Commitment: The Beauty in Between (A Beautiful Series Novella)

by Lilliana Anderson

  Katrina

  Today David is out doing wedding stuff. His actual words when I questioned him about it were ‘wouldn’t you like to know’. He then winked at me, grinned and walked out of the apartment without me. So it’s obviously wedding stuff.

  While I’m loving the excitement of it all, I’m dying to have some sort of information. It’s like everyone around me has a secret and I’m left out of it. I only last fifteen minutes alone in the apartment before I go snooping. There has to be something in this house that will tell me what he’s planning.

  First, I look through his drawers. I’m careful not to mess anything up, but besides some mobile phone and internet bills, I can’t find anything.

  Pressing my lips together, I look around the apartment and try to think about where he would hide something. It dawns on me that he might use the same hiding places I would and I go through the hall closet. I’m not too careful looking through here as I can at least claim I was cleaning up if he notices things are moved… but nothing.

  “Hmmm,” I say to myself. “If I was a secret wedding planned by David. Where would I hide?”

  I have a light bulb moment and go into the office. We both use the office so there’s no way he’d leave a paper trail in here, although I do a quick check anyway while I wait for the computer to power up. Immediately I open up the browser and pull up the history. Surely there will be something in there that will tell me what he’s planning.

  My mouth drops open and my heart sinks. All I find is page after page talking about getting married in Vegas.

  “Oh no,” I breathe, my hand covering my mouth. This isn’t what I wanted. Why would he do this?

  David

  “You are so predictable,” I say from the doorway behind her. I’ve just walked in and she was so engrossed in spying on me that she didn’t hear me come through the door.

  The moment she hears my voice she jumps in her seat and spins around to face me.

  “David! I… I ah…” she stammers, trying to shut down the screen and explain herself at the same time.

  “We’re not getting married in Vegas Trina,” I tell her.

  “What? We’re not?” Her face is bright red from being caught out, but the relief is obvious.

  “No princess. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

  “But what about all the websites? Were you thinking about it?”

  “No not at all. I did that on purpose because I knew you’d spy. You won’t find a single detail about our wedding Trina. There is such a thing as an inPrivate browser. You won’t find anything here.”

  “Come on David. You’re killing me. Just give me something.”

  I move closer to her and kneel at her feet, taking her hands in my own as I look into her eyes.

  “Do you want me to tell you all about the wedding?”

  “Um… yeah, I do. I can’t stand not knowing anymore.”

  For a few moments I study her expectant face, she’s beautiful like this, her eyes shining with interest and her expression slightly creased from her stress. I reach up and smooth my fingers over her forehead which causes her to relax her frown, then I rise up a little higher on my knees and press our lips together. Then I whisper. “No.”

  Her head jerks back. “No?!”

  “No. I’m not going to tell you.” I push up to standing and lean down to kiss her on the top of her head. “You’ll just have to wait.” I stride out of the office and head towards the kitchen. “I’m making a coffee. Do you want one?” I call out.

  “I hate you!” she calls after me.

  “No you don’t,” I laugh. “You love me. True love forever remember? You drew the symbol enough times in your wedding album. I don’t think you can go back on that.”

  She appears in the doorway of the kitchen behind me. “You’re right. I do love you. Even though you’re a shit stirrer who won’t even tell me the date of my wedding.”

  “Well princess, you’re going to know it when you see it. I can promise you that much.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Katrina

  The weather is starting to warm up and David and I are heading to Bondi beach to enjoy sun and the sand. It was all my idea, so no wedding surprise today. It’s just me and my man, spending some quality time together.

  Since we moved to Surrey Hills, we’ve come to the beach a fair few times, although David still isn’t interested in surfing. I think he’d look really hot in a wetsuit, pulled down around his waist as he strolls along the beach with a board under his arm. It gives me shivers just thinking about it. But he’s adamant that surfing isn’t his thing.

  “You’re lucky I swim at the beach. There’s freakin’ blue bottles, jelly fish and sharks to worry about close to shore. Why the hell would I want to swim even further out to surf? God only knows what’s lurking around out there.”

  His fear of ocean animals makes me laugh. He would take down anyone or anything in his bid to protect me, but he’s scared of a blue bottle sting. Instead, he’s happy to spend most of his day laying on a towel and reading. He had to get a pair of reading glasses while we were still uni, so I love it when he reads, especially on weekends when he hasn’t shaved. There’s something about seeing him with his hair stylishly messy, his face scruffy and a pair of glasses that is so appealing to me.

  “You should surf because it would mean that you were a definitely going to get lucky once we got home - especially after I’ve sat around watching you all day.”

  “Princess, you can’t keep your hands off me,” he grins, looking at me over the top of his glasses. “I’m lucky all the time.”

  I laugh and flick him with some sand and he gives me a half amused, half unimpressed look as it clings to the sun cream on his chest and refuses to move.

  “Come and swim with me, I’ll wash it off for you,” I suggest.

  He raises his eyebrows and lets his eyes wander over my bikini clad body. My body tingles under his gaze and I half think that maybe we should go home and shower together instead.

  “David, Katrina. Hi,” a voice says from above us. I cover my eyes against the sun and look up to see Elliot standing in front of us, clad in a pair of board shorts and nothing else. His chest is still as defined as it always was. He really looks like he belongs on the beach, or at least on a billboard advertising it.

  Behind him is Paige who is wearing a simple black string bikini that has little gold embellishments on the ends of the ties. With her curves, she looks amazing in it. I can see her standing right next to him in that billboard ad.

  Looking at her body, I feel like I’m all bones and hard angles in my own royal blue Seafolly bikini, although I have to admit, this one makes me look like I have curves. The bodice is ruched, and twists in the middle to make you look a little fuller in the chest, and the bottoms are topped with a little ruffle that kind of gives me hips. So I shake the tiny insecurity away. I’m fine in my own skin.

  “Hi,” David and I say in unison. No one speaks for a beat until I ask, “Where’s Grace?”

  “Oh she’s with my dad and his wife Erica,” Elliot tells us.

  “I think she might be taking her for hair extensions,” Paige puts in. She’s smiling, so I wonder if perhaps she doesn’t hate me after all.

  “Seriously?” I say, crinkling my nose up.

  “No,” Elliot laughs. “She just spoils her rotten and Paige likes to joke about it.”

  “Oh. Ok.” I laugh a little. It sounds forced. I don’t know how to take Paige yet.

  “So, um, mum tells me she’s having a BBQ between your family and ours at the beginning of December,” Elliot starts. “I was going to call you and maybe say hi. Get the ball rolling on this ‘getting along’ thing. But we saw you here and thought we’d come over instead.”

  We all kind of just nod and look at each other, not really knowing what to say until David comes to everyone’s rescue.

  “Listen, we were just about to go and get an ice-cream or a cold drink from across the street. You want to
join us?” David says. I slide my eyes over to him – no we weren’t.

  “Um. Sure, that’d be ok,” Elliot says glancing at Paige who isn’t showing any obvious yes or no signs.

  David

  Everyone seems fine heading off to get something to eat and drink together. I know it’s a little odd, but I figure we’re obviously going to see them or run into them occasionally. Especially when you consider how close Kathy and Carol are - it’s inevitable that we’re going to be in the same room. We may as well make friends as far as I’m concerned.

  “So how’s life in the legal world?” Elliot asks me as we cross the busy street via the zebra crossing.

  “It’s busy. I like it though. I get all my arguing out at work so I’m pretty calm outside the office,” I laugh.

  “What area did you go in to?”

  “Employment law. I’m all about fighting the good fight for the little guy, although half the time I find myself assigned to a case where we’re fighting for the multi-million dollar company. But such is life huh.”

  “Yeah, I can definitely relate. You start off with great intentions and you get stuck doing what you’re told – good or bad.”

  I nod my head in agreement. “How about you? How’s life as a personal trainer?”

  “It’s great. I really enjoy it actually. I take a lot of clients here actually and run them along the shoreline. It’s a pretty nice office.”

  “I reckon. I think I chose the wrong profession.”

  We laugh a little and continue an easy conversation. I can tell that he’s doing the same thing I am though, we’re both half listening to each other and half listening to our other halves behind us.

  Katrina

  “Listen, I know it was a while ago now. But I really wanted to say that I’m sorry for mentioning the photos at your welcome home BBQ. I really didn’t mean anything. I was just nervous and well, I kind of started talking and couldn’t really stop,” I laugh uneasily.

  Paige glances at me and wrinkles her nose slightly. “It’s ok. That was a really hard day. I was jet lagged and at the time. I still didn’t like people seeing it. It was very private to me for a long time.”

  “You obviously don’t mind now,” I say nodding towards the bare skin on her back.

  “No. I wear it proudly now,” she smiles. There’s a pause and I wonder if I should ask more questions, but she changes the subject. “So Elliot tells me you’re a lawyer.”

  “Yeah, a solicitor. I work in a little office focusing mainly on family law. It’s a bit like living in a soap opera half the time. You can’t imagine what goes on in half of these marriages. So many secrets.” I tell her widening my eyes and shaking my head as I think about the stories I hear.

  “Oh, I can imagine. Everyone has their secrets. I’m a hairdresser by trade and you wouldn’t believe the things clients like to tell me. It’s like I’m a confessional or something. I don’t get it, but they love sharing their problems with me.”

  “Really? You know, I’ve never been chatty at the hairdressers. Is that bad?”

  “No. Not at all. You’d be a good client, we could actually focus on cutting your hair.”

  We laugh a little together, the atmosphere between us much easier than it was the first time we met.

  David and Elliot wait up for us to enter the ice-cream shop and we split off into pairs while we order and then go back outside to where there are a few tables and chairs.

  “So I hear you two are getting married soon,” Elliot comments between licks of his ice-cream.

  “Soon?” I say immediately, hoping to get some information out of him before David silences him, but I don’t get the chance

  “Don’t breathe a word to her. It’s all a surprise.” David butts in.

  “Oh wow! So you have no idea what’s going to happen?” asks Paige.

  “No. I don’t have a clue. I don’t even know what my dress looks like.”

  Paige’s mouth drops open. “Seriously?”

  “Yep. I know that it’s possibly strapless and made out of swishy sounding material and zips up in the back – that’s it.”

  “I blindfolded her and took her for a dress fitting,” David informs them casually, like it’s a completely normal thing for someone to do. Although we exchange knowing glances, each of remembering how wonderful that day was for us.

  “You are one very brave man,” Elliot laughs.

  “Very,” Paige agrees.

  We sit around talking easily for while after our ice-creams are finished. I think we’d talk for longer but Elliot’s phone goes off.

  “That’s dad,” he says to Paige. “They’re on their way back to ours with Grace.”

  “Alright, we’d better start walking,” Paige says standing.

  “Oh you’re not far from here?” David asks.

  “Yeah, I used to live around here when I first met you guys, but I moved out for a while. Dad kept the place though and when Paige and I got married, he and his wife did up the old flat and gave it to us a wedding gift.”

  “Really? That’s amazing.” I say. “So you’re talking to your dad again?”

  “Yeah. Yeah, we’re all good now.”

  “That’s really good to hear,” I smile, and I mean it.

  “Well, we’d better go. It was really great talking to you both,” Paige says with a smile as she slips her hand into Elliot’s palm. “Perhaps you can come and see the flat some time? I’m sure you’d be really surprised at how different it is Katrina. I saw photos of it before and you wouldn’t recognise it.” It surprises me that she’s being so welcoming and I don’t say anything at first. I just smile and nod.

  David rescues me though - I’m pretty sure he can read my mind and knows what I want to say more often than I do. “We’d love to.” He stands up and shakes Elliot’s hand then leans over to kiss Paige on the cheek. I do the same except I just give cheek kisses. It’s like we’ve all known each other for ages. Things are feeling a little more normal between us now.

  “Do you still think she hates you?” David enquires as we watch them walk, hand in hand down the street.

  “No, and what’s more shocking is – I actually think I like her.”

  He chuckles and puts his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer and kissing my head.

  “My Katrina, actually getting along well with a girl. I think I’ve seen it all now,” he jokes. I elbow him playfully, although it’s true, I do really struggle making friends with other girls.

  Chapter Thirteen

  David

  Disaster has struck. I left work today and the first thing that greeted me was a message on my phone, informing me that the celebrant can’t make it on the date I’ve booked everything for. Some sort of family obligation has come up.

  My chest grips. I’m having a slight panic and when I meet Trina by the car to drive home, I almost tell her everything, just to share the burden.

  “What’s wrong?” she asks me, concern etching lines in her face as she regards me.

  I open my mouth, but no sound comes out, and I’m grateful for that. If I tell her one thing, I won’t be able to stop. It will ruin everything. I clamp my mouth shut and press my lips firmly together.

  The message said that I’d been emailed a list of other people who might be available, so I’ll spend the weekend calling all of them, and pray that one of them will agree to do it. But it’s getting so close to the date now. I’m petrified that this might be the one thing that can stop this from happening.

  It’s times like this I wish we lived in America and could have a friend or family member ordained via the internet. But it doesn’t work like that here. There are only so many licensed marriage celebrants available. Everything has to be done the right way to make the marriage legal. No corners can be cut.

  If no one can do it, I’ll have to cancel everything. That trip to Vegas is looking like it might become a reality after all.

  Katrina

  Something is going on and David won’t te
ll me what it is. It’s obviously something to do with the wedding. I ask him and he just says that he’ll deal with it - he’s not breathing a word.

  Although, there is a moment when I think he’s going to share something with me. He looks at me, his face warring with his emotions as his mouth moves like he’s trying to form words. My heart leaps up in my throat. I’m both nervous and excited. I want to know. I want to be able to help him. But he shakes his head quickly, like he’s shaking the thoughts away, and tells me not to worry before getting the car and driving home without saying a word.

  I rest my hand on his thigh and move my fingers soothingly as I worry. Of course I’m worried. Even though l have no idea what I’m worrying about.

  Chapter Fourteen

  David

  Christmas time is upon us and so are the usual round of family BBQs. As Elliot mentioned, we’ve been invited to Kathy and Steve’s house in early December. Carol and Kathy have been taking turns hosting since they became good friends. Last year we were at Carol’s so logically it’s at Kathy’s this year.

  After running into Paige and Elliot at the beach that day, I’m not dreading it is much as I thought I would. Hanging out with the guy who used to sleep with your fiancée still isn’t the most comfortable thing in the world, but if Paige can handle Katrina then I can handle Elliot. Besides, he is actually a pretty nice guy.

  As strange as this all is, I’m really glad Katrina’s mum has found a good friend like Kathy. None of us have a lot of family, so she believes in spending quality time with close friends. I understand that, but I just wish there wasn’t that link there. It would be a lot easier to just pretend no one has ever been with Katrina before me.

  Whether I like it or not, we’re linked through family, so I figure that I have to make the most of it. We all got along really well at Bondi. I’m sure we can all be friends.

  Katrina

  Even though we had a great time with Paige and Elliot when we ran into them at Bondi, I still kind of feel like the death march should be playing as we drive down Kathy’s street. The beach was over a month ago now, and while we said we’d catch up soon, none of us has made a call and actually done anything about it.