Tied to You

by Bibi Paterson

  It is not long before people start moving around more and I realise that we will be coming in to land soon. I crack open my eyes and am startled to find Alex staring directly at me, with an expression that I can’t fathom across his face. “Sorry, was I snoring?” I ask, surreptitiously wiping my chin in case any drool escaped.

  “No, you are all good,” Alex says, letting out a dry laugh. “Sleep well?”

  I nod as I stretch my arms above my head. Seriously, I am not sure if I could ever fly economy again if this is what it’s like in first class. The aroma of freshly baked rolls wafts through the cabin and my stomach growls embarrassingly. My body clock is all over the place and my stomach doesn’t know whether it wants breakfast, lunch or dinner, but at least I have managed to get a decent sleep. I am just hoping that the jet lag is not going to be too bad. I glance at my watch, which I seem to have reset several times already, and it tells me that it is 7 a.m. Okay, that means breakfast. I can deal with that.

  I grab my bag and head into a toilet cubicle to freshen up, glad that I brought a change of clothes with me. I wash my face and then slip into a pale yellow sundress, brushing the tangles out of my choppy dark brown bob. I add a final slick of lip gloss and then make my way back to my seat to find my breakfast tray waiting for me. Yum.

  “I ordered you a tea. I hope that’s okay?” Alex asks, looking at me expectantly.

  “Fab, thanks, Alex,” I mumble through a bite of freshly baked croissant. Really, I need to get some manners so that I don’t just dive into my food, I think to myself. Alex attacks his breakfast with equal gusto, sipping on a cup of strong coffee. I love the aroma of freshly brewed coffee—just a shame the taste doesn’t measure up. I’ll stick to my tea, thank you very much.

  Once our trays are cleared away, I settle back and stare out the window at the beautiful blue sky. I am nervous and find myself twisting my fingers in agitation. I fiddle with the large diamond currently nestling on my ring finger, unused to its new weight. “Are you okay, Olivia?” Alex asks softly, breaking through my reverie.

  I offer a small smile in response. “Just a bit nervous about meeting your family. I don’t want to let you down, Alex. I know you have a lot riding on this. I have done my best to memorise all that info you sent across, but I am just worried that I will slip up at some point. I am really just about the world’s worst liar.”

  “Don’t worry about it, Olivia. They are going to love you. Look, we have a couple days before the big meet-and-greet, so I will talk to my mum first about stuff, though they know about you already, and you can relax and soak up some sun. We’ll work out the details of the ceremony and stuff this week and go from there. You don’t have to worry about organising a thing.” Alex’s tone is soothing, and all at once I feel calmer. I still don’t know what super power he seems to possess that instantly makes me feel all Zen-like.

  “Okay, thanks, Alex. This is not your everyday kind of situation and I really don’t want to mess it up. You have been so good to me, sorting my mother out and everything, and now it’s my turn to step up to the plate.”

  “Stop worrying. Let me take care of everything, okay?” says Alex, his voice and expression firm.

  “Okey-dokes,” I answer knowing that, despite its futility, I will continue to worry regardless.

  We chat a bit further as I probe Alex about our destination. I had never even really heard of Perth before Alex told me that he was born there. Since then, I had bought a Lonely Planet guide and marked up the pages of things I wanted to do and see, but I have no real idea on the distances between stuff. All I really want to do is see a kangaroo…god I am such a child, I think to myself.

  Before I know it, the seatbelt sign blinks on, and we start our descent. It is not long before we have landed and been whisked through passport control, and then we are walking through the doors into the arrivals hall. I can see Alex scanning the people waiting and I feel myself getting a lump in my throat as I watch people greeting each other, often with tears in their eyes. Alex clears his throat and indicates towards a tall, well-built guy with a shaved head dressed in a driver’s uniform, holding a smart placard stating Davenport. Sliding his hand through mine, Alex murmurs softly, “Remember, you are my blushing bride-to-be.” I find myself blushing at his words, and satisfied that I am behaving suitably fiancée-like, we walk across to greet the man.

  “Alex,” he cries when he notices us.

  “All right, Shane?” Alex responds and I notice his accent becoming a little stronger. “Shane, this is Olivia, my fiancée.” Alex introduces me, and I shake Shane’s proffered hand.

  “Hi,” I say shyly, feeling instantly intimidated by the tall guy in front of me. He is tanned and gorgeous with striking blue eyes, everything I would normally be attracted to, but today I feel nothing.

  “Well, she’s a beaut,” Shane says, smirking at me.

  “Enough, she’s mine. Hands off, dude,” says Alex smoothly, before engaging Shane in conversation. From what I can gather, they are old friends and soon they are in a heated discussion about some sports team called the Dockers. Men.

  I follow them out of the door and am stunned by the wall of heat I walk into as we step outside. Alex had warned me that Perth was hot in November, but this is like an oven. I am grateful when we finally arrive at the car and I can slide into the air-conditioned coolness. Both men pretty much ignore me as they catch up, which suits me fine, as it gives me a chance to take in the world around me. The landscape is so different from what I am used to, and I kind of feel like it is all a bit surreal. The bush is so brown compared with the green fields of England and I can see the heat shimmering off the tar road. The buildings are completely at odds with what I am used to, but I drink it all in as we get on the highway.

  “So how come you guys are staying at the Crown Perth?” Shane asks, breaking me out of my musings.

  “Didn’t think it would be fair to Olivia to meet the folks the minute she stepped off the plane,” Alex responds with a laugh that tells me that Shane must know the family well.

  “Nice,” Shane says with a smirk.

  Minutes later we are pulling up under a canopy at the entrance to the most luxurious hotel I have ever seen. As we drove up to the building, it glowed like a giant white pyramid and I wondered if we had been transported to another planet, the structure so alien compared with everything around it. But now all I can think about is not tripping up and embarrassing myself. As I climb out the car, I am once again assaulted by the hot, arid air. I head around to grab my small case, but before I have a chance, a bellhop is loading all the bags onto a trolley and whisking them away. I squeak in protest, but Alex assures me that they will be taken straight up to the suite. Suite? Like, not just a room?

  With a fond farewell to Shane and promise of beers on the beach, Alex takes my arm and steers me to the reception desk. We are swiftly checked in and I can’t help but notice the girl blatantly checking Alex out. I have to hide my inward smirk as I place my hand, complete with the giant diamond engagement ring that Alex presented me with on the plane, on his arm and smile sweetly across at her. I feel Alex shaking slightly and I realise he is laughing silently at the scene unfolding. I look up into his grey eyes and see mirth shining out and I give him a genuine smile, probably one of my first since this whole thing started, in return. The receptionist takes this all in and I can see a faint blush under her makeup; she has obviously got the message. Ours may be a marriage of convenience, but if I am playing the role of a blushing bride, I am not going to have some random girl undermining our façade.

  The receptionist, whose name tag reads Janie, hands over the key cards and then wishes us a pleasant stay. Alex puts an arm around me and guides me back towards the lifts, murmuring into my ear, “Well played, Olivia.” I smile and shiver slightly, despite the heat radiating off Alex’s solid frame.

  “You can call me Liv if you want. That’s what my friends call me,” I murmur back.

  “Liv. Hmm, I like it. Suits you.�
� Alex responds, his hot breath in my ear making my knees feel weak. I sternly remind myself that this is an act, this is not real, and this is not about romance or even sex. At last we reach the suite, and when Alex opens the door, I actually gasp as I take in my surroundings. The décor is plush and modern, but what really grabs me when we walk into the living area is the stunning view of the city across the river beyond the windows.

  “You take the master,” Alex instructs, and when I go to refuse the look that he gives me brooks no argument.

  “Wow, Alex, seriously, this is amazing. That view…” I trail off.

  “Yeah, it is pretty awesome. That’s why I chose the suite. Can’t get much better than that,” Alex says softly. I am guessing that this view is familiar to him as he seems to know his way around the suite, but even so, he seems as enamoured by it as I am. I see the doors leading onto the balcony and step out, despite the heat, to get a better look.

  I am not sure how long I stand there taking in the sights and smells, but I am startled back to reality when Alex walks through the doors in long board shorts and a T-shirt, his hair still damp from the shower he must have just had. “You should put some cream on,” Alex states. “You’ll burn to a crisp otherwise.” I glance down at my shoulders and see that my normally milky-white skin is already turning pink.

  “Definitely, the last thing I want is to get sunburnt first day here.” I laugh. I head back indoors and make my way through to my room. Really, this is all too much. I am not used to this kind of luxury and it kind of freaks me out a bit. But as I eye the bed I can’t help but fling myself down onto it, enjoying the crispness of the sheets against my overheated skin. Despite the sleep I managed to get on the plane, it is only moments before I find myself dozing off.

  ~~~~~~~~~~

  “Wake up, sleepyhead.” Strong fingers grip my shoulder gently and I feel myself being shaken from my deep slumber. I mumble, wondering who the hell is waking me up, as I roll over onto my back. I crack open my eyes to find Alex staring back at me, and it feels a little like déjà vu as he looks at me with that same expression he had on the plane.

  “Argh, what time is it?” I ask, running a hand through my hair.

  “Just after one. Thought you might be hungry.” Alex responds, just as my stomach lets out a grumble, making us both laugh.

  “You thought right,” I say. “Yeah, food would be good.”

  “Come on. I thought we could eat down at the grill by the pool. There should be a bit of a breeze and you won’t catch too much sun.” I glance down at my shoulders and can see the smattering of freckles coming through where the sun caught me earlier.

  We make our way down through the hotel and find a free table at the grill. I watch the people splashing around in the water and make a note to dig out my costume later and come back for a swim; the water looks sublime. The service is brisk and in no time at all I am sipping on a wonderfully cool mango smoothie whilst Alex drinks a bottle of beer. We chat softly as Alex fills me in a little about the history of Perth while we wait for our food. When it arrives I dig into my club sandwich with delight.

  “I love watching you eat,” Alex says suddenly, and all at once I feel very self-conscious. I feel my face go red and I have no idea what he means by that. “What I mean,” he clarifies, seeing my confusion, “is that you enjoy your food. So many women just order food and then push it around the plate, barely tasting anything. Yet you eat each mouthful like it is the best thing you have ever tasted. Like you might never get to eat it again.”

  I can feel my cheeks glowing with my shame, but I realise I have nothing to lose by telling the truth. “That’s because this food is divine compared to what I normally eat. And usually, I don’t know when I am going to eat next.” My words are soft and I can see Alex doesn’t really understand. “Every penny I made went towards my mother’s care and sometimes there just wasn’t enough for me. So sometimes I survived on bread and soup and noodles.” I can’t meet Alex’s eyes, so I stare at the floor fixedly instead. “And sometimes there wasn’t even enough for that, so I would have to sell something just so I could pay the rent and there wouldn’t be enough for food at all.”

  A finger hooks under my chin, forcing me to look up into Alex’s stormy grey eyes. There is no pity, just compassion, and I feel Alex’s thumb stroke my cheek. “It’s going to be okay, Liv,” Alex promises. “You will never go back to that, okay?” I just nod, not really knowing what else to say, while I blink away the tears forming in my eyes. I am definitely not telling him that I am already saving for when I have to leave in a year’s time so that I don’t have to experience the ache of a hungry belly again.

  “Right, what do you want to do this afternoon?” Alex asks, swiftly changing the subject.

  I take the distraction gratefully. “I would love to just have a wander around, get a feel for the place if that’s okay? And maybe go to the beach…though I have no idea how far away that is. Wait, we don’t have a car…” I trail off at my presumption. Maybe all Alex wanted to do was lie by the pool.

  “That’s not a problem. I have a hire car being delivered here in the next hour so we can go for a bit of a drive…see some sights and then head to the beach later. Does that sound okay?” Alex suggests.

  “Awesome,” I say, borrowing the word that the Aussies seem to use every five minutes.

  Alex gives me a grin, stealing one of my fries as I protest loudly. I finish off my meal and sigh contently. Just then, I hear a chime and Alex looks down at his phone. “Good, the car is here. Did you want to grab some stuff from the room and we can head out?”

  “Sounds good to me,” I respond.

  Back in the room I grab my swimming costume and towel, along with my factor thirty sun cream, and shove them in a bag before picking up my handbag and stuffing in my sunglasses and purse. I meet Alex down in the lobby and take his arm as he guides me out to the hire car. I am not exactly sure what make it is, but it is some kind of high-end 4 x 4. When I climb inside, it is blissfully cool, making me wonder how people survive without air conditioning in this part of the world.

  With the assuredness of someone who has lived somewhere his whole life, Alex takes me on a tour of his city. I marvel at the stories he tells me of his childhood and how things have changed. He takes me to his favourite places, a lot of which seem to be drive-through food places where we grab the most amazing fresh doughnuts I have ever tasted, and he even manages to persuade me to try this iced coffee frappe thing. I thought it was going to be disgusting, but it was sweet and creamy and probably filled with like a million calories. Yeah, I loved it.

  All set with our sugar and caffeine fix, Alex tells me we are going to head down to Fremantle. The name rings a bell and I dig out the guidebook that I threw in my bag at the last minute. I read out random facts and soon I have Alex laughing at me being a complete tourist. The trip takes a good couple of hours, making a giant loop that brings us back from Fremantle via South Perth and then into the city itself. I will never forget the view as we came round on the freeway with the river to the side and in front of us and the city off to our right…just breath-taking. We exit the city taking a detour through the botanical gardens, which are nothing like I have ever seen, and then drive out through the suburbs to City Beach.

  “This is the best fish and chips you will ever taste,” Alex promises me, indicating to the restaurant in front of us. “Let’s hit the beach first and then we’ll grab some dinner later.”

  “Cool,” I say. “I am not really up for swimming, though, if that’s okay?” Truth be told, I am a bit scared of sharks but don’t want to admit that to Alex and seem like a complete wuss.

  “That’s cool…you can just dip your feet in if you want,” Alex replies, a knowing smile on his face.

  The sun is a bit lower in the sky now that it is late afternoon, and as we trudge down the sand towards the water’s edge, the light shimmers off the water, forcing me to don my sunglasses. I bravely pop my bare foot out, waiting to experienc
e the chill of the water, like you would in the UK. But instead of bone-numbingly freezing, the water is cool and pleasant and I almost wish that I hadn’t left my costume in the car. I don’t know how long we stand there, both staring out into the ocean, but eventually Alex starts to fidget and suggests we head up to the fish place, Clancy’s.

  We make our way back up the dunes and round to the entrance, where I brush the sand from my feet and slip on my flip-flops, or thongs as Alex called them. We are shown to a table out on the deck and I can’t help but feel like this is the life. Why Aussies want to live in rainy old England when they can have this beats me. Alex and I sit side by side, looking out over the water as we sip our drinks. I noticed the subtle raised brow once again when I ordered only a juice, but Alex doesn’t push it. I order the barramundi on Alex’s recommendation and Alex orders the hoki, both types of fish completely foreign to me, but I am looking forward to trying them out. We chat amicably until our food arrives and then there is almost complete silence as we taste our meals.

  I groan in appreciation at the taste explosion in my mouth, and Alex chuckles next to me. “Good?” he asks.

  “Hmm, yum,” I respond, taking another bite. Seriously, I have never tasted anything like this and I am not sure I ever will again. We munch through the rest of our meal as we watch the sun slip down closer and closer to the horizon. When at last we are finished, even too stuffed for dessert, Alex suggests just hanging out on the sand to watch the sunset.

  We wander down onto the sand again and find a spot. I lean my head against Alex’s arm and, almost reflexively, he winds it around me and draws me into his side. The feel of him is so foreign, yet completely familiar, and I simply enjoy sitting as we listen to the waves crashing on the shore. I am so completely lost in my thoughts that I don’t even realise that Alex has asked me a question until I feel him nudge me.