Tears of Endurance (Romantic Drama) Book #1 (7 page)

Chapter twelve

At 41-years-old, Tristan was reassessing his life. His recent break up with long-term girlfriend Stephanie and then Ben’s tragic accident had given him much food for thought. He took a long look around his house and suddenly realised that the thing he wanted most was a family of his own. He was finally ready to settle down but not just with anyone, he was looking for a very special someone. He wasn’t getting any younger and was not going to revert to his old playboy ways of the past. That old life no longer appealed to him, he had always worked hard and played hard, unlike Ben, who worked hard and worked even harder, leaving no room whatsoever to play. He wanted to share his life with someone who would complete him and not change him.
A tall order
, he thought as he grabbed his jacket and wallet off the coffee table and headed out of the door to Ben’s for a boy’s night.

Ben had spent an hour walking Charlie down by the canal and throwing him the ball until he was satisfied he had worn him out. He
’d stocked up on beers and ordered an extra-large stuffed-crust pizza for Tristan’s arrival. Everything was set and Ben was looking forward to a good game followed by a heart-to-heart with his brother, as he was going to tell him about Arianna. Although it was very early days yet, he just knew he would be seeing a lot more of Arianna and couldn’t wait to tell Tristan all about her.

No sooner had Ben changed into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt than the bell rang.
“Hey, all ready for the game I see, Ben.” Tristan strolled through the door in his usual laid back manner and headed straight for the fridge, relieving it of a can of beer.

“
I sure am, I have a good feeling we’re going to win this evening.”

Tristan looked at his brother quizzically
; there was something different about him, he just couldn’t quite figure out what it was.” What’s up with you today?” he asked with a wry smile on his face.

“
Me, nothing, why do you ask?”

Tristan walked around Ben in a mocking manner, weighing him up and down before replying.
“Come on then, spill it, Ben. I know you better than anyone and I am guessing someone has cheered you up lately, so who is she then?”

Ben was sporting a huge grin on his face
; he hadn’t realised it was quite so obvious. “Okay, you’re right, of course. It’s a woman, a beautiful perfect woman called Arianna. I met her the other night; you know, at the art show in Coleshill I went to. I bought a painting and offered to pick it up rather than her gallery deliver it to me, to ensure I got to see her again!”

“
Ah, very cunning of you, Ben, that’s exactly what I would have done.”

“
Well, when I drove up there today to collect it, I asked her out for lunch and she accepted. At her suggestion, we went to lunch right there and then as she was about to take a break anyway. Tristan, that was the best hour I have spent in months. She is amazing, independent and most of all sincere. Not to mention she has killer legs that go on forever.”

Tristan smiled at his brother curiously, stroking his chin mockingly.
“Oh God, I fear you may be falling for the mysterious Arianna! So when is your next date? You did arrange a second date, didn’t you?”

Ben lifted himself off the sofa and walked to the kitchen. Taking a beer out of the fridge, he pulled the ring back and took a swig of beer.
“What do you take me for; of course I have a second date. Lisa invited me to her garden party this weekend and said I could bring a friend. The truth is, Tristan, I was going to invite you as I know how much you love Lisa’s parties but that was until I met Arianna!”

Tristan had a large grin on his face and looked at Ben, shaking his head.
“Well it’s a good job I got my own personal invite this time! Lisa called me last night and invited me. So it looks like I get to meet the lovely Arianna, the woman who seems to have turned my brother into mush,” Tristan teased.

“
That works out great, I no longer have to feel guilty then. So, are you going to bring anyone with you on Saturday?”

Tristan shook his head and swigged his beer.
“No, just me, myself and I, and that’s the way I want it. Well, at least until I meet someone with a little depth for a change.”

Ben just smiled and then turned up the TV as the Aston Villa game was about to start. He
’d noticed a huge change in Tristan of late; he was displaying a more sensitive side and seeing this side of him was going to take a lot of getting used to. Ben knew in his heart of hearts Tristan was ready to settle down, it had just taken him longer than most guys to realise it, as he had refused to grow up and was having way too much fun with ladies in the past. Tristan had always been a magnet for the female sex and simply couldn’t turn his back on the attention that was always coming his way. He was a gentleman and treated women with a great deal of respect; he just had a natural way with them that required very little effort on his part. He never liked to make a woman feel bad or used in any way at all and was always calling on Ben’s advice whenever he was struggling to get the message through to one woman or another, that he was not interested. He simply hated to hurt their feelings and was never very good at calling it a day, and this had got him into some hot water over the years to say the least. Then, when he reached his thirties, he calmed down somewhat and was less of a playboy.

“
You haven’t mentioned work for a while, Tristan, what’s the score?” Ben was curious as normally work was always Tristan’s second most talked about subject after women, and it had been a while since he had mentioned his company.

“
Truth is, Ben, I am considering a change of direction; my business is doing well and in these times of recession that is quite incredible really. I am just ready for a change, remaining in the same business just a different direction is all.” Tristan was an excellent freelance photographer, working for companies, papers, magazines and, of course, individuals. He had made a great name for himself over the years and was in high demand these days. He was extremely passionate about his work and he took it very seriously.

“
What sort of direction and why now?” Ben was not sure now was the right time to change course. The recession had hit many people and companies hard and many new companies were going under as well as established companies that had been around for years and were the heart of Britain. These were hard times for sure; the face of Britain was changing.

“
Well, like I said, not a complete change, I was thinking about doing more on the graphic design side. I had three requests recently to design book covers for authors. There is a high demand for eBook cover designers right now and so I thought I would add an extra string to my bow. I just need more challenges and to keep evolving, Ben. You know me!”

“
That sounds like a great idea, and there is a lot of money in it to. You have already built a great name for yourself and this is more of an addition to what you are currently doing. It makes your business more diverse and therefore should increase your demand. Pure genius, Tristan.”

Ben admired his brother
’s work ethic. It was one sure thing they had in common and always had, ever since they were teenagers.

“
I have already completed the design for one author and they loved it; in fact, they were pretty blown away by my design and asked if they could add my name and website to their acknowledgements page. Of course I agreed. I am hoping by word of mouth that I will get more requests for cover designs. I have updated my business website now to include book cover designs, so we shall see what happens. I have a job for the Birmingham Evening mail this week for my photography skills and two magazine jobs the following week. Business is good. I can’t complain. Like I said, I just want to diversify.”

“
How’s your own personal collection of photography coming along? Have you added any new prints to your collection recently?” enquired Ben.

“
It’s growing for sure. You should see my latest one, Ben, it’s truly beautiful, a work of art, if I say so myself. I took an early morning drive out to Ryder Falls in North Wales a few weeks ago. I caught the falls as the sun was rising in the background. It was a sight for sure. I went through three films that morning, one colour film and two black and white. You know what a huge fan of black and white photos I am. It’s about time you dropped by and viewed my latest work,” suggested Tristan.

“
You’re right, it’s been way too long. I will drop by soon, I promise. You should consider showing them as a collection. Some of your older work is sublime; I never really understood why you never considered showcasing your work.”

“
Truth is, Ben, I was always more interested in building up my freelance business for a long time, as you know. Now I have done that and achieved everything I wanted to, I am ready for new challenges now, hence the addition of book cover designs to my business. Since the revolution of the eBook market, it’s now a booming business. My own private collection was a personal thing for me, something I loved to do on a weekend to get a way from the city and relax. But yes, maybe I will consider showing my collection in the future, who knows.

“
Oh, look they are coming out now, turn it up, Ben.” The villa team were coming out onto the pitch and the crowd were going crazy. Tristan pulled the ring off another can of beer and scooped up a handful of nuts out of the bowl situated on the coffee table. “Okay, what do you reckon tonight’s score will be?”

Ben pondered Tristan
’s question for a while before answering. “I am going with 2-1 to us.”

Tristan laughed.
“You have no faith, and I am going with 3-1 to us. They’re in excellent form right now. Twenty quid on the table then.” Tristan placed a £20 pound note down onto the coffee table and Ben did the same. “You’ve got no chance, Ben, that money is mine!” Ben laughed and they both got stuck into the game for the next 90 minutes, shouting at the screen for the most part and working their way through several more beers!

“
Ha, ha, you were far too confident, Tristan. So come on, hand it over.”

Tristan shook his head vigorously from side to side, not quite believing he had lost the bet.
“Okay here you go, I don’t want it said I welched on a bet. I think I need another beer.” Ben handed Tristan a beer from the fridge but decided not to have another one himself. He knew he shouldn’t be drinking while taking his medication but he felt throwing caution to the wind for one night wouldn’t hurt. “Are you not having one, Ben?”

“
No, I’ve had more than I should have already. I need a pint of water.”

Tristan looked at his brother, remembering he was on strong meds.
“Probably for the best, Ben, don’t overdo it. I always was a bad influence on you.”

Ben drank a pint of water in one go and then grabbed a quilt from the cupboard.
“Here, take this. You can sleep on the sofa or in the spare room, it’s entirely up to you.” Tristan caught the quilt and smiled. “I think you know what I am going to do, I have no intention of moving from this sofa until morning.”

“
I’m heading off to bed now, Tristan. Try not to fall off the sofa this time.” Last time Tristan had stayed with Ben, he woke up with a bruised face after rolling onto the hard wood floor during the night!

Chapter thirteen

A whirlwind had suddenly turned Arianna’s world upside down. Saturday could not come soon enough and thoughts of Ben’s lips on hers for the first time were at the forefront of her mind. Arianna heard a familiar knock on her front door, which told her that Casey had arrived.

“
About time to, where have you been?” Arianna stepped aside as Casey came bounding through the door.

“
Tell me everything, what does he look like? What does he do for a living? Is he married or divorced?” Casey could hardly contain her excitement.

Arianna led Casey into the living room and they sat down.
“Oh Casey, Ben, as far as I can tell, is wonderful. He is also a gentleman and appeared to be very sincere. He’s around six foot tall, with rugged good looks and the most adorable dimple in his chin. His eyes, well, they just swallowed me up whole. I met him on Saturday night at my show and he was one of the first to arrive. He just stood out, Casey, and I know this is going to sound really cliché but I felt an instant connection towards him. It was such a strong pull, unlike anything I have ever felt before.”

“
It doesn’t sound cliché at all, it sounds like you’re falling for him to me, and I just hope he turns out to be as sincere and genuine as you feel he is. I would hate to see you get hurt again.”

Arianna smiled at Casey, knowing that she was just thinking of her best interests.
“I just feel that he is right somehow, Casey. I can’t explain it at all. How do you explain a feeling like that? What I do know is I am going to follow through with my instinct on this and see where it takes me. Ben dropped by the gallery yesterday lunchtime to collect a painting he’d bought on Saturday and he asked me to lunch, so we went to the Coleshill Hotel and he was a perfect gentleman. We talked and got to know each other a little, but I only had an hour or so before I had to head back to the gallery. But before I left, he asked me out on a date this coming Saturday. Apparently his secretary is having a garden party and he wants to take me.”

Casey sat with her mouth agape. “Wow, he has a secretary, which means he must have a pretty good job then, and if he’s willing to welcome you into his fold and show you off so soon then he must be serious about you too.”

“
I know, Casey, that’s exactly what I thought, and yes, he has a good job. He is a chief engineer and partner of an international firm. However, he is currently on a sabbatical following a near fatal accident. When he told me all about it, I couldn’t believe he actually survived the fall. He lives in Birmingham city centre; do you know those apartments overlooking the canal near Brindley Place?”

“
Yes, I know them and very nice they are too,” replied Casey.

“
Well, he lives in one of those. I have to say, Casey, I am feeling very nervous and yet at the same time excited about my upcoming date with Ben. What on earth am I going to wear? If I am going to be spending the night in a garden, I need to dress accordingly, don’t I? So what do I wear?”

Casey grabbed hold of Arianna
’s hand, led her to the bedroom, and opened up her closet doors. “Now, you need a beautiful yet not too fussy tea dress with an elegant pair of dolly shoes. Let’s see what you have here.” Casey spent ages flipping through Arianna’s clothes rail until she found what she was looking for. “This one is perfect.” Casey held the dress up against Arianna and brought her hair forward. “Yes, it looks perfect against your hair too; hold that while I look through your shoes.” After a few minutes, Casey pulled out a box of baby blue peep-toe dolly shoes with a three-inch solid heel. “These are simply perfect, Arianna, and match the blue in your tea dress too and that heel will not sink into the grass in the garden either. Try them on while I go and pop the kettle on so we can get a better idea of what you will look like.” Casey whizzed off to the kitchen, belting out the words to Bruno Mars new song, “When I was your man.”

Arianna stripped down to her underwear, slipped on the baby blue tea dress, and stepped into the matching blue shoes. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror, feeling very satisfied with Casey
’s choice of outfit. “Wow, you look beautiful, Arianna. Ben will be blown away, that colour looks stunning on you.”

Arianna had to agree with her friend, the colour really did suit her.
“Okay, that’s me all sorted then. Thanks, Casey I would have spent days deliberating what to wear.”

“
Yes, I know you would. I remember what you were like when we were younger when we used to go out every week. You were a nightmare and could never decide on an outfit, I would turn up at your house and you were never ready and usually with the contents of your wardrobe strewn all over your bed. It’s great to see you smiling again, Arianna; I am so excited for you. This could be the beginning of something wonderful.”

“
You know, Casey, I believe you could be right. Ben actually makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end when I am near him. It’s the most incredible feeling and one I have never experienced before. Anyway, I don’t want to run before I can walk, let’s see how Saturday plays out first.”

“
Have you mentioned him to your mother yet?” Arianna looked at Casey with a serious expression.

“
Are you crazy? My mother would have me married off within 10 minutes, you know how she gets.”

Casey was holding her stomach through laughing and nodded her head in complete agreement.

After showing Casey out with a firm promise to keep her posted every step of the way on her progress with the delectable Ben, Arianna popped a CD into the CD player and sat back in her comfy armchair with her eyes closed and sporting a wide smile, listening to the beautiful words of “Beneath your Beautiful” by Labyrinth featuring Emeli Sande. This was Arianna’s current favourite song and it had gone viral in the UK. The words, “Let me see beneath your perfect,” remained in her head for quite some time.

She wondered if anyone really revealed their true self, how much of themselves they held back, like a secret never to be revealed. Why are we so reluctant to let people see deep into our soul and show them what our true feelings are on life, people, politics and global issues, and anything else for that matter? Why is life so complicated? And why are most relationships as difficult to figure out as a mission from the MI5? She laughed at this thought as the ramblings in her head progressed to more serious issues. Arianna had always had a tendency to wander off topic, her mind racing from one issue to another. She would have it all solved in her own mind quite quickly, solving world peace and hunger. It all seemed so simple to her. The West has food mountains and other parts of the world were starving, why not just send over our surplus? After all, we find money for war so find it for the starving. We are all sharing the same space down here and there is more than enough food to go around, there is no need for anyone to starve. Deep down, she knew it was not so simple
; warring countries and tyrannical leaders preventing food supplies from reaching their people. Arianna concluded she was very lucky and had nothing to complain about and proceeded into the kitchen to pour herself a large glass of rosé. She made her way to her bedroom and stood in front of her full-length mirror.
Not bad for 36
, she said out loud to herself. She ran her fingers through her hair and spotted a single white hair standing out from the rest.
Oh God, how many more are hiding in there?
Arianna spent the next five minutes fumbling through her hair frantically in search of rogue white hairs that she felt had no place being there at all!

After running a bubble-filled bath and lighting a single scented candle, she stripped down and stepped into the steaming hot bath.
Ah, perfect
. Her thoughts drifted to her booking the following night: a local accountancy firm were entertaining some very important clients and had booked the gallery several weeks before. She ran through her checklist in her mind, feeling satisfied that she had it all covered. The food had been ordered from Sully’s, and the cleaning staff were booked to come in early and stay for an extra hour to ensure the place was sparkling. The catering staff was due to deliver and set out the nibbles at seven o’clock and the clients were due half an hour later. Two boxes of wine had been ordered, one white and one red, along with a box of Evian spring water. She would just need to lay out the wine glasses on trays and call Stacy, a local girl who often helped her out with these bookings. The money came in handy for her as she was studying at Birmingham University and always glad of the work. Arianna just hoped she was still happy to waitress for the night; it would be an easy job of just walking around with trays of nibbles, offering them to the clients, and refilling their glasses as and when needed.

These bookings were very successful and Arianna was booked back to back for the next two months, with similar bookings from local companies. Word had spread wide and fast and her little gallery had become the latest hotspot for local companies wanting to impress their clients. It was also something different and they were always impressed with the art work on display. Arianna made a few sales this way too so it was a win win all round.

Remembering Ben mentioning he had a hospital appointment the following day, Arianna wondered whether she should send him a text message to wish him good luck. She thought about it for a while.
Was it too soon to be sending such messages to someone she hardly knew? Would he think it was too soon? I am giving this way too much thought
, she mumbled to herself as she reached for her mobile phone sitting on her coffee table. She searched for his number in her contacts list and then selected his name and began typing a short message.

Hi Ben,

It
’s Arianna; I just wanted to wish you all the best for tomorrow at the hospital. See you on Saturday. Take care.

She read and re-read her message several times before she pressed ‘send.’ Well, it’s done now, hopefully he won’t think me too presumptuous, she thought nervously. A few seconds later, her phone started to vibrate. Arianna clicked on the message icon and opened the message.

Hi Arianna, Thank you so much for thinking of me, you have made my day. I am really looking forward to seeing you again on Saturday. x

Arianna read Ben’s message several times, smiling from ear to ear, not so much for what it said but for the single kiss placed at the end of it. Her heart was beating fast and she felt a surge of excitement flowing through her veins. She hopped off her seat and made her way to the kitchen to top up her glass. She felt like a teenager who had just arranged her very first date and simply could not wait for Saturday to arrive. She couldn’t believe he was making her feel this way, but she liked it. She felt like she had taken flight and couldn’t quite touch down, no matter how hard she tried.