Marbella Truth

by Shel Stone

  Astoundingly, he’d gone home alone. Nothing had struck him as worth the effort. Plus, he’d been drunk and miserable. There was also a memory of him telling some guy from Leeds that the girl of his dreams was pregnant to some other guy. They’d commiserated.

  How had Solraya turned into the girl of his dreams anyway? Her legs to start with. Her face, her confidence, and most of all, her personality. She was just awesome. He loved the way she laughed. How easily she laughed. She just shone. It really had been love at first sight. The moment she’d walked out into the backyard at the Aussie girls’ house, he’d been gobsmacked.

  And she made him feel like a nervous wreck the times he’d clumsily tried to take her out without making it seem like he was taking her out.

  And she was pregnant. You couldn’t tell by looking at her. Her belly would swell. Was it odd that he found that erotic?

  Shifting over, he blinked with the bright sun, but his head settled. The hangover wasn’t so bad that he had to stay in bed all day. Most likely he was just dehydrated. Maybe he should learn to play golf. He just didn’t have the kind of mates he could do that with. Back home, all his mates were related to drinking. They never did anything else together.

  As before, his thoughts always drifted back to Solraya, wondering what she was doing today. She wasn’t working. Picking up his phone, he got ready to message her, but when the cursor blinked, he had no idea what to say. Want to do something?

  I am doing something, he heard back.

  What? And can I join you?

  Catching up with friends. Too late to join.

  What friends? Was it a crowd of really awesome people? Why couldn’t he be there?

  Nothing else came through from Solraya, and he didn’t want to pester her, so he called his mum instead, who was delighted to hear from him, and asked if he was on his way, because he only called when he was coming back to London. That made him feel a bit shit, because he hadn’t been all that good at being in touch.

  After a conversation about the shocking prices at Sainsburys and a general raking over what the cousins were doing, they hung up.

  The idea of calling Aggie arose, but since the Esme thing, he thought it best to stay away from the whole group for a while. Corey was working.

  Maybe he should chase up the whole golf thing. Corey would probably know someone who could teach him.

  Fuck he was bored. The only place he wanted to be was where Solraya was. If he had some idea, he’d probably stalk her right then. Maybe he was putting out that vibe, which was why she was aloof with him. But then there was something about her that was always aloof, just that bit out of reach.

  How could he be scared away from the coolest girl he’d ever met because she was pregnant? Obviously things were going to change for her. Big changes. The alternative was to stay just like this and keep doing this. Maybe eventually go out with some girl that didn’t drive him nuts, or accidentally end up in a relationship with another of Aggie’s friends. Solraya still won that comparison.

  Chapter 41

  PUTTING HIS COMPUTER TO SIDE, Tristan watched the clouds below him stretching as far as the entirety of his view, but there was also sun which he hadn’t seen for a few days. It reminded him of Marbella, and Samara. The romance with her had taken him by surprise, but he wasn’t at all displeased by what he’d uncovered with her.

  How it would develop was something he couldn’t put his finger on, and knowing how things would develop was core to what he did. Uncertainty made him uncomfortable. The same was true with his sister to some extent. It was all bringing uncertainty into his life, but as opposed to his sister and her activities, Samara was much more compelling.

  It wasn't often one found a woman one connected with. There was definitely something there, more than a fleeting romance. Or perhaps it wasn’t. There had been no statement from her about what her intentions were. He’d learned not to make assumptions on behalf of other people. It had kept him in good stead.

  There was also something to be said for making happen what one wanted, and the question was just that: what did he want?

  History had made him cautious about women, about relationships. Too many times he’d been disappointed by the women he’d dated. When it came to wealth, women were often very obliging, to the point where they hid much about themselves. Quite a number of times, he’d learnt that the person he’d been sold had turned out to be wildly distorted.

  But Samara wasn’t selling. She took what she wanted. He just wasn’t sure if she wanted more than a night of passion in St. Mortiz. And really, if there was a place to have a night of passion, it was hard to argue it wasn’t the appropriate spot.

  Perhaps she didn’t know. There was a similar caution in her, as if people had let her down and she wasn’t willing to rush into anything. He understood. Then again, there he went, making assumptions. Best to have her state exactly what she wanted, and for that he had to get to know her better.

  Speaking of, he picked up the phone attached to his seat and asked his assistant to put him through to her.

  “Tristan,” Samara said softly as they were connected, reminding him of the sound she’d made when they’d been together. “How are you?”

  “As well as can be. I am currently heading back to Zurich.”

  “Your sister said something about you being out and about.”

  Samara had been speaking to Percy, it seemed. Perhaps not surprising as they were friends. Had they discussed what had happened in St. Moritz? The idea made him uncomfortable. His romances weren’t the kind of topic he ever discussed with his sister. “One must do what one must.”

  “I hope we’ll see you back in Marbella soon.”

  “In a few days,” he said. Truthfully, he wouldn’t be going back if it wasn’t required by legal implications related to the will. It was the only thing that made it necessary and prudent to be there, but now there was also something that made it interesting. “Would I dare hope you would be willing to have a drink with me?”

  There was silence down the phone for a moment. “One drink never hurt anyone.”

  A statement he wasn’t entirely sure he agreed with. Much could be accomplished with one drink if the mind was set. Could he seduce Samara with one drink? He wasn’t sure. Seducing her may not be in line with what he wanted. It was actually how he wanted to appear in her mind that was more important. How did he want her to see him? Certainly not as someone she used for a bit of fun.

  It occurred to him that he actually had deeper hopes for this attraction. He wanted more.

  “And how is my sister?” Since the solicitors had become involved, distance had grown between them. In fact, they hadn’t spoken. What was there to speak about when she had effectively set them up as adversaries?

  “Well, it seems. Although she appears a little stressed. She states that you have been beastly to her.”

  The statement was jarring and Samara was judging him on how he responded. “Ah, is that what she said? My sister has a habit of acting against other people and then claiming persecution.”

  “Family can be complicated.”

  “Yes, unfortunately. We had a very simple plan, but Percy had to make it complicated by not sticking to it.” It was interesting how Percy was going around and claiming she was being badly treated, especially as she was the one who moved against their unity. She’d conducted the same kind of thing when they were children, trying to curry favour by claiming to be picked on. It was a habit he’d thought she’d grown out of, but she was doing the exact same juvenile thing now.

  And interestingly, she was stating these things to Samara, which could be an attack on a personal level. That was new. Percy’s defection could be understood when it came to legal issues. Not embraced, but understood, but a personal attack was something else entirely. “Was she aware of there being... a friendship between us?”

  “I did mention something. I’m not sure she entirely embraced the idea. She changed the subject.”

  His mind
working, Tristan tried to work through what she could mean by such action. On some level, he’d thought she’d encourage an exploration that could lead to something very interesting. “Would it give you reservations if Percy didn’t approve?”

  “She didn’t say anything of the sort. Perhaps she thought it best not to interfere in something that isn’t really more than a dinner together, as far as she knows.” So Samara had not gone into any details, or eluded that there had been more than a dinner between them that night. “But to answer your question. If the heart is set, then one must listen to one’s heart rather than to other people’s opinions.”

  It seemed Samara would forgo the friendship for a relationship she believed in.

  “What is a friendship if it doesn’t support the most important connection in one’s life?” she continued.

  “And if all of your friends hated me?” he asked with a smile. “Would you forgo them?”

  “My, you are presumptuous. But if all of my friends hated someone I was seeing, then I would be wise to listen to them. I do trust my friends’ judgement, particularly in things where the heart can overrule the head. It never turns out well when the heart and head are in discord.”

  “You are not one to be swept away by your heart?”

  “The heart can be foolish, and I am too wary to be foolish.”

  He understood her caution, but she was still willing to try. Like him, she was adamant it would be with the right person. Instead of the thousand ways of heartache with the wrong person. “Perhaps that is wise.”

  The more he spoke with her, the more he liked her. There was no coyness about her, or if there was, she was supremely good at acting like there wasn’t.

  Chapter 42

  INNS DIDN’T KNOW WHAT to do. Maybe he should go back to the UK, but he didn’t have his passport on him. And it was a little overly dramatic. Equally, he didn’t want to go back to the Fellworths and suffer through another round of Annabel trying to manage him through this. They’d broken up. How many times did he have to say they should break up? Granted he hadn’t been completely specific in saying he was breaking up with her right that minute.

  It didn’t matter, though, because Annabel wouldn’t accept it. He knew how she was. When she didn’t want something, she just refused to acknowledge it until she had her way. It was one of the ways she was utterly unreasonable, and now she was being unreasonable with him.

  And all that was a massive excuse not to think about Esme, but somehow, he’d come here the first chance he’d gotten. And within five minutes had admitted he was in love with her. He really was a shit person.

  “I should leave,” he said, but couldn’t make himself move out of the chair. Because if he stayed, things would happen. It was just how things were between them.

  “Then leave,” she replied. How could she look so good in just simple shorts and a small top. He really shouldn’t be there. He knew he shouldn’t be there. She was the reason for all this, the cause. No, that wasn’t entirely true. Him and Esme was something entirely different from his relationship with Annabel.

  “Do you want me to?”

  A slight chuckle escaped her as she looked down. “Was that to with one ‘o’ or two?”

  Inns sighed. Both.

  His phone buzzed and Annabel’s face stared at him when he got it out of his pocket. There seemed real anger and aggression beneath the serene smile of her photo. It was amazing how context coloured something. She hung up and then rang again.

  Putting the phone on silent, he put it back in his pocket. He felt the vibration from the voicemail messages come through, and then further ringing.

  Esme sat quietly. “So what are you going to do?”

  “That is a loaded question right now, but what I do know is that I broke up with her and drove here. To you.”

  His phone vibrated again.

  “Maybe you need to figure out what it is you want, Inns.”

  “It’s not a question of what I want. It’s what I should do.”

  “Well, maybe you need to deal with that situation,” she said, pointing at his pocket.

  “I’ve tried to, but she’s not happy.”

  “No girl is ever happy when you break up with them.”

  For a moment, he felt like a dick, because he was the cause of this, and he’d done it in the most messy way possible. Truthfully, he hadn’t planned on doing it, but he didn’t regret it either. Looking back at it now, he’d known he hadn’t been happy in the relationship. Annabel was exactly the kind of girl he was supposed to be with, but he was a mess.

  Esme had to think he was an utter nutter, with the train-wreck relationship he’d just run away from.

  His phone was still ringing, over and over again. And then it stopped.

  This all was something he didn’t want to discuss with Esme. He’d seen his life in England and here as completely different, but now they’d merged in a most unpleasant way. And yes, he shouldn’t have brought this mess here, but he’d been on automatic when he’d driven here.

  The phone vibrated again in his pocket and he wondered if he should pick it up. Maybe he needed to be adult about this and speak to her. “Excuse me,” he said and rose, taking himself out the open door to the patio outside. “Annabel,” he said as he answered.

  “I called you again and again.”

  “I was driving,” he lied.

  “Are you with that whore?” Annabel demanded.

  “Annabel, our relationship is over.”

  There was silence down the phone for a moment. “Inns, you’d better come home right now or you’ll regret it. I will lose my temper.”

  So this tantrum he’d witnessed with the endless phone calls had only been a warning? “I don’t think that will serve a purpose.”

  “Serve a purpose?” she repeated. “Are you going to throw everything we have away because of some slag?”

  “Annabel, you don’t even like me.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  “I have told you blatantly that I am in love with someone else, and you utterly dismiss me as irrational.”

  “You're being irrational.”

  “I don’t want to be with someone who’s okay with me being in love with someone else.”

  “Is that what this is about? Of course I’m not okay with it.”

  “Really because it’s coming across a little like you don’t care.” This wasn’t serving a purpose, they were just going around in circles. “Please go home, Annabel.”

  “No!” she said petulantly. “And I don’t want to hear your dumb excuses for messing around with slags. Just wait until your parents hear what you’ve done. You slut!”

  Annabel hung up, the peep sounding as angry as she was. The stark silence was jarring in contrast as he ended the call.

  “There is a difference between anger, and anger as a way of manipulating,” Esme said from the door.

  His phone rang again and it was his mother this time. Annabel had been true to her word and had involved his parents in this. Inns declined the call. There was no room for his parents in this discussion. “If it’s all the same, I don’t wish to discuss this with you. I might actually put this on silent completely. I’m not sure she’s going to stop.” In all this, he was learning some really disturbing realities about Annabel he hadn’t even known were there.

  All this had happened because he’d come back here. Although an even worse thought was how long his relationship with Annabel would hobble along if he hadn’t. It could have gone on forever. As it happened, he was actually quite a loyal person, with one exception. It was something he’d learned about himself, because a lot of people around him weren’t. His father hadn’t always been. “I hate dramatics,” he said absently. An awkward silence descended. “I’m sorry about all this. Involving you in it.”

  “Things get messy. Do you want a drink?”

  Inside, another cell phone rang and Esme went inside to answer it. After a few moments, she returned. “Aggie says to stay a
way if you know what’s good for you. She says Annabel’s going spare and that you should have better taste in women.”

  Aggie was always the fount of sympathy. Only proved what a complete balls up he’d made of things, if Aggie was trying to help him out. “Yeah, maybe I’ll have a G&T, or no, make it a whiskey.” It was way too early for a drink, but he was too exhausted to care.

  “Alright,” Esme said and returned inside. Was it a bad idea coming here? Absolutely. He should absolutely not be here, but there was nowhere else he wanted to be.

  “Don’t hate me,” he said, knowing she couldn’t hear. While he waited, he sat down in a chair in the shade. Birds sang and the warm breeze felt gentle. Just a nice day for such an awful time. He fell asleep.

  Chapter 43

  SOLRAYA’S PHONE PINGED and she sighed, having a notion it was Ricky. It wasn’t as if she was creeped out by him, but he seemed very consistent in his presence. The kind of consistent that a guy did when he liked you a lot, or felt guilty.

  Nothing in her mind pointed to her encouraging it. This had happened completely without her urging. And if things were different, she might go for it, for however long it ran. If she’d acquiesced much sooner, he probably wouldn’t have talked himself into liking her so much. Guys were like that sometimes, only really getting it bad when there was resistance.

  From what Trish had said about him, he wasn’t the kind of guy to obsess about girls, quite the opposite actually, which was interesting. So was this all about the rejection? Was he the kind of guy who couldn’t tolerate a girl saying no?

  Hey, the message said.

  Hey back.

  Want to meet for lunch?

  Stroking her tongue over her teeth, she wondered what she should do here. She wasn’t the kind of girl to tease a guy just because she could. Not the kinds of games she played. She wasn’t into games with other people at all. Nah, that would involve getting out of my PJs and I can’t be fucked.