ALWAYS AND FOREVER

Cross Pov

I stared at her as she bounced towards the exit of the airport where the taxi taking us to our hotel was parked, we literally just had an over five hours flight and she look so cheerful and blissful, I didn’t know what was running through her mind, she hasn’t said a word to me since we got on the plane from Arizona, and even after we landed, she waited for me to get off before she did, I didn’t recur our contract stating that we don’t have to talk to each other.

“Kathrine, slow down,”

I said when she started moving faster but she didn’t stop, she just kept moving until she got to the car and entered.

“What the fuck is wrong with you? I told you to slow down, what if this isn’t the car we are entering? Don’t you know it is dangerous to walk off on your own?”

I asked in anger as I entered the car, I couldn’t believe she doesn’t have the common sense to know what she ought to do and not to do.

“I thought you said not to talk to you, and also I am not dumb, I heard when you spoke with the driver and also heard what he said that would be used to identify him, and I also saw him take our languages from the carriage, so stop acting like my dad, you are not,”

She replied, licking her lips, those lips that were badass kissers, I could still remember the kisses we shared briefly on our wedding day, the one at the chapel and also at the reception.

“No, no, Cross, don’t go there, she is not your type, remember?”

I mentally scolded myself.

“I never said you shouldn’t talk to me,”

“Well, you didn’t have to say, you acted like it, so I have given you your space, I don’t want to be reminded that I am a charity case and that you are doing me a favor by marrying me,”

She said, I knew I shouldn’t have said those words to her but I had been pissed off by my mom forcing me into coming here and by the fact that she didn’t join me in refusing, when she knew I didn’t want it if she had said something instead of just sitting there my mom would have given up but still that wasn’t enough reason to say those words to her and compound with the fact that her dad just practically gifted us an estate in New York as a wedding gift, I hadn’t expected.

“I am sorry about what I said, you don’t have to feel that way,”

“I never felt it though, I just didn’t want to talk to you and besides, you did gain something from marrying me after all, so we are good, I don’t want the estate so you can keep it as payment for helping me,”

She said and plugged in her earpiece again, she had the habit of plugging in her earpiece each time she doesn’t want to talk to me or respond to me,

“Such a witch,”

I muttered to myself. I didn’t know what I would be doing for the whole of the week we will be here in the Bahamas, I looked out through the window, the view was amazing and welcoming, at least I have the view, I could go diving, at Cat island, though we were headed to Nassau paradise and there were a hell lot of adventures things to do to keep my mind off things, not like I had anything in mind, I was okay apart from the fact that I just realized late that marriage meant my freedom is gone, even when I say it not a real marriage I couldn’t see myself going back to living the way I used before, and if my marriage with Katherine doesn’t work out, my mom would probably link me up with another lady who could be worst than Kathrine, which is one of the reasons I accepted her when she pleaded with me to give her a second chance, the devil I know is better than the angel that I haven’t seen, Katherine is safe even though her safety still cost me my freedom.

“Wow!!! It’s beautiful here,”

She said and I looked back into the car to see that she has taken off the earphone and was staring out of the window.

“Yes, it is and it is even more beautiful at night,”

I said, I have been to the Bahamas quite a few times, the first time I came here was for my parents fifteen wedding anniversary, back then I was a witty fourteen years old, I came back again when I was eighteen, with her, the only woman who owned my heart, although we had gone to a different island, San Salvador, we broke up after that, and reunited again only for us to break up all over again, the thought of her made me sad, I wondered where she would be and if she had forgiven me, pushing all thoughts of her to the back of my mind I looked out of the window again, the last time I came here was for business, the man I came to see had been on his honeymoon and I needed him to sign a few papers so I had brought it all here to the Bahamas.

“Have you been here before?”

She asked.

“Yes, a few times,”

“With who?”

“Do I have to answer that? It’s stated in our contract that you should mind your bu…”

“Yeah, I remember, sorry I asked,”

She said cutting me off.

“First time I came with my parents, then with my ex and finally for business,”

I revealed, she didn’t reply and we sat in silence all the way to our hotel, the hotel itself was located close to a beach and the scenery was a beautiful sight.

“Wow, this place is beautiful, I can live here forever, I am so glad I came, I should have thought of vacationing here ever since,”

She said in excitement getting out of the car, she didn’t even wait for the driver to drop off their language and just went ahead towards the beach, I paid the taxi driver and he help offload our languages which were then picked up by the attendant at the front of the hotel, I looked back and saw my wife in the far distance taking pictures of the beach on impulse, I took out my phone and took a picture of her, as soon as I did I started questioning why I did it, but I didn’t delete the photo because it looked pretty, I called her name to tell her to come back but she didn’t hear me.

“Please our room number is 207 so you can keep our languages there I need to go get my wife, ”

I said to the attendant who was growing impatient with standing there, he nodded and headed towards the hotel, I walked towards where she was standing taking photos, her long curly hair was free and flying in every direction the wind took it, she had taken off her shoes and was barefooted, she turned to face me and smiled brightly, her ocean blue eyes matching perfectly with the color of the ocean, one thing I couldn’t deny was the fact that Katherine was beautiful, she had a nice figure that had shrink during the times she put herself through hell now that she was getting herself back, she was starting to look like the woman I saw on the photo on the night of the engagement that didn’t happen.

“I have been calling you and you seem not to wanna listen to me,”

I said, out loud, shaking off the thoughts of her that were finding their way into my head, no matter how beautiful she is, I won’t step over the boundaries I set myself, no way.

“I am sorry, I didn’t hear you, I was much too absolved in the beauty of this island,”

She said.

“Yeah, it’s beautiful,”

I replied looking at her, she was so beautiful that she almost didn’t look real.

“Cut it out Cross,”

I scolded myself.

“Cut what out?”Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

She asked and I realized I said it out loud.

“Nothing,”

I replied.

“Okay,”

“We should head inside, we can do all these later,”

“No, I wanna watch the sunset,”

She said stubbornly, did she really have to make us fight all the time, why couldn’t she just listen for once.

“Kathrine, how old are you again?”

“Hmm, why are you asking me that again? I thought I told you before and it is also in our wedding register, I guess,”

“Answer me,”

I demanded.

“Twenty-three why?”

“Then why do you act like a kid?”

“I don’t understand what you mean, how do I act like a kid, I thought we passed the insults?”

“No, I genuinely want to know, because why else will you never listen to what I say? We just got here and we have one whole week I am sure you will see the sunset before we leave, can’t you just listen to me without disagreeing for once?”

I asked my voice raising more than I intended but I couldn’t help it, she brings out the worst in me.

“You can say those without shouting you know, I can hear perfectly well,”

“I wasn’t shouting,”

“Yes, you were, and also I listen, I just wanted to see the sunset, you keep making me look like the bad person here, you can go in without me you know, save yourself the trouble, you don’t have to deal with this adult baby if you don’t want, no one knows us here so we can pretend not to know each other,”

There she goes again.

“There you go again, Katherine, I am not trying to pick a fight with you, I should be the one acting the way you are acting, the way you act so indifferent, I know you don’t like me one bit, seems like you even hate me, I don’t like you either but while we are here, at least can you listen to me?”

“Fine, lead the way,”

She said closing her phone and picking her shoes up, “what kind of a crazy bitch is she?” I thought as I walked in front of her, and why can’t I even mind my business, let her do what she wants, but I know I can’t do that, I promised her dad I will take care of her even if I can’t love her and I will do that, I already knew it wasn’t going to be easy with how stubborn she is but I am going to try, I just hope I don’t lose brain cells trying to do that…