Author POV:
Ever since Alina was a little girl, her father always used to fly her out to this one Ice cream parlor named Creamy Havena located in Syracuse, New York.
George always took her there alone when he wasn't busy and when the other siblings weren't around to get jealous.
It was like a sweet sacred place to her that she held dearly in her heart. She was completely in love with Ice cream and the parlor back in Syracuse brought back the best memories she made with her father.
She didn't know why she wanted to go there with Tristan. Of course she wanted the best ice cream and shouted it out. And even though she wondered herself why she would want to take Tristan where she held the remembrance of her father, she didn't take it back.
Tristan drove mostly in silence as he paid attention to the road while driving. They would occasionally give each other glances or hold small talk.
The drive was 4 hours long, making the drive a little weird. Alina rested her head on the glass window and closed her eyes.
"Are we ever going to say anything? I am not sleepy right now. I'm bored." Alina muttered, making Tristan glance at her and chuckle lightly.
"Didn't want you to get bored so easily, I just didn't really know what to say so I kept quiet." He responded, still focusing on the road.
Alina hummed, her eyes still closed. "Well...find something to say until I get my Ice cream."
"Mmmm, I don't really know." Tristan racked his brain for anything to say that would create a conversation.
"Tell me a little about yourself. Not the basics, the deeper you that no one can type on a report."
Alina opened her eyes and looked at him. "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean..." He gave her a slight glance. "Don't tell me about what I already know. Don't tell me about your family or where you grew up, tell me about the memories of your family and how you grew up." Tristan explained to her.
Alina's eyes diverted to the window as she felt her eyes moisten and her chest tighten.
"It doesn't even really matter now. Everything in the past should stay in the past." She breathed in.
Tristan understood what she meant by that, but he wanted her to let him in. It was the start of understanding one another, giving trust in one another, and creating a stronger bond between them.
"You don't have to get deep into your past life. Just, tell me a little about the real you."
She inhaled deeply and opened her eyes. "I would prefer not, Tristan. Bringing that life up would only cause me pain. I don't think I can handle that. I can't bear to bring that up and expect everything to be fine with my soul afterwards."
Tristan brought his hand to her and locked them together tightly as he reassured her with a small smile.
"That's fine if you don't. I won't pressurize you to bring back painful memories." He said.
Even with him saying that, she could still see the small disappointment on his face. She stared at him for some moments, deep in thought.
Breathing in deeply, she spoke. "If...I tell you more about my life, would you...do the same?" She asked him.
He immediately inhaled, his jaw clenching tightly. "I don't know about that, Alina...."
She looked down. "You wanted to know about me, that's exactly how I felt. If you want me to let you in, there's no way I could do that if you don't let me in fully. This has to be fair, not odd."
He looked at her and with a sigh, he gave in. Tristan knew she was right. He wanted to know everything about her and keep himself in the dark.
Hearing her tell him there was a chance for her to let him in, he realized in order to do that, he would have to let her in. He hadn't really done that besides expressing his feelings to her.
With a heavy voice, he started. "I grew up in Albany with my father and my Half sister and brother, whom are twins. My mother died sometime before I turned four, according to my father. He married not too long after and about a year later, I got twin siblings.
My father was never really around, always caught up in his mafia business and opening up various companies under his name in different countries. He never really got along with anyone, but for the sake of his reputation, his so called siblings and their children were always around.
See, I wasn't always such a business tycoon and cold man. The time I spent living changed me. For the better or worst...I honestly don't know.
I never really acknowledged them as my cousins, because they always found me such a softie.
I was compassionate of others at some point, and it made me sick to bear seeing my father being merciless and cruel to others right In front of me.
My cousins were all older than me and had more experience in the mafia and business life. My father always beat me, calling it tough love and wanting me to be stronger and emotionless or it would make me vulnerable in the future.
Those cousins of mine, always teased and picked on me, lied on me and purposefully got me in trouble with my father. It caused me numerous beating and lashing. Not only was my body physically bruised with beatings, but my emotional stability, my psychological health and it changed my soul over time.
As I grew older, those punishments I received from almost everyone, caused me to become stronger and grew me to be bitter, cold, and ruthless.
I loved once...back in high school. Also my first relationship and last breakup.
She was a bad girl, you know the type of girl that whored around and took drugs. I don't know how, but at some point...I fell for her.
She claimed to love me as well, playing soft around me but it was only a facade. She was fake. Used me and made a fool out of me. She was also the one to take my virginity.
Soon later, I found her cheating time after time. I asked her about it, she lied. When I called her out on it, she had finally admitted and told me how I was just some nobody she could fuck whenever she wanted and get rich off of.
Thats when the last shred of my vulnerability, my kind and compassionate soul, crashed into pieces and I fell apart...only to build back up into who I am now. Well, before I fell for you." Tristan let out a long breath after finishing.
Alina's eyes sparkled as she looked at him. She didn't feel pity for him, she understood what he had been through all the years and why he was like what he was. It was all because of how he was treated. He was treated badly, beyond badly. And that caused Alina pain for some unknown reason.
She inhaled. "I...I don't know what to say about all of that. I can't even start to say how sorry I am that you had to go through all that."
He looked at her with adoration. "You don't have to say anything, Alina. I was just opening up to you and letting you in. And you don't have to be sorry for me, there's nothing to be sorry for. You didn't do it, and besides...It's all in the past now. You changed me, showed me that I was still who I was....that I didn't become a complete monster." Tristan smiled and squeezed her hand lovingly.
She appreciated that he told her about his life. It made her feel happy that he could confide and trust in her to let her in his life so openly. But there was still other things he hadn't told her yet.
"Can...can I ask you about something?" Alina asked him.
Tristan nodded. "Ask away."
She inhaled deeply before speaking. "Why have you always shut me out when it came to Amber-Amberleigh and Preston?"
His grip on her hand instantly became tighter, making her wince. He let go of her hand and apologized.
Alina noticed his physical response to her question, making her even more curious about his past.
"I can see this is a sensitive topic for you..."
He took a sharp breath and looked at her, shaking his head. "Not really....it just brings some things back to me."
She furrowed her brows. "What does it bring back?"
He didn't reply. Instead, he looked away.
"Tristan...please tell me." Alina whispered soothingly, hoping he'd tell her what had happened in the past.
Tristan sighed. He didn't want her to know what had happened, because he didn't want it to affect what they had. There was so much he wanted to keep in the past and never talk about, but something inside him....his heart, told him to tell her about it. So that's what he did.
"As I grew older, many women found me attractive. They all wanted me either for themselves, for their own selfish reasons such as money or sex.
Somewhere in between that time, I had multiple one-night stands with many different women, sometimes more than one at one time." He stopped for a moment, feeling nervous and hesitation growing inside him.
She stared at him and assured him to keep going. He brought his attention back to the road ahead and continued on.
"And a few weeks after I hooked up with this one girl...she came back to me and claimed I got her pregnant. I didn't believe her, so I pushed her away." Tristan suddenly pulled the car into a deserted area and stopped it.
"And a few months later, she came back to me and caused a scene. I guess she did it to show how much of a coward I was. I had mistreated her that day, and once again pushed her away.
Then a few weeks after that, she came back one last time. I shouted at her and tried to make her leave. I didn't believe that child was mines, and even if it was, it caused me fear and dread. I wasn't in any way capable of giving a child everything it should receive.
She ended up going into labor that day and I had no other choice but to bring her to the hospital. While giving birth, she had ended up dying. It was her or the baby, and she had sacrificed herself to save her. I had got a DNA paternity test taken and found that she was my child after all. It caused me guilt and I had ended up naming that child after her for some reason. Her name was Amber so I named the baby AmberLeigh. She also took almost every feature from her."
Alina immediately became breathless as she took all that information in. She didn't know how to feel about that.
"I had her taken to my mansion back in Denver and had a maid take care of her. I came to check up on her sometimes but usually kept my distance and distracted myself in business, drinking and various women.
I took the easy way out and took visits to see her only when I felt like it. But then things started to become harder for me when I found that another woman had gotten pregnant. I started to become distressed as time passed. I had given her a job to work for me at that mansion. She later on gave birth to Preston and took care of him from there. She had also brought AmberLeigh up as her own so she didn't feel like she was alone. The two of them weren't that far apart in age either." He told her everything.
Alina took a deep breath. "Her name was, Ashley...right?" She asked him.
He nodded but gave her a questionable look. "How did you know that?"
She sighed. "We had bumped into each other when I took a stroll outside the mansion, and she told me who her Mom's name."
"Did she mention anything....about me?" He asked her. She could sense the curiosity in his tone.
"Well...not really. But she did say your name when she saw me hiding from you."
They both looked at each other. "I-I am sorry for what I had done to you that day. I didn't know self-control when I was around you. I apologize from the depths of my heart for hurting you."
She smiled. "It's okay....I forgave you already. And thank you for putting aside you pride and apologizing."
He nodded. "Your welcome, I guess."
Going back to what he was telling her about the second pregnancy, she immediately got curious to know more.
"Can you...continue telling me about what happened? Do they know that you're their father?"
"There's nothing else to say, really. And honestly, I don't know. I've never told them, but I feel like they already know." Tristan sighed.
He then turned his attention on her. "Now...tell me more about you. You had promised to let me in if I did so."
Alina nodded. "I remember. I will hold up my end as well." She gave him a smile and started.
"I was brought up in a luxury family, which you know already. Victoria nor Bryson cared much about me, but Ashley looked up to me in a way. My mom wasn't around much as I grew up but when she was, she was always curt with me. My father wasn't always around either, you already know why. Though, he made sure that he made time for me. I was his favorite out of us all, not to brag. But we had a connection and an understanding. He always kept me happy and we were practically best friends. He was the only role model in my life and he gave me the joyous childhood I yearned for. I always dreamt of the future and how it'd be. At a time, I thought my life would be perfect, because I knew that my father would be by my side. Oh, how wrong I was." She stopped and sniffed, holding back the tears that threatened to fall. Tristan instantly hugged her and comforted her.
She continued on. "At school, I didn't have friends because I preferred to study and use my time wisely. It wasn't until the last year of middle school, I started to interact with others. I was naive back then and people walked all over me because of it. I never really noticed, because I was too innocent to understand how cruel people can be. My soul was pure and my heart was warm for anyone who crossed my path. I held compassion and care for others. I was way too much forgiving back then, and I always looked at the bright side of the worst things. I gave everyone the benefit of the doubt and practically let them use me bit by bit, again and again. I didn't realize how much I was being used until my so called ex-boyfriend cheat with my so called best-friend. They had admitted what they were doing and how I was just some entertainment to them. I lost all my trust for people for a while. It took me years to repair my fragile heart and soul, to become me again. I was just getting somewhere with life and starting to see more than the betrayal, but the feeling didn't last long. I had found just a few weeks later that my father died, and my entire life crashed down. I completely changed and I couldn't find what made me....me."
He gave his entire attention to her and listened to what she was saying attentively.
"Over the years, I grew somewhat bitter and mean. I didn't believe in revenge for one moment, but then I found out about you and your father. That made me more angrier, and somehow....that's all I wanted for a long time. At first, I drank my sorrows away but it didn't help. Even while drunk, I could still picture the day I got the news. I could still picture the funeral in my head and every second, it made me even more scarred. I never healed from that, it only got worse over time. At some point, I learned to control it but that turned to continuous nightmares.
I couldn't keep jobs nor could I live the right way. I tried so hard to fix my life and try to find some light down the dark path, but it wasn't easy. One day, I had found Abigail, my puppy. She was abandoned on the street downtown and I brought her in. She made my life a little brighter and helped me, somewhat. I had soon tried to fight the demons out my soul and go somewhere in life. I found a job that kept me successful and gave me a place to lay my head, regardless of whether I slept or not. I wouldn't say my life was better, but it was getting there. Though, even with the smile I let on, the inside of me was drowning slowly. I could only feel the pain and think about vengeance. That's when Arthur came along and gave me false hope, that I could be better and that my father was still somewhere on this earth breathing. I didn't believe it, but I couldn't resist the hope I felt somewhere in my heart.
When I saw you, I felt even my soul leave my body with time, as another person began to fill me entirely. All I wanted was to hurt you so bad, but instead, I got the pain. It didn't hurt as much as the hurt I already felt, but it made me even weaker. I wanted to poison you at a time, but I couldn't do it even if I tried. You hurting me had given me more reason to hate you and want you dead, but then you just had to change. You just had to make me feel some type of way about you.
And even though I trust that you'll always be there for me, I can't trust that you won't be the one I would need the comfort from. I can't let you in my life fully because of the past. It haunts me and its impossible for me to just ignore it. Instead, it ignores me and I have to bear with the demons that haunt me.
Though, I won't deny that you make me feel better. When you're around, making me laugh...I feel comfort and solace in my heart. I get visions and I start to imagine how things would be if everything was different...if we had met and known each other under different circumstances. You brought some peace to my soul and showed me that you weren't as cruel as I made you out to be. I will admit, when I fall asleep knowing you're right beside me or somewhere close by, I can actually engulf myself into a peaceful sleep and I can start to dream. But even though I feel all these things and I am able to sleep now, there's still something inside me....a part of me, that's still very much restless." Alina finished and breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't know she needed to let all of it out until now.
He lowered his head. "There's so much I would like to say to make all the pain go away, but not right now...."
She looked at him confusedly. "What do you mean by that? You can't possibly take that pain away by something you say."
He looked at her. "If only you knew..." Tristan muttered under his breath, but she caught it.
She didn't respond, but instead raised her brows. He sighed. "Don't worry about it right now. I will tell you when the time is right. Now, let's get the show back on the road." He gestured to the road and smiled to her as he cut the engine back on, driving back onto the highway.
Alina decided to let his words go, but didn't forget them. She knew he had a meaning behind those words, and if he said the time wasn't right for her to know, she let it go and trust him to tell her when the time was right.
*******************About an hour and a half later, they finally arrived in Syracuse. Remembering how she used to look out the window while her father drove, Alina gave the directions to the ice cream parlor.
Fifteen minutes later, they found themselves parked in the lot of the best Ice cream in town, according to Alina.
She immediately became overjoyed as she looked at the place. Her stomach rumbled in hunger while her mouth felt dry, only the creamy dessert could give her solace to her mouth.
All the memories she shared with her father came back to her in one blow. With all the effort she had, she pushed them to the back of her mind.
Tristan knew what she was thinking, and gave her a worried smile. She looked at him and shook her head.
"Don't worry about me....I will be fine." She smiled. "Let's go make some new memories and not dwell on the old ones." And with that, they both got out hand in hand as they made their way inside.
The moment they entered, Alina inhaled the sweet aroma and closed her eyes to cherish the redolence of it.
The parlor wasn't packed with people, but it wasn't empty either. They made their way to the small line and waited impatiently. After a few minutes of waiting, they walked forward.
"Hello! Welcome to Creamy Havena, what can I get for you to make your day sweeter?" The nice employee asked them with a smile.
Inside, Alina was doing cartwheels and flips as she internally squealed and jumped up in excitement. When it came to Ice cream, she was just as a child would be at the mention of it. Not only that, but how hyperactive they would be after eating a big portion of it.
They both looked at the menu on the wall behind the employee. Alina recognized a few of them from back when she last came here with her father, while some looked new and interesting. Not knowing what to pick, she decided to just order them all as one huge ice cream sundae.
"I would like them all combined into one...an ice cream sundae preferred." Alina said to the employee.
Tristan looked back and forth between the menu and Alina, not knowing what to buy for himself.
She helped him after seeing him struggle with a decision.
"What's your favorite flavors and toppings?" She asked him. He shrugged back.
"It's been a really long time since I've had it. Besides, when I did eat it, I didn't dwell on the taste. I have no favorite." Tristan replied.
She sighed in disbelief. 'Oh how much of a shame that is...' Alina thought.
"Okay....we'll just go with a sample for now. It's the best choice." She said.
He looked at her and smiled. "You know what...I don't want anything."
She furrowed her eyebrows on him. "Uh-uh....you're gonna eat some, Tristan!"
He shook his head. "I will not. I will instead watch you devour and cherish yours with extra love. That's sweeter than anything."
Alina rolled her eyes and sighed. "Fine, but just know I'm not happy with you."
He internally laughed and looked back at the employee, who was currently smiling at the love that radiated off of them.
"How much?" Tristan asked.
"The normal price would be about $352 for all flavors combined, but she would get a discount of 50%, so the total price will be $302, Sir." The employee said.
He retrieved a black card out of his back pocket and handed it to her. She inserted the chip inside the chip card reader. Once the transaction was completed and successful, she handed him the card back.
"Your order will be ready within fifteen to twenty minutes. May I ask the name in which you want on your order." The employee asked.
"Alina." They both said in unison, causing them to look at each other weirdly.
"Thank you, Miss Alina. Your order will be ready soon." The lady smiled and Alina gave one back to her.
She led them to a table but before she could sit down, Tristan stopped her.
"If you haven't noticed just yet, I am not really a fan of big crowds like this. I'd prefer we wait in the car."
Alina rolled her eyes at him. "If it makes you feel better, then fine." She said back and they walked out back to his car and waited there.
There was an unknown tension between them and silence filled the space, though Tristan broke it after some time.
"You don't have to be so quiet around me. I know there's something on your mind....share it with me."
She looked at him and then looked down. 'If only he knew what I was thinking at the moment.' Alina thought.
Without even having to hear what she was thinking, he already suspected it was something indecorous, making him smirk.
She looked up and narrowed her eyes a little. "What are you smirking for?"
His smirk widened into a full on grin. "You're not as innocent as you let on."
Alina's eyes widened in horror and she slapped his shoulder. "Oh, can you stop it!"
"What did I do?" Tristan asked, making her rolls her eyes and give him a playful glare.
"You know what you did, I will not explain." She huffed and laid back on the seat.
Tristan looked down at her and came closer towards her body. Alina immediately heated up and squirmed in the seat.
His hand made its way on her clothed thigh and ran up her body softly. He stopped on her jawline and caressed it.
Bringing their faces towards one another in a slow motion, she breathed heavily and closed her eyes.
His lips pressed against hers and they instantly heated up with passion and desire.
He bit her lower lip, causing her to groan and open her mouth. Sliding his tongue inside her mouth, Tristan reached every inch of her mouth and kissed her deeply.
Just before things took any step further, they both got caught back into reality and jolted away from each other when they heard a light knock on the door.
Rolling down the window, Alina received her huge Ice-cream sundae, and instantly forgot about everything around her.
"Thanks." Tristan said, making the waiter nod and walk away.
He watched her closely and smiled as she brought the huge spoon to her mouth. She permitted the sweet taste to flood inside her mouth, and moaned.
Tristan gulped and ignored the dirty thoughts that came to his head. Alina was oblivious to it all as she relished the sundae with pleasure.
Finally bringing her attention back to him, she looked at him with a mouthful and her lips coated with the sweet dessert.
"Want some?" She asked.
With the thoughts that ran through his mind, it became hard to think clearly and give a coherent response to her question.
"Hmmm....the thought sounds interesting. But I'd rather try it my way." He told her with a devilish grin.
She stared at him with a questionable expression. Alina was about to ask him to clarify, but didn't get a chance to as he brought her face to his.
He licked her lips and kissed her hungrily, getting a taste of the sundae from her sweet warm mouth, he groaned.
It took a lot of control not for him to attack her like an animal and take her right there in the car. Pulling away, he was pleased.
"Tastes so much better from you mouth." He smirked and she looked away with a huge blush on her cheeks.
She ate her sundae in silence as they made their way back to the estate in NYC.
*********************Just a few miles away from the mansion, Alina started to feel dizzy all of a sudden and she had an urge to puke.
The moment they got back, she rushed inside and to her room. Tristan followed her there and witnessed her run to the bathroom and empty all the contents out of her stomach.
He went to her, holding her hair back and rubbing her back soothingly.
Once she finished, Tristan brought his palm to her forehead and felt her temperature, finding her burning up.
"Are you okay?" He asked her with worry laced in his tone.
She felt nauseous and exhausted, but she looked up at him and gave a weak smile. "I was feeling fine before, I don't know what happened."
He didn't know either, but he helped her up and attended to her.
"Do you need me to call a doctor here and see what's going on? You don't look nor feel fine, Alina." Tristan wondered what happened and what got her sick.
Alina shook her head. "No, that's alright. Guess I just probably caught a bug or something from the Ice cream. I'm sure it'll go away soon." She tried to assure him.
He didn't want to to take any chances, but he sighed and decided not to since she assured him that it was fine. "I sure do hope so. I'll stay with you for now and if you get worse, I'll get my private doctor to give you a check up and see what's going on."
She nodded. "Okay, let me just take a little nap for now. I for some reason feel extremely exhausted."
"Yeah, it's been a long drive. Get some rest, my kooky." He said and got her to the bed after she washed out her mouth and changed into a comfortable outfit.
Covering her body with the duvet, he kissed her forehead and she instantly closed her eyes. He stayed there with her the entire time and made sure she was alright.
TO BE CONTINUED....