Chapter sixty two

Chapter sixty two


Arielle

I stared out the window as Drayton continued to speed down the deserted road. We've been on this road for about twenty minutes, but it didn't seem we would be reaching our destination any time soon.

I didn't know what I was thinking when I agreed to go with him without asking questions about our destination.

Right.

He had kissed me breathlessly and told me just how much he wanted me. You'd think I would be more careful around men after what I just caught my father doing.

I knew Drayton wasn't like that. He might've hurt me in several ways in the past, but he wasn't my father. I felt safe with him, safe enough to head into nowhere in the middle of the night with him. It didn't even take much convincing because I trusted him.

Knowing that was supposed to scare me, but surprisingly, it didn't. I began senior year hoping that nothing would change because of my sickness, that he wouldn't change. But he had. And I didn't hate it.

It was refreshing to be with him without us being at each other's throat. I loved having Drayton as a friend, if that's what we were. He wasn't my boyfriend for sure, but friends don't make out with each other. They certainly don't ‘almost’ fuck each other.

It struck me that I had no idea what my relationship with Drayton was. For the first time in my life, I was with someone just because.

I turned away from the window and almost flinched at the scowl on Drayton's face. He was definitely pissed about something. I contemplated asking him about it or just pretending I didn't notice.

Argh! Screw it!

We would probably be stuck in this car for a while. I didn't want my only companion to be a pissed off man.

“Are you planning to kidnap me and murder me?” I asked, making an attempt to lighten the mood.

His expression changed within the blink of an eye and he snorted. He glanced at me for a second with a soft emotion in his eyes. His gaze lingered on my face and his smile slowly faded.

“Trust me, it's not your murder I'm plotting.” He said in a strained rone.

I realized after a second that he had been staring at the red marks on my face. I couldn't figure out why he cared so much about them.

Sure, he told me he cared about me a lot, and that he wanted me, but those weren't enough reasons for him to look this murderous because someone hurt me.

I decided to change the subject before I started reading into things that didn't exist. And I needed to kill these butterflies inside my stomach.

“So where are we going anyway? We've been on the road for a while and it's getting really dark.”

His lips curved into a rare, genuine smile. I drank in the sight of how perfect it looked on him.

Drayton rarely smiles, but when he did, it was magical. And it certainly didn't help that I was trying to not be smitten by him.

“Somewhere I think you'll really like.” He replied.

Few minutes after that, Drayton parked the car in front of a cabin and we stepped out. It looked just like a normal cabin, but I couldn't help but feel there was something different about it.

“What is this place?” I asked while taking in the surroundings.

Drayton stretched his hand out and I took it. I couldn't help but notice how seamless our fingers treaded together, like this was the most normal thing ever.

“I'll show you.” he said with a smile that made my heart flutter.

He gently tugged me towards the wooden house. As soon as I stepped in, I was struck breathless. The cabin looked so simple from the outside, but the inside was not something I expected.

Moonlight cascaded into the room, dancing off the polished wood walls and casting gentle shadows. A stone fireplace sat crackling quietly in the corner, keeping the inside warm despite the chilling cold.

Everything in this place whispered warmth, calm, and a sense of safety.

“This is… beautiful.” I murmured as I took it all in.

Drayton didn’t answer at first. His gaze swept over the room with an undecipherable expression.

“Yeah… it was,” he said finally, his voice distant, almost as if he were speaking to a memory instead of me.

I opened my mouth to ask, but before I could speak, he reached for my hand again.

“I wanna show you something.”

He led me through the cabin and out the back door. The sound of waves crashing hit me as we stepped out. A gasp left my lips as I beheld the view.

“Oh my God…” I breathed.

I've seen so many beautiful and expensive things in my life, mansions, glass towers, but this, I've never seen anything like this before.

The beach stretched out before us, illuminating by something I couldn't understand.

The sand glistened like it was scattered with stars glowing softly, sputtering as each wave rolled in. The light shimmered like the ocean was breathing stardust.

I didn’t know if it was science or magic, or if the universe had just decided to give us a moment suspended in time. The sight was breathtaking.

“My dad built this place for my mom as a birthday gift.” Drayton said softly.

“She always loved the stars so he found a beach where the tide reflects the sky at night. It only happens on certain nights. She used to call them ‘falling stars in reverse.” he laughed.

“She always claimed being here calmed her whenever she was ‘on edge’, whatever that means.”

He kept his eyes on the water, probably to hide the pain in his eyes, but his rigid posture told me enough.

I moved closer to him and clasped my hand with his. I placed my head on his shoulder and gently stroke his arm. His posture slowly loosened.

We stayed like that for a while, just listening to the waves and enjoying the cool night breeze.

“Are you really not going to tell me what happened to your face?” He asked, but I sensed a bit of hesitation in his tone.

“You're never gonna let that go, are you?” I snorted.

“You know I can't do that.”

I took a step back and tucked my hair behind my ear.

“You might wanna sit down for this one. My legs are aching.” I sunk to the ground and patted the sand beside me.

Drayton looked like he would argue for a second, but released a sigh and sat down. He arched an eyebrow in question.

“I went back to see my father today and saw something I want to scratch out of my memory…”

I told Drayton everything that happened tonight, about the lawsuit, Marietta and my dad's affair, I even told him the incident that led to us moving out of the house.

When I was done, it felt like this huge weight had been lifted off my chest. I had kept it all bottled up for weeks now, I didn't even confide in my best friend.

I was trying so hard not to focus on my feelings to avoid another panic attack. But right now, it felt good to finally re
welive myself of that burden.

I didn't even realize I was crying until Drayton wiped the tears from my face. He placed his hand around me and held me tightly to himself.

I let out the tears I held back for the past few hours while Drayton held me tight through everything. He never once let out a sign of discomfort. He ran his fingers through my hair in a soothing manner. I calmed down soon after that.

“I'll never let anyone hurt you anymore.” Drayton said after I got my emotions under control.

I didn't know why but when he
said that, it felt like the truth I had been waiting for my entire life. I didn't think twice before saying,

“I know.”