Fire - Betrayal

by Amelia Grace

  I traced his face with my eyes, drooling over his angular features, his perfect nose, his dark wavy hair, his well formed lips and beautiful cerulean eyes. He was too beautiful.

  And I couldn’t believe how happy I was feeling now. But I didn’t trust this feeling. I worried that I was on a high, and that the crash into deep depression would come again.

  Ben looked at me, concern on his face.

  “Are you feeling okay Cate?” he asked calmly.

  I looked into his soulful eyes.

  “It’s just that…I worry that I will fall into the black depths of the abyss again….It’s….it is such a dark, lonely, numb, nothingness place. I don’t want to return there…..” I responded, choking at my words of pain.

  Ben looked deeply into my eyes as I spoke of my feelings, reading my emotions more precisely than I could understand myself. I knew that he could do this. I was speaking the truth, but I was more concerned at returning to the abyss than I was letting on. Would he see beyond my words and into the deepest depths of my mind?

  Ben moved his hand up to my forehead and aligned his fingers with particular care onto my head.

  He closed his eyes, his face peaceful but powerful, and I could feel energy radiating off him.

  I realized at once what he was doing. I had seen the Une Autre Terreans do this many times in Grandy’s memories. I closed my eyes and tried to relax as best as I could to allow the energy transfer from Ben to take place. I knew that he was looking after me, and that he would not let me fall again. I was overcome with a sensation of well-being, elation and warmth, and I bathed in its gloriousness.

  Once the warmth dissipated from his hand, I knew that the process had been completed. I slowly opened my eyes to look up at him.

  His eyes were widened, full of compassion, full of deep love for me. His face was serious and intense. He spoke no words to me, but I understood his silence.

  I moved my face closer to his, and lightly kissed him on the lips. I watched him close his eyes as I kissed him, and then kept them closed for the moments afterward.

  I now knew why Grandy had called him “a gift”.

  I leaned my head back upon the seat and closed my eyes, feeling overwhelmed by my love for him.

  I could never, not love him. We were forever. I knew it in my heart.

  Never, were we to be parted.

  The plane touched down smoothly, ending the journey of connections between us. Ben collected my luggage and we swiftly exited the airport in a taxi.

  I felt exuberant at the change of weather. Instead of freezing cold blizzard conditions, we had arrived to glorious sunshine, blue sky and warm temperatures. My head felt light and free.

  The traffic was sparse as I looked out and about, soaking up the tropical oasis and the magnificent colours of the sunset against the greenery of the rainforest, the blues of the ocean and white sand made the island feel magical.

  I marveled at the light filtering through the rainforest canopy, creating rich and vibrant colours to stand out in the vast variety of plants on the forest floor. I adored the creation of the waves that would rise to a great height, and then curl over before crashing down as it approached the shallow waters of the beach. I admired the golden glow of the grains of sand on the beach, imagining how it would feel under my bare feet.

  Finally, the taxi stopped. A beach house sat before my eyes. It was one of many, but aptly positioned so that it was secluded from the others.

  I faced the beach house and admired its symmetrical design. It had a high pitched off-white metal roof with a matching cupola. The gabled porch at the entrance of the house was supported by large timber posts. The house bricks had been bagged and painted a parchment tone, while the large sash windows were framed in timber that matched the porch timber posts.

  My eyes were drawn to the beautiful colour of the double doors that led into the beach house. They were french blue, with three long vertical panels balanced with three square glass panels at the top of each door.

  Ben walked around me, amused by my scrutiny of the architecture, and then he walked to the double front doors and stopped momentarily.

  I looked up at him from the pathway and giggled, and skipped my way to his side. He smiled shyly at me, then locked eyes with me as he unlocked the door to the beach house.

  As the brightness from inside the beach house greeted me, my eyes were drawn away from Ben and into the entrance hall. It had views that flowed through the generous great room, and out to the terrace beyond, finishing with a vibrant view of the white beach sand and ocean. The cupola above the great room let in an enchanting light.

  Ben reached for my hand, taking it with a gentleness in his as we walked together over the polished timber floors towards the rear covered terrace. We found that the master bedroom was to the right with amazing views of the beach, and to the left, the kitchen and dining room, again with the wonderful views.

  The second bedroom and a study room of the beach house were situated at the front of the beach house on either side of the entrance hall.

  After I had recovered from the captivating, unbelievable ocean views, I felt confused by the lack of furniture in the beach house. In fact, I found it particularly odd that a holiday house would be rented out without furniture.

  I turned and walked towards Ben who was fussing about in the kitchen by now.

  “Ben, were you aware that this beach house was unfurnished? Not that we need furniture, but it would make it a little more comfortable,” I questioned.

  “Mmmm,” replied Ben, with a mouthful of fruit.

  “I’m confused. I don’t get it. Is there a reason for a furnitureless beach house? I mean, I’m not complaining, but you must know what’s going on because you brought me here,” I commented.

  “Mmmmm,” replied Ben, smiling.

  “You’re not going to tell me are you?” I said.

  “Let’s go for a walk on the beach first Cate, before the sun completely sets,” Ben said enthusiastically.

  He grabbed my hand and pulled me out the back french doors, across the covered terrace and onto the grass that led to the beach.

  I closed my eyes in pleasure as I felt the cool grains of sand underneath my feet, massaging every arch and curve.

  Then I breathed in deeply, delighted by the smell of the fresh, pure, salty ocean air.

  I held Ben’s hand lightly as we walked together in silence along the shore, my senses alert to the gentle waves breaking upon the beach, my ears listening to the rhythmic water washing up onto the sand.

  Then I stood in the shallow waves alone, feeling the coolness of the salt water soothing my feet. I closed my eyes and tilted my head to the heavens as the burdens of the past couple of years lightened.

  I turned to face Ben. He had stood back, watching me, hands in his pockets.

  But by the time that I had walked over to him, he was sitting on the sand.

  He watched me as I came closer to him, his cerulean eyes alluring. My heart quickened just at the thought that I would be close to him.

  I sat so very close to him, but I did not touch him in any way. I was teasing him because he would expect me to touch him. He looked at me, and then looked away smiling, before looking back at me again. He moved his lips, about to speak to me, but then stopped himself. Was he playing the game too? I smiled at him, and then turned to watch the final moments of the setting sun, in silence, next to the man who had stolen my heart.

  Then the sun finally set, scattering its rays of red, orange and yellow into the darkening sky. I looked at him again, still not saying a word.

  He did not speak either, but focused on the sand in front.

  But I am sure that he heard me giggle quietly. I know that he pretended to ignore it, before he looked over at me, his face intense.

  My eyes met his, deeply. He held my gaze with passion, taking my breath away until I dropped my eyes from his. Still, we did not speak.

  I could feel the energy moving between us, pulling me clo
ser to him. But I resisted it, choosing not to touch him. I knew that he would not cope with it.

  But to my surprise, he got up and walked to the water’s edge. How could he do that? How could he walk away instead of touching me like I wanted him to do?

  After what seemed like an eternity, he turned around to face me. There I sat on the beach in the same position as before he left. He walked slowly over to me, and then stopped in front of me.

  Still, not a word was spoken.

  He reached out his hands to me. I reached up and he gently pulled me up off the sand, sending a jolt of electricity through my body, the moment our hands touched.

  Still, not a word was spoken.

  He burned his cerulean eyes into mine, taking my breath away.

  Yet, he still waited, torturing me.

  Then I could not resist my intense attraction to him anymore. I was weaker than he was. Little by little, I moved my lips closer to his, gently touching, before he kissed me with deep lingering passion. I ran my hand up to the back of Ben’s head and pulled his lips more firmly to mine and moaned softly at the pleasure of our kiss.

  And then Ben pulled away.

  He looked into my eyes, and I understood that he would not break his promise of purity.

  Silently, I held his hand as we walked back to the beach house, saturated with strong feelings of desire for him, strong feelings that I could not act upon.

  As we entered the beach house, thunder rumbled in the distance, and the atmosphere became highly static.

  “Cate, let’s get a bite to eat at the Resort’s Beach House Café before the storm rolls in. You’ll love it there,” he said.

  “How do you know that I’ll love it Ben? Have you been here before? What do you know that I don’t?” I inquisitively asked. I knew that Ben wasn’t giving me all the details about this place, and it annoyed me. I didn’t like surprises. I liked to know what was coming up and what would be happening at all times. I liked to feel in control.

  I gave Ben an untrusting look, but went along with his plan begrudgingly. If I wasn’t so hungry, I would have argued more, and definitely worked the truth out of him somehow. I was good at outwitting him, or so I thought.

  In between the kitchen and the dining room was a door that led to a short board walk to a garage that was separate to the beach house. The way that it was designed and landscaped made it feel like an adventure of its own accord.

  The combination of the rumbling of the thunder in the distance, the adventure walk to the car, and awaiting Ben to spill the beans on what he knew was setting the mood for the evening. To my delight, I found it to be very interesting, very stimulating and thrilling.

  I felt myself becoming more alive than I had felt for a long time since Ben’s departure to Une Autre Terre, and looked forward to, not only the contents of the food menu, but the contents of Ben’s conversation. Although, I felt annoyed about his mysteriousness about the beach house, I loved the intrigue, and couldn’t wait to poke and prod with questions until he could stand it no more.

  I looked down and smiled to myself, excited. When I looked up again, I discovered that Ben was gazing at me. Only, he had a very smug look on his face. I was sure that he knew what I was thinking.

  “Sooo…this is the car?” I questioned, looking at a very shiny black four wheel drive, trying to distract his thoughts by directing his attention on the sporty looking four wheel drive.

  “Ah, yeah. I know that I am a Terrean, but I’m pretty sure that’s what they call it,” he replied sarcastically, smiling at my efforts to take the focus from me.

  “But…we’re not going in the car.” He led me to the other side of the tall car, to a Triumph Thunderbird Motorcycle, and smiled at me. I could see him laughing on the inside, waiting for my reaction.

  I played it cool, and kept the look of shock and fear off my face.

  “Nice,” I communicated calmly as I walked all the way around it, letting my fingers feel the smooth shapes and curves of the body of the motorcycle.

  “Okay, I’m ready to ride Ben. Let’s go!” I lied.

  Ben studied my face, his eyebrows raised. My reaction was the complete opposite of what he had expected. He decided to call my bluff. He wheeled the motorcycle out of the garage and then mounted the beautiful machine, and started it. Then he indicated to me to get on behind him.

  Acting confidently, I swung my leg over the seat and made myself comfortable, as if it were second nature to me.

  Ben reached around and found my hands and placed them onto his chest. I knew that I had to hold on, and I relished the feel of his sculpted pectoral muscles on his chest.

  Ben accelerated on the motorcycle, and I put my head down against his back. I had to, because I was so afraid, no, I was terrified of being on the motorcycle. I couldn’t understand how people could enjoy the freedom motorcycle riding. But I did love wrapping my arms tightly around Ben. And I loved the feeling of my body being so close to his.

  Within ten minutes, we had arrived at the Café. I dismounted the motorbike first, relieved to be off the wretched thing. I turned to face Ben. He smiled at me coyly, making my heart skip a beat. Then he looked down and gently took my hand and led me into the Beach House Café.

  The Cafe sat directly on the beach. A very large deck protruded out the rear of the café giving the most amazing views of the ocean, even though it was now dark.

  The cafe was crowded with people everywhere, happily chatting. The atmosphere was warm, welcoming and exciting.

  We sat opposite each other at a cosy table on the deck right beside the waves that gently rolled up onto the beach, the sound of the waves soothing, and the sea air refreshing. Not only could we see the beach, but we could also see the approaching storm as well. The weather update at the café informed everyone that the storm was approximately two hours away. We had plenty of time to enjoy a leisurely, appetizing meal together.

  I looked at Ben, and breathed in deeply. I was absolutely and totally besotted with him.

  His eyes soaked me in as he reached over and held my hand in his, before lifting it to his lips, brushing his lips over the back of my hand, kissing it, his eyes piercing mine.

  “Thank-you Ben,“ I whispered, as a single tear ran down my face.

  “I love you Cate, so deeply and more than you could ever know,“ he said, his voice cracking with emotion.

  He held my gaze, burning his cerulean eyes into mine. I took a short sharp breath. He had mesmerized me.

  Then our eye contact was severed, interrupted by the arrival of our food.

  “It is so lovely here on the island Ben, when were you here last time, and, what did you enjoy the most?” I asked unimposing, trying to catch him unawares so as to trick answers out of him.

  “I haven’t been here before Cate. This is my first time with you,” smiled Ben, shaking his head.

  “Ah, so you’ve been here before with someone else?” I questioned.

  He shook his head.

  “No. I’ve never been here before,” he answered.

  “Then why do the Café employees here seem to know you? Look, for instance,” and then I indicated to a waiter to come to the table.

  “Hi, do you know who this man is?” I asked the waiter.

  The attractive waiter smiled kindly at me and then looked at Ben before he answered, carefully.

  Ben sat very quietly, unusually quietly.

  I looked out of the corner of my eye, trying to read the body language and glances exchanged between them.

  “No, I believe that I do not know this man. Should I ?” he replied.

  “Thank-you,” I said shaking my head as the waiter politely nodded his head and left the table.

  “I didn’t believe him you know,” I informed Ben.

  “Mmm, and why is that?”

  “You were way too quiet as I asked the waiter the question. And then there were the exchanges of glances between you, and as he denied knowing you, I felt you relax,” I explained.

&nbs
p; Ben looked at the table. I needed him to tell me the truth. I was starting to panic at the thought of untruths, and being mislead.

  He looked out over the ocean, and then over towards to storm clouds and back to my face.

  “Okay, you’re right, in a way. The waiter doesn’t know me in person, and we have never met before because I have never been to this island before. It truly is the first time that I have come here. The waiter, however is familiar with my face, because my Gran, you remember, she used to own the flower shop, well, she owns this resort. All of her grandchildren’s photos are positioned throughout the resort facilities. So, although this is my first time being here, I think that the staff sort of feel like they do know me because of the photos.”

  “And the beach house with no furniture?” I enquired.

  “It’s a gift. Gran gave all of her grandchildren a beach house and a means of transport to get around this island. The first time that you entered the house, was the first time that I had ever entered the house. Gran gave us the beach houses about three years ago. I have just never had the time to make it over to here. But it was the first thing that I thought of when I knew I had to take you away from Grandy’s house. And what’s even more perfect is, it needs interior decorating – furniture, paintings, kitchen stuff, you know, we need to make it a home, instead of a house….Cate, there is no one better than you to complete our home. Will you help me in filling it with furniture and other knick knacks?” requested Ben.

  I smiled. I focused on his use of the words – our home. The words resonated musically in my ears. Our future was starting to sound like forever. It was all I had ever dreamed of since I had met Ben.

  He smiled back at me.

  The rumbling thunder became louder as we dined, but Ben was determined to have some chocolate mud cake and ice-cream for dessert before we left the café.

  “You know Cate, in Une Autre Terre, they have no sweets like ours here. Everything comes from the ground, the trees and the ocean. This would be an absolute indulgence to them. We are so spoiled here with our fine dining.”