The atmosphere in Waterford airport is noticeably different than the one back home in Seattle. Everyone seemed to be moving in slow motion; there was no need for rushing.
People stroll about in their shorts and t-shirts, tugging their bags behind them. Old friends re-connect left and right. Family members hug in reunion.
Beside me, Alice is bouncing up and down, trying to see ahead of the crowd. Alice had always been tiny; barely clearing 5'2. "Can you see him Bella?" She asks nervously.
"Not yet Alice. He'll be here. Don't worry." I assure her and use my taller height of 5'6 to my advantage and scan the crowd.
"What if he just doesn't show up?" Her eyes grow big and concerned at the thought.
Before I can answer her, her eyes lock on something in the distance and she is off like a flash. I'm left standing on my own with various people looking at me; probably thinking something like when is she going to sprint like a child through the airport too like her crazy friend?
I take a deep breath; I was never one for awkward introductions, and push through the crowd to where Alice and Jasper were still embracing.
"Jasper," Alice beams and lets go of his midsection. "This is my best friend Bella."
Jasper Whitlock is just as handsome in person as he is in photographs. He is tall and lean with sandy blonde hair that screams run your fingers through me. His tanned skin makes his blue eyes and perfect white teeth shine.
"Charmed." He says with a smile and he holds out his hand for me to shake.
I need to remind myself to move so he won't notice me staring awkwardly. I reach out for his hand and shake and tentatively.
"Now Bella, I've heard so much about you, I feel like I might know you already." He says with a laugh and he wraps one arm around Alice's slight shoulders.
This makes me smile. "Jasper, I could write a book about you, she's told me so much."
"Alright, enough about me." Alice pipes in. "Can we collect the luggage and get out of here?"
"Eager are we?" Jasper asks and peers into her eyes. I can't help but look away, my stomach churning uncomfortably.
"Well, I just want Bella to see the house and the beach. Do you know she's never been out of Seattle before?"
At the sound of my name I turn my head back.
"Is that really true?" Jasper asks in disbelief, one eyebrow shooting up.
My cheeks burn red. "Yeah. The family was never really one for travel."
"Well Bella, you're in for one heck of a surprise."
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
I stare the whole half an hour car ride out the backseat window. I have it rolled down all the way so I can soak up the warm sun and inhale the smell of the ocean.
Here the streets are lined with palm trees and children wearing bathing suits run through sprinklers set up on their lawns. Their mothers, wearing brightly coloured sundress, watch them carefully with a glass of iced tea in hand while their fathers read the paper lazily on the porch.
The downtown area consists of little shops whose walls have been painted the brightest of reds, greens, pinks, blues, and yellows. In between the tiny shops I catch a glimpse of the ocean, shimmering in the sun.
"We're almost there." Jasper announces right about where the shops end and the road begins to wind up a hill. The beach disappears beneath the cliffs.
The houses begin again but now they are noticeably larger and there is nobody out front.
We continue the slight incline for five more minutes before Jasper turns into a long drive.
"Bella look." Alice crows and points straight up ahead.
I take a sharp intake of breath as a large, scratch that; massive white house comes into view. It seems to be a part of the sand and palm trees that surround it; as if it had always been here.
Just from the front I can see it has large windows which are fitted with shutters and many of the rooms have balconies.
Jasper pulls into a garage, separate from the house and twists around in his seat. "You like it?" He asks me with a slight smile.
"It's amazing." I sputter. "How did you afford something like this?"
He lets out a laugh.
"I'm sorry. That was rude of me." I apologize, my cheeks going red again.
"Not a problem," He assures me. "My father is a CEO of a large company in New York City, so the house is a gift from him."
"Wow." It is all I can manage to say.
"Shall we go inside?" Jasper asks.
"Yes!" Alice squeaks and she flies out of the passenger side seat.
Jasper and I follow her lead and get out the car also.
"You can leave your bags. I'll come grab them later." He says and smoothly leads the way out of the garage.
As soon as we get out of the cool garage the heat hits me and my jeans feel like they are stuck to my legs. I look down at my sneakers kicking through the sand and they look out of place.
"Alice," I whisper and tug her back so she's walking beside me instead of Jasper. "I didn't have any clothes to bring here." I tell her while biting my lip.
"Oh Bella," She laughs and it sounds like wind chimes. "I thought of everything. I brought a whole extra wardrobe for you."
At first I am relieved but then I remember that if Alice brought it, I'm probably not going to like one thing in the whole suitcase. Our tastes in clothes had always been opposites on the spectrum.
"Here we are ladies." Jasper announces when we have reached the front door. Immediately I am entranced with the intricate woodwork on the door but then I feel silly for being impressed with something as mundane as a door.
Jasper snakes a set of keys out of his back pocket and slides one of them smoothly into the lock. He twists and the lock clicks home.
"Ready?" He asks, teasing.
"Oh just open it already." Alice shoves his shoulder playfully.
Jasper does and leads the way inside.
If I was impressed with the outside, I am floored with the inside. Everywhere I look, I can see white. The floors are shiny white marble, the walls a warm summer white and even most of the furniture took on some shade of white.
Contrasting against the white, there were little splashes of blue; a blue throw pillow or a blue painting.
But most breathtaking of all were the large bay windows overlooking the sandy white beach and the turquoise gem coloured ocean. Staring out the window I forgot why it was I didn't want to come in the first place.
~ I hope this chapter was a little more exciting. We'll be going into more of a story line next chapter. Also I will be adding a section to my profile with links for this story so make sure you visit my profile and check them out as the story goes on!.
I've got pictures of the house up right now. :)
Thanks for reading. Reviews are much loved. :) ~