Captivated Hearts

Chapter 10

Arya's alarm blared in her ears. She groaned, opening her eyes, reaching for her phone, and turning off her alarm. Just before she sat up, she stretched her back, feeling very relieved. She got up out of bed and packed up the rest of her bags and brought them toward the door.

Most of her things had already made their way down into the garage, waiting patiently for her dad to come and pick them up.

Arya changed into a pair of short light blue jean shorts and a navy green tank top once she had brought everything downstairs.

She slid a pair of socks on her feet, along with a pair of air forces and took one last look at her now empty room. There was nothing left but the bed and the dressers that she knew wouldn't be needed at her dad's.

Arya turned off the light to the bedroom, closing the door behind her and making her way downstairs where she found her mother and Tom watching tv.

Her mother had a pained look on her face, but Arya didn't budge, she walked right past the two and out to the garage.

Arya heard a knock on the garage door, pressing the button to lift it up. The door slowly creaked up and she waited patiently for someone to pop out.

"Dad!"

She ran to him, wrapping her arms around him tightly.

"Hey honey!" He said excitedly.

Her dad pulled away after nearly a minute, reaching for her suitcases, talking with her as they packed up all her things in the trunk and the back seats of her dad's black Range Rover. The windows looked like they had just been tinted and her dad, looked almost the same as always.

His skin was just the perfect shade of tan, his hair a dirty blonde mop matching just perfectly with his hazel eyes. He was wearing a pair of dark blue swim trunks and a loose top that had the words 'Hatteras Jack Fishing' across the front and back, except on the back there was a picture of a fish on a hook along with a phone number.

Her dad did construction for a living and lived smack dab on the beach, he had all the time in the world to do things like surf or tan and she hoped more than anything that they would be able to spend time together doing those things, even if it meant there being a baby in the middle of it all.

She couldn't wait for the time she got to spend at the beach, and she was excited for it to just be her and her dad. She didn't need friends, if she did, she would just FaceTime Bella. The thought of her best friend upset her, knowing that they may not ever see each other again, especially given their last conversation.

After an hour or so, they finished packing up the rest of her father's car. Her mother was stood outside the front door, holding a cup of coffee in her hand, just watching the two. She didn't look as angry as she did the previous night so, Arya waved at her mom as a small goodbye.

Her mother didn't do anything in response and Tom watched from behind her, waving Arya a goodbye. Arya smiled slightly reminding herself of her hatred toward Tom which led her smile to instantly drop.

She couldn't wrap her head around her mom getting rid of her so easily. They had spent her whole life together and now; it was like they were just complete strangers but, she knew more than anything that moving forward, she wanted nothing to do with her mother. Especially after this. She had given up on her when Arya needed her the most and it was so unfair. Why couldn't she just have been there for her and helped her through this?

"Let's go sweetheart." Her dad broke her thoughts, putting a hand on her shoulder and squeezing it lightly. When he finally let go, he made his way to the driver seat, the door slamming behind him, not long after the car started. Arya stared at what was once her home, tears welling in her eyes.

Facing toward the sky, she began to fan her face until her vision was okay again. When she was finally okay, she got in the passenger seat, turning to her dad and smiling.

Once they were on the road, they used the time to catch up. They talked about how school was, what they could do for her birthday the weekend coming up, stores she could shop at and where she could get a job when she was settled in. The drive took forever with all the traffic, yet her and her father didn't run out of anything to talk about.

They hadn't seen each other in over 5 years so she was sure that there would be something knew to talk about with each other for a while.

Arya was surprised when her dad hadn't mentioned a girlfriend or even someone, he might be interested in. She knew after her mom, he might not be able to get back out there so easily but, it had been over eight years, and she wasn't sure why it had been so hard for him.

At around one they stopped for food at a Hardees, ordering burgers and a large fry to split. They sat there for a little while, knowing she may have to throw up but, luckily after the hour they spent sitting around laughing at each other's jokes, she felt okay.

It didn't take long to get to the outskirts of Outer Banks after that. They passed through Nags Head where all the different shops were right next to each other and when she looked over her dad's shoulder, she could see the local Kitty Hawk Kites store. The bright yellow and sapphire blue building was always packed with locals or tourists. She could just make out an older couple going up the wrap around staircase to the sitting area attached to the building.

The stairs had always looked old and as if they needed to be replaced but they never gave out. The area was always so beautiful and filled with so many different things to do. The early school months were when the place was packed the most. People came from all over to vacation after hurricane season when the water was just the perfect temperature.

As they continued to drive the sun's rays seemed as if they were getting stronger and at some point, she needed to slip her sunglasses over her eyes to be able to see. They passed popular dining area like the Atlantic Coast Café and, Waterman's Bar and Grill. The food down here was to rave about, and it was never a letdown if you did your research as to what was good. If you were lucky enough to know a local or to be a local, food was the least of your worries.

Roadways continued to fill with more sand as they went further down the island. Passing people with fishing gear headed over sand dunes, parked jeeps on the side of the road loaded with fishing poles and they even passed new beach houses with just the structure being put together.

Not far along after that they passed Pea Island, one of the longest trails in all the Outer Banks. She could see why her dad wanted to move down here each time she came back. The location was stunning, and the people around were very friendly. There was no way you could ever be in a bad mood when you lived on the beach or even where there was so much sunlight.

Her dad had made a different turn down a road she wasn't too familiar with but, looked like every other road down in the area.

"Dad, where are we going?" She was a bit confused, unsure of where they were headed."

"Home. Guess I forgot to bring up that I moved since the last time you were here. This house is a lot bigger and right on the beach!" He exclaimed, a bright smile planted on his face.

She smiled at her father, her worries beginning to slip away knowing that the next few months to come would be the best with her father beside her.