it's difficult to be distant
In your love.
To meet with distance
is impossible now.
Yeah yeah, impossible
My life
is nothing without you.
I see only your dream,
I only thirst for you, doll
I'm full of desire for you
Yeah, I'm devoted
I complain to you
that restlessness is spread everywhere.
it's difficult to be distant
In your love.
it's a race of breaths,
it's a race of love and longing
it's a race of heartbeats,
my heart is racing on
I complain to you
that restlessness is spread everywhere.
its difficult to be distant
In your love.
I complain to you
that restlessness is spread everywhere.
its difficult to be distant
In your love.
By the time it was finished, everyone was clapping and cheering, breathless.
CHAPTER SIX
THE CONFESSION
Ronan and Noah were sitting together in the deserted celebration ground. It was now late night, the stars twinkling in the sky with the full moon shining, and Ronan was blind drunk and laughing loudly. He was still downing more alcohol from a huge glass bottle.
“That was fun, yeah bro?” Ronan slurred.
“Yeah, sure it was,” Noah agreed, not really caring because he wasn't the type of person that craved for attention.
“It was the best,” Ronan confirmed, his voice still a drawl. “So, Noah … alcohol makes you do things you don’t want to, huh?”
“That’s true.” Noah nodded.
“It causes lots of medical problems, and can make you feel dizzy or faint.”
“That’s true too.” Noah was unsure where Ronan was heading in this conversation.
"It makes you feel out of character, and makes you do things you'll regret." Ronan stood up on his feet, putting his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “It also …” Ronan began, but then almost fell over from being unable to walk properly as he was so drunk. Noah caught his brother, his face anxious.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” Noah asked.
“Yeah, it’s fine bro,” Ronan replied, and then suddenly, everything came in a rush. “But that Chantelle … She’s beautiful, she’s nice, she’s … oh.” He moaned into the darkness.
Noah’s heart missed a beat. How could it be true? Was his brother falling for his long-term girlfriend, who he loved, with all his life? And what if Chantelle liked Ronan back? They'd only just met and Ronan was all ready obsessed.
Noah stared at his brother, half hoping that he'd laugh it off and say that it was just a joke, but he didn't.
“She’s … amazing,” Ronan said finally. After staring at the huge bottle of alcohol that he was holding in his hands, Ronan let it slide out of his grip and smash on to the floor, the drink splattering on to the grass and the pieces of glass flying everywhere. “I don’t have any need for alcohol, Noah. All I need is Chantelle.”
A word did not escape from Noah’s lips; he was rendered speechless.
“Let me just tell you one thing,” Ronan finished. “If Chantelle comes into my life, I will leave alcohol forever. Forever. And that’s a promise.”
Noah’s eyes went wide. It was unnatural that Ronan was going to make such a sacrifice. So many thoughts rushed into Noah’s mind, as he watched his brother walk away into the darkness.
CHAPTER SEVEN
THE SIGNATURE
“Good morning!” Alice said cheerfully to Noah the next day. Today, she was wearing a pink top with black polka dots on it, with a long floaty pink skirt to match.
"Good morning!" Noah replied to her, taking a seat. "Anything urgent?" he asked.
"Yes," Alice smiled. "Today in the racing department, we need to submit some documents. I need your signature."
"Oh, OK," Noah shrugged, taking the file from her and signing the bottom of the papers, barely glancing at the content.
"Look before you do anything," Alice reminded him.
Noah stared at her absent mindedly. "You look good today!" he said, thinking that she wanted him to comment on her appearance.
"I was talking about the documents," Alice laughed, flattered that she'd got such a compliment.
"Then, you can look at them," Noah grinned as he finished signing the papers, passing the files back to her and getting up from his chair.
"Anything else?" he asked, as Alice put his beautiful black Versace jacket on him.
"Yes, actually. Yesterday, we got a reminder phone call from the bank manager. He said that there's still six repayments we need to make on the stud farm's mortgage."
"OK, I'll tell you what you can do. Contact any Cape Town estate agent. My property's there. Sell it and clear all of the bank repayments." Noah sighed long and hard. Even though he was wealthy, he was finding it hard to keep up with the payments of the stud farm.
"Okay."
"As soon as possible," Noah reminded her.
Then, the house assistant ran into the room, holding a cup of alcohol on a tray to give to Ronan. His name was Leonardo: he had a dark complexion and was incredibly fat, with a short height, giving him the resemblance of a penguin. "Good morning, madam!" Leonardo called, his voice jolly.
"Good morning!" Alice replied sweetly.
"Leonardo, take that alcohol back to the kitchen. Instead, bring some water with some aspirin dissolved in it," Noah said sternly, because he had had just about enough of Ronan's alcohol addiction.
"But Sir, Ronan always has this drink in the mornings," Leonardo said innocently.
"Leonardo!" Noah repeated, annoyed.
"OK, right, sir," Leonardo replied, with his head bowed down low, his smile fading.
"Alice, you carry on with whatever it is you need ding. I'll see you later on today," Noah told Alice. Alice nodded and walked off to go to the office and do some paperwork.
Ronan was sat in his bed with his head in his hands, tired as he'd just woken up. He looked up from his hands when he saw his older brother walk into the room.
"You all right?" Noah asked him.
"Yeah, just feeling a bit tired out because of yesterday," Ronan replied.
"Hmmm ... right. Is it just that or is there something else bothering you?" Noah asked, as Leonardo walked into the room with the water on his tray.
"Here you go, Sir," Leonardo smiled, handing over the cup to Ronan.
"What the hell is this?" Ronan cursed.
Noah took the cup from Leonardo and Leonardo departed from the room.
"This is the perfect cure to a hangover," Noah said, putting one hand in his trouser pocket and holding the glass firmly in the other.
Ronan sighed, scoffing, bothered, and took the glass from his brother in a frustrated manner.
Noah sought this as an opportunity to sit down next to Ronan. "Do you remember what you said to me yesterday?" he asked.
"What did I say?" Ronan questioned, slightly confused.
"You said that if Chantelle comes into your life, then you'll stop drinking alcohol," Noah reminded him, remembering what happened last night.
Ronan chuckled. "I had so much alcohol that I was probably just reciting some dream that will never come true," Ronan tried to make an excuse, as he could never imagine his life without alcohol.
"And when someone's drunk, then they often tell the truth, too," Noah stated, his voice firm and serious. He was tired of Ronan's stupid jokes. Noah was getting too old for them now.
"But I'm a chronic alcoholic. How could she ever come into my life?" Ronan enquired, still smiling.
"And if she does come into your life, then?" Noah tried.
"She can't, bro. She can't," Ronan denied.
"If she did come into your life, then?" Noah repeated, his voice more firm than it was before.
Ronan looked at his brother in the eye. "Then I'll leave alcohol forever."
"Okay, let's give this a shot. If you want to have lunch with Chantelle, then remember to come to the club today at night time. One o'clock exactly. Dress in some decent clothes and don't be late." Noah grinned, and got up from the bed.
"Lunch with Chantelle?" Ronan repeated excitedly, unable to believe his ears.
"Yes, sir!" Noah called, equally happy for his younger brother. He closed the door behind him and strode into the main room. "Leonardo!" Noah called. "My keys!"
Leonardo handed them over.
"Thank you, Leonardo," Noah said in appreciation, happy he had such a helpful little house keeper. "Oh, and Leonardo, phone me at my phone number at fifteen past one exactly." Noah had a plan in his mind.
"All right, Sir," Leonardo confirmed.
Noah left the room.
CHAPTER EIGHT
THE PHONE CALL THAT BROKE HER HEART
Chantelle was wearing a beautiful and very revealing white lace dress, and playing with her lustrous hair that shone in the sunlight as she walked down the pathway. She lay down on her sun bed, picked up a Heat magazine, and then saw Ronan and Noah strolling up to her, wearing their best formal attire, and had their hands in their pockets, Ronan the one with more swag in his steps.
"Well, this is a pleasant surprise," Noah grinned at Chantelle.
"Oh, hi guys!" Chantelle exclaimed. "What are you both doing here?"
"Well, I was just walking back from the business but then we both saw you in our eyes," Noah said modestly. "Do you mind if we join you?"
"Come sit," Chantelle smiled. The brothers took a seat next to her.
"You're looking great," Ronan commented, pushing his sunglasses down a little to meet her eyes.
"And you're looking very fresh today!" Chantelle complimented Ronan. Ronan chuckled, pleased that he'd made a good impression for once. "Ronan, at the party yesterday, because of you there was a drinks shortage. Are you really-"
"Oh, mate," Ronan interrupted her, trying to laugh it off. "Look, drinking alcohol always has two reasons. Those reasons are happiness and sadness. I drank for happiness yesterday because I met you. I had never been so happy in my life. I drank in sadness because I thought, why haven't we met before?"
Chantelle laughed in appreciation. "Come on, stop now," she said modestly, blushing at the compliments Ronan gave her, but she still couldn't stop smiling. Noah grinned along with them.
"Hey, Chantelle, what's your plan for today then?" Noah asked her, quickly pushing the conversation forward. The quicker he was gone, the better.
"Nothing great," Chantelle shrugged. "I don't have anything planned to be honest."
"Well then, let's make your day great," Noah grinned. "I think we should all have lunch together."
"Sure," Chantelle nodded, relieved that she had something to do for the day.
Then, Noah's phone began to ring. "Excuse me," Noah said, nodding at them both and turning away from them purposefully, taking the phone out of his pocket. It was Leonardo. "Oh ... damn," Noah began his acting. "Hi Polly," he said down the phone, in a dreamy, dashing and irresistibly manly tone.
Leonardo was shocked at why Noah was calling him Polly. Not a word escaped from his lips. That's what Noah exactly wanted him to do.
"Oh, sweetheart, look, I'm so sorry I'm late," Noah said dramatically, his voice slow and beautiful.
"Sweetheart?" Leonardo repeated, frowning, creasing his forehead and pulling his eyebrows together, wondering why on Earth Noah was calling him his sweetheart.
"Come on, baby, don't be angry with me," Noah smiled down the phone, even though Leonardo couldn't see him smiling, but Ronan and Chantelle sure could. as Chantelle stared at him, confused. She knew that there was something up because Noah's tone of voice was so sweet. Noah had never used that tone of voice when he spoke to her. She felt a slight pang of jealousy in her eyes. She knew it was a girl, since Noah had said the word Polly.
"Okay, we'll do one thing," Noah continued to talk down the phone. "We'll both have lunch tonight and we'll both be together. Happy? I love you baby. So, so much. I just wanna be with you right now, be there for you. Yeah, yeah. Okay. Bye." Noah dialled off the phone. He could see Ronan smirking, happy. He suddenly knew what Noah was doing.
"Who's Polly?" Chantelle asked, intrigued, secretly hoping that Noah would reply that this Polly was just a friend, or a sister, or a cousin or something like that. But he didn't.
"Polly's my girlfriend," Noah said hotly, not caring if he was hurting Chantelle's feelings.
Chantelle's face fell. Her eyes watered as she heard Noah say this. She was hardly able to believe what her ears were listening to. A slight gasp escaped from her lips, and she felt her heart pounding against her chest, each beat getting louder and louder, faster and faster as she felt her heart getting broken, shattered, hurt.
"We're going to be meeting after not seeing each other for three months," Noah continued. "Because of my work today, I forgot that I was going to have lunch with her, bless her. I love her to bits. She's really upset, and I'm gonna have to go and make it up to her. After all, she means the world to me. More than the world. More than the universe." Noah was determined to split up with her, it was the least he could do for his brother. Noah didn't want to say these things, but he had to. He just had to for Ronan.
Chantelle bravely tried to fight back the tears that were building up in her eyes; her eye make up was all ready starting to smudge. "I'll come too, then," she said firmly, finding it too hard to get over that Noah was splitting up with her.
Ronan's head shot up in a split second. "Why? Do you have a problem of having lunch with me?" Ronan wasn't smirking anymore, he was furious. Furious that everybody chose his older brother over himself, furious that nothing he did or said was important to anybody, furious that nobody cared about him or how he felt.
"No, it's got nothing to do with that," Chantelle reassured. She didn't really want to have lunch with Ronan since they both barely knew each other, but tried her best to be kind to him.
"Then?" Ronan persisted, his cheeks flushing a deep red.
"Okay," Chantelle said regretfully, not wanting to hurt Ronan's feelings. She was too kind to do that.
"Good," Ronan said, his voice somewhat threatening.
"That's great then," Noah nodded, getting up from his seat. "I think it's time for me to go." He buttoned up his blazer jacket and smartened himself up.
"Have fun," Ronan grinned, saying this so that Noah would quickly depart.
Noah pat Ronan's shoulder. "You guys have fun," he confided, as if forcing them.
"We will," Ronan confirmed.
Noah departed from the scene, even though he wasn't going to meet any girl called Polly. It was all just a drama he'd created to split up with Chantelle for Ronan's sake. He touched up hos hair, put on his Gucci sunglasses and stepped into his state of the art racing car, ready to make his way back to the stud farm.
Chantelle looked down to the floor for a long moment, unable to process the feelings that were rushing through her mind, and that's when her tears started to roll down her cheeks, making small splashes on the grey marble tiles below her.
CHAPTER NINE
THE LUNCH PARTY
"Wow. Eating alone makes me feel great," Ronan commented, as he and Chantelle sat down at their dinner table. "Now you have to say that you're with me. But the truth is that the way you're acting with me, it kinda means that all of the customers are with me." Ronan knew that he wasn't making any sense. Chantelle sighed as she ate her food slowly. "You're not talking to me or laughing at any of my jokes," Ronan said sternly. "What has happened to you today?"
Chantelle looked down at the floor. She looked incredibly pretty, wearing a floaty orange top and she'd curled her hair.
"Why are you sitting so quietly?" Ronan asked.
"It's nothing, honestly," Chantelle shook her head, trying her best to sound enthusiastic, but s
he was failing.
"Won't you tell your friend?" Ronan said, indicating himself. "Every romance begins with friendship," he hinted, getting impatient because he wanted things to work so quickly.
"But not every friendship ends up with a romance," Chantelle corrected him, not wanting him to act so crazy about her, especially after what just happened. "Anyways, I think I'll go now. It's my fashion show tomorrow." They both got up from their chairs and Chantelle slung her bag over her shoulder.
"Won't you invite your friend?" Ronan asked.
"Sure, you can come along," Chantelle smiled. "Thanks for lunch."
"No problem!" Ronan exclaimed. "I'll drop you off."
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