EPISODE NINETEEN
Theme: Her Dreams
(FLASHBACK TO TEN YEARS AGO)
WINSLOW, ARIZONA.
(INSIDE THE BEACH HOUSE)
She hasn’t eaten anything good all day long. Well she was hoping to have a good meal at the wedding party but everything didn’t work out as planned.
Ace covered the gap left between them and held her hand in his large ones. “I insist you come with me.” He pulled her behind him towards the beach house.
As Ace pulled her along towards the beach house, her mind warned her against it. “This is dangerous.” A voice chanted in her mind warning to run from him but she was willing to take a chance with him. It wasn’t everyday that she gets to be with someone who would love to spend time with her. Who knows? He may not have a change of mind about her once he finds out the truth which she had hidden from him. And so she was willing to enjoy this night to the fullest.
Ace punched in the password and unlocked the door before leading her into the house. And she couldn’t help but gasped out at the beauty of the interiors and designs and all the luxurious things in the living room.
“Wow..this is so beautiful! Did your family really own this place?” She asked looking around.
“Initially this place isn’t for my dad but he bought it from the owner after our visit to Winslow when I was a kid.” Ace replied hiding some truth from Bethany.
The truth was that his father truly owned the place but he only purchased the beach house after a vacation to Winslow when a real estate agents persuaded his dad to come buy a building in the small town. Mr Clark loved the buildings in the town and decided to establish an hotel and he also bought a beach house where his family could stay during vacations.
“This is really beautiful!” She commented.
“You like it?” Ace asked as he watched her touching every items in the living room.
“Yes!” She exclaimed and flopped down on the couch. “Woah! This is so comfortable!”
She knew everything in the house was damn expensive, starting from the couch to the large flat screen television to the paintings on the wall which got her wondering why the son of someone who owns this beach house was working as a hotel boy. To be honest, Bethany suspected that Ace must be for a rich home, she wanted to find out more about him too but since she was hiding some truth about herself then it doesn’t matter to know about him too. She concluded that maybe he was working to earn his own money and not depending on his father’s money. That was her opinion about the man she barely knew.
“Well I think you should thank me for insisting that you come in with me,” Ace said with a smile on his face.
“Should I?” Bethany giggled.
Ace shook his head in agreement. “I deserve it.”
Bethany stood up from the couch, clamped her hands together in Indian style and then bowed her head. “Thank you sir,” she said earning a laugh from Ace before she joined in too.
“Alright..that’s enough. You can have your clothes dried up before you leave.” Ace pointed out.
She looked down at her wet clothes. “Oh I am sorry..I shouldn’t have sat on the couch with the wetness.” She moved away from the couch immediately.
“No..no..I don’t mean it that way..I am just worried that you might catch cold.” Ace corrected hoping she didn’t get the wrong idea in his words.
“But I don’t have any other clothes to change into while this dries off. Maybe I should just leave now,” she said, getting closed in again, withdrawing into her shell of not being wanted by anyone.
She has been like that since she was a kid. She had built up a wall around her heart that works against getting close to people. Not like she wanted to but she has a legacy to live with as the girl from the wrong side of the river.
Ace didn’t want her to leave, maybe not yet because he was enjoying the moment with her. He went to her.
“Bethany, please don’t leave yet. I am sorry if I said the wrong words to you. I didn’t mean that you shouldn’t sit on the couch with your wet clothes.” He tried to explain things to her.
“No..no..you don’t need to apologize. It’s all my fault..let’s say that I am just over sensitive with words.” She forced a smile on her face at least to make him believe that she wasn’t angry at him.
“Alright. So I think there should be something for you to wear while you dry these ones off.”
“Oh no..no..It is fine.” She tried to stop him so as not to cause him any trouble.
“You will catch cold if you have them on so come with me.” He tried to hold her hand but she stepped away from him immediately like he was a burning furnace.
“Ace, seriously I am fine. Please just get me a drier..or something.” She insisted.
“Okay if that’s what you want.” He walked away to his bedroom to change his wet outfit and then he went into the room that was meant for his parents and soon came back with a hand drier.
“I doubt if this will do any good,” Ace said, handing the hand drier to her.
Accepting such an expensive camera would confirm that she had been sleeping around just to buy a camera. So would her mom think of her.
“Okay..Let us go to the sitting room. I managed to get some things we can eat from the fridge.” He held out his hand to her but she hesitated at first before taking it with a cute smile planted on her face.
“So what do you want? Chips, a box of chocolate or Pringles?” He asked when they got to the living room. “Just pick out anything you want.” He pointed at the table.
Bethany let go of this hand while he went to pick up the bag of chips before flopping on the couch.
“Come on..feel at home. Take anything you want from these loads of junks stuffs.” He pointed out.
“Well I want the chips too.” She replied taking a sit on the couch not too far from where he sat.
Ace looked down at the bag of chips in his hands. “Alright we can just share. But to be able to do that you have to sit with me.” He tapped the spot next to him.
She just stood and went to sit next to him. And he gave the bag of chips to her before standing up to switch on the television. She watched as he moved swiftly around the room trying to find the remote and she couldn’t help but drool over his features. Every of his movement displayed his thick muscles and well built body through his clothes. She was drooling over him that she didn’t notice he was looking at her.
“Bethany, are you okay?” He asked, snapping her out of reverie.
“Oh! Yes..Yes..I am fine..I was just thinking of -“ her voice trailed off when he sat next to her.
Ace grabbed the can of Pringles.
“I thought you wanted the chips too.” She completed her unintended statement.
“You can have it all to yourself.” Ace answered with his gaze focused on the television.
“Are you sure you don’t want the chips anymore?” She asked.
Ace hummed a positive response as he munch on Pringles.
“Okay, thank you.” She stood up to leave for the other couch but Ace pulled her back down to his side and in a swift movement her head automatically rested on his chest.
Bethany was surprised but she was very much comfortable and she didn’t know why she felt safe staying close to him.
“I don't want you to eat alone so just stick to my side.” Ace smiles, at least she didn’t try to leave again which means that she loved it.
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