Chapter 21

• Hayley Life has settled into a rhythm for me. Gran is upset that Xander and I have opted to not go on honeymoon immediately but we both agreed that we had a lot of responsibilities to take care of here. I have been spending the majority of my days at the house as I’m on a month’s leave. Things aren’t weird between Xander and I because I hardly see the guy. He leaves early and gets home late. It’s obvious he's avoiding me....not something I anticipated. It was making me depressed to no end and I can’t go complaining to Gran about everything. She’s not well, a fact I haven’t forgotten. She has been giving us space to “get to know” each other so she doesn’t know Xander and I don’t even see each other. I do make a point of at least having lunch with her every day and sometimes she comes for walks on the beach with the girls. Whenever she asks, I tell her things are going well, when honestly I feel so alone. It's been two weeks since I’ve been married. We still sleep in the same bed but I’m asleep when Xander comes to bed and sometimes I pretend to be when he wakes up. It’s obvious he doesn’t want me to be awake. Why else would he be coming to bed past midnight and waking up at 4am? So I take the hint. The first night after the wedding was fine until we had to go to bed. I offered to sleep on the couch hoping it would start a conversation about more intimate things but Xander insisted the bed was big enough for the both of us and neither of us had to sleep on the couch. So that was that. Anyway, today I’ve decided enough is enough. That’s why I woke up straight after Xander left, grabbed a banana, determinedly changed into my workout gear and purposely made my way to state of the art in-house gym. Half an hour later I haven’t done a single thing except walk around this gigantic room trying to figure out what the different equipment does, how they work and where to start . Shit this is overwhelming. Kyle finds me sitting on the leather lifting bench staring at the room around me when he walks in, in search of Xander. “Hey Hayley”I get up to hug him in greeting (yes I have suddenly become a hugger!) “Kyle, hey how you doing?” “Good chick and you... are you ok? You looked a thousand miles away when I walked in”I laugh “I’m fine, a bit overwhelmed by all this equipment, but I’ll figure it out.” “Someone’s decided to workout, hmm what brought this on?” “Oh you know... self development and all that crap." Kyle laughs at that. “Well I actually came in search of your husband but he’s nowhere to be found and I have a meeting across town in an hour....but if you don’t mind I could come back after that and help you train... get the hang of things?” “Are you serious Kyle? Please tell me you’re serious! I have no idea what I’m doing and where to start". “Ofcos I’m serious, I would love to help train you... the guys and I are pros at this... just tell me what you want to achieve and I’ll get you there.” That was few days ago and Kyle was definitely serious. He’s been here everyday. WWe have trained twice a day... and when I say trained, I mean trained! I feel like I’m undergoing navy seal training. Gone are my leisurely walks on the beach, instead we run on the sand. Have you ever run on sand? Damn. Even my chubby Zola is getting fit. I feel sore muscles every time I move and I’m loving it. We are three days into our training sitting on the sand in the early morning sea breeze, a bottle of water in each of our hands having completed a half an hour run, Kyle could go much further but half an hour is all this lazy-ass can manage and he should consider himself lucky I attempted running. I'm the type of person that only runs when being chased. That’s when he brings up Xander. “ So Hayley, You can tell me to but out and mind my own business but Xander’s my best friend and the moment you married him and I saw the way he looked at you, you became my little sister regardless of whether this marriage is arranged or not". The water in my mouth fly’s out in arc as I choke. Kyle laughs as he rubs my back and I splutter and try to breathe. “You know about our marriage?” I finally manage to get out. “Yeah Xander tells us everything, well almost everything” he adds and grins as I blush furiously. “So can I go on? He asks“Sure...” “So I’ve been here a few days now... today I was here at 6am and Xander’s never around. We workout evenings. I leave sometimes at 7pm or 8pm and he's still not home.” “Yeah... guess he doesn’t like my company”. “I actually think it’s the other way around Hayley. I think maybe he likes your company too much. I’ve been watching you guys the last few days and its obvious the distance is affecting the both of you. Something that wouldn’t be happening if there wasn’t anything between you two.” I just look at Kyle dumbfounded not knowing what to say. “I want to help you. I know Xander and you’re the first women that has him in knots after just a few weeks. I think you’re good for him and you’re meant to be his wife.” I finally find my voice, not feeling particularly hopeful despite Kyle’s kind words, “You know his Gran thinking that exact same way is why we are sitting here today? I would want nothing more than for Xander to want me or at least want to get to know me and trust me I’ve tried... I'm trying. Why do you think I’m putting myself through these grueling workouts? But he doesn’t see it because he doesn’t want to be around me.” I say as I put my head down, eyes glistening with tears threatening to spill over. “Awe Haley don’t cry". Kyle pulls me closer to him and places his chin on his head “Everything’s going to work out. I promise", he says solemnly, “Just give me chance. What have you got to lose?” Now where have I heard that before...?