He needed to keep an eye on Holly’s nasty teasing, and make sure she didn’t bully Ellie. He went into the lounge area of their suite and noticed that they’d already drunk a lot of the bottled water. Ellie would probably be thirsty when she woke up after all those punch cocktails, so he decided to go and replenish their supplies.
Downstairs was quiet, and he presumed everyone had decided to spend the rest of the evening in their own suites. He grabbed a large bottle of mineral water from the kitchen, and was about to head upstairs when he noticed the veranda doors were still open in the sun room.
He’d always liked sitting out on the veranda in the evening, so he went outside to the swing and, after placing the water on a nearby table, checked his phone.
There were hundreds of alerts about his relationship with Ellie. Most were positive, some were a little strange, and a few were downright cruel – the sort of horrible bullshit Ellie had described earlier when she’d told him about David. Criticism over her curves and suggestions that Alex was some kind of pervert for finding a woman with a shapely figure attractive, or, worse, that he was encouraging her into an unhealthy lifestyle.
Alex immediately dismissed it as the usual Hollywood nonsense. Growing up, he’d regularly seen the scrutiny and pressure his mother had faced about her appearance. Too fat, too thin, too old… the criticism never ended. He also knew that Ellie’s health and attitude towards food and exercise was far better than his mother’s; she’d been hospitalised several times for anaemia and had developed osteoporosis due to her poor diet. Ironic, that thinness was always deemed healthier when a lot of the actresses he knew barely had enough body fat to function normally.
One particularly odd article stood out.
ALEX KING PUTS HIS TOXIC PAST BEHIND HIM AND FINDS NEW LOVE
He frowned as he scrolled through the article. Still spouting the same old lies – Alex as controlling towards Savannah but, having realised the errors of his ways, now dating with a more relaxed and open mind. Dating an ordinary, plus-size woman was apparently proof that he’d changed.
What the hell was that supposed to mean? That he’d only dated a woman like Ellie to improve his reputation? He flinched, because there was some truth to it; he was dating Ellie to make himself look better – but he’d picked her because he liked and trusted her.
No, more than that. The truth was he found Ellie very attractive, had done from the first moment he’d set eyes on her. If anything, Savannah had never been his type – they’d just fallen into a relationship with one another.
Why had they even started dating in the first place? Hadn’t Richie organised their first date – something to do with promoting their latest films?
A shadow moved across the swing and instinctively Alex swiped away the articles before looking up at the person who’d come outside. Liam stood beside him with two crystal tumblers in his hands.
‘Do you still struggle to wind down after a flight?’ he asked, sitting down beside Alex on the swing and offering him one of the glasses of Scotch.
Alex grunted in acknowledgement, unsure why his brother would approach him like this. ‘Just long haul.’ He took the offered glass and swirled the liquor around. Smooth and smoky, it would have been the perfect drink to help him wind down – if his pain in the ass brother hadn’t been the one to ruin it by joining him.
‘Ellie seems lovely.’
Did he want to get punched again? ‘She is, so don’t get any ideas.’
Liam’s lips thinned, and he took a sip before answering. ‘I just meant that she suits you.’
Alex couldn’t argue with that; he’d been thinking the same not long ago. But he’d be damned if he’d ever admit his brother was right. ‘Well, leave her alone. Don’t let Holly drag her into anything she doesn’t want to do.’
‘Savannah will have a word with Holly.’
Alex scoffed and took a large sip of the Scotch. ‘Cus that’s worked so well in the past, right?’ Holly had never paid any attention to Savannah’s advice in the past. She thought she knew better than her older sister in every way.
Liam didn’t reply.
‘Why did you even want me here?’ Alex asked tiredly, removing his glasses and pinching the top of his nose, fighting the sudden exhaustion that threatened to overwhelm him.
Liam’s face became pained. ‘You’re my brother… It wouldn’t have felt right without you.’
Alex turned away, his jaw aching with tension. He didn’t bother to hide the brittle anger in his voice. ‘I’m only here because Mom insisted.’
Why was he the one that always had to make amends and do the right thing, while Liam got to do whatever he wanted, no matter who got hurt along the way.
‘I messed things up between us, didn’t I?’
Alex put his glasses back on and scrutinised his brother’s face – how could he ever trust a word he said? His cheekbones were more prominent than normal, and there were dark lines under his eyes, or was that just the moonlight playing tricks on him? His brother always looked so confident, so calm, but tonight he seemed nervous.
‘Yeah, you did.’ Why should he pretend like all was well between them? He’d done nothing wrong, and he’d still come to this dumb wedding of theirs. What more did they want?
They both stared straight ahead into the darkness as the cicadas hummed loudly in the tropical night.
‘I’m sorry.’
