Page 65 of House of Bass

Perhaps it’s because I know I already have him and I know how it makes me sound, the type of person it makes me. But frankly I don’t care anymore. I am done fighting the attraction, maybe if I am with him I can be happy again.

Yes, that is it. I’ll be happy again.

“Annabel, answer me!” Her voice startling me, I’d forgotten she is still there, awaiting an answer. It isn’t even noon and I can feel the energy depleting from my body already from the sound of her voice.

“She is doing just fine, not that you’d know,” I mumble the last bit, but she hears me regardless.

“Watch yourself,” she says sharply, and I force myself not to react. My nails dig into my skin to stop me from hurling out the words I really want to say.

“Joe will come get her,” mother says, sighing. “He’ll fire the boy who was meant to be keeping her safe. I told him when he hired that son of his, that he’d be nothing but trouble.” If Stassie finds out she’d been the cause of someone losing their job she’ll be upset for days. Tyler especially who is practically her closest friend.

“Let her spend the weekend with me,” I say abruptly, cutting into her rant about how they paid Joe way too much money to not be able to look after her daughter. Even though that is the responsibility of a parent, which I’m not sure she knew much of these days.

“Absolutely not, her extra string lessons are compulsory. Franklin said she’s been a little shaky recently, she has to go.” Her tone suggests this isn’t up for discussion but unfortunately for her I’m not having it.

“She can rest for a couple days,” I snap at her. “ I’d take you more seriously if you hadn’t just lost her, would you even have known she was missing if I hadn’t called?”

Everyone looks my way at the raise in my voice, the smile on Stassie’s face drops and she is looking at me with worry. I turn around to avoid their faces.

The silence that rings through from her side reveals all the cards she tried to hide, she has checked out from motherhood and it is clear from everything my sister has told me.

From the day Stassie came into our lives, everyone doted on her but none more than our mother, who has been more full-on with her life than mine. Ever since we found out what a genius Stassie is with instruments, mother has been what you’d call a “stage mum”. She spends every minute of every waking day making sure Stassie stays up to standards.

This is why she started homeschooling at thirteen. School interferes too much with her practices and performances. The exact opposite yet similar relationship I have with my father. Stassie can pursue the arts, while I am chained to a lifelong contract that binded me to Astaeris. I hold no resentments towards her, that alone is reserved for my parents. If Stassie is happy, then I am too.

A part of me wishes I fought my parents harder on pushing her into the limelight at such an early age but there is nothing Anastastia loves more than music. Still, this has been the main reason I’d been worried last night, for her to go out of her way to leave home by herself was dangerous.

Despite the fame that comes with the Bass name, in Anastasia’s case it also comes with rabid fans who have no boundaries for a girl who isn’t even eighteen. She’s too friendly, the word fear is foreign to her. Not much scares her. If someone had gotten the slightest bit too comfortable it could’ve ended terribly.

“It’s one weekend. You can haul her off first thing Monday morning.” I force my voice into a plea, hoping she’ll change her tune if I sound more sorry.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Charlotte comes on a Monday.” Her governess that handles her homeschooling.

“Please,” I grind out, my voice sounding like chalk on a whiteboard. Then she finally gives me a resounding, “Fine”, which leads to a slow smile spreading across my face. Although the acceptance comes with stipulations of course as most things did. “She’ll be picked up first thing Monday morning as early as six. Make sure she wakes, you know how she gets.”

“Oh and call your father. He wants to speak to you,” is the final thing she says before she hangs up. I'd rather not. I’m not ready yet. This is the first time in the last couple years, I haven't gone to the office once a week. I meant it when I said I didn’t want to speak to him.

A hand touches me gently, I see Stassie standing next to me, a tad bit of worry she doesn’t often show still on her face. But it fades quickly once she sees the smile on my face, “You can stay.”

“Really?” she yelps then we both start bouncing on the spot.

“Oh thank you, thank you.” She embraces me into a much needed hug and she whispers, “I’m sorry for scaring you last night, I didn’t mean to.”

I can tell it’s been eating her up, of everyone I know she was the softest and kindest at heart. It is why we considered her the delicate fawn of our family. She rarely got time to herself outside of music, that lack of freedom makes her act first, think later and honestly it has been a long time coming. As small as it is in hindsight, it’s good she tries to rebel against our parents. We both needed to.

“It’s okay,” I whisper back. “Also, I think you should call Ty, he’d want to hear from you.”

Her eyes flicker, downcast, and I can tell she’s hiding something but I don’t push. She’ll come to me when she’s ready. I announce to the room we are going to Lancaster’s for brunch. Everyone disperses immediately and goes to get dressed. We are taking advantage of the rare sun the first day of November has chosen to grace us with.

✧✧✧

“That's a first,” Arden says, when he strolls into my sitting room.

“What is?”

“You being on time,” he replies, as he stops in front of me, and I give him the middle finger.

“I had plans for the day so my outfit was already picked out, thank you very much,” I say, referring to the black cardigan on top of my short white dress and black Chanel boots.