3 months later
“So, are you ready?” Caleb asks me as I push the coffee cup towards him. He takes it and hands me the correct change before leaning back against the wall. His green eyes stare at me, waiting for my reaction and I nod slowly, nerves building up inside my stomach. I’ve had a feeling of nausea hit me every day for the past two weeks.
“I’m nervous.” I admit to him, wiping down the counter. The coffee shop is almost empty, the sky darkening outside as the day draws to an end. Caleb comes here twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. His addiction to coffee is be-coming a problem but it’s nice to see him so regularly. Outside I can hear the rain begin to plummet down harder, slashing against the floor. The sound bounces off the roof of the coffee shop and I almost find it soothing.
“Why are you nervous? You have nothing to worry about.”
I pause, thinking hard about Caleb’s question. Why am I nervous? I think about seeing Alex again, for the first time in three months. The nauseas feeling inside my stomach intensifies and I scrunch up my face, blowing out a deep breath.
“I’m nervous he won’t be the same Alex.”
“Yeah, you’re right. He’ll be sober.” Caleb scoffs, a grin on his face. I glance up at him from under my lashes, thinking hard again. It’s becoming easier to talk about the worries and thoughts in my mind, I’ve realised it really does help.
“I know he’ll be sober but will he be the same Alex I fell in love with? You and I both saw how messed up he was Caleb . . . Can he recover from that? What will be the lasting effect? I’m definitely not the same Ariana I was before the kidnapping.” I finish quietly, my eyes falling to the floor. There’s a silence before Caleb eventually speaks, his words firm —
“He’ll never be the same Alex he was before everything went down. People grows and learn from every experience, good or bad. As humans, we’re constantly changing but it doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing. Change is natural, it’s whether you de-cide you love him enough to change and grow with him.”
I pause and my eyes flicker up to meet Caleb’s. He must be able to read the bewildered expression on my face because he chuckles quietly, holding up his hands in the air.
“Hey, I’m not just a pretty face. I can get deep, like really deep.”
I laugh at that statement because that definitely sounds like Caleb. As my laughter dies down, I realise Caleb’s wise words are right. We all change and grow daily. . . The experience Alex went through will follow him around for life, just like it does with me.
“You’re right Caleb, thanks. I feel much better now.” I smile at him, reaching behind the counter and pulling out the last brownie. I hand it over to him and he grins widely, shovelling it whole into his mouth.
“Being your friend has so many great perks.” He mumbles, mouth full of un-chewed brownie. I laugh again and grimace, shielding my eyes away from the sight.
“You eat like a total pig.”
“Eh, I’m okay with that.” Caleb shrugs, brushing off my teasing comment as he finishes off the brownie. I laugh, smiling to myself as I head to the back to lock up.
As each day passes, I find myself smiling and laughing more often. When I first began noticing it, it felt almost wrong to be experiencing joy after what happened but then I realised I have to keep living. I have to take control of my life and make myself happy because after everything, I choose to win. I choose to be in control of my own happiness. My kidnap-per doesn’t get to take away my laughter or my smiles or the ability to sleep. I won’t ever give him that power over me. Go-ing to therapy lessons every week has helped me immensely and I don’t know where I’d be without my amazing counsel-lor.
“Ariana, you ready to go?” Caleb yells from the front of the shop. I grab my bag and keys before heading in his direction —
“I sure am, let’s go.”
*****
That next morning, I wake up to find text messages on my phone from Alex and Caleb. My heart somersaults inside my chest as I read over the text that stands out to me the most —
My flight has been cancelled, sorry Hermosa.
I blow out a deep breath, running a hand through my wild hair. I can’t help but feel disappointed . . . I’ve been waiting for Alex to come home for months. Part of me wonders whether it’s an excuse and he wants to stay in Valencia. I can’t lie, I did worry over the thought. When I try to call him and the phone goes straight to voicemail, the worry deepens until I feel like I’m going to throw up.
I decide to call Caleb instead, wondering whether he has any more information on Alex’s sudden flight cancellation. After the first few rings, he answers —
“Yo Ariana.”
“Hey Caleb, have you heard from Alex? His flight has been cancelled and he isn’t answering his phone.” I say quietly, chewing nervously on my bottom lip. Caleb pauses on the other end before responding, his voice neutral.
“No, I haven’t heard from him.”
“Oh.” I say, my heart sinking further. Caleb and Nikki invite me out for dinner that night and I half heartedly agree to meet them both in an attempt to distract my worrying thoughts. I end the call and drop my phone onto my bed, lying on my back. My mind zones out as I stare up at the blank ceiling, remaining like that for a few minutes.
I try to call Alex again, the nerves inside my stomach increasing till it feels like I’m going to detonate with anxiety. After the phone rings for what feels like an eternity, I get the same response —
“Hey, it’s Alex. Leave me a message.”
*****
The entire day goes by and I still don’t hear from Alex. Instead of worrying myself sick with my runaway thoughts, I begin to get ready for dinner with my friends. Nikki messaged me with firm instructions to dress up as Caleb decided to treat her and I to a fancy dinner downtown. As I’m doing up the back of my dress, I can’t help but feel like I’m going to be seriously third wheeling.
“Like I haven’t done that the past three months.” I mutter to myself, studying my finished appearance in the mirror. I de-cide on a grey body dress with thin straps that end mid thigh. My curly hair is scraped upwards into a messy styled bun, a few strands loose and framing the front of my face. I slip into some black heels and grab a bag before leaving in a taxi.
On the way there, I call Nikki, chewing nervously on my bottom lip.
“Hey! Are you guys at the restaurant yet? I’m on my way.” I tell her down the phone, applying lipstick with one hand.
“We’ll be there soon. What’s wrong? You sound nervous.” Nikki responds, curiosity filling her voice.
I pause at her words, blowing out a deep breath. No matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to shake Alex away from my thoughts.
“Ariana, he’ll be in touch.” Nikki murmurs down the line, reading my mind.
“Yeah, of course. It’s not like he’s changed his mind and is planning on staying in Valencia, right?” I question, laughing it off. As I say the words, dread takes over my body and Nikki grows silent. Upon noticing her reaction, I freeze —
“You know something.”
“I do not.” Nikki says, a little too quickly.
“Yes you do!” I gasp, knowing when my friend is lying.
“Nicola Marie Peters, you tell me everything you know! It has something to do with Alex, doesn’t it?” I ramble on, my thoughts becoming more negative as time passes. The driver pulls up to the restaurant and I pass him the fare, murmuring for him to keep the change. As I step out and stare up at the building, my eyes turn glassy. Nikki remains silent on the oth-er end, her shallowed breathing being the only indication that she’s still there.
“He isn’t coming back, is he?” I whisper.
I close my eyes and breathe deeply, struggling to come to terms with the information. Alex is staying
in Valencia.
That’s when I feel a warm hand on my waist, gently guiding me to turn around. I freeze in shock, unable to protest as I feel my phone being plucked from my hands. I watch as he ends the calls, pocketing the phone inside his suit jacket pocket. My eyes travel up and instantly connect with deep brown ones, the colour of melted chocolate. I breathe in sharply, my body covered in goosebumps as I study him.
He’s back to looking healthy, stronger and beautiful as ever. His usual tanned skin is darker, lips set into his signature sexy smile. He’s wearing a jet black suit, sculpted to his body perfectly. His dark hair is pushed backwards messily, almost as if he’s been constantly running his hands through it.
“Alex.” I breathe out, struggling to steady my heart beat. His eyes flicker and he appears nervous as he takes a step back. In his right hand, he’s holding a bunch of flowers, beautiful white orchid’s wrapped with a pale pink bow. He looks . . . Breath taking.
“What are you doing here?” I manage to say, unable to believe he’s standing in front of me.
“I jumped onto the next plane and got here as fast as I could, I wanted to surprise you.” He says firmly, his eyes flickering between mine. I stare into them for a few moments, my chest rising and falling heavily. Eventually I start laughing, unable to believe he’s here. The nervous look in his eyes vanish and he opens out his arms. Within seconds, I’m pressed up against his firm chest and spun around, his strong arms wrapped around my small frame. I breathe in his alluring scent as he puts me down —
“Alex, I’ve missed you.” I murmur, unable to believe he’s here right now. For the past three months, we’ve spent hours every single night falling asleep to one another’s voice but it’s not the same as having him directly in front of me. Alex leans down, burying his head in my hair and pressing kisses along the exposed skin of my neck. My eyes flutter closed and in that moment, nothing else matters.
“Te extraño mi amor.” He murmurs down my ear, the rumble of his voice causing my knees to weaken. I lean up and wrap my arms around his neck, not willing to let go of him just yet. He chuckles down my ear, sounding happy with life once again.
“You’re still Alex, right?” I whisper and he pulls back, searching my eyes. Eventually he nods, knowing exactly what I mean.
“Si, I’m still me. Thank you for waiting for me whilst I was in Valencia . . . Being there saved me.”
“You’re welcome and I’m proud of you.” I smile up at him, feeling the nerves from the day completely melt away. One look from Alex and I feel like I can see our entire future. He makes me feel like the most wanted woman in the entire world.
“Gracias hermosa. After spending three months away from you, it’s difficult for me to see you looking so beautiful.” Alex breathes out, resting his forehead against mine. We stare into each other’s eyes, unable to wipe the smile away —
“Why difficult?” I question him.
“I have a table booked and a romantic meal planned for us but seeing you look so . . . irresistible is making me want to whisk you away right now.” He murmurs, his words causing me to breathe in sharply. My eyelids flutter closed as I lean into him, biting my bottom lip.
“The food can wait, right?” I whisper. Alex doesn’t respond but when I look up into his eyes, I watch them darken and fill with desire. He leans downwards, warm breath hitting my lips. I’ve pictured this moment a thousand times for the past three months and I remind myself to savour every last second.
When he kisses me with a burning passion, I feel my entire body come to life. I feel the love Alejandro has for me, I feel the connection we share, the experiences we’ve endured together and the excitement for our future. When he pulls back, he confirms all of those feelings —
“Te Amo Ariana.” Alex breathes out against my lips.
“I love you Alejandro. Forever mine.” I whisper, resting my head on his chest. He wraps his arms around me, holding me close as we both savour the moment and being in each other’s presence.
After what feels like months and months of pain and heartache, my heart finally feels complete again. I’ll never be the same person I was before the kidnap, neither will Alex. However after being miserable and living in fear for so long, it felt like our time together is just starting. The excitement I feel for our relationship can only be described as being a child on Christmas morning, sat in front of the Christmas tree with several wrapped presents in front of you. You don’t know what’s to come but the excitement you feel cannot be taken away by anyone . . .
Alex makes me feel like Christmas morning.