String of Fate

Chapter Eighty

I stared out at the waves crashing against the rocks on the beach. The beachfront was the most comfortable place that I could come to relax that was within walking distance from my little flat a few streets away. I was worrying a little bit that I would be spending my birthday alone because my boyfriend was always busy with work in his family business.

I was very proud of my boyfriend. He worked hard for the family business, being the eldest son he was due to take up the role of CEO of the business when his father stepped down. Due to his current role, he travelled the globe to different countries for various business deals for the company.

Since he worked for the family business, his parents made him stay in the big fancy family home. They were very over protective of Harrison and his two siblings. Due to their over protectiveness, Harrison hadn't actually told his family about me even though we had been together for eight years. I didn't really mind because I knew that Harrison would tell them when he was ready.

Even so, I hated that I hardly saw him – and I refused to admit that to him because he had a busy life and he didn't need me adding on the extra stress on his already stressful life. I did not need to add any extra or unneeded pressure onto him.

Suddenly, my eyesight went black as someone put their hands over my eyes. I jumped and felt a strong chest behind me that felt somewhat familiar. "Hey, stranger. Guess who?"

"You're back!" I exclaimed, turning around and throwing myself at him. I wrapped my arms around his waist and buried my face in his chest, taking in the smell of him and his aftershave. He hugged me tightly to him, kissing the top of my head. "If I'm going to be honest, the last three weeks have been torture."

"You've only got me until Sunday afternoon, though. I'm sorry about that. I honestly wish that it was longer. I have missed you so much." He explained, the sadness in his voice. At least I had him for tonight and the morning – which was my actual birthday. That was the main – and selfish – thing that I wanted. To actually spend my birthday with my loved one.

He sighed, rubbing the back of his head with his hand – he always did that when he was worried. I didn't know what he was worried about – but he sometimes did this when he didn't want to tell me something. He avoided my face when he spoke. "My mother seems to be stressing about me getting married since I'm now coming up to the twenty-five year mark."

"Has she been hinting for you to get engaged by leaving potential matches around the house?" I wondered, thinking that that was something that his mother would actually do. A part of me didn't actually want to know the answer, but I knew that I needed to know the answer to know what he was actually dealing with. I hated the fact that he was going through this alone.

"I'll sort something out. Let's just worry about it after your birthday. I'd much rather enjoy that with you." He told me, kissing me on the lips. That meant that his mother was doing exactly that. "Can we go back to yours and continue? I've missed you so much."

The next morning, it felt nice to wake up in Harrison's arms in my flat. I snuggled into his chest and felt his arms tighten around me even though he was asleep. I closed my eyes again to just enjoy the moment. Everything was happy and blissful – until I remembered that his parents wanted him to marry someone else.

For the day, Harrison made sure to me busy, even though he seemed busy himself on his phone. It was probably for work. I couldn't tell if he was trying to keep my mind off his family situation or if he was just trying to fit as much as possible into the one morning that we had together. He found time to take me to the local zoo and we went for a nice meal in a local pub that he refused to let me pay for. He was such a gentleman

It was a special day for me and I hoped that Harrison had just as much fun as I did, even though it seemed like, after all of this and the last eight years that we had had together, it would be coming to an end soon.