Chapter 106 Broken Waves
Godiva POV
In less than ten minutes, they returned with swimsuits and goggles.
“Girl, you sure you don’t want to explore this beauty?” Dina beamed, pointing excitedly at the beach stretching before us.
“Nope, you have fun,” I declined casually, pulling out the novel I had slipped into my bag earlier.
“What book is that?” Dina asked, squinting suspiciously at the cover in my hand.
“A Hundred Ways to Get Men,” I read aloud dramatically from the title page.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Jerald turn and stare at me, but I ignored him completely. The title of the book was nothing like its actual content. It was simply a romantic novel about a girl on a quest for love, meeting different men before finally settling for one.
Taking her swimsuit from Ben, Dina hurried toward the changing room, which was just a stone throw away from us.
Minutes later, she stepped out looking pretty and sexy in her swimsuit, earning whistles from Ben as they all headed toward the water.
I watched Jerald, Dina, and Ben walk toward the beach with the kind of exotic confidence that belonged in a movie scene. Quickly, I pulled out my phone and recorded a short slow motion video of them. The entire thing gave me the vibe of an action movie intro.
I watched with admiration as Ben and Dina played freely in the water while Jerald remained seated on the sand, casually throwing stones and observing them from afar.
I couldn’t even read the novel I brought. I only packed it as a distraction from Jerald, but that plan failed terribly since my eyes kept drifting back to him every few seconds. A small part of me missed him. Missed the energetic version of him that always found a way to annoy me and make me smile at the same time.
While I stared, Jerald suddenly got up and began walking toward the cabana.
Immediately, I buried my face inside the book, pretending to read seriously before he reached me.
“Hey,” he greeted softly, dropping beside me.
“Div,” he called again when I ignored him the first time, his voice carrying a teasing edge.
“Hey, Jerald,” I replied casually, pretending not to have heard him earlier. “I didn’t notice when you came in,” I added, acting completely clueless.
“Yeah, you were obviously caught up in your novel,” he scoffed sarcastically, handing me a can of drink he had just popped open.
“Thank you,” I smiled lightly, accepting the drink from him.
“Care for some snacks?” he offered, tearing open a bag of chips before tossing it onto the futon between us.
“Who says no to chips?” I grinned, quickly grabbing the bag from the futon.
“You said no to swimming. Who would’ve thought you’d say no to that too?” he teased between laughter before taking a sip from his grape drink.
“You looked so excited to swim but ended up watching others instead. Why?” I asked calmly, finally turning my attention fully to him.
“So, I guess you couldn’t take your eyes off me,” he smirked proudly.
“Who says I couldn’t take my eyes off you?” I fired back instantly, tossing my face away dramatically.
“You just said it. If your eyes weren’t on me, how did you know I didn’t get into the water?” he pointed out victoriously, his smile widening from ear to ear.
“Well, your body is dry. There’s not even a sign of water, so...” I countered smugly, looking very accomplished with myself.
“Ouch, that hurts,” he groaned playfully, clutching his chest in fake pain.
That alone made me smile. It honestly felt like I hadn’t seen that smile in forever.
Silence slowly settled between us as we sat there sipping our drinks while admiring the lovebirds, Ben and Dina, who seemed completely lost in their own tiny world of romance.
“Div...” Jerald suddenly called, his tone unusually serious, a tone I hadn’t heard from him in a very long time.
“Yep,” I answered nonchalantly, my eyes still fixed on the beach.
“I’m deeply sorry for dragging you into my mess. The fact you won the competition makes me feel relieved a little since your mama wouldn’t be involved in the issue. I’m happy about that,” he confessed heavily before taking a deep breath. “I hope you’d be able to forgive me now,” he finished quietly as a tear slid down his cheek.
I turned toward him in shock. Tears were the last thing I expected from Jerald.
“I forgave you the minute I heard we won the competition, since I wasn’t getting suspended again,” I replied calmly, trying to sound collected despite the tension in my chest.
“If you’ve forgiven me like you claim, why the attitude then?” Jerald questioned gently, turning fully toward me before taking my hands into his palms and caressing them softly.
“I’ve forgiven you, and that’s true, but this thing between us can’t go on,” I stated coldly, pulling my hands away from his grip. “We can’t just sweep everything under the rug and pretend nothing happened,” I added firmly, sitting upright.
“Please don’t give up on us. I promise I’d never do anything to bring harm your way or even hurt you,” Jerald pleaded desperately, moving closer with tears gathered in his eyes.
“I’ve already given up on us, and you won’t blame me. Once can be a mistake, but more than once isn’t a mistake, Jerald,” I muttered painfully, lowering my voice.
“And I’m pleading just for one last chance,” Jerald insisted emotionally, trying to reach for my hand again.
“Do you know what hurts most? It’s the fact you asked Hakeem to take that picture,” I burst out furiously, my voice rising sharply.
“I never did, I promise you. You can ask Hakeem yourself,” Jerald defended quickly, sounding painfully sincere.
“This isn’t something for you to deny, Jerald. Lis said it to your face and my face at the principal’s office,” I snapped agitatedly.
“Believe me this once, Zhin, I really didn’t. I know the picture looked like I was aware, but honestly, I wasn’t,” Jerald insisted helplessly.
“Well, what does it matter now? It’s no longer important, plus I’m tired of all the drama,” I sighed tiredly, resting my back against the massage chair again.
“To show my sincerity, I called off my engagement with Lis after this saga,” Jerald revealed suddenly.
Before I could even process his words, he slowly went down on his knees in front of me.