Listen to Be Kind by Marshmallow and Halsey

I pushed his door open without knocking. I looked around the room for him but didn't find him.

"Tristan?"
I stepped in and shut the door behind me.

I heard the shower running, I crinkled my face in confusion as I walked to the big bathroom. He was under the shower, the steam from the water made the glass blurry so I didn't see him completely nude.

"What was so urgent?"
I asked crossing my arms.

"Ohh you're here."
He turned off the shower.

"Could you pass me a towel?"

"Is that why I'm here?"
He didn't answer.

"Tristan, is this the urgent thing you called me for?"

"Just pass the towel, I will tell you when I come out," he grunted.

I walked to the wardrobe by the side stacked with black, white, and grey towels. I grabbed the grey towel and walked to the shower.

"Here."
I knocked on the glass.

He opened the door and collected it from, his wet hand brush against mine which seemed to be on purpose from the smile pulling on his lips. I turned my face away immediately I saw him naked.

"You're still mad at me, how many times am I suppose to apologize?"

"You only did it once don't make it sound like you apologized countless times."

"Just tell me what to do to make up for what I did?" he said stepping closer, he had the towel tied around his waist and his wet hair was still dripping water.

"Let me take you on a date," he suggested and I rolled my eyes with a scoff.

"What's your ideal date?" he asked and I was tempted to reply.

My eyes caught a small word inked on his tricep, I was lucky to see the word.
I didn't even know he had a tattoo, it was small and hidden.

"Who is Nadia?"
Something flashed in his eyes but he covered it up quickly.

"My wife."
My breath ceased.

"You have a wife? And you are asking me out on a date?"
He walked past me and left the shower and here I thought we were making up.

I followed him behind not ready to drop the topic, was he lying? I never heard about his marriage

"You have to tell me something, Tristan," I said almost yelling.

"I don't wanna talk about it, we can talk about something else," he said brushing his wet hair back.

"Talk about something else? You want me to say yes to a date after the bomb you just dropped on me?" I laughed.

"You don't have to know everything, Cassie."

"It's Chloe."
I said getting annoyed at the way he was shutting me out.

He walked to the wardrobe and changed the towel around his waist, I didn't hold back from seeing his butt cheeks.

He grabbed a smaller towel and dried his hair not saying a word, I turned to walk away but he held me back.

"I'm sorry," he whispered and pulled me closer.

"I'm not ready," he whispered looking me in the eyes and holding my hand like he didn't want to let go.

"It's not an easy topic for me," he told me and brushed my hair back as our eyes met in the mirror. I gave him a small smile and a slight nod.

"So what was so urgent?"
I asked breaking the silence.

"Nothing, I just wanted attention."

"I thought you didn't like attention?"
I asked tilting my head to the side to look at him. He was quiet and I saw a small smile.

"Can I see it?" he asked gesturing to my back.

"Your scar?" he added waiting for a reply, different thoughts were going through my head right now and I was terrified of what next he would say about the scar. I turned around to look at him, I didn't see myself ever trusting him.

"If you don't trust me why should I trust you?"
I said and left the bathroom with quick steps.

☆
I was up early the next day though I slept late because of what happened in the bathroom. After I left his room last night I went to the dining but he wasn't there. I was still thinking about the date, it might never happen.

I forced myself out of bed and walked to the wall; I pulled the drapes apart to allow some light into the room, I turned away with a groan when the sun rays from outside burned my eyes.

I allowed my eyes to adjust to the light before pulling the drapes properly, I went to my bathroom and brushed my teeth before going down for breakfast.

I smiled at Morris as he served me my breakfast, my phone rang when I was about to take a bite from my french toast.

I looked at my screen, Adrian was calling on FaceTime. I dropped the bread and picked the call. He greeted me with his trademark smile, the smile that used to make my heart melt but not anymore.

"Hey."
I waved.

"Hey Chloe, how was your night?"

"Good, yours?"

"Splendid."
He brushed his full hair back, I noticed his sleep bags.

"Are you okay? You look exhausted." I asked.

"We were up all night packing for our vacation."

"You're going on vacation?"

"Yeah, in Italy."

"Nice."

"Who is it?"
I heard Karen's voice from the other end, she sounded like she was just waking up.

"It's Chloe."
He told her with a smile and turned to look at me.

Karen made an appearance, she was just waking up. She was wearing his t-shirt, he kissed her on the lips and she sat on his laps. I must admit they looked cute together.

"Hey, Chloe." Karen smiled.

"Hi Karen, how long are you guys staying?"

"A month, right?"
She looked at him not sure about her answer.

"Yeah."
He nodded.

"Well, have fun, and don't forget to bring me something from Italy."

"Sure."
Karen said sounding more excited about the vacation.

"I will fix us something to eat. Bye, Chloe." Karen said.

"Ok, bye!"

She kissed him on the cheek and left. I decided to ask him about Nadia, I wanted to know if Tristan was telling the truth cause I was so sure he wasn't married.

"Can I ask you something?"
I asked when I heard the bedroom door closed.

"Sure," he smiled.

"Uhm do you know..."

"Hey, man."
Adrian cut me off staring at something behind me. I looked back and saw Tristan standing behind me.

"Hey."
He replied with a short smile, he looked down at me with that look I couldn't read, he was so good at that.

"Morning."
He smiled at me and walked to the seat in front of me.

"Sorry about that, you wanted to ask me something."
Adrian said.

"Ohh yeah."
I took a glance at Tristan, he was staring at me like he wanted to hear the question too.

"Can you take pictures of the places you will visit in Italy?."

"You're sure that was the question?"

"Yeah." I smiled.

"Sure, I will do that but I'm not a good photographer."

"It's fine, bye."
I ended the call not waiting for him to say anything. I gave Tristan a firm smile and began eating.

His two-piece black suit brought out his beauty, he looked smart and powerful. His silver Cartier wristwatch matched the cufflinks on his suit.

"Do you have any plans today?"
He asked as Morris served him his coffee, toasted bagels, and cream.

"Yeah, I'm hanging out with my best friend."

"Do you need anything?"

"A car to drive around and maybe a credit card."
He brought out his wallet and dropped two credit cards in front of me.

"Morris will take you to the garage, pick any car you like."

"Okay?"
He smiled at me again, a smile that held a secret.

He only drank his coffee and left for work while I sat there thinking about what just happened.

☆
I picked a white Lamborghini convertible, it looked brand new and had the new car smell.
It had been long since I drove a car, I played my favorite song as I drove to my old school to pick Vina. I thought of running away, far from California. I had a car and two credits, so I had everything. I pushed the thought away, I couldn't leave Vina behind and it won't feel right taking off like that.

I turned down the volume when I got to the school, I texted Vina telling her I was outside. I looked at the towel college buildings and students around the campus. I miss this place, freshman year was fun. 

"Chloe!!!"
Vina screamed from afar which got a lot of people's attention, I watched her petite figure walk toward me with speed.

She hugged me before I could get down from the car.

"Gosh, I missed you."

"I missed you too."
We hugged a little more before pulling away. She got into the car giggling.

"Wow, is this your car?"
She asked looking around and touching the leather seats.

"No, I borrowed it only for today."
She smiled mischievously at me.

"What?"

"Nothing, where are we going first?"

"Let's get some smoothie first and I have a lot to tell you."

"I'm up for that."
She said leaning back.

"Then we go shopping!!!" I squealed.

"I thought you were broke, wait, did you steal his money?"
She looked impressed.

"No?"
I waved the credit cards in her face.

"I see you're doing great," she said and I rolled my eyes.

"So any updates on Tristan?" she asked relaxing on the seat with her knees raised up. I was annoyed with her habit of placing her feet on the seat but it won't be my first time complaining. Her usual reply was 'my shoe is clean' or 'relax, it's a new shoe'

I filled her in on what had been going on with Tristan, I left out everything he told me about his mom and the issue about my scar.

"Wait, he asked you on a date?" she asked immediately I brought it up.

"Yeah but then I found out he has a wife."

"That makes no sense, why would he be getting married to Sofia if he has a wife? Maybe she is dead."

"I don't know, everything with him is complicated."

"You're not falling for him, are you? It was just one kiss, right?"

"Um...well...we might have...sorta...made out again?"

"So you like him?"

"I don't know," I shrugged.

"Just be careful, I still don't trust him or his family."

"Trust is such a foreign word to me right now," I mumbled with a sigh.

"Go for it if you want; I mean, why not make the most of your time with the greek god before you leave? Just try not to catch feelings," she said.

It's too late for that.

☆
I went for a quick swim when I got home.

I wore the two-piece swimsuit I bought today from the Chanel store and left the room. The water was soothing, I laid back staring at the stars as I moved my legs in the water.

The silence filled my head with questions about my life, I thought about my parents and my sister, did they miss me? Was I dead to them?

I went back under the water and swam for a while before coming up for some air. I was surprised to see Tristan sitting at the edge of the pool with his legs in the water. When did he come?

How long had he been here? He saw the scar, he gave me a smile as I stared at him trying to get answers to my own questions. He already saw it, I didn't want to hide it anymore. I wanted to be confident about my scars.

He was wearing the same swim short from that night, he gestured for me to come closer to where he was. I brushed my wet hair back with my hands and swam to where he was.

I remained inside the pool but next to his long legs, there was a wine beside him with two wine glass.

"I don't plan on drinking tonight."
I told him as he opened it.

"Actually, this is a new wine that is going to be released next week, I told the person I had someone who was very in love with wine and I told him I'd bring him feedback after you taste it."

"New wine?"
He smiled at my question.

"Only a sip and tell me what you think." He said pouring the white wine into the champagne flute.

"Okay."
I collected the wine using my other hand to support myself, I took a gulp instead and another and another.

Tristan laughed and poured himself some.

"Wow, this is good."

"You like it?"

"I love it!"
I finished the one in my glass and collected more.

"You should come out of the pool."
He gave me a hand and helped me out. I sat next to him and sipped my wine.

"What age did you start drinking?" He asked me

"15."

"The first alcohol I tasted was Tequila."

"Nice for a start I guess." He said with an amused grin.

There was a soothing silence around us and I liked it.

"Does this count as a date?" he asked.

"Just because we are drinking wine and staring at the stars doesn't mean we are on a date," I said and he laughed softly.

"So, will you go on  a date with me?"

"I don't know, I think there is still a lot we need to learn about each other," I said and took a sip from my drink.

He nodded his head at my words, I stared at his face as he looked up at the dark sky that stretched across with infinity of stars and the moon emitting the soft glow of light. My hands itched to touch his strong jawlines and the delicate features of his face. He looked down at me like he felt my intense gaze.

"Stop staring at me like you want me to kiss you," he said with his eyes lingering on my lips before flickering to my eyes.

Maybe I wanted him to.

"Are you doing that thing where you stare at me till you see the color of my brain?" he asked with a small smile and I said nothing but mirror his smile.

"Do you want me to kiss you?" he asked in a whisper as he leaned in. He waited for me to say something and I gave him a slight nod.

"It's not the alcohol talking right?" he asked as he cupped my cheek.

"I have barely finished my glass, Tristan," I said and he took a glance at my wine glass to confirm.

"You're not gonna regret this later are you?" he asked guiding my lips closer to his, his tongue swiped over his bottom lip, his action only increased my yearning for his touch.

"Are you?" I asked back.

"No," he said in the tiny space between before bringing his lips against mine in a slow kiss. I closed my eyes and responded to his kiss, his lips were so soft and moved smoothly with mine. His hand moved to my right arm, he ran his thumb gingerly down my arm, sending sparks through my body.

I loved this feeling, I loved his touch, I loved the way he kissed me. So what if all this was a lie? So what if I was doing the wrong thing? I didn't know where my life was headed and nothing felt right anymore.
Maybe we didn't know what we were doing but we enjoyed doing it.

I moved closer putting my hand around his neck. I deepened the kiss and he followed every movement of my lips, the feeling was exceptional and I loved it.

He pulled away but not completely, he ran his thumb over my swollen lips, he pulled my lower lip down with his thumb with his eyes glued to my lips.

I was almost out of breath from the intense feeling spreading through me and the heat flowing to my core.

"I'm sorry for everything, Cassie,"
he said softly, he leaned down and kissed before I could respond to his apology.

This was the longest we had kissed, I only prayed what happened last time doesn't happen again. He moved his rough hand down my back to my hip, he gripped my skin as his lips moved against mine. I ignored the voice at the back of my head yelling at me to pull away. The sweet tingles spreading through my body dissolve every ounce of resistance away.

I moaned when Tristan's hand glided to my butt and grabbed my skin, his fingers played with the rope of my bikini bottom. He smiled against my lips and pulled away, he pressed a kiss to my forehead and we sat in silence with our legs playing in the water.

I put my glass down and entered the pool with one intention in my head. Show him the scar and let go of the fear.

"That's not safe."
He said before I went under, I sprung out with a smile.

I removed my top and threw it outside the pool, Tristan's eyes widened and he stared at me like he wasn't sure of what to say. I covered my breasts with my hands.

I can do this

I took a deep breath before turning around, showing him my exposed back.

I could feel his eyes, they were drilling my skin. I wanted him to stare at it for as long as he wanted. I felt bold and less frightened. I felt him enter the water and soon he was behind me, he touched my shoulders which made me flinch.

"You didn't have to."
He whispered turning me around, I allowed my hands to fall off from around my chest.

I looked into his eyes searching for something, maybe the truth.

"It doesn't change anything about you, you're still you and I admire the person you are."
Tears brimmed at the corner of my eyes.

"I'm sorry if I made you feel bad about yourself, you're beautiful Cassie," He said caressing my cheeks softly with his thumbs.

"Am I?" I asked quietly.

"Yes, they say the strongest people are the ones with scars. I don't want you to feel ashamed about your scars because of what my dumbass said. You're a survivor and you should be proud of your scars," he said and smiled.

"I might not know your story but just know you're extraordinary, Cassie."

"Didn't know you had that in you," I said as he brushed my wet hair back and cupped my cheeks.

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me and that was me being sweet," he whispered while I laughed.

He smiled softly at me and kissed me. I pressed my body to his, kissing him back.

"What the hell is that on your back?"
We pulled away to look at who just spoke.

What was she doing here? At this time of the night?

Please leave a vote and comment behind

Follow me on Instagram at booksbyxona