Unholy Matrimony by xxinlove

I glanced at my watch. Again. If he didn't come out of the airport in two minutes, we were going to be extremely late. Not that I minded being late. I would gladly miss the whole event if I could; I hated big parties where the food was terrible and the people were even worse. A few minutes later, the door opened -finally- and a tall, attractive man stepped into the limo. I squinted at the dark-haired man seated across from me. Is that what he looked like? I honestly couldn't remember. It's not like I had really seen him much since our wedding God knows how long ago. "Hello," I smiled at him, wanting to be polite more than anything else. I didn't know what I was expecting, but I knew I wasn't expecting him to ignore me completely. He didn't even look at me. Not a single glance. Okay, then... Well, two could play this game. I rested my head against the back of the seat and was asleep within minutes. * "Miss Talia? Miss, wake up. We have arrived." I opened my eyes to find the driver crouched next to me, shaking me slightly. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, ruining the makeup Ella, the housekeeper, had helped me apply earlier this morning. I stepped out of the limo, stretching and looking around for my 'husband'. "He already went inside, Miss." Great. Thanking the driver, I grabbed my too-small-to-actually-fit-anything clutch and walked slowly into the grand hall. The moment I entered, I was attacked by a bear hug. "Talia! Finally!" Jasmine, my best friend, exclaimed. "Always so punctual." "Hey, it wasn't my fault this time. Someone decided to arrive 45 minutes late." "Oh my God! Your husband is home! How is that sexy devil?" "Still a devil," I grumbled. "He couldn't even be bothered to say hi." "You guys will warm up to each other eventually. He still doesn't really know you." "Whatever," I said and we headed to our assigned table. "I don't want him to get to know me." I sat down by my name card, next to my 'husband'. I glanced over at the name inscribed on his. Tobias Anderson. So was I Mrs. Anderson now? That was something I had never really considered. I felt a twinge of sadness at the thought. I watched the couples that were dancing in the ballroom, looking so happy and in love. I'll never be able to have that, I thought. "Will you dance with me, milady?" A female voice asked, and I looked up to find Cassie, one of my closest friends and Tobias's employee, bowing slightly with her arm extended to me. I laughed and placed my hand in hers- something I would later regret, I had two left feet- which she then took and tried to make me twirl around. I pulled my hand away immediately, laughing. " You know I can't dance, right?" I would never understand how someone as cold and serious as Tobias could be able to tolerate a goofball like Cassie all the time at work. Over the past few months, I had spent exceeding amounts of time with Cassie because I was so damn lonely. Cassie was one of the few people who knew that my and Tobias's marriage was arranged for the purpose of merging two companies, and that made her a lot more empathetic. Well, as empathetic as a five year old could be. "You look super hot, Talia. If that husband of yours isn't doing it for you, there are about ten different men who have been staring at you ever since you walked in," she said, wiggling her eyebrows at me. Doing it for me? That would imply that we've actually talked before. Other than the begrudging "I do's" we had muttered at the wedding. "I'll take that into consideration," I smiled, rolling my eyes at her as we swayed awkwardly to the slow music, with me stepping on her feet every now and then. People were looking at us funny because we were two women dancing together, but screw them. "He's just got a huge stick up his butt. If you manage to get it out long enough, you may actually enjoy his company." "Thanks for the tip. Except I don't think he wants to enjoy my company," I laughed, stepping on her toe. "Did you know that you are officially the worst dance partner I've ever had?" "Did you know that you are officially the most annoying person I've ever talked to?" "Do I get a trophy for that?" she asked, turning us around. I saw her eyes latch on to something, and before I knew it I was alone on the dance floor and Cassie was seated at the table with her napkin tucked into her dress. See? Five year old. I headed over there slowly to mask the excitement I felt when I saw the servers come out with the dishes. I sat down as a server plopped a plate down in front of me, but I was extremely disappointed when I saw the portions. "What is this, food for ants?" Cassie exclaimed, echoing my thoughts. I looked down at the dish. It looked beautiful, but I could probably eat seven of these without blinking an eye. I dug in immediately, trying to look as prim and proper as my mother had taught me while still enjoying the food. When I was done, I was even hungrier than before I ate, and I stared at the plate, willing it to refill itself. Soon enough the plates were cleared and replaced with dessert: a beautiful, warm, gooey, oozy chocolate cake topped with vanilla ice cream. I all but drooled looking at it, and couldn't help moaning in pleasure when I took my first bite. In my peripheral vision, I saw Tobias give me a weird look, but I couldn't care less. I devoured the cake like no one was watching, ignoring whatever conversation was happening around me. When I was done, I peeked over at Tobias's plate and saw that it was untouched. Great. He was one of those people. That was just icing on the cake that he wouldn't eat. I was about to reach over and switch our plates when Cassie swooped in and grabbed the beautiful cake, managing to stuff the whole thing in her mouth in one time. I sighed in annoyance, watching Cassie swallow the highlight of my day. But I also couldn't help laughing at the look on people's faces. Jasmine stood up and grabbed her purse. "I'm going to the bathroom," she turned to me. "Want to join?" "Sure." "So, Tobias may be the hottest man I have ever laid eyes on." Jasmine says nonchalantly once we were in the bathroom. I gave her a look. "Where did that come from?" "I'm just saying, maybe you should start looking at your marriage as a blessing rather than a curse." "You sound like my mother, Jas." "You've been moping around for months." "Well I thought I had the right to mope, considering I gave my life for this stupid marriage." Jasmine help up her hands in surrender. "I get it, Talia, I do. But if my husband was that hot..." "Oh shut up!" I laughed. "Jake is gorgeous and you're in love. You couldn't be any luckier." "I know," Jasmine grinned. "I just want to see you as happy as I am." "Thanks, Jas," I gave her a hug. But that's never going to happen. We headed back to our table, where Tobias's chair was empty. "Tal! Tobias wanted me to tell you that he was in the car and for you to go right away because he's 'busy and doesn't have time to wait around all day'," Cassie air-quoted. "Perfect," I groaned, grabbing my clutch and saying my goodbyes. I found Tobias in the car looking bored and pissed off. He didn't look up when I entered the car, he just kept tapping away at his phone. The ride home took much longer than the ride there, and I suffered through the awkward silence for much longer than I would've liked. I glared at him, sitting there, typing furiously on his phone. He carried himself like he owned the world, something that probably came from being spoiled from by his billionaire parents his whole life. The light from his phone reflected in his dark eyes, making them glow in the most attractive way possible. His clean-shaven face was chiseled with high cheekbones and a jawline that could cut glass. It didn't seem fair that he had money, brains, and looks. We arrived a short while later, Tobias jumping out the moment the driver held open his door. I slid out after him, but he was already halfway across the unnecessarily long entrance way. I scuffled after him, the cold making me not pay attention to where I was stepping. A moment later, my heel got stuck in the drain. I looked back to ask the driver for help, but he was gone. I was now faced with a choice: ask for Tobias's help, or stay here until someone came out. I gathered up all my courage, and, steeling myself, I called his name. "Tobias!" He stopped and turned around. "Um... I'm sorry, but could you help me out here? My heel got stuck in this drain." He looked at me a moment longer, then turned around and walked into the house. I breathed out in astonishment and anger. Who the hell did he think we was? A moment later, Ella ran out. "Miss Talia! Are you alright?" she exclaimed, immediately trying to yank my foot out. When it didn't budge, she started undoing the complicated buckles of my shoes, letting my feet go free. We headed back into the house, leaving the heels stuck in the drain. I went up to the master bedroom I had claimed, shedding off my dress and pulling on the first t-shirt I found. I hopped into bed and snuggled deep into the soft covers. What an asshole, I thought. Couldn't even help me out? Well, at least he had sent Ella to help me. He could've disregarded me completely and left me to fend for myself in the cold. He was still an asshole, though. A stuck-up rich boy who didn't eat cake. All the things I hated in a man.

Nice

It will rough in th beginning

am now here

Ride on

I flipped the pancakes over, admiring their perfect golden color. My mouth watered just looking at them. It was 4:30 AM, and the house was completely quiet. I like to wake up early and cook, something Ella never let me do, and would probably be even more strict about now that the big scary boss was back. I was a pretty good cook, if I did say so myself. It wasn't something I particularly enjoyed, but being told not to do it made it seem much more attractive. It made me feel so rebellious. I heard a door creak, and I felt my heart speed up suddenly. Who would be awake at this hour? The housekeepers and the maids only came at 6. What if it was a robber? I grabbed the plastic knife I was using to spread the nutella and held it infront of me. Like hell was I letting some robber kill me. The kitchen door started to open, and I decided to charge them, but in my haste I slipped on some spilled pancake batter, landing flat on my ass, the knife sliding to the feet of the perpetrator. I followed the bare feet up until my eyes landed on a pair of dark brown ones. I felt my face flame up in embarrassment at how I must look, covered in pancake batter and on the floor. I bet I was making some great first impressions. Tobias looked around the kitchen for a moment, then his eyes landed on me. I held his eye contact, but before I could say anything to explain myself, he turned around and left, closing the door behind him. He really must thing I was mentally handicapped. Not that I cared what he thought of me. I got up painfully, anticipating a bruise on my butt by tonight. Oh well. It's not like anyone would see it. I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, waiting for my heartbeat to slow down before I started cleaning up the mess I made. A second later, the fire alarm went off, the overhead showers shooting out a cold spray that soaked me instantly. I jumped up, looking for the cause, and mentally smacking myself when I realized that I had left the pancakes and the eggs on the stove with the fire on. How did I not smell that? "What the hell is going on?" a deep, masculine voice yelled. "Turn that off before the firemen come." That's what I'm trying to do, I thought with chagrin. I realized the only way to turn off the alarm was to actually switch it off from the moniter on the ceiling. After some climbing, I managed to turn off the console with no help from Mr. Six-Foot-Something, who just stood there watching me. "Thanks for all the help," I muttered quietly, wanting him to both not hear me and hear me at the same time. "It wasn't my problem to fix." "Wow, he speaks," my voice dripped with sarcasm. "Do you want something from me?" I opened my mouth to answer, but he interrupted me before I could say anything. "I don't have time for this. I'm busy, ok?" I hate the way he spoke to me like I was mentally incompetent, so I did what he'd been doing to me since he got back. I ignored him. I thought that it would frustrate him as much as it frustrated me, but I was proven wrong when he walked away contently. Asshole. I cleaned up the kitchen as best as I could, mopping up the now wet floor and washing all the dishes I'd dirtied. I was done around an hour later, and by then I was exhausted, so I decided to go back to sleep. On my way up to my bedroom, I caught a glimpse of the exercise room, where Tobias was currently shirtless on the treadmill. He had his earphones in and his eyebrows were furrowed, his face in his everlasting serious look. Even though he was a jerk, I had to admit that he was pretty attractive. Well, that was putting it mildly. He was male-model level attractive. The type of guy who would grace the cover of GQ and not look out of place. His washboard abs were perfectly defined, and he was a lot more buff than I initially thought. His long, lean build was graceful in the manliest way. I walked away quickly before he could notice that I was staring at him. Back in my room, I took a quick shower to get all the batter out of my hair and jumped into bed. I had a hard time falling asleep. The annoyance I felt at my first real interaction with Tobias was consuming me, and all the good comebacks that I could've said were just coming to me now. Just as I was about to fall asleep, there was a knock on the door, which I decided to ignore. They knocked again. If they open that door I swear- The door swung open. A young, very pretty woman walked in. I had never seen her before and had no idea who she even was. "Can I help you?" I stifled my groan. "Toby wanted me to tell you that your having lunch with his parents today and to be ready by 12:00." Toby? "Um.. who are you?" She laughed melodically and stepped into my room, closing the door behind her. "My name is Penelope Jones. I'm Toby's personal assistant." "Oh, I see. Well could you tell Toby that I'm actually busy today and that next time he should tell me in advance so I can clear up my schedule." She laughed at me. "Just be ready by 12. No need to pretend to be assertive." What the hell did that mean? She left the room before I could say anything back. "No need to pretend to be assertive," I mimicked in a high, barbie doll voice. I glanced at the clock, my heart dropping when I saw that I only had 15 minutes to get ready. I threw on a strappy sundress and and heels but skipped on the makeup, leaving my long dark hair down, the ends tickling my bare back. I grabbed my phone and purse and was downstairs to find Tobias walking out of the kitchen in his sweatpants and a t-shirt, not even dressed. Was he kidding me?

Indeed dis is an unholy matrimony... What kind of marriage is dis??? How did de both of dem even get married? I guess derz more to dis!!!

I waited an hour before my patience ran out. How long did it take him to get dressed? I went over to the kitchen to find Ella. "Hey, could you do me a favor and ask Tobias to hurry up? We're going to be late." "Late for what, if you don't mind me asking?" "The lunch with his parents." "I don't think that's today. Mr. Tobias has a meeting scheduled in a half hour." I was hit with a wave of anger, and I stomped over to Tobias's office, throwing the door open without knocking. "Can you stop?" I snapped the moment I walked in. He looked up at me, a bored expression on his face. "Stop what?" "Messing with me! Why did you tell me to get dressed for lunch if it's not even today?" "I didn't." "Your stupid blond bimbo did." "Penelope?" "Yes sir?" Her stupid voice piped up from somewhere. "Did you tell... um..." he stopped. "I'm sorry, what's your name again?" I stared at him, open mouthed. Was he serious? I heard a chuckle from the back of the room. "Talia," I muttered. "Right. Did you tell Talia lunch was today?" "No, sir. I told her it was tomorrow, just like you asked," she said innocently. I whipped back and stared at her. That bitch. " I'm sorry if you misunderstood me," she smirked. I stormed out of the room, my blood boiling. I slammed the door to my room, changing into a pair of leggings and a tanktop and slipping on my running shoes. I drove over to my kickboxing gym, and I immediately started to hit the punching bag as hard as I could when I got in. I let out all my frustration, punching the heavy bag until my arms were sore. I thought about all the things in my life that i hated right now. My fake marriage. Punch. My oppressive mother who got me in this position. Punch. Losing the love of my life. Punch. The last thought made me stop. I had tried to stop thinking of Jason over the past few months, to no avail. It had been a few months since Jason died, and thinking about it still hurt just as bad. I stood there for countless minutes, the sound of pounding and punching surrounding me. I felt tears streaming down my face and wiped them away hastily. Jason hated it when I cried. I drove to the house slowly, pulling myself together. I sat in the driveway for a while, until I eventually fell asleep. * "Boo!" I woke up in a panic, screaming. I looked around to see Cassie in front of my car, a goofy expression on her face. "Cassie! You scared me!" "That was the whole point. That's why I said boo, duh." "Well, don't do that again," I said, getting out of my car and taking deep breaths to steady my bearing heart. "Can I ask why your sleeping out here and instead of inside in the warm coziness of a home?" It's not my home , I wanted to say. "I guess I was just tired and I fell asleep." She looked at me disbelievingly but let it slide, taking my arm and dragging me into the house. I was greeted by the amazing smell of food, and I immediately forgot about everything and went to the kitchen. I was about to grab a plate and fill it up until Ella stopped me. "Wait, Miss Talia. You will be dining with Mr. Tobias and Ms. Cassie tonight. Why don't you go take a shower and get dressed?" I sighed in disappointment. Yay, now my favorite part of the day is going to be ruined with some jerk's presence. But I did what Ella said. I took a shower. I got dressed. Then I went downstairs hungrier than ever. Cassie and Tobias, who were also good friends, were already seated on the dining table, and what I saw almost made my jaw drop. Tobias was... smiling? Was that an accident? I'm pretty sure he didn't even know how to smile. Or laugh. Or joke. Or anything associated with happiness. I sat down next to Cassie to avoid sitting by Tobias, who was at the head of the table, but Ella had other plans for me. "Miss Talia, if you don't mind sitting here," she said, pointing at the seat by Tobias. "That would be great. I already set your place." I groaned audibly but got up and sat in my designated spot. Dinner was served, but I had no appetite. That's what sitting this close to an asshole will do to you. Cassie talked on and on and on, ignoring the awkwardness in the air, and tried multiple times to get Tobias and I to start a conversation, but failed. After dessert was cleared, a delicious chocolate cake which I couldn't enjoy and Tobias didn't eat, Cassie was able to convince both me and Tobias to watch a movie with her. "So what genre are we looking for?" Cassie asked. "Whatever," Tobias grunted. "I don't care." "I want a romance movie," I said loudly. He didn't care right? "Oh goody! The Notebook it is!" Cassie said. I saw Tobias's jaw tighten and I thought he was about to object but he looked back down to his phone instead. The movie started and I found myself laughing and crying along with the characters. I heard Cassie sniffling next to me, but when I glanced over at Tobias he was sitting with a bored expression on his face, constantly checking his phone. By the end of the movie Cassie and I were bawling, snuggled into each other for comfort. Tobias, however, just got up and left. Cassie stopped crying a few seconds after the movie ended, but for some reason I couldn't stop. At least Allie and Noah had been together at the end. They were together, it was peaceful. Something about the movie just broke something in me, and I couldn't stop crying. At first Cassie thought it was funny, but when she realized I was really crying she started getting worried. "Talia are you okay? What's wrong?" I tried to answer her, but my words got stuck in my throat and were replaced with a sob. "What happened? Why are you crying?" I stood up and ran to my room, locking the door, needing privacy for the pain I had reopened. Cassie tried knocking, but I wouldn't answer, and after draining myself of all my tears, I fell fitfully asleep.

Hmmmmm... What a marriage???

This one diier

This is nothing close to marriage

I woke up late the next day with a sense of embarrassment and humiliation. What came over me yesterday? I took a long shower, letting the warm spray envelope me. I got dressed for the lunch today, making an effort to look nice to redeem myself for my episode yesterday. Not that Tobias noticed. As I applied the finishing touches on my makeup, I noticed a phone on the side table by my bed. That wasn't my phone. I went over and checked it out. I was trying to unlock it when I heard a voice behind me. "What are you doing with my phone?" I dropped the phone quickly, turning to find Tobias standing in the doorway. How did he unlock the door? "What is your phone doing in my room?" He strode in and grabbed it off the bed. "Come on. We're leaving now." I followed him out and down the stairs. I almost expected him to open my car door, but who was I kidding, of course he didn't. It was a short drive to the restaurant and his parents were already waiting for us. "Look, my parents expect us to be a happy couple so don't be as cold as you usually are," he said to me quietly. "Right, I'm the cold one," I muttered, rolling my eyes. "You're just proving my point." We sat down after doing the appropriate greetings, exchanging the right amount of small talk before his mother, Madaline, got down to business. "So I know you two kids are just getting to know each other but I'm glad you're hitting it off so well," she started. Right. " And I know you two didn't get to have a honeymoon because Toby here was away, so I booked you a trip!" I tried not to choke on my pasta. I felt Tobias shift next to me. "Mom, a honeymoon is completely unnecessary. Talia and I don't even want one." "Oh, come on! Everyone needs to have a honeymoon. It'll be great, trust me." We left after Madaline filled us in on the details of our "honeymoon", which was at the end of this week in some island in the Bahamas. Two days from now. Great On our way out, I was surprised to see a few paparazzi waiting outisde the restaurant. Why the hell would they care about Tobias and I? Well, he had been in the magazines a fair bit. Always photographed with some gorgeous model or actress or whoever else. I guess the attention came with being a young, attractive billionaire CEO. "Mr Anderson! Over here!" "Mr Anderson, are you and Julia still together?" "Mrs Anderson, what do you think of all the rumors about your husband and model Julia Steinway?" "Mr Anderson, what do you say to the cheating allegations against you?" As we were bombarded with questions as we headed to our car, I made the connection that the paparazzi wasn't here for us at all. They were here because Tobias had dated Julia Steinway, a socialite model with a huge social media following. She was sort of like a Kardashin, in fact I'm pretty sure she's friends with Kendall from all the runway shows they did together. When we were away from the small group, I felt a hand on my waist, pushing me forward. I flinched in shock. I twisted back to look at Tobias. "Get your hands off of me." "Shut up and act natural." His touch was warm through my thin dress, and I realized this was the first time we had made physical contact. Other than the little peck near the lips at our wedding, but that didn't count. He opened the car door for me this time to please the cameras before quickly driving away. However, when we got home all his gentlemanly features went down the drain and he left me in the car and beat me to the house. I followed him in and found him waiting for me. "What?" I asked. He looked at me a moment longer. "Nothing," he said, walking away. So weird... I went upstairs and started packing for my trip, knowing if I started tomorrow I would never actually get it done, and called Jasmine as I did, filling her in on the daily events. "Oh, I know Penelope. She used to be Tobias's date to all the big events before he married you," she told me. "So they were romantically involved?" I asked, trying not to sound too curious. "Are you jealous?" "No! I just want to know. She's already out to get me, it's good to understand your enemy's motives." "Enemy, huh?" Jasmine chuckled. "Yeah, enemy. She deprived my of some major sleep. If that doesn't make someone your enemy, I don't know what will." We chatted for a while longer, before I hung up to get an early dinner so I wouldn't be stuck eating with my dear husband again. Outside the kitchen, I heard people whispering. I leaned into the door to hear the conversation. Yes, I love eavesdropping. "I give her one more week. Look at those dreamy dark eyes... not to mention his body," one of the maids was saying. "Hey, maybe he'll be the one to fall first. I mean she's gorgeous. Any guy would kill for a woman like that," someone else said. "I think you're forgetting that he's with Julia Steinway. You know, she's just on the cover of Sports Illustarted and a Victoria's Secret Angel. No big deal," the same maid responded. I noted that she didn't use the past tense, saying that Tobias is with Julia instead of was. "I have to say, I think Talia is way hotter than Julia. She just has this something..." a different male voice popped up. I smiled in victory. That was probably the biggest compliment I had ever received. "$300 on Talia falling first." "$200 on Tobias." "$400 on Talia." An array of bets were placed, and I found myself feeling quite offended that they would bet on our marriage. And even more offended that most of them thought I would be the one to fall in love with Tobias. I wanted to tell them to consider that third and most plausible outcome: we were never going to fall in love. I mean, we barely even talk. Tobias doesn't even look at me. I waited for all the chatter to go down before I came into the kitchen, not wanting anyone to know I heard everything. I was glad to see that Ella wasn't there. At least she hadn't betrayed me. I tried to get my own plate of dinner and eat it upstairs, but I guess the staff was playing matchmaker now to win their bets and wouldn't let me. "We have set the table for you and Mr. Tobias. Dinner will be served in five minutes." I sighed and retreated back to my room until the chef called me. What I came down to, I was not expecting.

unholy matrimony indeed

Lol

The table was set beautifully, our nice plates and silverware were out, the tablecloth was my favorite, and there were a few candles to set the mood. The lighting was dimmed and the flickering of the flames gave a nice touch, and I couldn't help thinking that this looked exactly like a romantic dinner date. Tobias entered, not seeming fazed by the suggestive mood and started eating right away, not even waiting for me to sit down. I sat down opposite him and filled my own plate, making sure to seem as nonchalant as possible. I hope he didn't think this was my idea. When we were both finished with our food, Tobias stood up to leave, but hesitated at the door. "Do you want dessert?" he asked. Duh. "Um... yeah I was going to get some." "I'll eat with you." "No way!" I exclaimed. He frowned at me. "Alright, calm down. I'll leave," he rolled his eyes and turned to leave. "Wait, no. I didn't mean no to you eating with me. I'm just surprised that you were going to eat dessert." "Why wouldn't I?" "I thought you were one of those super healthy people that didn't eat carbs." "And what gave you that impression?" "At that dinner party you didn't eat your cake even though it was so, so delicious." I almost drooled just thinking about it. He stared at me, trying to remember what I was talking about. "Oh. That. That was only because it was chocolate cake." "What's wrong with chocolate cake?" "I don't like chocolate." I stared at him as if he just grew another nose on his forehead. "You don't like chocolate? Are you kidding me? Wow, I'm married to a lunatic." "Maybe I'm the one married to a lunatic because you do like chocolate." "Chocolate is one of the primary food groups. You can't not like chocolate." "Well, I don't," he snapped. I shook my head in disbelief. "Unbelievable." The chef brought out a strawberry shortcake and served Tobias and I. "Have you ever tried chocolate?" I asked, still not able to comprehend that someone didn't like it. "Obviously. How else would I know I didn't like it?" I just shook my head again. We finished our cakes in silence, and when Tobias was done he got up and left, going back to ignoring me. At least we had had a verbal interaction today, which was odd. I had almost gotten used to being invisible. I went up and finished packing my bags. I stopped when I got to the swimwear. The last swimsuit I had purchased was post-Jason, when I was extremely malnutritioned and skinny in an unhealthy way. None of them would ever fit me now. I sighed when I realized I would have to go shopping tomorrow. Contrary to popular opinion, I hated shopping. It took too much time and too much effort. I decided to go to sleep early today to start my shopping trip early and get it over with, so by 8 pm, I was sound asleep. * The next morning, I slipped into some black jeans and a plain white t-shirt, heading out before anyone was awake. I grabbed one of the keys to one of Tobias's many cars, and I smiled when it turned out to be to a matte black Mercedes convertible. Now we were talking. My dark hair whipped around in the wind on the way to the shopping mall. I had always loved that feeling; I associated it with freedom and happiness. I shopped around the stores that carry swimwear, finding quite a few that I liked, and I bought them all, thinking, why not? As I was standing in line to buy myself a cup of coffee, I thought about how long it had been since I went out, just for the sake of it. If it wasn't for publicity thing, I had stopped attending anything or leaving the house in general. It had just become a habit after Jason died. I couldn't stand seeing all the happy, healthy couples without wanting to bawl. He was the love of my life. I can say that with 100% certainty. We had been best friends since our early childhood, and even back then, everyone just knew that we would end up together, that we would be extremely happy, that we would have a perfect relationship. There was nothing worse than an unexpected death. At least when someone is dying you get to say goodbye. You get to compose yourself, to ready yourself, to find closure. But when it happens out of the blue, you're left with loose ends and things that you could have said, that you should have said, that you wanted to say but will never get the chance to. We had so many plans, so many goals and dreams we thought we would achieve, but in one moment, it was all gone. "Ma'am? Ma'am, what would you like to order?" I snapped out of my thoughts and ordered my coffee. I took out my wallet to pay, but someone slapped a bill onto the counter before I could. I looked back to see who it was, and was surprised to see that it was Tobias. "Where did you come from?" I exclaimed, shocked at the sight of him there behind me in such a casual setting. "I was meeting someone for coffee." "So you decided to get more coffee?" "Yes." I didn't question him further, although something seemed a little fishy. Who was he meeting? Outside the coffee shop, throngs of people were huddled around someone, screaming fans and paparazzi. I strained my neck to see who it was. "Who is that? I love meeting celebrities." "It doesn't matter," Tobias said. "Let's go." "Julia! Julia, over here." Julia? As in Julia Steinway ? I looked at Tobias who had a poker face. "Lets just go, Jul- Talia." Did he almost just call me Julia? I rolled my eyes and walked away quickly, but he kept up with me easily. "Did you drive here?" he asked me. "Yes." He nodded, reaching to take my many shopping bags from me, a gentlemanly gesture I was not expecting. "No!" I exclaimed, pulling the bags out of his reach, my cheeks flaming red. I had purchased some lingerie too, nothing I wanted him to see. "That's what I get when I try to be polite." "I think the first step of being polite comes when you don't mix up your girlfriend's name with your wife's name." He pretended not to hear that and kept walking towards his own car. I turned to go back to the car I came in. "Where do you think you're going?" his voice stopped me. "To my car?" "We can't leave the same place in two different cars. What if someone sees us?" "Well we came here in two different cars. What's the difference?" "Stop making my life difficult. Get into my car." "Well, I can't just leave this car here." "I'll get Jim to pick it up." "Who's Jim? And how is he going to get here and then drive a different car home? Wouldn't that just create a cycle of cars being left behind?" Tobias got into the car and ignored me, waiting silently for me to get in. I sighed and and got in. That's fine, he can deal with picking the car up. And I now I don't even need to drive home. I get to take a nice little nap.

Cool

I woke up with my back aching and without the warm comfort of a soft blanket. I sat up and hit my head against something? How did the roof get so low? Wait... was I in a car? Crap. I must've fallen asleep and my jerk husband must have left me here. He couldn't even bother to wake me up? Would that really have been so hard for him? I glanced at the dashboard. Crap, it was 1 PM! How did I sleep for so long? I jumped out of the car and hurried into the house. "Miss Talia, where have you been? We have been worried sick!" Ella exclaimed when I walked in. "Why don't you ask my husband?" I groaned, stretching my back. "I did! He was so worried about you." Worried enough to leave me in a car all night? "I bet he was." "Well you must get dressed immediately! The plane is set to leave in 3 hours, meaning you have to be there in a half hour." "What?" I yelled. Good thing I had finished packing. I just had to put my new purchases in my bags and I was set. I took a quick shower and got changed. I found Tobias waiting for me downstairs, tapping his feet impatiently. "You're late." "That's because I was left sleeping in a car all nigh–" He walked out before I could finish what I was saying. I sighed and followed him to the car. Was he planning on ignoring me the whole time? Good. I could do the same thing. As he drove, I couldn't help but notice how nice his hands were. His fingers were long and slim, but they still managed to look very manly. I shifted my gaze away. What the hell was I thinking? When we were almost at the airport, I expected him to turn into the long-term parking lot, but he didn't. I didn't say anything, feeling a certain giddiness at the fact that he would be the cause for us missing our flight or getting a million parking tickets because we parked in the wrong spot. But then he turned into a different lane, which I vaguely recognized. Wait... "Are we taking a private plane?" "Obviously." "Of course you would take a private jet. Can't associate ourselves with the commoners, can we?" I asked sarcastically. "Don't your parents own a private plane?" "Not everyone owns them, Tobias." I rolled my eyes at him. "I didn't ask that. I was asking if yours do." "Yes. Yes they do," I sighed. "Then get off your high horse." I realized he had a point there. I never considered myself as a part of my parent's lifestyle; the excessiveness of it put me off. But I had lived like that. Not that I was proud of that. Once we were on the plane, I found the bedroom and immediately threw myself on the bed after locking the door. I tried falling asleep, but my jeans were just so uncomfortable. I unbuttoned them and slipped them off. Ahhh... much better. I threw off my shirt as well, settling into the soft bed. As I was starting to doze off, I heard the doorknob jiggle. I smiled a big Cheshire smile to myself. Was my dear old husband trying to get in? Too bad I had beaten him to the bed. Mr. Fancy Pants would have to settle for sleeping in a chair. There was no way he was getting in. But then the door swung open. I sat up in surprise. "How the hell did you get in?" Tobias covered his eyes quickly. "Oh God, what the hell, Talia?" I looked down at what he was talking about. Oh crap. I was in my bra. "Asshole," I muttered as I pulled the sheets up to cover myself. "Get out." "How did you get in?" "I have a master key to everything in this plane." "Even the bathrooms?" "Yes." "Why would you want a key to the bathroom?" "Just get out." He rolled his eyes at me. "No." "Don't make me force you out." "And how are going to do– oh my God, Tobias! Put me down!" I said, my cheeks flaming as he lifted me from under the sheets in just my underwear. Once he saw that I was almost naked, he put me down immediately. "Have you ever heard of wearing clothes?" "Have you ever heard of respecting people's privacy and not going into a locked room?" He held the door open for me. "Just let me get my clothes back on," I grumbled, pulling my shirt and jeans on, knowing I wasn't going to win this fight. "And keep them on," he muttered as I went out the door. I stuck my tongue out at him, even though I must have looked like a six-year-old. I settled into a big, plush chair. It was pretty comfortable, but it had nothing on the bed. The air hostess came by and gave me a menu, and I salivated just looking at all the options. "How many can I choose?" I asked her. "Um... as many as you want," she said, a little confused. "I'll have a plate of each dish, please." She frowned at me, looking like she was unsure about whether I was joking or not. "Thank you." I smiled up at her to let her know that I meant it. She walked away unsurely, looking back at me to check that I wasn't laughing at her or something. When she finally brought everything out, I understood why she was so uncertain about my order. The dishes were huge. And there were about 15 of them. But that didn't stop me from stuffing my face like a starved woman. I managed to eat around half of each plate before I honestly thought I was going to explode. I sat back with my stomach protruding, feeling a mix of satisfaction and nausea. I fell asleep a few minutes later. * "Did she eat all that?" a male voice asked. "Yes, sir," the hostess's voice responded. I heard a chuckle, but the moment I opened my eyes again Tobias's face went from a smirk to his usual frown. "Have we landed?" I asked. "Yes. Nice of you to finally wake up." "You could've just woken me up." "Well, I'm sorry for being a nice person." I snorted. Yeah, right. He rolled his eyes at me and headed for the door and I hobbled after him. "Where's our luggage?" I asked, trying to keep up with him. He ignored me and kept walking. "Tobias?" "Tobiaaas?" "T-O-B-I-A-S." "Toby." "T-Bone." He stopped and looked back at me with disbelief on his face. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that." "Just like you pretend to not hear anything else I say?" "Exactly." "Then how come you had to tell me you were going to ignore it this time? Why not just ignore it without telling me as usual?" I was being extremely annoying and I knew it, but he deserved it. "Shut up, Talia." There was a sleek black car waiting for us, and as usual Tobias slipped into the driver's seat and I into the passenger's seat. He started along a winding road, but suddenly he reached over to my side of the car. I froze, feeling my heartbeat quicken. Was he going to put his hand on my thigh? But he didn't. He kept going further. What the hell was he doing... Just as I thought he was going to put his hand on my calf, he picked up a fallen map off the ground by my feet. I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding in. He examined it for a moment, nodding to himself, running his long finger along the path he was going to take. I watched his face as he did. He had the longest, darkest eyelashes I had ever seen. It wasn't even fair. He was a guy; he didn't even need them. And the way they framed his dark brown eyes... "You ever heard of GPS?" I coughed a little. Snap out of it, Talia, I thought. He's a world-class jerk. Tobias put the top down and stepped on the gas. Hard. He wound along the road like an expert and I took my hair out of its ponytail to let it whip around in the wind. I turned on the radio and sang along to the song, letting myself pretend for the moment that I was actually happy.

am sorry Coolvallers ???because I have being away for awhile due to school but now am back now

please continue

When we finally reached our hotel, we went to the check-in right away. Tobias signed the necessary papers as I looked around. The hotel had a fun tropical theme that seemed to straddle the concepts of minimalism and exoticness. The ceilings were high and the marble was polished and the furniture was simple and elegant, but the plants around them made it seem like a forest grew into the hotel. It was beautiful. We were led with our luggage into the elevator with a man who looked like he could be a teenager. "Wait, why are both keys to the same room?" Tobias asked when we were in the elevator. "You only reserved one room, sir." Tobias sighed. I knew what he was thinking: His mother was trying to stick us together. "Can we add a reservation?" Tobias asked. "I'm sorry, sir. We are fully booked." "Please?" I asked, feeling desperate. "I'm sorry Madame. I'm afraid this is out of my hands." "Can we at least get a sofa bed?" The concierge glanced down at some papers in his hands. "I'm afraid we are under strict orders not to deliver a sofa bed or even a sofa to your room. It says to have one bed and uncushioned chairs." "Oh, Madaline, you devious woman..." I sighed. "Please. We'll take any room. Talia here doesn't mind sleeping on anything," Tobias said. "I have an extra room in my apartment." The concierge smiled at me. "Great," Tobias said. I smacked his arm. Hard. "Are you serious?" "What?" "Are you actually going to let me go stay with a stranger who could be a murderer for all we know?" "At least that'll get you off my hands," he responded nonchalantly. "Ah, I'm right here," the concierge reminded us. I ignored him. "You're a real asshole, you know that?" I stomped out of the elevator when the door opened. I beat them both to the room, so I went in quickly and slammed it in Tobias's face. "Ma'am... I have your luggage out here," the concierge said. "Leave it outside. I'll get it in a minute." I locked the door and made sure the chain was in place so that Tobias couldn't get in. I went to take a happy shower, taking my time, knowing Tobias would be stuck outside with no shower, no bed, and no room. I wrapped a towel around myself and went to get changed, so I quickly opened the door and grabbed my luggage, a bit disappointed when I didn't find Tobias sitting there depressed. He was probably at the bar picking up some gorgeous girl. Whatever. He didn't have a room. I picked out some of my new underwear and put them on, then went over to the bed to get some rest and some romance movies. "Do you ever wear clothes?" I screamed so loud my throat hurt, grabbing a rug off the ground to cover myself up. How the hell had he gotten in? How did this man manage to get through every locked door? "How long have you been here?" I yelled. "Around fifteen minutes." "You pervert! Did you just watch me change?" "Don't flatter yourself, Talia. Of course not. As if I would want to see you naked." "You're such a... a jerk!" I couldn't think of a better word. "Why are you treating me like this? What have I ever done to you?" He got up from the bed and rolled his eyes. "I don't need this right now. I'm going out. Don't lock that door." I screamed out in frustration. What a total asswipe! I wasn't letting him ruin my trip though. I didn't need him to have fun. I got dressed and headed down to the bar. I am so getting drunk tonight. I ordered my first drink, downing it the moment the bartender placed it in front of me. He refilled it right away, and I proceeded to down that as well. The bartender placed another one in front of me. "That's from the man over there." He pointed to a good-looking man in the opposite side of the room. I smiled at him in thanks, sipping the drink, knowing I should pace myself. The man must have taken my smile as a cue to come over, because a few seconds later he was seated in the barstool next to mine. "Has anyone ever told you that you are extremely beautiful?" "Thank you," I said stiffly. I was not in the mood to be hit on tonight. "I'm not even saying that to pick you up. You truly are exquisite," he said, brushing back a strand of hair from my face. "I'm sorry. You seem like a really nice guy, but I'm married." I held up my left hand, showing him my unnecessarily large ring. "I won't tell if you don't." I frowned at him. Seriously? "No, I'm sorry." "Come on gorgeous. Your husband isn't here." "Look, I said no. Thank you for the drink, but I have to go." I got up hastily. He grabbed my arm. "It's not nice to tease." "It's not nice to be an asshole." I ripped my arm from his grip and stomped out of the bar. I sank down into one of the couches in the lobby, resisting the urge to cry. Today had been a pretty sucky day. I hoped this wasn't what the rest of the week would be like. I sat there pouting for God knows how long until I saw a familiar man walk through the front door amidst a group of modelesque women and attractive men. How did someone who was such a big jerk manage to have fun while I was stuck getting hit on by gross guys who couldn't understand simple words like 'no'? We made eye contact and, surprisingly, the jerk came over to me and offered me his hand. I stared up at him, unsure of the gesture. "Come on, Talia." "Apologize." "This is the closest you're going to get." I mulled that over, then stood up to go with him but didn't take his hand. He placed his hand on the small of my back leading me towards his group of friends. "Everyone, this is my... wife, Talia." "Is that your sister?" one of the girls asked in a nasal voice. "No, he literally just said I'm his wife." One of the guys whistled. It was friendly though, not at all sleazy. "Nice job, Anderson. You're a lucky man. I'm Kyle by the way." I immediately took a liking to him. "Nice to meet you, Kyle." "Trust me, the pleasure is all mine." We all went to dinner and I sat next to Tobias and Kyle and the girl who called me his sister sat on the other side of Tobias. Her name was Amelia. She was obviously very interested in him, something that wasn't hard to figure out from her constant flirtatious touches and how she giggled at everything he said, no matter how stupid (and infrequent). I ordered a bowl of pasta and a side of truffle oil sweet potato fries, which earned me a high five from Kyle and a weird look from Tobias. Yeah, I get that my whole meal was carbs but can't a girl enjoy herself on vacation? I was actually starting to enjoy myself when I saw a slight movement under the table. I glanced over at Tobias's legs and saw a slender hand with bright pink nails caressing his thigh, going higher and higher each time. What the hell?

I stared at Amelia's hand as she shamelessly caressed Tobias's leg. Should I say something? How did she have the audacity to do that with me right next to them? I coughed loudly, trying to make it clear that I could see what was going on. But her hand just paused, and continued a moment later. The buzz from my three drinks from earlier was still there, and I found my hand suddenly on Tobias's thigh as well. What was I doing? I felt him stiffen and saw him frown, his eyes turning to me for a brief second. I started to move my hand up and down, just like Amelia, but his hand grasped mine before I could really do anything. He placed my hand back on my lap and I felt an inkling of disappointment. The dishes were served and I dug in to hide my embarrassment at getting rejected. I hadn't eaten since my feast on the plane. When I was done I looked over at Amelia's plate. It was basically untouched. Either she didn't like food or she was too busy using her hands on something else. Kyle, seated next to me, started making light conversation. He was flirty but still very funny and I found myself enjoying his company more and more. "Do you want to go take a walk on the beach?" he asked me later on in the night. "Sure." He took my hand and pulled me along to the beautiful white sand beach, pointing out all the constellations to me. "I can't see it!" I was starting to get frustrated. There was no tea kettle in the sky. "Look, right there. That's the handle..." I zoned out again as he tried gratuitously to help me find the stupid constellation. "How long have you known Tobias?" he asked me suddenly. "Well, we're married, so..." "Yeah, it's just... I've known the guy for a while. He was very, ah, single a month before you two tied the knot." "I'm sorry, I don't see how our marriage is any of your business." "I didn't mean to pry–" "Well you're prying." "Talia, you're an extraordinary girl. You shouldn't be trapped in a loveless marriage." "What makes you think I am?" "The fact that your husband was about to take Amelia to bed before we came across you. The fact that you two make next to no physical contact unless you have to. The fact–" "This was a mistake. I'm going back inside." I got up, brushing the sand off my dress. "Don't leave. It would really upset me if you left." "Wow, because I care so much about whether I upset you or not." "Tobias would care." "No–" "He would care when his billion-dollar deal falls through because his wife couldn't be nice to some guy." I stared at him in disbelief. What the hell? "Are you being serious?" "Serious as a heart attack." "I think Tobias would also care when he finds out his business partner is a blackmailing prick?" "I think Tobias has his priorities straight." Of course he did. And even if he didn't, he wouldn't care about me. He wouldn't defend me and I knew it. "So what do you want?" "Just some tender love and care." He winked at me. I rolled my eyes in disgust. "Forget it. I don't care about some business deal. I'm not going to let you manipulate me. I'm going back inside." And with that, I left. I felt pretty proud of myself for being able to get myself out of that situation, but I was also scared. What if he actually did back out of the deal? Tobias would murder me. He would literally murder me. I guess I'd cross that bridge when I got there. I found Tobias sitting on a couch with Amelia all but sprawled on his lap. She looked really drunk, which made me kind of happy because she was kind of making a fool of herself. I went up to him. "Can we go home now?" "Not yet." "Please, Tobias... I really want to go home." I guess something in my face made me look desperate, because Tobias nodded and untangled himself from Amelia. He said his polite goodbyes before leading me back to the car. "I'm glad you and Kyle hit it off." "Ew, no we did not. He's a jerk." "Do you realize how much you use that word?" "Because most men are jerks these days." "I don't care what you think of him; if he's taken an interest in you then be polite." "Are you selling me?" "No. I'm just asking you to entertain him until I can get him to sign the contract." "Why is your business partner here on our honeymoon?" "I asked him to come out here. I don't have time to take a week off." "Wow. Thanks. Great to know my company is so appreciated." "You're always either eating or sleeping. That doesn't allow for much quality time." "As if you would want to spend any quality time with me." He chuckled, and I took that as confirmation. When we got back to our room, I realized we had a problem. "So where are you going to sleep?" I asked Tobias. "On the bed." "Wrong. I'm sleeping on the bed." "Funny, but I think you would fit better in one of the chairs." I jumped onto the bed quickly, spreading my body out so that I was covering as much of it as I could. "You're not even in your pyjamas." He smirked at me. Dammit. He was right. I was stuck in my tight uncomfortable dress. "It's okay. This is a comfortable dress." "I could easily carry you out of the bed you know." "I'd like to see you try." And he did try. And he was very successful. "Urgh!" He plopped down on the bed and it was only then that I realized he was shirtless. I couldn't help but stare. Just... damn. But then I remembered the matter at hand. "This is a pretty big bed you know. Just sleep on the other side," he offered. "I don't feel comfortable sleeping next to a stranger." He shrugged. "Have it your way." * I flipped over in the tiny cramped bathtub. This was my only alternative to sleeping next to Tobias. It was freezing and hard and I kept bumping my head against the faucet. I would surely have a huge bump on my skull by tomorrow. I glanced at my watch. 3:27 AM. I groaned. I sat up quietly and crept over to the bed. Tobias was on the very edge of the bed, looking peaceful in his sleep. It made him look more handsome, as if that was even possible. I laid down as far as I could from him, sighing when my body felt the warm softness of the plush bed. I was asleep within moments.

I woke up with my arms wrapped around a warm, breathing teddy bear. I snuggled closer, enjoying the warmth radiating from it. It was so hard though, not at all soft or fluffy. It reminded me of sleeping next to Jason... I ran my hand up and down the hard chest, realizing it was a human male's body, not a teddy bear. But if it wasn't Jason... Crap. Was I snuggling Tobias? I froze, listening to his perfectly timed and quiet breathing. It was nothing like Jason, who always did this cute snoring thing that had never failed to comfort me. I looked up at the face that was so close to my own, examining his features. His skin was so smooth, all the usual creases from his constant frowning gone, making him so much hotter. His eyebrows were dark and thick, the same for his eyelashes, which rested on the top of his sharp cheekbones in his sleep. His lips were a perfect berry color, plump and so soft looking but somehow still incredibly manly, maybe because of his ridiculously sharp jaw. He was so different from Jason in every way. Where Jason had always been extremely good looking in a way where he was just beautiful and angelic and rugged, Tobias was a drop-your-panties, cookie-cutter obvious type of attractive. When Jason got angry, he got violent, but it was always to protect others. He never did anything for his own benefit, but Tobias was cold and ruthless and all for himself. But the biggest difference: Jason was dead and Tobias was alive. Feeling the sudden urge to cry, I unwrapped my arms from around Tobias and flipped over, but my body missed his heat. I flipped over again to get closer to him, but changed my mind and turned the other way. "Stop moving," a voice said and I jumped, turning back to Tobias. His eyes were still closed and if he hadn't spoken I would have thought he was still asleep. "Sorry," I muttered. "So you decided to sleep on the bed after all." "Yeah, ah, the bathtub wasn't very comfortable." I flipped over again, finding it too hard to stop looking at his face. "Stop moving or get out, Talia." "Sorry, sorry." I turned back to him but kept my hands firmly to my side even though part of me wanted to snuggle into him again. He fell asleep again and I managed to as well; something about this was comforting. I woke up again after a couple of pings. What was that? I saw Tobias's phone vibrate on the desk. It rang again. I sighed and got up to shut it up, but couldn't help glancing at the text messages displayed on the screen. There were a few from Amelia that were obviously sent when she was drunk; there were some men texting him about some papers or a meeting or various other business-related things; there was one from Penelope asking how the trip was going and another with two heart emojis. And then there were two from Julia Steinway. Julia: I miss you, baby. Julia: I know she doesn't mean anything to you, but I hate it when you're with her. I put the phone down, not wanting to see anymore. My morning bliss was gone. I got into the shower and enjoyed the hot water until it was finished. Ha. Let's see how he likes freezing cold showers. I wrapped a towel around myself and ran out quickly to grab something to change into, which I forgot to do before. Thank God Tobias was still asleep. I grabbed a pair of denim shorts and a tight white tank top but wore one of my new swimsuits underneath. I was going swimming today. I wasn't sure whether I should wake Tobias up and ask him to come with me or whether I should leave him. It's not like I meant anything to him anyway, right? But still, I decided to invite him. It was his choice in the end, but this would be a nice opportunity to maybe have a real conversation? I went over to the bed and shook his firm shoulders slightly. "Tobias? Tobias, wake up." He groaned. "What is it?" "Do you want to go to the beach with me?" He opened his onyx eyes, the color shocking me all over again, and said, "You woke me up for that?" I sighed. "Why did I even bother? Nevermind, forget it. Bye." "Did I say no?" "No, but–" "So don't jump to conclusions. Give me a few minutes." He managed to take a shower and get changed in exactly 6 minutes, something that blew my mind. I would still be shampooing. "Let's go," he said when he came out of the bathroom. I all but drooled looking at him. He was wearing a thin white t-shirt and a pair of black bathing shorts that showed off his perfectly toned legs. His hair was still wet and disheveled and his eyes seemed darker, albeit brighter, than ever. If the business ever went bankrupt, he should definitely take up modeling. We walked to the beach nearby and the whole way girls were shamelessly staring at Tobias. A few of them were whispering after us, talking about how hot he was, and I wondered if he heard them. Why couldn't I be that hot? It didn't seem fair. We picked a spot and laid out towels and chairs. The moment we were done I stripped off my shorts and tank top and ran to the ocean, jumping in immediately. It had been so long since I had been swimming. Tobias had a pool at his house – our house? – but I had never used it. It had always seemed too daunting to commit to using someone else's pool. After a good twenty minutes of swimming around, I looked back to Tobias who was sitting on one of the beach chairs, oblivious to all the drooling stares he was getting. "Tobias!" I called out his name. He looked up from his phone. "What?" "Aren't you going to swim?" He shrugged but got up, taking his shirt off in what may as well be slow motion, at least that's what it felt like. I honestly saw one girl clutching her heart as Tobias disrobed, looking like she was about to faint. He waded into the ocean, the water splashing all over his taut body. When he got to where I was he said, "Why do you look so confused?" I quickly wiped off the expression of awe off my face. "No reason." He kind of just hung out in the ocean a bit, not really talking, not really swimming. This was kind of awkward... Something brushed my leg and I automatically assumed it was Tobias messing with me. "Don't do that." "Don't do what?" "Don't touch my legs when we're in the ocean. It scares me." "I didn't." "What do you mean you didn't? Something did." I started getting scared. Then whatever it was brushed my legs again and I knew it couldn't be a foot. It was long and slimy. I scream and jumped closer to Tobias. "It did it again." "It's just a sea creature, Talia." "What if it's a poisonous eel? A small shark? A jellyfish ?" "Then you would probably be in pain right now." "Well I'm not going to stay and wait for one to eat me. I'm getting out of here." I started swimming back and Tobias followed me, muttering something about what did I expect to happen in an ocean. When we were safely back on the shore we sat down under our umbrella, Tobias going back on his phone and me closing my eyes to bask in the sun. Crap! I had forgotten to put sunscreen on. I was going to burn so bad. I quickly took it out of my beach bag and applied it all over my body, doing the best I could with my back, but knowing there was next to nothing there. Oh well. I guess I'll just have to turn my back away from the sun– "Do you need help?" I looked over at Tobias who was still tapping on his phone. "Yeah, that would be great." "What would be great?" he asked. "You just offered to help me put sunscreen on my back...?" "No, that was me, sweetheart." I looked to the left where I hadn't seen Kyle standing there staring at me like a creep. I grabbed a towel and covered myself up from his stare. "No thanks. I think I'm good." "Just let him help you, Talia. You're going to burn." I glared at Tobias. Seriously? Kyle grabbed the bottle of sunscreen and sat on the edge of my chair, slathering a bunch on my back before I could move away. "Ugh! Now I just have a big blop of sunscreen." But then he started rubbing it slowly into my back, like he was giving me a massage. I smacked his arm away and turned over. Kyle whistled. " Damn , Anderson. Your wife is really something." "Ew!" I got up to find something else to do, but Kyle grabbed my arm. I can't believe I thought he was a nice guy at first. I looked over at Tobias to see if he was seeing this, but he was still on his phone. That man is addicted. "Let go." "The yacht is leaving in five minutes." "Like hell am I going on your yacht." "No, we're going," Tobias said. So now he speaks up? "Try and make me."