Love Aint Always Pretty novel Chapter 85

Dream Catcher

- a circular thing that is used during sleeping to block bad dreams and to catch good ones

85

NICK'S POV

Present Day...

England

I didn't really want to come here to party or to meet new investors for the company though it would be nice to be working with English men. I heard all of the elite families were invited to this party so I was hoping Damon and Savannah were here too.

Until I finally spotted her the second she entered the doors wearing a bright sparkly red dress with her huge stomach in front of her. Her hair was wavy and long. Her make up was just light but she's still beautiful. She grew fatter now but she's still goddamn gorgeous. I began following her every step around the ballroom hall but I was a few steps behind her.

I still followed her secretly as she sits down on a table with Damon. She eats peacefully while her husband talks to the other women next to him. She doesn't look happy being here with her husband. She looks sad and she looks like she doesn't want to be here right now. I know she wants to leave.

She forks her foods, moreover playing with it, she doesn't look interested on the people around here. I take a sip from my champagne until she stands from her chair. I stood up too. Damon grabs her wrist and pulled her down. They talked for a while. I think they're having a little fight but Savannah finally headed out of the room.

I take a long drink from my glass and followed her as she heads out of the door. We walked along the hallways but I was just following her and I think she doesn't know that I'm following her. She just keeps on walking and she would turn when there's a corner. I don't know where she is heading but I'm sure she doesn't know where to go too. I still followed her anyways.

Until she enters a room and as I read the sign from the outside, it reads as garden planetarium. She enters peacefully and I followed her in. She walks closer to the fountain and slowly moved her head up to the angels with trumpets. She moves her head back down to the fountain. I started walking closer to her sneakily.

"It's a wishing well." I called out.

She froze and turned around. Her eyes dilated when she saw me. Her fists curling into a ball and she looks at me impassively. I knew it, she won't be expecting me to be here. For some reason my heart is beating fast. It's been a while I haven't seen her.

"Hi." I greeted her with a smile.

Looking at her like this after all these years, makes me wish to turn back time to when she was still mine.

"Hi." She speaks.

I took a deep breath in. "How are you?"

She gazed at me and started walking while I started following her again. I gained a little speed to catch up with her and when I was close enough from behind her, I slower my pace. Every step she takes, I do with the same foot.

It felt like I was her shadow and everywhere she goes I follow.

"I'm doing good." She glanced at me over her shoulder. "How about you?"

Finally we stood next to each other and continued walking around this magnificent cultured garden.

"Missing you." I say.

She shyly looks away and smiled at herself. "I told you don't come and find me. But here you are."

"I was invited by Mr. Edwards."

Her face falls. "Oh." I think she was expecting that I came here for her.

She continued walking ahead and I pulled out my hand from my pocket. I want to hold her hand for a while and just feel her touch that I'm longing for. But I don't think she will like it.

"But when I heard it's here in England, I came as soon as possible." I said.

"You didn't want me to come and find you and this birthday party is my reason of coming here in England..." I trailed.

"But a huge part of it is mostly because of you." I added.

We looked at each other for a while until both of started smiling. My heart feels happy when I see her smiling at me. We continued walking and I feel my hand magnetizing towards her hand. I was still looking at her, I didn't look at what was ahead of me or where I was heading to. I kept my eyes glued on her because I miss the view of her and the second this night will end is uncertain.

"You've gotten more beautiful." I say.

She pulled her head up to me and sheepishly smiled. "I'm fat. Look at me." She argues.

"You're still and always will be the most beautiful woman to me." I tell her.

I shove her hand and held it with mine. I locked my fingers in between hers. I couldn't take it anymore, I need to hold her hand. She was surprised by what I did but I didn't mind anymore if she was going to say I can't hold her hand. Suddenly I feel her holding me back and my heart felt at ease when I felt her squeezing my hand. We continued walking together silently as her wedding ring sparkles against the light on her finger.

"About that night when you called--"

"Nick please." She cuts me off. "Let's not talk about it." She looks up at me.

I nod in agreement even though I wanted to know so badly what was the reason she accidentally called up my number and cried over the phone.

"Excuse me!" A male voice called out from behind us.

Both of us turned around and looked at this man who I assume that it was the security guard base from that ear piece on him. But Savannah's hand never left mine and I smiled on at that thought.

"How'd you get in?" He asked.

"The door was open." I answered.

He nods. "Sorry to say this but we don't open on Saturdays sir."

I see Savannah pouting.

"Can't you do something about it? We're not really english people and we would want to look around. We seldom come here." I tell him.

He went quiet and I think he is thinking about something.

"Does your wife want to take a quick tour around the place?" He asked.

Your wife. God, that felt good to the ears.

Savannah's face slightly shied away by what she heard. My head moved to the guard and my heart floated when he said Savannah was my wife. Oh how I wish that was true.

"I'll pay you a hundred euros. Can we have this place exclusive for us?" I asked him.

He scratched the back of his head and looked confused as hell. But then he started walking closer to me the second I handed him the money. He was doubtful of accepting it at first but then he did anyways.

"Don't let anyone come in. It's our wedding anniversary tomorrow that's why I'm asking you a huge favor." I added.

"Okay sir. I'll leave the front doors locked, you can go out on that back door." He tells us.

I nod. "Thank you very much."

He starts walking away from us and the second I moved my head to Savannah, she was looking at me eagerly.

"We fooled him." she says.

I smiled ruefully at her. It hurts when she said that because she made me realize that it was all a lie and that it can never happen to us.

"We did." I answered.

All of a sudden the lights went off and everything was dark. Savannah creeps closer to me and then there was light coming from above us. The roof started appearing bright and then a big beautiful moon shows up. It felt real. It looked real. Now I get it why they called it a garden planetarium. Slowly, some stars started appearing and the moon starts to fade away. I was definitely amazed by it and how it appeared before us.

"Wow. Look at that." She points out.

"This place is majestic." I say.

"It is." She agrees and moved her head down to me.

Our eyes met and both of us grew even quieter. The silence of the place puts our solace hearts at peace. My heart is beating loud inside my chest and I wanted to kiss her lips so badly to feel her love for me. But the second I moved in closer to her, she looks away and started walking. I sigh inwardly cos of what she has done. And I think she noticed it because she pulls me along and I started walking with her again.

We were still quiet and I think we just listened to the place's sound. The music that the security played were sounds of crickets and that eerie sound during a nighttime in a park. For a second, I forgot that I was in a hotel. It really made me feel I was in a garden and I am happy that I have this opportunity with Savannah even it will only last a few minutes. But I wish it won't end.

"How's Dakota? How's work?" She ask.

"Everything is okay with the company. Been quite busy lately but all is well."

I intentionally missed out mentioning Dakota to her because I don't feel like talking about her anyways. She's not really important between the two of us.

"And Dakota?" She asked.

I take a glance at Savannah. "She's doing good. Her due is coming."

"Is she here tonight?"

I shake my head. "I didn't want her to come for her safety."

She smiled ruefully at me and from the look on her eyes she's giving me, I could tell she's jealous by what I said. "She's lucky to have you." She says.

"How's life with Damon?" I asked, turning the attention on her.

She sighs heavily and looks straight ahead. "Fine." She answers shortly.

My brows creasing as thoughts rumble in my head. "That's it? That's how you describe to me your life with Damon?"

She moved her face to me, "Well, describe to me your life with Dakota."

We went quiet for a few seconds and I noticed that both of stopped from walking. We were just staring at each other as if it was a staring contest but we were still holding each other's hands. I don't want to explain to her my life with Dakota because it's boring as hell. I don't want to tell her about it because she doesn't really have to know and there's nothing to know about.

"Well?" She arched an eyebrow at me.

"It's nothing compared to the life I had with you." I tell her.

I grabbed her arms, she winced, and then I pulled her closer to me. She pushes my hand away from her and her face showing as if she's hurt. She keeps holding onto her right arm, near her right shoulder. I look at her intently and I think something is wrong but I tried to ignore it.

"Everything has changed and it's all because of me. I know that." I tell her.

"I regretted the day I left you but I promise to come to you again when you're ready to accept me." I continued.

Savannah pulled her hand out and grabbed my cheek. She held my right cheek with one hand and the other on my neck. Her head is looking up to me, her eyes is meeting mine and they're not looking away. It's as if I was the big bright moon on a night sky and she is the lonely person looking at it while walking alone on a road at night.

She heartbrokenly smiled at me. "You and your witty mouth, frat boy."

I smiled at her and to be honest I miss her calling me that. I bend closer and kissed her forehead briefly but when my lips landed on her skin, I feel my heart breaking.

"No one will ever take your place Savannah. Nobody can change my love for you and I want you to know that though it's all too late now." I say.

I place my hands on her waist and pulled her to me. I began wrapping my arms around her and she wrapped her arms around me too but her stomach was coming in between us, making a gap, but I didn't mind at all. It's her baby, and once it's born I will love it like how I loved Savannah even though Damon is the father to it.

Tonight feels like we were rushing things because we were running out of time and we know we won't be seeing each other again as much as we would want to. I kiss the top of her head.

"As much as I want to say I'm happy for you, I don't want to lie." I tell her.

I feel her grip on my body tightens.

"Because everything that you have with Damon right now, I always wish it was with me." I add.

"I love you Savannah.." I whisper to her ears. "Forever and back."

She pulls herself away and looked up to me. She smiles while her tears were filling her eyes.

"Why can't it be just you and me?" She asked me and my heart shattered by her question.

"I know that we are both married but we're not even happy with who were married with." She adds.

"Maybe there's a someday for us. I just wish in time, we'll eventually end up together because that's how I see it. I still see my future with you." I tell her.

She tries so hard not to let her tears fall on her cheeks but she wasn't successful about it. She bends her head down but I lift it back up so she could look at me. I wipe her tears away and she flinched the second I touched her, as if she's physically hurt by what I did. Suddenly a darkish mark that was on her cheek caught my attention.

"What's that on your cheek?" I asked.

She quickly pulled herself away and she covered her face with her hand. She tries to hide the mark on her cheek. She's hiding something from me.

"Nothing." She says firm.

My eyes widened. "Did Damon hurt--"

I was cut off by my phone that was ringing inside my pocket. I sigh when I saw Dakota's name appearing on the screen.

I caved in. "Hello? Dakota?"

"Hello. Is this Mrs. Dakota's husband?" Someone else's voice that was unfamiliar to me answered her phone.

I hear Dakota screaming from the background. I began to feel nervous of what I'm hearing on the line. Shit. What is going on? What are they doing to her? Her screams feels like she's in deep pain. And even though we aren't really a married couple and she can be a pain in the ass all the time, I still hold a bit of responsibility on her.

"Hello? Dakota? Who is this? What is going on here? Where's my wife?" I began to startle.

All of a sudden Savannah grabbed my hand. I moved my head to her.

"I need to go to the bathroom." She says to me. "I need to take a pee. I'll be right back." She starts walking away quickly even before I could stop her but she was still covering her cheek with her hand.

"Mr. Wilde." The voice from the line caught my attention.

"I'm Nurse Sarah. I'm calling from your wife's phone. She's in Montecarlo's Hospital right now." She says to me but I wasn't really listening. My attention was still on Savannah and where she might have gone to.

"Mrs. Wilde is about to give birth."

My eyes widened when she blurted it out.

Shit.

________

SFTC:

When She Was Mine - Lawson