to see how he can help, but Alex just brushes it off, telling him to relax. The older gentleman asks how everything was, and if Rhia caused any trouble. “No sir, she was always on her best behavior.” Andrew replies, knowing it was pretty much a boldfaced lie. Well, she pretty much never left his sight, and there was no drinking or boys around… though there was a man. “How was the trip?” Andrew asks quickly, before he can dwell on the thought too much. He follows the family to the other room where they all take their seats and relax as Caitlin tells Rhia about Paris, promising to take her some time, possibly even over the summer as a graduation present. After all, as long as Andrew was keeping her safe, they would feel better about her being in a foreign country.

Rhia smiled. "Well unlike you two, I spent the last couple of weeks studying and prepping for my finals..." She trailed off then looked at her father. "I applied to AI a few months back. I got in...I know you want me to go to Brown or Princeton...or Harvard but I...I really want to go AI. They have a great art program in Charleston, South Carolina. And the Arts Institute said I could finish a degree in two years...that's how good I am..." She sat up and then moved to sit by her father. "I love art, and I know you really want me to pursue a business career but I don't have a passion for numbers and all that. It isn't what I want to do..." She looked at him and bit her bottom lip. 'Will you let me go in the fall?" She asked softly.

Andrew stands awkwardly as the conversation goes on. He really shouldn’t be here for this. Alex is silent for a minute before looking to his wife and back at his daughter. He looks deep in thought, and while he wasn’t angry or disappointed, it wasn’t hard to see that he wasn’t exactly happy either. It seems like an eternity passes before an answer is heard. “I’ll need to talk about this.” He finally tells Rhia in an authoritative tone, marking the swift end of the conversation. Before Rhia has a chance to complain, Alex stands up, Caitlin’s hand in his to pull his wife with him. “It’s been a long trip.” He says simply. “We’re going to get some rest before dinner.” Turning to Rhiannon, he nods at her. “Just because you’ve been accepted into college doesn’t give you an excuse to slack. You have finals, and I expect you to study hard for them.” With that, he leads Caitlin up the stairs, and all Andrew can do is blush and look away as he realizes what Alex really meant by resting.

Rhia watched him go upstairs then looked down at her lap before getting up and walking out of the house and toward the back door. She knew what he meant by resting too and wasn't of a mind to listen to them fucking. All the joy of him and her mother being home was sucked out of her. She could almost hear the no in his voice. Charleston was to far away from New York. He would want her to go to Yale or NYU, somewhere close where he could keep an eye on her, keep her close. Control freak extraordinaire. As if she didn't study her ass off now and get straight As in each semester. She had been accepted to other places too but no place she wanted to go.

He was never happy with her or anything she did and she felt that overwhelming suffocation once more. Wiping tears from her eyes, she walked toward the wooded part of the acreage of their home. She had a spot in the woods she had made up as a sort of haven and knew that Andrew would follow her to it. As she reached it, one could see the fallen trunks shaped like seats and an old treehouse with a ladder that hadn't been used since she had been ten. Sinking down on one of the fallen trunks, she covered her face with her hands, fighting for control of her own emotions.

Andrew stayed out of the fight. He really had no place to talk as it was, but it still pained him to see Rhia get turned down like that. He had the feeling that her father’s idea of a talk was that he would think it over and reach the decision himself. Caitlin looks like she wants to say something at least, but she stays quiet, following her husband up the stairs without any complaint. Andrew waits until they’re gone before he follows Rhia outside. He was her bodyguard after all, so of course he couldn’t let her out of his sight. Walking down the path, he realizes he never really explored the grounds. Whenever he was home, he tended to stay inside, using the gym, the pool, or just generally staying around Rhia.

Speaking of which, Andrew is quick to find the girl, though he keeps his distance at first, wanting to give her space. The bodyguard is surprised when she walks over to a small clearing with an old treehouse. He stares at it for a minute. Clearly the play area had fallen to disuse the past few years, but it still looked so… normal. For a moment, he wonders if Alex built it himself for his daughter, or if he hired someone to do it for him. The bodyguard resists the urge to laugh as he imagines his boss hiring a bunch of contractors and engineers to build a big safe treehouse for his daughter. Taking a deep breath, he walks over to where his lover is sitting on a fallen over tree. He takes a seat next to her, putting an arm around her shoulder. It wasn’t the safest movement with the staff and her parents around, but he wanted to comfort her. “You okay?” He asks, taking out a cloth wipe he has on hand and giving it to her.

Rhia looked at him, slowly curling against him then wiping her eyes. "I'm fine," she said, swallowing the lump in her throat. "I should of expected a response like that. I don't even know why I bother asking him for anything. He takes overprotective to a whole new level and there is nothing I can do about it. When I'm eighteen, I'm gone. I have a full scholarship to AI and I'm going to take it..." She said softly then shook her head. "I will wait tables if I have to. I don't need his money," she said bitterly then curled against him, shaking tears away.

"I love him and I love my mother but they...suffocate me...I should be happy they are home and instead I can already feel the walls closing in..." She gave a choked sob and then buried her face in his jacket. "If I dare to argue with him, he will jut get that dismissive tone and blow me off. He is the almighty lord and master and knows all..." She sniffed. "It's not fair..."

Andrew clutches her tight to him, letting Rhia let out her frustration at her parents as he silently holds her. He waits a few minutes before speaking up. Looking around to make sure the coast is clear, Andrew leans down and plants a kiss on Rhia’s lips. “It’ll be okay.” He tells her, running his hand through her hair. “Your dad just wants what’s best for you. I know how restricting it must feel, but he clearly cares about you, even if he has a um… odd way of showing it.” Andrew thinks about it for a bit, wanting to find a way to help her. “Just don’t give up, okay? You’ve already gotten a few of the things he was so restrictive against.” Looking off to the distance in thought, he wonders about it a little more. “Your dad wouldn’t disown you.” Andrew points out. “You know he wouldn’t do that. If you end up going to AI, it’s not as though he’d just suddenly stop caring and cut you off. He loves you too much for that. Just keep talking to him. I’m sure the two of you can work something out.”

Rhia sniffed and nodded then wiped her eyes free of tears before looking back at him, kissing him slowly. "I certainly will miss cuddling with you at night," she murmured. "Such a shame that has to stop, now that they are home..." She sighed and drew her hair back from her face. She realized she was still dressed in her school uniform and sighed. "I need to go change..." She slowly lifted herself up and then wiped her eyes again before smoothing out her skirt. "Thank you Andrew. Sometimes I feel like you are the only one that understands me. She leaned down, kissing him again before taking his hand, drawing him up.