The view of Esther standing in the doorway immediately made me drop all of my belongings.

Ever since the start of my childhood, it has always been Esther in my corner. The woman has dedicated her life to me and has even given me some of it. As the years have gone by, it is apparent that the woman has become frailer. But, she has always assured me that as long as I'm happy, she is happy.

That has always been my motivation to stay happy.

So, the second I saw her at that door, I sprinted in her direction.

The small, deep chuckle of Mr. Grey behind me sends a wave of tingles down my spine. Ignoring that feeling, I continue to run into Esther's arms, almost knocking her small frame down in the process.

She runs her motherly hands through my hair and smiles against the side of my face. Not once have I ever felt any lack of love in her arms.

"Did you get a lot of work done, Lillian?" She whispers in my ear as her thumb caresses the back of my head.

"No," I admit honestly.

Her grip softly tightens on me, "And why is that?" She keeps her tone calm, but suspicious.

Not wanting to admit that I spent a little of my weekend close to, kissing, and staring at Mr. Grey, I managed to spit something out,

"I caught a viral stomach bug while you were gone," I break the hug "I-I'm okay now!"

I can't hug Esther and lie to her at the same time.

She presses her lips together and pushes her eyebrows together out of concern. A wave of emotions falls over her expression, "Oh, honey. I should've been here to take care of you."

This is one of the very few times I've been untruthful to her.

Mr. Grey speaks from a distance, "I had it covered, Miss Aird." He said, almost possessively. The dominating tone of his voice sent, even more, shocks down to my core. This whole weekend spent with my boss has built up a feeling inside of me that so desperately needs to be released, but I'm not sure how to accomplish that.

Perhaps a warm bath or run. Whatever athletes do when they're tense, maybe?

Esther gives him a warm smile and follows that by looking at me, "Honey, can you go to the car while I thank your boss for all his kind gestures?" Esther smiles wide and tilts her head.

I immediately oblige and begin to walk out the door. Not before swiftly turning around to make eye contact with Mr. Grey.

He shot me a small smirk and I looked away out of embarrassment before he could notice the blood that has rushed to my cheeks.

I turn around and pick up my pace as I try and find the familiar car in his large driveway.

-

As I fiddle with the strap of the car buckle, I notice Esther walking out with a frown on her face.

Her eyebrows are furrowed, frail fists are slightly clenched. What happened in there?

Esther walks over to the driver's side, opens the door, and the second I see her face, I notice a bright smile.

Is she faking it?

Usually, my social awareness is very poor. But right now, something in the air doesn't feel right. With this woman being one of the only people I've socialized with my whole life, I feel like there is a part of me in her.

As she is pulling out of the driveway, I decide to mutter, "Is everything okay?"

The speed of the car slightly accelerates, "Yes, dear. Why wouldn't I be?"

The pounding in my chest becomes extremely noticeable. My ears fill with hard thuds and my stomach erupts in negative butterflies.

I hate when the energy is off. I hate when things aren't going entirely to plan. I hate when I don't know what to do next.

"How about finding another job for you? Maybe a less demand-"

"No!" I shout,

"I-I mean no thank you." I clear my throat. I've never had an outburst like that in my life.

Esther continues to drive, "I'm never leaving you alone like that again." The old woman whispers to herself, faintly.

Yes, I did miss her. I missed her more than ever. Arranged play dates were extremely common in my childhood, but never sleepovers. I couldn't stand to be away from Esther for longer than a couple hours. I've seemed to developed an emotional and physical attachment to her.

But for the first time in my life, all my attention was on my boss. My thoughts, sight, actions were all based around him. I am aware of how inappropriate these new habits of mine are, but I can't seem to push them away.

If my father figured out that I kissed Klein Grey, I'd have my room stripped of all my art supplies and equipment. Which is why I need Esther to be okay with me.

"Esther, I like my job. Mr. Grey is very professional," I lie "He rarely speaks to me. I like that because I don't have to handle the anxiety of responding."

A small cough escapes my throat.

"I trust you, baby." Esther states, "I just don't trust him. Let me know if anything ever happens, and I'll be by your side in less than a second. Do you hear me?"

"Loud and clear." I grin to myself while admiring the busy streets of New York City.

The familiar comfortable silence begins to grow in the car. Neither of us really enjoy listening to music.

I'd much rather bask in the white noise and sounds of Esther's calm breaths. Natural noises of the environment have never failed to calm my nerves. Music makes me brain far too busy.

Well, the ones with words, at least.

If it were up to me, I'd remove all lyrics from songs. Clutter makes me anxious.

I cross my hands over my lap, crane my head towards the passenger window, and rest my head on the seatbelt as we continue our journey home.

The only thing on my mind: Klein Grey.