eight o’clock rolls around and Alex lets me know our car is here. Once we have made our final farewells it feels liberating to slip into the cool quiet of the limo, knowing that I can finally let my guard down.
“So back to London then?” I say, realising in all of this I had completely forgotten about what would happen after we actually got married.
“Nope,” says Alex, rubbing the bridge of his nose. I take in the circles under his eyes and realise today has been a strain for him as well. “No, I think we both deserve a bit of a holiday after all that. So we are off to Bali for a week.”
“What?” I screech, and Alex looks at me, confusion in his features.
“Sorry about that. I mean, seriously? I have always dreamt about going to Bali. It’s actually on my bucket list,” I say
“Then I picked right,” Alex confirms with a smile. The air conditioning in the car is up a little too high and goosebumps break out across my skin, causing me to shiver. Seeing this, Alex winds his arm around me and pulls me into his warmth. I lay my head on his shoulder, relaxing for the first time in days, and think to myself how lucky I am. This may be a marriage of convenience, but Alex is such a good man and I could do far worse than spending a year with this generous and kind guy. But I know I need to be careful and guard my heart because falling in love with him would be the biggest mistake ever. Despite the closeness we have, Alex has shown no sign in finding me the least bit attractive, and I am sure he chose me only because of my desperate situation.
Chapter Seven
Our time in Bali is magical for me. When we finally walked into our villa—the presidential suite, no less—after a moderately long flight and transfer, I was fit to drop. Yet the moment I stood on the patio overlooking the Indian Ocean, my exhaustion lifted completely and poor Alex had to watch me squeal with excitement as I explored every corner of the suite. Luxurious is not an adequate description of the villa. I mean, there is a bar complete with pool table and a grand piano, for heaven’s sake. Once again, Alex insisted I take the master bedroom and I had only a moment of guilt before happily accepting and bouncing on the enormous bed like a five-year-old.
For the last few days, we have simply relaxed, enjoying our private infinity pool and even making use of the spa. In the short time, my relationship with Alex has developed and I would actually go so far as to say that we are friends. Weird, I know, but when I agreed to marry him, the last thing I had expected was friendship. I have discovered that we have very similar tastes in books and movies and we have spent endless hours chatting about our favourite characters. Alex is also attempting to teach me chess, but I am hopeless and he keeps beating me in only a couple of moves; I have found that he is an excellent strategist. However, I did manage to hustle him at pool, much to his annoyance and my delight.
The villa is so self-contained we have barely set foot outside, but tomorrow, Alex has told me, he has a surprise in store for me. I am lying on one of the comfortable sunbeds on our private patio set high up on the cliff, gazing out at the sunrise, when I hear footsteps behind me. I turn my head to find Alex next to me, wordlessly holding out a mug of tea and wearing nothing but a pair of shorts. This has become somewhat of a morning ritual, me rising with the dawn and him bringing a steaming brew for me and a coffee for himself while we watch the sun rise together in silence.
Not for the first time do I take the time to appreciate his beautiful body. Years of surfing, running and daily gym visits have honed his frame, giving him muscles in all the right places and a washboard stomach that you could bounce a penny off. The first time I saw him in swim shorts I nearly had a heart attack; never in my life had I been in the vicinity of such male perfection, and I was glad to already be in the
“So back to London then?” I say, realising in all of this I had completely forgotten about what would happen after we actually got married.
“Nope,” says Alex, rubbing the bridge of his nose. I take in the circles under his eyes and realise today has been a strain for him as well. “No, I think we both deserve a bit of a holiday after all that. So we are off to Bali for a week.”
“What?” I screech, and Alex looks at me, confusion in his features.
“Sorry about that. I mean, seriously? I have always dreamt about going to Bali. It’s actually on my bucket list,” I say
“Then I picked right,” Alex confirms with a smile. The air conditioning in the car is up a little too high and goosebumps break out across my skin, causing me to shiver. Seeing this, Alex winds his arm around me and pulls me into his warmth. I lay my head on his shoulder, relaxing for the first time in days, and think to myself how lucky I am. This may be a marriage of convenience, but Alex is such a good man and I could do far worse than spending a year with this generous and kind guy. But I know I need to be careful and guard my heart because falling in love with him would be the biggest mistake ever. Despite the closeness we have, Alex has shown no sign in finding me the least bit attractive, and I am sure he chose me only because of my desperate situation.
Chapter Seven
Our time in Bali is magical for me. When we finally walked into our villa—the presidential suite, no less—after a moderately long flight and transfer, I was fit to drop. Yet the moment I stood on the patio overlooking the Indian Ocean, my exhaustion lifted completely and poor Alex had to watch me squeal with excitement as I explored every corner of the suite. Luxurious is not an adequate description of the villa. I mean, there is a bar complete with pool table and a grand piano, for heaven’s sake. Once again, Alex insisted I take the master bedroom and I had only a moment of guilt before happily accepting and bouncing on the enormous bed like a five-year-old.
For the last few days, we have simply relaxed, enjoying our private infinity pool and even making use of the spa. In the short time, my relationship with Alex has developed and I would actually go so far as to say that we are friends. Weird, I know, but when I agreed to marry him, the last thing I had expected was friendship. I have discovered that we have very similar tastes in books and movies and we have spent endless hours chatting about our favourite characters. Alex is also attempting to teach me chess, but I am hopeless and he keeps beating me in only a couple of moves; I have found that he is an excellent strategist. However, I did manage to hustle him at pool, much to his annoyance and my delight.
The villa is so self-contained we have barely set foot outside, but tomorrow, Alex has told me, he has a surprise in store for me. I am lying on one of the comfortable sunbeds on our private patio set high up on the cliff, gazing out at the sunrise, when I hear footsteps behind me. I turn my head to find Alex next to me, wordlessly holding out a mug of tea and wearing nothing but a pair of shorts. This has become somewhat of a morning ritual, me rising with the dawn and him bringing a steaming brew for me and a coffee for himself while we watch the sun rise together in silence.
Not for the first time do I take the time to appreciate his beautiful body. Years of surfing, running and daily gym visits have honed his frame, giving him muscles in all the right places and a washboard stomach that you could bounce a penny off. The first time I saw him in swim shorts I nearly had a heart attack; never in my life had I been in the vicinity of such male perfection, and I was glad to already be in the
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