^^^

Small hands grasped at the window and two curious eyes wandered over the scenery as it whirled past. "Mama! Mama!" Alora squealed as she pounded her fists against the window.

Drool was slipping from the corner of her lips and a wide smile spread across her lips. I smiled and caressed her head with my hand, feeling her smooth hair run under my fingers.

It had been a few days since the argument. Days passed with frequent conversations between Adrian and I. Although I spoke with him during the argument, I felt a little uncomfortable to speak up any time after the argument. It was either nods or shaking heads for each question he would ask me.

During lunch, Adrian asked me to get ready cause he wanted to take me and Alora out. Even though I didn't want to go, I shrugged the feeling off and chose to get ready anyway.

We've been traveling in the car for almost one hour and I have yet to discover where Adrian was taking us to. The trees were turning orange and red as well as the days were getting shorter. The sky was a complexion of blue and purple as clouds scattered around the scenery.

Everything felt calm, I felt calm. I noticed a tug at my hair and pulled away from my thoughts. Alora was tugging at my hair and giggling, making me wince.

"Well aren't you energetic today?" Adrian said from beside me. Alora stopped tugging at my hair and turned her head towards Adrian. "Da!" She squealed and was prepared to jump onto him but I luckily stopped her. Adrian chuckled from beside me and lifted his arm from the steering wheel to caress her head before returning back to it.

I cuddled Alora closer to me and she sighed, a calming moment playing between us. "We will be there in ten minutes, Violet." I heard Adrian say and I looked at him and nodded. He made brief eye contact with me before moving his hand and clasping it with mine. I held my breath as a tingling sensation traveled up my arm.

"You can speak, you know." He muttered softly and removed his hand from mine gently, a coldness engulfing my hand. I felt uncomfortable again so instead of replying to him, I hummed a yes.

I looked down at my lap and glimpsed at Alora who had her head placed on my chest and arms surrounding my torso, her eyes were closed indicating that she was sleeping. I pecked her head and watched the trees through the window as they flew past.

Adrian drove the car for a further ten minutes before slowing down by a car park and parking the car in one of the slots. My eyes wandered through the window and around the new location that we were at, and instantly knew where we were. The sound of rushing waves and sand were indicators of a beach.

Hearing a click behind me, I turned my head just in time to watch Adrian unbuckling his seatbelt. His eyes met with mine and he smiled. "Let's go." I unbuckled my seatbelt carefully as to not interrupt Alora's sleep. Then I opened the door and stepped out of the car with Alora. Adrian came over to my side and opened up a stroller and then locked the car.

The cold evening breeze brushed my hair and the sky looked peaceful. I crouched down in front of the stroller and placed Alora in it, strapping her in it securely. I stood up and smiled at her sleeping demeanour as drool escaped her lips.

Unexpectedly, my hand was covered with a warm source. I turned my head to my side and glimpsed at my hand that was interlocked with Adrian's. He pulled us forward while pushing the stroller ahead of him.

Soon the concrete beneath our feet turned to sand as we entered the beach. As we got closer, I made out several mini market stalls lined up in rows and a large crowd of people rustling throughout the markets. There was a lot of chatter and a luscious aroma of food coming from the markets. I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes for a second, feeling the sensations that this new location was making me feel.

"We are having dinner here, I'll need to order it first. Just follow me, okay?" Adrian spoke softly as I opened my eyes and nodded. We set off through the small pathways between the market stalls.

My eyes caught glimpse of a stall filled of different kinds of jewelry and sea shells that shimmered in the light of a bulb that was positioned on the stall's ceiling. The vendor noticed my interest in them and smiled at me. "Would you like some? I can offer you a bracelet and necklace with a discount! Or buy two sets and get a ring for free!"

I shook my head politely and looked away so I could avoid him pestering me to buy his products. I saw another stall full of freshly sliced fruit like watermelon, pineapple and apple up on display. My mouth watered at the sight and I had the urge to buy some but I resisted the feeling since I was going to have dinner in a few minutes anyway.

Finally after rounds of vendors trying to sell us their products, we made it through the pathway and reached a restaurant. The restaurant had a main kitchen and counter where you can order food but the seating area was opened up to the beach.

Several picnic tables traced the shoreline, lit with candles, glasses and utensils upon them. The restaurant had a magical spirit because it was decorated with fairy lights that draped down from the almost invisible ceiling, which was held up with clear thin string.

Adrian turned to me. "Go find a table to sit at with Alora. I'm going to order something and will be back with you." He pointed at the benches and stepped towards the counter where a waiter stood ready to take his order.

Luckily there weren't many people in this restaurant and as a result, I found a bench to sit at. I adjusted Alora's stroller by the table so that it was at the head of the table before I sat down.

At my right side, waves were rushing forwards and backwards producing foam which glittered in the light from the candle upon my table. I chuckled and switched my attention onto Alora who was sleeping soundly. Her hands were fisted and rested on her stomach and her lips were apart as she breathed in and out. I leaned forward and caressed her cheek delicately feeling the warmth of her skin beneath my fingers.

I was so lucky to have her.

"I'm back." I heard a voice say and it was followed by the sound of footsteps. When I averted my gaze from Alora and towards the sound, I came face to face with Adrian as he took a seat at the table opposite to me.

"The food will be here in around twenty minutes." He stated and I nodded. I heard him sigh deeply and I stared at him in confusion. His eyes watched me with complete disappointment. "Violet, you need to speak to me. There is no way of us getting anywhere if you're not going to cooperate with me..."

I stayed silent for a while as he drifted off. He was right, no matter how much I hated it, I needed to talk to him. I looked away from him and down at my lap whilst fidgeting with my fingers. "O-okay..." I whispered and I hoped that Adrian heard it cause of how low my voice sounded. Luckily he did cause I heard him laughing. "Thanks, Violet. What were you doing with Alora?" He asked.

"Nothing, I just watched her." I responded and he hummed in response. The next few minutes passed by with him asking me some questions until the food had finally arrived.

The waiter carried two plates filled with food and placed them on the table. "There you go. Spaghetti with steak." Adrian thanked him before he walked away. Adrian pushed a plate in front of me and pulled one to him before tucking into his meal.

I picked up my fork and sunk it through the spaghetti and spun it. I then placed it in my mouth as an explosion of flavor took over. The food was so tasty that I finished my entire plate quicker than Adrian did. "Did you like it?"

Adrian asked me as he sipped water out of his glass after we finished our dinner. "I loved it." I praised honesty. I watched as satisfaction washed over his face. "It's Italian food. I used to come here when I was in high school. I can't ever forget how delicious the food tastes here."

I nodded and looked around the place, observing the fairy lights closely. Alora was still asleep and might wake up soon but by that time we would already be home.

Suddenly I heard a song playing from the distance. I noticed that it was coming from a radio owned by the restaurant which played out into the open beach. A smile formed onto my lips and I couldn't help but sway my body with the music.

A tap on my shoulder hauled me from my daze. I turned my head to my side and jumped back. "Can you get up?" Adrian asked with his hand held open. My eyes widened in surprise and I gulped nervously. "Wha-what?" I whispered uncertainly. Instead of asking me again, Adrian griped my arm and tugged me gently out of my seat.

He proceeded to pull me till we reached near to the shoreline where the sand was just dry enough to dig my feet into and feel the sand grains rush past my toes. "We can't leave A-Alora... where are we going?" My voice was laced with concern as I glimpsed at Alora's stroller that seemed a little to far away to be from me. "Alora... we need to get- " my words were muffled when I felt a finger placed on my lips, shushing me.

My eyes met his and I couldn't change my line of sight, they appeared so beautiful. "Calm down, she'll be alright. She's asleep." He said and removed his finger from my lips and I felt his arm wrap around my waist. My heart was thumping against my chest and my breaths were short as I stared at him with caution, the music played in the background.

"Let's stay like this for a while." Adrian whispered gently and pulled me against his body. I hesitantly kept my hands on his upper arms feeling a little awkward. He swayed us around in a circle according to the song.

I kept my eyes lowered onto his chest cause I was nervous to look at his face. His hands around my waist caused sparks to travel all around my body, making me blush ferociously.

After sometime, the song came to a finale. "Violet..." Adrian drifted off loosening his hold around my waist.

I nodded but didn't look up at him. Then I felt him raise my head with his fingers to meet with his. The light illuminated the left side of his face and created a shade on the other. "W-what?" I muttered in a voice that sounded broken.

He stared at me for a few seconds, like he was inspecting every inch of my face with concentration. I too did the same, his straight nose, a knot in his left eyebrow and a constant flickering of his eyelids which all melted into his facial structure perfectly. Adrian's face neared closer to mine and with every move he took, my heart was beating twice as fast.

His face was almost touching mine, I could feel his breath on my lips. I griped at his arms tighter at the distance between us. At the last moment, he looked into my eyes and smiled before claiming his lips with mine. Our lips moved together and if it weren't for Adrian holding me up, I would've liquified to the ground.

Usually the kisses we shared were rushed or unacknowledged by me and were never... sweet. This kiss made me feel happier. A tingling sensation burned through my body. His lips were so velvety that they molded with my lips the moment we kissed.

After a while, we broke apart the kiss. I was breathing heavily and so was Adrian, his cheeks were red. I pushed a strand of my hair that fell on my forehead behind my ear and gave Adrian a small smile. "Y-you wanted a k-kiss?" I questioned him and he grinned ear to ear. "You could say so." He answered and pecked my cheek to which I gave him a small laugh.

"Violet?" A voice said from behind me and I froze. I wondered who it was and why they were calling for me. Adrian looked behind me and smiled which increased my curiosity. I followed his gaze which meant that I had to turn around.

Who was it?

I wasn't expecting what I saw next. He stood a meter away from me and Adrian, with a woman by his side.

It was Darcy.

My head snapped toward Adrian who simply gave me an encouraging smile. I glimpsed back at Darcy and the gleaming woman by his side, Ms Anally.

At that very moment, I ran toward Darcy with my arms held open. I flung myself onto him as tears trickled down my cheeks. He immediately hugged me back, even more tighter than I hugged him.

"I missed you so much, Vivi."

Me too, my friend.