The Honeymoon Game

Bad Guy

On one of those adventures, the tide came in on us when we didn't expect. I was covered by the water, and could barely fight the wave. Elvis was scared to his pants. He ran all the way back to the castle to get help.

He came back with Mr Collins. By the time they arrived, the tide had washed me back to the sea bank. I was unconscious. I woke up in my room later at night, to see Elvis crying and Mr Collins pacing the room. They didn't think I was going to survive and so there they were scared of telling my dad what had happened.

Mr Collins was afraid to loose his job. So we agreed to keep the incident a secret, since my dad was not aware. During those times, he spent most of the day in his room, writing for the papers. He would bury himself in so much work, to get his mind off my mum. He would only step out for meals, which were mostly just breakfast and dinner.

Mr Collins had my meal served in my room that night. He secretly called the family doctor to check on me the next day, while my dad was in his room, buried in his work as usual. It took me four years to get over the traumatic experience. For those four years, I couldn't bring myself to get close to any body of water, nor step into it.

It was until a year ago that I could finally grow pass my fear and actually get into the pool. Still, the sea was a no go area. I could stand far off from the bank and watch, but would never get close, not even as an adult.

The passage remained our secret route, even if we didn't use it for wild teenage adventures anymore. I stepped into my room through the back door, just about the same time that Elvis was stepping in from the front door.

“Don't tell me you went to the sea?” He froze at the door, still holding the knob.

“No man, I don't have a death wish. If you would please step in and close the door.”

He sighed in relief before closing the door and stepping in. “That s**t still feels like yesterday, Darnell . I really thought you were going to die,” he slumped into the one armed couch.

“What would you have done?” I chuckled, stepping into the bathroom to pull off my swimming short.

I glanced through the door to see him sitting still like a sculpted object. “I honestly don't know man.” He rubbed his hand over his face. “You and your dad were like the only families I had after my mum went into rehab. I know for sure that your dad would have hated to see me around, if s**t had happened to you.”

“It wasn't your fault,” I stepped out, walking over to my closet to grab a fresh set of clothes. “It was my idea, every single time we went there, I initiated it.”

“You wouldn't have been here to tell that to your dad. He would never have listened to us. It wasn't Mr Collins fault either, but he would have lost his job and maybe go to jail for sometime,” he answered, his voice heavy with the pain of sad memories.

I threw the pants and shirt on the bed and sat down. “You know why I refused coming with you on the next vacation and the ones after that?” He continued.

“Why?”

“Because I was f*****g scared. I didn't want to be anywhere close to the sea. I have never been able to win an argument with you, I was wondering what would happen if you asked us to go to the sea again. I wouldn't have been able to say no to you and if the tides happen to ride us again and something bad happens to you, It would have haunt me for the rest of my life.” He confessed.

I was touched. “Elvis I'm really sorry that you had to go through that because of me. I had no idea you were also traumatized by the incident. And I don't know that s**t about not being able to say No to me, you should stop it. Tell me whenever you not okay with a plan or something I say. Please.”

“Like you ever listen.” He sighed.

“If you try to make me listen, I might.” I shrugged with a grin.

“Well, I came to call you down for lunch. The ladies are ready. Get dressed and meet us at the seam.” The middle point of the staircase where both branches met, was what we called the seam. He rose from the chair. “You also need to see Maria's daughter, mannn she's fire!” He added with a wide grin too.

“It no use being fire, if she is my stepsister. You could probably have her,” I said nonchalantly, throwing my shirt over my body.

“Nah, she is a bit tough. I love my women easy and joyful. But let's see how it goes, if she loosens up finely by the end of the honeymoon, who knows, I might just switch up,” he laughed.

“Get your sick ass out of my room,” I was laughing as well.

***

I crossed over to the dressing mirror for the third time, before taking off the long sleeved T-shirt I wore. My bed was by now littered with several clothings from my indecision about what to wear. This has never happened before, me trying too hard to look good wasn't my kind of thing.

I am naturally good looking like I said before, so I have never felt the pressure to impress anyone more than necessary. “You also need to see Maria's daughter, mannn she's fire!” Elvis voice echoed again in my head. Usually a knit polo shirt and a pair of joggers would have been a perfect match for lunch, but now it didn't just seem like the best thing to wear, knowing that there was a hottie downstairs.

I concluded on a Cuban collared short-sleeve on a plain white shirt, an indigo jeans, and a pair of sneakers. Geling my hair to look fulgent, I took one last look at the mirror before stepping out my room. It was high time I met this Maria's daughter, that had me thinking of what outfit to wear for over fifteen minutes.

Chapter Eight

Fiona 's Pov

After waiting for about fifteen minutes at the seam, as Elvis had called it, Louis and my mum stepped out, holding hands. My mum had changed into a fresh set of clothing like the rest of us. She wore a simple blue cotton dress. Her hair dazzled, the same like her smile, beneath the crescent bulbs that lined the wall.

Mr Louis wore a linen trouser, on a dark blue sweatshirt that made him look twenty years below his age. He really didn't look old and wrinkled as I had imagined. He was a fine man.

Pink was Dianna's favorite color, so she wore a neckless pink flare dress. I simply wore a denim jacket, on a short flowery dress. And Elvis looked just as impressive in his white jogger pants and slouchy hoodie.

“Where is Darnell ?” It was Mr Louis that asked.

“He was dressing up in his room when I left him. I think he would be here in a short while.” Elvis covered for him.

My anticipation for seeing this Darnell person had wadded off. I didn't care if he existed anymore, if he took two hours to dress up, it was his business. And if he doesn't step out of his room at all for the rest of our stay in the castle, then that was his business too. “I'm starving,” I mentioned aloud.

“We should go down to the dining then, Darnell can find his way.” Mr Louis held my mum hand and took the lead descending the stairs.

Dianna followed behind them, Elvis offered me a hand, which i turned down with a polite “No, thank you.” I followed after Dianna into the copious, furnished dining room. Mr Louis held out the seat for my mum, Elvis did the same for Dianna. I dragged out my seat all by myself and settled into it, waiting impatiently for the rest of them to settle down.

“What are we having?” My mum turned to the lady that stood aside with an apron tied around her waist. She was probably Nance that was talked about earlier, the cook.

She stepped forward opening the dishes one after the other as she introduced them. “We have mashed potatoes, Chicago-style Hot dog, roasted beef, served in crusty roll giardiniera. Enjoy your meal,” she bowed, exiting the dining room.

“Let's dig into it,” Mr Louis made the first move, dishing mashed potatoes into my mum's dish before serving into his.

We were half way into the meal when I heard the footsteps on the staircase. While Louis and my mum chatted lightly and smiled and Dianna laughed loudly at whatever jokes Elvis told her, I ate silently, tasting everything on the table and listening for the arrival of the said Darnell.

“There's so much laughing going on here, am I missing something?” Darnell announced.

I didn't want to look up just yet, so I don't come off as been desperate. So I concentrated even more on my meal.

“What took you so long, Darnell ?” Louis inquired.

“Hi to you Mrs Maria,” he said instead, ignoring his dad's question.

“Hi Darnell , we've waited all day to see you since our arrival,” my mum lowered her cutlery.

“I'm sorry to have kept you all waiting. I'm here now,” I heard the grin from his voice. Yet I lowered my head, focused on my meal.

“It's you! We saw you at the pool! Hi, my name is Dianna.”

I raised my head instantly at Dianna's introduction, to see Darnell pecking the back of her palm smoothly. “It's lovely meeting you, miss Dianna.” His eyes met with mine when he released her hand, and i was helplessly weak at the realization of who was standing before me.

My instincts have never been wrong, I knew from the moment I saw him at the pool that he looked familiar, now i remember clearly where i had seen him. The same lunatic that spilled my drink over my dress. What the hell was he doing here? How come he is Louis's golden son? The same Darnell , we've been waiting to see?