Hues of two seasons

23. Cabin

AARON WALLACE POV

Time generally slips away unnoticed whenever I am with Lively. She is my happy calling, the one that makes everything else fade away. Therefore, dwelling in her is a healing process no one understands, even if I were to speak, so I keep it to myself.

Amidst my family crises and now my own added on top, I simply want to be as open with her as possible. She deserves nothing less than my entirety. Of course, if she decided to accept me with the damages that I am, which God, I pray fervently that she does, for I have nothing greater to wish for. And if that wish comes true, then we must hasten the wedding, as Grandpa rightly advised. Not to mention, I've resumed our relationship at a rapid pace, making advances to her, meeting her family, and letting her in on my dysfunctional one. The possibility of her being mine feels almost within reach. From the day we flew out to San Francisco and played house, has led to internal questions about what more we could be, duplicating in my mind. Sometimes, I envision her vividly in my home, wearing my shirt, wandering barefoot with her hair cascading down her shoulders. I imagine her selecting my outfit from the wardrobe for work and even sleeping naked next to me—a fantasy I know is odd given that she's hesitant to let me truly see her.

I'm aware I'm far from being the best of men, nowhere near to what she deserves. She is too pure, while I had once made myself the villain in her life. Her story is unconventional; some might call it upside-down, and others might deem her delusional for forgiving someone who hurt her. I'm doing everything in my power to prove them wrong. If being considerate, as she has demanded, will earn me a point, then I'll try—even though it's unfamiliar territory for me.

Driven by these thoughts, my head begins to ache. Rubbing my head, I hear the bustling noise and chill music drifting from the beach deck. I have left the room seeking some fresh air, but I couldn't help but follow my curiosity down to the main deck, where I spot a full-blown party in progress. Until my eyes land on an unwelcome guest.

Ruby.

Goddammit.

Spotting the twins, I realize how she got here. I hadn't planned on going anywhere, intending only to return to our cabin and have some snuggles with Liv. But now, I'm barefoot, storming down the stairs in active bull mode, ready to remove Ruby from this yacht before Lively finds out.

Mason and Emersyn are conversing with the three serpents I can't haunt. They all noticed my approach, my eyes holding the three girls hostage with unrelentingly mad glares, tracking their direction as I was ready to unleash whatever it may be without giving two fucks about the presence of strangers going about the area.

Who even are these people? Who invited them?

Mason, seeing the state I was in, excuses himself from the group and calmly rushes over, meeting me halfway before things escalate.

"Hey, hey," he says, restraining me.

"What the fuck?" I spat as he scanned the area, closing the space between us so there was no suspicion to give away.

"Aaron, calm down. We're not alone," he urges, his voice low and composed.

"Whose idea was this?" I fiercely held his gaze, trying to assess this fuck-up. For all I care, let all news channels talk about it, as long as Liv doesn't have any distrust toward me. "Didn't I say I wouldn't do this if it endangered Liv's peace? So this is a plot, isn't it?" We discussed this, and they promised it would only be us—no parents, and sure as hell, no surprises. Yet here we are, with the venomous girl who has a history of being at Lively's throat.

"Bro, I had no idea," Mason hushedly convinced, peering at me earnestly. "No one knew. Trust me, I know it's uncalled for, but you know Mallory and Meadow—they always do things like this."