ANASTASIA'S POV :
On our way back to my home, a car overtook us and stopped right infront of us on the empty lonely road. When I gave a closer look at the number plate,I knew who it was. The very second I saw him,I realised how much I missed him. When his eyes met mine,he was as happy as I was. His gaze then shifted to Aura. The streetlights made Drake's raven black eyes glitter. His eyes seemed liked they were conveying something to Aura. Since I was sitting behind her,I could only look at Drake. I got down from the vespa to see Aura nodding her head. I thought there was gonna be another argument between these two...looks like both are too tired to argue. I hugged her and ran towards him...
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"So how was your day?" He asked me when I was finally beside him in the car.
"Great!! Issa was so sweet!! My best friend is now my boss!!" I said proudly and began to giggle.
"Issa?? As in Mr. Issa Joseph??" Drake rubbed his forehead in confusion.
"Umm...well,actually his son, Issa Anushk."
"What?"
"Hey we were childhood friends...and due to some reason related to their business, his dad and he had to fly to other countries,.. So I umm...kinda lost his contact and here we..umm..are." I popped my head to see if he was convinced. Well actually its not like I'm lying...I just hid the part that his dad never wanted me to be by his son's side and that he never liked me ever.
"Oh then how didn't you recognize Mr. Joseph at the party?"
Caught.
"Well..umm...actually I'd forgotten how he looked. I wasn't able t-to recognize him.."
"Oh fine.Now that Aura isn't working along with you, you might now not feel lonely in the new place."
I laughed at it.
"You're wrong. Aura is also gonna work along with me."
"Doesn't she ever leave you alone?" He muttered in frustration which made me laugh even harder.
"Actually Issa offered her the job. So practically don't blame Aura....its fate." I pointed my index finger to the top trying to exaggerate. Looking at me,his lips were pulled up to laugh.
I noticed Drake going straight instead of taking the usual left to our house.
"Drake, you missed the turn."
"I know"
"What? Where are we going?"
He didn't reply. When I looked up at him for him to answer.
"You will see.." Is what he replied.
Another 45 minutes of smooth drive,we reached a bridge. Drake stopped the car and nodded at me to get down.
The bridge on which we were standing was a small, old and an unused one. It looked like it was untouched for decades together.
"What's over here?" I turn around everywhere but to my dismay there was nothing except a stream flowing below the bridge.
"Follow me." Drake headed down the bridge into a faintly visible tunnel . I followed him. I was careful while stepping on the algae patched stones while Drake just jogged on them like he had all the friction which would not let him slip.
"Its a place which I umm...visit often.."
No wonder.
The secret pathway was slowly showing what it had at the other end. When we were outta the tunnel,I couldn't believe my eyes. The wet pebbles along the the stream glittered like pearls while the moon and the stars were right above us,shining like diamonds. The stream was nothing less than beautiful. It had clear,fresh water flowing in it which looked divine. The entire sight was splendid.
"Its beautiful.." I couldn't take my eyes off the flowing stream.
"No one knows to get themselves here. You are the third to know this place."
I turned my body to look at him
"Who is the second person?"
"Anabella Wilson."
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DRAKE'S POV:
I was glad that Ana had her old childhood friend back in her life. Its not like I wasn't restless at first when I heard her praising a guy,but obviously Ana must have told him that she is married, so I was all chilled about it.
Well,actually I wasn't really into what she was saying cause I had my own story to reveal it to her,not sure of knowing how she was gonna react. For the first time, I felt really nervous...
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From the light of the moon above us, Ana was way beautiful than ever with sucha innocent smile and expressions. It pained knowing that I would be the one to remove it from her face in a few minutes
"Its beautiful." She appreciated the entire place with sucha sweet voice and in return I smiled at her,though it turned out to be a mixture of a sad-glad one.
"No one knows to get themselves here. You are the third to know this place." I walked towards the stream so she wouldn't notice my tensed face.
"Who is the second person?" Her voice hinted curiosity. I sighed
Its now or never.
"Anabella Wilson."
I turned to look at her to see if she understood my hint of something deep in that one single word. And yes,she did...she remained silent waiting for me to continue.
"Anabella,Jack, your sister Aura and myself were kind of a gang during our sophomore and high school days. Aura and Anabella were like inseparables and it was through Aura that I knew Anabella" I could see Ana's eyes wide open hearing Aura's name. I wasn't surprised with that cause I knew she didn't know about it."Anabella was from England and her kinsfolk were a typical, conservative rich and a reputed family in England following old traditions and ethics. She stayed here with her cousin's in Seattle for her academics purpose."
I inhaled deeply. "She was my one and only love...she was my first...and..i thought she would be my last.." Now I couldn't look up at Ana. "Since she stayed at her cousin's,we used to hangout very often here at this place. Its more like our own place. A secret hideout for us..." pointing at a rock on which Anabella and myself used to sit near the stream. " She was one gem of a person. I was very possessive of her. Aura,Jack Anabella and myself had a great time together. Those were some happy days.." Thinking of the past made me feel so nostalgic. I had tears brimming my eyes.
I looked at Ana from the corner of my eyes,she had frozen in her place.
"Everything was going fine. But one final day,during the last few days of our high school days, Anabella came over to talk to me alone. I sensed something bad. She told me that her family found out about us and...and that she had to fly back to UK forever. I denied her suggestion of breaking up and My reflex made me slap her. My heart just didn't accept the fact of breaking up with her... She began to ignore me and move far away from me but I didn't leave.I kept following her.." Tears slowly began to fall down my cheeks.
"I tried all means to stop her but the only thing she wanted to do was listen to her father and get back to England.
She missed her flight various times cause of me and that made her dad fly here to take her away....from me.Her dad came along with a guy. Anabella introduced him to me as her fiancé. I asked her the reason for her hasty decision and she said that she was gonna marry him cause he was as rich as her. That pissed me off even more. I was too stubborn to let her go. I lost my cool and even went to an extent of hitting her dad..." I sighed. "I didn't know what got into me but I went so violent. I wanted her...I wanted her for the rest of my life. I don't know why she never felt like what I did but I knew she loved me deeply and that she wanted to breakup only for her dad's sake." My body began to heat up cause of my anger. "At the airport,she spoke really rudely and pushed me away but I shouted back at her promising that I would come to get her. She just ignored my words and walked away. The days after she left were like utter nightmares. I went through a terrible trauma. I became really violent. I neva let anyone near me. Since my grandpa was my guardian, I had no other choice but to stay away from him cause I was scared that I would hurt him physically and mentally cause of my anger and depression. And cause of my distance from him, a part of his illness was cause of me. He fell on the bed for days together worrying about me and my future. Since I was financially not very stable,I couldn't fly to England as well. I was too determined to get rich and began to work really hard and save money. I tried a lot to distract myself by working even overtime but I couldn't..I just couldn't get her outta my mind..." My body began to shiver and I started growing weak. I felt my fist turning to a ball and I dropped down to hit my fist onto the stones. I cried real hard. Noticing me, Ana ran to hold on to me.
"Two weeks after she left, I got the news that she died. I was totally miserable. Their house had caught fire and it was all over the news that there were burnt bodies and were declared that it belonged to Wilson's family." I cried loud and Ana didn't know what to tell except that she rubbed my back and comforted me.
"You don't have to continue Drake...its okay." She whispered at me softly.
"No,you gotta know everything. Let me tell." She nodded sadly.
"I was too deeply in love with her. I couldn't move over it at all. Cause of all that, I became a very rough and a hard person to handle. I was aggressive with everyone, even with Jack and Aura. I went to pubs almost everyday and got myself drunk and had wild meaningless sex with many girls who willing gave themselves to me. But no, nothing worked out...I was still attracted to my dead girlfriend. I didn't find anyone like her. Seeing me lead a very pointless and a trivial life, my grandpa's condition grew even worse. Grandpa's condition brought in a little sense in me. I didn't wanted to loose my dear old grandpa as well. He wanted me to marry. At first,I denied. I didn't feel like I had any more life in me to love someone. But looking at grandpa in sucha state made me think twice. I decided to at least live my life for his sake if not for mine. When he told me that I had to marry you, Anastasia... My body senses reacted weirdly cause he referred you as Ana to me,the first time. That's exactly how I call Anabella while all her friends were in the habit of calling her Bella. Everything that happened between us,the marriage.. reminded me of her..." I inhaled and exhaled deeply. Ana was listening to me attentively without giving away any kind of emotions.
"I loved her even when I married you. I couldn't convince myself. But gradually my heart began to melt after you entered my life Ana, honestly!" I touched her hand which made her look at me now. She was crying silently all this while. Darn myself! But she had to know about everything. "Don't cry Ana...please...you were the light to my dead soul...you were the water to my parched throat,Ana! You made me fall in love with your cute,fun-loving and innocent body language ...your kiddish yet mature words...your behaviour...everything in you made me fall deeply for you." I touched her cheeks to wipe off the tears. "You made me slowly forget my past...and I saw my new hope in you.." She smiled at me weakly and raised her hands to wipe my tears.
"But why is it that you and Aura always have a cold war when you encounter each other?" She asked me slowly.
"Cause she thinks its all my fault. My fault that Anabella decided not to stay in touch with her. She was really angry about it. And I faintly remember her coming to me when I was drunk to console me when I was in total depression, I don't remember what I did. The next day when I planned to meet her,she refused to even see me. But I know she still cares for me and i care for her. Its just our head weight and stubbornness which ain't letting us talk to each other. I was totally lifeless and pathetic when Anabella left me. Why am I at fault for Anabella cutting her friendship with her? And that day when Aura visited me,I was totally drunk. I dunno what I was doing. When I asked her to explain what I did...she never even turned to look at me. It was only Jack who stayed by my side when I caused trouble to many around me..."
"Hmm..." That's all Ana said,and she began to think.
Aura's words began to ring in my ears 'she will also leave you.'
"Ana...you won't leave me right..?" I was desperate for her to give a positive reply from my revelation.
She laughed nervously
"Why will I Dra?" She moved closer to me and encircled her arms around my neck. I was taken back a little when she did that. My body became stiff.
"Ca-cause I loved another girl even when I was initially married to you... Cause my behaviour is totally fierce and barbaric....cause I can hurt anyone who comes in my way....cause
I'm pathetic.... Cause I'm a total beast infront of you Ana..." I turned my face away from hers in shame and sighed.
"Hey remember...now we are married. I'm here to stay by your side. I'll be here with you to witness all your ups and lows. I totally understand what you had to go through. She was your first ever love. I know it must have been really hard for you. But now I don't think you gotta lament over it. I'm sure Anabella wouldn't want you to weep over it for the rest of your entire life." Ana touched my jaw and made me face her. Her warm breath hit my face. Her chocolate brown eyes warmed me and made me comfortable. "She would love to see you happy Dra...and remember I don't care how you are. Your imperfections makes me love you more but it hurts me when you hurt yourself when you're upset with something." I closed my eyes hearing that and breathed.
"I will always love my beast, Dra.." Her husky voice made me feel hot with her arms around my neck.
She then brought her lips closer to mine and she began to kiss me...
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Uff....2571 words...the lengthiest chapter until now :D :D Hahaha
A/n: The places like the bridge written here are completely my imagination. So just imagine. Lol.
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