Tears of Endurance (Romantic Drama) Book #1 (10 page)

Arianna was on cloud nine. Every instinct in her body was telling her Ben was the one, and she knew she wanted him to be just that. She couldn
’t wait to tell Casey all about her last couple of days and, more importantly, her mother, who, she knew, would be ecstatic and probably have her married off by the end of the conversation as she always did. Her mother was desperate for grandchildren and she often reminded Arianna that she was her only child and she was relying on her.

Arianna sat down on the large balcony overlooking the canal below
; it was a beautiful day and one she didn’t want to end. She felt swept away and wanted to cherish every single moment. Fate was certainly shining on her right now and she prayed it would continue.

“
Okay, that’s me ready. Shall we make a move?” suggested Ben.

Arianna stood up and closed the glass doors behind her. Ben scooped her up and gave her a long lingering kiss.
“I have been dying to do that for the last couple of hours!”

Arianna smiled and looked into Ben
’s eyes endearingly. “These last couple of days have been the best days I have spent in a long time. Thank you, Ben.”

“
Well, there are many more to come, I promise you.”

They made their way to Ben
’s car and headed off to Arianna’s house so she could make a quick change before going to Walton Hall for dinner. Ben glanced over to Arianna, placed a hand on her knee, and gave it a little squeeze. His feelings were increasing by the minute, he felt like he had been air lifted by an F5 tornado that was not going to slow down any time soon.

Chapter seventeen

A few days after shooting Arianna in his studio, Tristan collected the prints from his reliable and very trusted printers, the ones he always used for his work. He took them out of the large wallet and glanced at each one intently. The black and white image he held in his hand was breathtakingly beautiful and he could see the camera clearly loved her. He ran his finger slowly over the image and sighed, knowing she would never be his. He would not surrender to his feelings, he couldn’t surrender to them. He felt tortured and would give anything not to be feeling the way he was feeling for Arianna right now. He decided he needed to start dating again and soon, to take his tormented mind off Arianna, for his sake and Ben’s.

He carefully placed each 10 x 8 print into the leather portfolio he
’d purchased the day before and, once complete, Tristan flipped through it, satisfied that Arianna would be more than pleased with his gift to her. He kept just one print back for himself and slipped it between the pages of a large book on his shelf. He would give the portfolio to Ben and ask that he pass it onto Arianna for him. His heart was heavy and weighing him down; an image of his brother flashed through his mind and suddenly he was overwhelmed with guilt. Of all the women in the world, why did his heart have to attach itself to Arianna? His thoughts were running amok in his tormented mind and were showing no signs of giving him a break any time soon.

He picked up his car keys and headed off to Ben
’s apartment, throwing the portfolio in the back. He left a quick message on Ben’s answer phone before heading off.

“
Hey Ben, it’s me, Tristan. I am about 10 minutes away, are you still up for going out? If not, we can order a takeaway if you like. See you shortly.”

Ben and Arianna glanced at each other, smiling contentedly.
“We better get up then; Tristan will be arriving any time soon.”

“
Are you sure you want me to stay? Tristan is expecting a boy’s night, Ben.”

Ben took hold of Arianna
’s hand and pulled her towards him. “I want you here and besides, Tristan won’t mind at all, the more the merrier. After all, you both get along fine,” Ben reassured her with a cute smile.

“
Okay, if you’re sure, then it’s a deal.”

Arianna had taken the day off work for the first time since opening her gallery two years ago. She had called on the help of one of her loyal assistants, who were very grateful for the extra hours. Arianna felt like a naughty school
girl truanting for the day. Ben had persuaded her to take the time off the night before and it did not take a great deal of persuasion at all.

“
I think it would be a great idea if we all ordered take out and watched a movie. What do you think?” asked Ben.

“
Sounds great to me, Ben. What movie do you have in mind?”

“
Not sure yet, we can bat out ideas once Tristan arrives. He is really good at selecting great movies. He likes a movie that will get you thinking and we both love unpredictable endings so it’s become a bit of a challenge between us over the years!”

Tristan climbed out of his car and parked up for the night. He grabbed the portfolio from the back seat and locked up. He took the stairs two by two, forgoing the lifts in favour of stretching his muscles, always looking to take the fittest option and never the lazy one. He pressed the doorbell and waited.

“Hey Tristan, it’s lovely to see you again. Ben is just taking a shower, come in.”

Tristan was speechless. This was the last thing he was expecting, to see Arianna at Ben
’s tonight.
So much for avoiding her
, he thought. All he wanted to do was turn on his heel and head right out of the door. Seeing her again only confirmed the strength of his feelings. This was going to be a tough night. There was nothing he could do, he had to be strong and keep his feelings to himself. This was his brother’s girlfriend, he reminded himself as he walked into the open planned living area and plonked himself down on to the Lazy Boy chair.

Arianna walked over to the balcony and looked down onto the canals below. There was a gentle breeze in the air and Arianna took a deep breath and looked up towards the night sky.

“It’s a beautiful night, Tristan, why don’t you come out here for a while?”

Tristan walked over to Arianna and handed her the portfolio nervously. He couldn
’t believe he was feeling so nervous, he was never nervous around women.

“
Why don’t you take a look while I go and fetch a beer from the fridge,” he suggested.

Arianna took a seat and slowly opened the portfolio. As her eyes glanced over the first image, her mouth fell agape. She couldn
’t believe what she was seeing.

“
Beautiful, isn’t it?” said Tristan as he made his way behind her onto the balcony. He could smell the beautiful aroma of Arianna’s perfume as she turned around sporting a warm smile.

“
Tristan, I don’t know what to say. They are beautiful. You made me look so, well, so beautiful.”

“
I didn’t make you look beautiful nor did the camera, Arianna. You are beautiful, the camera just emphasised what was already there. You are a natural for sure and take a beautiful photo. Anyway, this is yours to keep, I figured you would want a copy of these.”

“
Thank you so much, Tristan, I can’t believe you did this for me. You have blown me away with this.”

Ben came ambling over to the balcony in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, smiling and slapped his brother playfully on the back.

“Hey Tristan, what do you think about a takeaway and a movie night, the three of us?”

“
Yes sure, sounds good to me,” lied Tristan.

“
That’s settled then; I was telling Arianna that you’re a master at selecting great movies.”

“
Trust me, Arianna, you don’t want Ben to select a movie. Always too predictable,” teased Tristan.

“
Oh, is this the portfolio you mentioned? Let’s have a look then.”

Ben flicked through the photos in awe, taking his time viewing each image and, every once in a while, glancing towards Arianna lovingly.

“I told you Tristan was good, didn’t I? Wow, you really do take a good photo. You’re a true natural. I love them, well done, Tristan. Good job, as always.”

“
Hey guys, I am going to take a quick shower. Feel free to select a movie in my absence, I really don’t mind what we watch, as long as it’s not predictable, of course!” Arianna smiled mischievously as she walked to the bathroom.

Arianna left the two brothers to catch up while she took a warm shower. She really was blown away by Tristan
’s thoughtful gesture and the lovely comment he'd made caught her completely off guard.
Oh stop it Arianna, he is just being kind, that’s all
, she convinced herself as she stepped out of the shower 10 minutes later. She slipped on one of Ben’s Nike sweatshirts and a pair of skinny jeans. She towel-dried her hair and brushed it straight, deciding to leave it to dry naturally for a change.

“
So Ben, how’s it going between the two of you?” asked Tristan curiously.

“
Great, just great. She is the one, Tristan, without a shadow of a doubt; Arianna is the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with.”

“
Wow, Ben, that’s pretty serious. More than serious, are you sure? What I mean is, it’s very early on to be making such a statement.”

“
Look, Tristan, I just know, don’t ask me how, I just know. She is definitely the one for me.”

“
Well, in that case, Ben, congratulations, it’s about time too.”

They clinked their cans and started scanning all the available movies to rent on Sky.

Tristan wasn’t sure how to feel. He was happy for his brother and at the same time, sadness filled his own heart. The feelings he was suppressing needed to be suppressed harder and fast; the last thing he wanted was for either one of them to realise his true feelings. This was something he would have to endure in silence and pray that his feelings would fade away over time. He would stay for the movie and takeaway and then make his excuses soon after and head on home. The last thing he needed was to be around either of them right now; he really didn’t want a front row seat to their ever-growing romance.

“
And what about you? Have you heard any more from that scheming ex of yours?” Ben asked.

“
No, not a word and that’s how I’d like it to stay. If I saw her again it would be a day too soon.”

“
Do you have your eyes on anyone right now? Some poor unsuspecting woman who is about to be caught in your illustrious web of passion,” teased Ben.

Only Tristan wasn
’t laughing. He looked away and then stood up and made his way to the kitchen for another beer, not realising he was already on his third and would not be driving anywhere after the movie, least of all home. “Very funny, Ben, and no, not right now. It would take someone pretty damn special to grab my attention right now,” lied Tristan.

“
I was only joking, Tristan, chill out.”

“
Sorry, Ben, it’s been a long day and I’m just a bit tired is all.”

Ben couldn
’t figure Tristan out lately; one minute he was the old Tristan he knew and loved so well and then, without warning, he went all serious and thoughtful. And Tristan was rarely serious.

“
Here she is, come here, darling,” said Ben.

Arianna slowly made her way over to the sofa and sat down. She picked up her wine that Ben had poured for her while she was in the shower and took a large sip.

“Okay, guys, what are we watching? And please tell me it’s not a horror,” Arianna said with a laugh.

“
It’s most definitely not a horror, although it does fall into the psychological thriller category. One of those brain teasers, an edge-of-your-seat kind of movie that really speeds up your thought processes,” replied Tristan with a mischievous smile.

“
Okay, I can do thrillers. What’s it called?” enquired Arianna.

“
Shutter Island
. It’s an incredibly clever movie but one that we can all watch. I can usually figure out the endings to movies but this one really had me stumped right up to the very end. It was so cleverly done. And I know you will love it, Ben, as I know this was on your to watch list.”

“
Excellent. I have wanted to watch that for a long time but I was either working or crawling into bed at the end of my working day and never got around to it.”

Tristan started the movie while Ben was on the phone ordering a Chinese takeaway. Arianna placed her glass down on to the coffee table and, glancing in Tristan
’s direction, caught him looking at her intently. For a brief moment, she felt slightly uncomfortable. She was completely thrown off guard until Tristan spoke and put her mind at ease. “Sorry. I was just thinking while I was waiting for the movie to load. Sorry, I was looking right through you, Arianna.”

Feeling relieved and sporting a wide smile, Arianna laughed it off.
“I know what you mean, I do that all the time. I am always deep in thought about one thing or another and find myself often staring right through people.”

Fifteen minutes later, they were all relaxed and deep into the movie, the food arrived swiftly and they
tucked into prawn crackers. They had ordered enough food to feed the whole building, with cartons of egg fried rice, noodles, sweet and sour chicken, and beef in black bean sauce, pork balls, and two portions of fries spread out all over the table. Not a single word was spoken as the movie had already hooked them.

Every once in a while, Tristan
’s eyes would be drawn towards Arianna, the longing inside him developing by the minute, ever stronger the longer he was in the same room as her. He watched as Ben slipped his arm around her and pulled her closer to him. He felt the pang of envy tapping at his heart, a feeling he wished would disappear. She happily curled her feet up on the sofa and rested her head on Ben’s shoulder.

He was familiar with the feeling that was beginning to consume him from the inside out. It was a feeling he
’d experienced many, many years before as a 22-year-old man. He had fallen completely and undeniably in love with Suzie at university. They had spent two perfectly wonderful years together before her young life had been cut short by a speeding car; the driver was on his mobile phone and not paying attention. Suzie was walking to her part-time Saturday job, just ambling along with her headphones on and without a care in the world, when the driver lost control of his car and drove straight onto the path. She was killed instantly. An onlooker who witnessed the scene gave a full account of what happened to the police. When Tristan was informed of his girlfriend’s fate, he was devastated beyond belief. Since that tragic day, he had kept women at a safe distance. He had many girlfriends over the years but few relationships. He had never allowed himself to fall in love with anyone since, although he came close once or twice. It was almost as if he’d pulled the shutters down on love completely, afraid of giving his heart a way in fear of it being broken once more.