Fated Plans

Chapter 6

When everything went haywire and it reminded you of the past you thought you buried deep well and forgotten...

Andrea slumped down on the wooden bench facing the vast blue of the Pacific Ocean, feeling exhausted even though it was only the good earlier part of the day. She exhaled a long-suffering breath, her eyes closed for a moment as she tried to ease up the tightening of her aching chest by inhaling the salty sea breeze. Her loose hair frizzled as it swayed to the humid air and she hated it, so she took her time, seeing it as a distraction, she rummaged through her hand bag to get herself an elastic band to tie her unruly hair. Emptying her mind and taking in the breathtaking view of the Santa Monica Bay, Andrea focused her attention to the most mundane task of making a messy bun on top of her messier head. And it seemed to her that messy was going to be her word for the day given how things escalated fast inside Callum's penthouse.

She really didn't want to think about it now.

Satisfied with the way her hair wasn't obstructing and distracting her face and attention, she resolved to just sitting there unmoving like without a care that the world around her was moving swiftly while she was like wasting her time just idly sitting there looking pathetic.

But hey, she was feeling pathetic alright and she needed a moment. Andrea grimaced at that as she crossed her arms over her chest and moved her butt to a comfortable position in the bench. She inhaled a lungful of air as she observed her surroundings. Right, not everyone coming to the beach was having a good time already, some wanted to feel good and have a good time – there's a difference. She nodded a bit, like she was agreeing to herself as she looked around and saw a couple of people just like her, sitting alone in the beach and looking thoughtfully towards the bay.

Minutes passed, or even an hour has it been for Andrea to notice the relaxation of the hard-coiled muscles that tightened inside her before. Consciously feeling the rise and fall of her chest, slowly breathing in through her nose and breathing out through her mouth, she felt her mood lighten and she knew she could now assess her previous situation that's been bothering her objectively, in a more reasonable state.

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.

She knew it. She knew the moment she got out of the Reifsnyder Hotel, she clearly made out already where she was heading without a second thought.

Sitting her bum down and watching the lapping of the azure water against the shore to the immeasurable ocean, had been a therapeutic escape that she discovered for herself the past weeks, and it never failed her yet.

And that's why she fell in love with that small cottage along the bay of Perth Amboy. But there was something missing about it, Andrea could feel it and if she was honest enough with herself, she would say that it didn't feel like home yet. But where's home exactly? That – Andrea didn't know anymore.

So she lost herself again. Looking at the endless blue of the sea as far as her eyes could go, it oddly gave her a feeling of hopefulness.

Hopefulness that one day she would finally find her own home and stop the restlessness that was disturbing her.

Should I move back to Staten Island with my parents?

But that doesn't seem right...back to Manhattan?

Nah, too many memories...but that's where my friends and the orphanage are?

Where? Versailles? But I'm still annoyed at my dear cousin Nathan.

Maybe I should just stay put in Perth. Yeah, I just need some time to adjust to it.

The hot rays of the sun as it warmed her exposed skin diverted Andrea from her internal ramblings and she jerked out of her stupor. She was so used to spacing-out a lot these days especially when gazing out at the sea that it almost became a habit to her now. Taking in a deep breath, she glanced at her wristwatch and was astounded to see that it was approximately 10 am already – roughly 2 hours since she ran out of the Reifsnyder Hotel. She stretched her hands up and extended her cramped legs as she decided to move out of where she was sitting for too long already and maybe go for walks along the beautiful boulevard and see what's out there. She wasn't able to check-out the stalls down the beach yesterday due to the heavy rains and now was as good as any day to stroll around since she didn't have any place to go to anyway. She already decided to not attend the writing conference she was here for and besides, it's the last day nonetheless – that led her to the realization that the next day was her last day as well in Malibu.