The clock was almost eight in the evening. Stella was tying her shoes and getting ready for her evening walk with Winston. More importantly, she was getting ready for her secret date with Tristan. Ben would freak out if he knew, but luckily he was busy with work.
She pondered if she should tell Tristan about what had happened at the waterfall. She could barely believe what had happened herself. She could feel the primal attraction between her and Ben, but she never thought that he would consider her the one, and she definitely never thought that he would even consider breaking up with Tessa to be with her.
Stella didn't feel the same for him. She loved him, there was no doubt about that, but she loved him in another way. She loved him like a brother, maybe like a boyfriend, but she knew he wasn't her soulmate. She knew in her heart that Tristan was the one for her. But she didn't tell him that, instead she said she loved him too but that they couldn't be together because of Tessa. And that wasn't a lie. She just didn't tell the entire truth because she didn't want to stir things up even more.
The thought of Tessa finding out about their kiss gave Stella the chills. She was never going to let go of him without a fight. Tessa loved both him and them as a couple together. In her world they were the perfect couple reigning over Alvik. She almost killed Stella when they were friends, so she didn't want to know how she treated her enemies.
As always, Tristan was already waiting at their meeting spot when Stella and Winston arrived. It was still light outside and it was the first time she could see all of his wounds clearly. It was even worse than she thought and the realisation felt like a punch in the stomach. But he didn't seem bothered, he was always a ray of sunshine.
Tristan ran up and kissed Stella and of her worries disappeared. When she was with him it felt like she was soaring on clouds. She didn't want to ruin it by bringing up all of the mess with Ben. Tristan was her sanctuary and she didn't want to ruin it.
"I've missed you," he said with a big smile.
"I've missed you too. More than you can imagine."
"Trust me, I can imagine. I don't want to scare you, but I think about you all the time. It might actually be unhealthy."
After a few more kisses they took his truck to the old lighthouse. They laid down a blanked and pillows on the ground and cozied into each other's arms below the starlit sky. After almost an hour in their perfect love-bubble Stella brought up the area they both had avoided:
"So... What has your family said?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean," Stella whispered and gently stroked her hand over his bruised face. "It's impossible that your dad and brother didn't notice this."
"In my family it is... My dad barely knows I'm alive."
"I'm sorry Tristan. You deserve so much better," Stella kissed Tristan's lips. "I love you."
"I love you."
"And Max?"
"I'm Sorry Stella," Tristan said with a tortured face. "I didn't say anything, but he heard about what had happened. I really tried keeping it away from him, I promise."
"Shh," Stella kissed Tristan to stop his anxious rabbling. "I trust you. There were so many at the café, it would have been a miracle if he didn't find out. What did he say?"
"He lost it. I tried to explain that it was a misunderstanding but he wouldn't listen. We really need to be careful. He would never hurt a girl, but I'm afraid of what he might do. He really wants his revenge. If they find out we're still dating they will definitely put an end to it."
She knew he was right. What they did was dangerous, but it was worth it.
Stella wanted to spend the entire night with Tristan, but she didn't want anyone to suspect that she was doing anything other than walking with Winston. Ed and Diana were too busy with each other to notice how long she was away, but Ben kept her under close supervision. He texted her every fifteen minutes asking what she was doing. She could lie and say she was home, but she didn't want to risk it.
Stella gave Tristan one last kiss before he dropped her off and she started her walk home. The same second they said goodbye a heavy feeling came over her. She was worried about him. She hated that he had to go home to a lonely shell of a home and was afraid that Max might hurt him. In an attempt to push away the bad thoughts and comfort Tristan she called him up.
"Miss me already," Tristan said and laughed.
"Yeah, I do," Stella answered. And it was true. Every second she wasn't with him she missed him. His smile, his kind eyes and above all she missed the way he made her feel loved, truly loved, just for being her.
They talked the whole way home, fantasising about their future. They said that hey would have a small house outside town by the waterfront, two kids and Winston would of course be with them forever. Tristan would work as a police officer and Stella as a kindergarten teacher.
Stella wanted to give him that future more than everything else. She wanted to love him the way he deserved to be loved. She wished they could run away together and leave all the bad things behind them. One day maybe they could.
When Stella reached the gate she hung up the phone and deleted the number from the call history. Winston could tell she had a heavy heart and tried to cheer her up by nudging her and barking. She picked him up and buried her face in his fur in a big hug.
The next day Stella met up with Tristan on her morning walk. For a short moment everything felt perfect again. Afterwards she shared a breakfast with Ben and then Viola and Jasper came over.
Viola played with Winston while Jasper tutored Stella. He was kind and encouraging, even when she struggled with basic things. They had only met a few times, but he had already helped her tremendously. Thanks to him, going back to school didn't seem that scary anymore.
"So," Ben said and sat down with Stella and Jasper, "have you solved all of the world's problems yet? I want to go swimming."
"Not yet," Jasper answered. "But we are making good progress. You're doing great Stella, I'm really impressed."
Stella didn't know how to answer so she just smiled at him. Ben didn't seem happy about them making a bond. He gave Jasper a poisonous look matched with a fake smile.
"Good enough to take a break?" Ben asked.
"Yeah," Jasper said. He didn't seem threatened by Ben, but he definitely noted his dislike. Stella was thankful that he was mature enough to take the high way and avoid unnecessary hassle. "Let's take a short break and then get back to it."
Ben got up from the chair and threw Stella over his shoulder. She screamed with laughter as he walked to the pool and jumped down. When they both came up to the surface Stella could tell that he wanted to kiss her. Luckily the people around them made it impossible. To break the tension she splashed some water at him.
It didn't take long before Winston jumped down in the pool and Stella told Viola to join them. They played around until it was time for lunch. Ironically, Stella got up from the water and switched out of her wet clothes into a dry bikini. Before Alvik she didn't even own a bikini, now she wore a bikini half the time she was awake.
Before they all sat down by the lunch table Stella pulled Ben to the side and asked:
"Have you heard anything from Max?"
"Yeah, he came by the office yesterday."
"And?" Stella asked even though she was afraid of the answer.
"The usual. He screamed and banged the walls threatening to kill every single one of us." Stella felt a shiver down her spine. "I walked out and tried to calm him down. He had the gun with him, but said that I didn't deserve a quick death, that he was going to make me suffer in ways I couldn't even imagine."
"Jesus," Stella put her hand on his shoulder. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm good. Don't worry about me. Actually, after our kiss yesterday I've been great. It feels like I've been released from a prison now that you finally know how I feel. But you have to promise me to be careful. You're my only weakness. I don't ever want you to be alone. Not even when you're walking Winston."
It felt like the ground beneath Stella disappeared. The walks with Winston were the only time she was able to meet Tristan. If she couldn't meet him anymore, she didn't know what to do with herself. He was her soulmate and best friend, the only thing that kept her sane in all the crazy things going on.
"I promise to be careful... and Tessa, have you talked to her?"
"No, not yet. But I will, I promise."
He looked around to make sure that nobody saw them and then quickly kissed her cheek.
Ben was a superstar that all the guys wanted to be and all the girls wanted to be with. In his world it wasn't even a possibility that Stella wouldn't want to be with him. It was strange for her as well. Not only the fact that he wanted to be with her, but her not wanting to be with him was crazy.
Normally, guys never notice Stella. Now, two amazing guys were in love with her. But there was no doubt in her mind, Tristan was the one for her. If she had to make the choice, she would choose Tristan. Thankfully, Tessa saved her from breaking Ben's heart.
When Stella hugged Jasper goodbye he asked if they could meet again the next day again. They usually only met about once a week, and never two days in a row, so it was a bit strange. But he said that he wanted to show her the school and Stella didn't have any plans so she said it was okay.