I Was Never Yours - Episode 6
06-09-25 (15:18)
The cottage was ideal for two people who wanted to
hide from the rest of the world and I fell in love with it
immediately. Olivia had gone on and on about the
Price's vacation home but nothing she'd said had done
it justice. It looked like something right out of a Disney
fairytale with its wooden floors and walls. The
structure itself was made of terracotta and the sloping
roof was painted a homely red colour. The garden was
full of orange blossoms and lavender, and keeping
with the lavish Price tradition, a Koi pond. There was a
hammock in the garden too and that was where' I
spent most of my time, soaking up the sun. Zach, on
the other hand, spent hours and hours at their private
beach, swimming and surfing. He was one for water
sports, that much I had figured out.
I was glad to get away from the hustle and bustle of
the city, especially after what had happened at the
airport. I needed some time to think and plan my next
move. I'd realized that Noah deserved to know the
truth and not Lexie's distorted version of it. I would tell
him myself, even if that meant him hating me for the
rest of my life. Zach realized that I had some decisions
to make and left me to my own self; I only saw him
during meals when he would cook for the both of us.
Turns out Zach was a better cook than all the chefs my
mother had hired and his food soon became a drug to
me. He'd cook the most delicious meals, pot roast
being his specialty and I'd lick the plate clean. It was
during these moments that he'd crack a smile and his
eyes would light up. It was the first time I'd seen him
smile since we'd gotten married.
It was about the tenth day of our 'vacation' that I
decided to go to the beach. I hadn't been there yet
mostly because I considered it to be Zach's place;
somewhere' he could go to clear his head, just like me
and the hammock. That day however he said that he
needed to go out of town for some business meeting
and I had the entire place to myself. I quickly slipped
into my bikini, thanking my lucky stars that the
weather was still warm enough to swim. I put on a
light cotton dress over it and grabbed my sunglasses. I
ran to the beach, excited by the prospect of being
alone in the endless water and letting go of all the
rigidity that had crept through me since the wedding. I
was eighteen years old but I'd started to act much
older; I'd become an echo of my old fun-loving self in
less than a month and I wasn't okay with that. Yes, I'd
suffered a huge setback; yes, my life had changed
forever and not in a way that I would have wanted
but all of that had to leave my mind today. Today I
was going to be the old Ari Bell and nothing could
come in my way.
I literally skipped to the beach, not knowing the reason
behind my rather surprisingly good mood and quickly
took off my dress. I stepped closer to the water,
tiptoeing to check the temperature and I was relieved
to find out that it was warm enough. I walked in
slowly till the water came up to mid-thigh and enjoyed
the feel of the cool water on my body. I loved to swim
and almost started to feel like the old me as I fooled
around. After a while, I lowered my body and dipped
my head under the water, holding my breath.
Under the water, I found calm, quiet and serenity. The
only problem was, whenever I closed my eyes only
one image flashed behind my eyelids: Noah's smile,
Noah's eyes, Noah's touch and each and every single
memory I had with him. If it was possible to cry
underwater then I'm sure a few tears had managed to
escape. I propelled myself above the water and came
out gasping for breath; thinking about my ex-boyfriend
might not have been such a good idea, especially
underwater. Gone was my good mood as a foreboding
feeling came over me. What was I doing? How could I
even begin to have a good time when my life was
going towards a downward spiral? I was in a loveless
marriage, forced upon a good, decent man. The boy
who loved me more than life itself was going to get
his heart broken soon and no matter how hard I tried,
I couldn't think of a way to get out of the twisted
puzzle my life had become.
I swam slowly to the shore, concentrating on the line
of each stroke to divert my attention from the not-so-
pleasant thoughts that were running through my head.
The sand stuck to my wet feet, the grains feeling
rough as they grazed my skin. I picked up my towel
and dried myself. What would the old Ari do in such a
situation? I asked myself and there was only one
answer. In the past when things got really bad, I'd
always turn to one person and I couldn't do that
anymore. Olivia wasn't here; she'd bailed on all of us,
even her fiancé. I'd never have guessed that she
wasn't in love with him; if she didn't want to marry
him then she would've at least told me. Something
had felt off about her actions but I was never given a
chance to wonder, I was simply thrust headfirst into a
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