Arabella's POV

"You know you're incredible for doing this," Tyler said as he softly squeezed my thigh and flashed me a sideways glance, a smile slowly creeping onto his face before he turned his attention back to the road. "Psht, tell me something I don't know." I scoffed.

"Hey, no cocky business in here. We talked about this." He scolded.

"Yes, father. I understand." I mocked, a chuckle escaping my lips when he flashed me a glare.

We were currently on our way to the hotel in which I booked specifically for this weekend getaway with my friends. Tyler I decided to ride together, Ace and Erika together and lastly Max and Aaron. Tonight we decided to just settle in, hit the pool or jacuzzi, have dinner and call it a night.

Tomorrow was the festival and the following Sunday we were to have dinner together in the banquet hall of the hotel that I made sure was reserved for that night. On Monday we would all part and go to our respective homes to celebrate Thanksgiving with our families.

An event I was definitely not looking forward to. "You're gonna eat that or let it get cold?" Tyler asked as he eyed the container of spicy rice cake noodles sitting on my thighs. I smirked and pried open the container before grabbing my chopsticks and taking a noodle out from the bowl. Lifting it to my lips I took a bite, trying my hardest not to burst into a fit of laughter at Tyler's side glances.

"What? Did you want some?" I asked tauntingly. He narrowed his eyes once more and turned his attention back to the road before kissing his teeth. "You know I do, Bella."

"Well cry me a river, Tyler."

"You're gonna pay for this."

"Uhuh highly unlikely but whatever floats your boat." I winked before dipping my chopsticks back into the bowl and pulling out another rice cake. Sure I was teasing him but there's no way in hell I'd be able to eat all this spicy food on my own. It was just amusing to see Tyler get riled up over food, who knew the illegal MMA fighter who obsesses over his body and how much he weighs and his consistency in keeping fit cared about food this much?

I turned to face him, smiling softly before retrieving the phone vibrating in my pocket. I accepted the call and pressed it against my ear, leaning against the seat more comfortably and peering out the window. "Wassup?"

"Aaron and I are stopping at the next gas station, the idiot forgot his tank wasn't filled. What's the address to the hotel so we can meet you guys there, we're following you right now but I doubt you guys will wait for us."

"Tyler, Max and Aaron are stopping at the next gas station to get their tank filled, do you wanna stop as well and wait for them?" I asked, Tyler snapped his head towards me and shook his head slowly whilst muttering no.

I chuckled and returned my attention to the phone, "sorry Max, Tyler doesn't wanna wait so I'll text you guys the address. And call Ace as well so they won't get confused as to why you guys pulled over, alright?"

"Sure, sweet cheeks. See you guys in a bit." The line went dead and I turned off my phone before slipping it back into my pocket. Peeking another glance at Tyler I decided to close the container and stop teasing him because by the dissatisfied look on his face and his stomach holding a conversation with us the entire ride I think we can conclude the fact that Tyler is extremely hungry.

"You know if you want to eat we can pull over and I can drive." I offered, his face suddenly scrunched in discomfort and he shook his head vigorously before chuckling humorously, "okay, first of all, I am not a fat ass I don't need food and secondly I am not letting you drive my baby. She cost a lot, approximately 90 thousand dollars and before you scold me! It was before I enrolled in college and I had already saved up money to pay for my mom's treatment and I just wanted to treat myself–"

"Tyler. . ."

"Yes?"

"Shut up," I clipped. He snapped his head towards me, his lips falling agape and then clasping shut in shock. "I mean. . .you don't have to explain yourself to me, but I feel very insulted that you don't think I can handle her with care, I'm not careless after all."

"You drive a BMW." He stated matter of factly, I frowned deeply, scoffing as I swivelled my eyes towards him. "Yeah and so what's your point?"

"No one drives BMW's anymore, it's 2019 babe live in the now, and my point was that someone who drives a BMW has zero qualifications in driving a beautiful Porsche 911 Carrera." He babbled, a smug smile creeping onto his lips.

"Yeah, and you're being biased, this is just your opinion, and it's 2019 babe a lot of people drive BMW's keep in touch with the now and plus I don't talk cars all I heard was bleh bleh bleh." I mocked. He chuckled deeply and I found myself swooning under the deep bass of his voice. I cleared my throat and sank further into the leather seats of his car which oddly enough smelt exactly like him.

Well duh I mean it is his car but don't cars have their own smell? I don't recall my car smelling exactly like me.

"Why are you making that face?" He asked confusedly, his eyes snapping away from the road and onto me. "Just wondering why your car smells exactly like you." I blurted out.

Silence followed soon after and I turned toward Tyler, only to see him already gazing at me deeply, those same brown eyes holding so many emotions most of the time I couldn't pinpoint which and at what moment. But right now I knew he was greatly amused.

"You're so fucking weird."

~ ~ ~

"This place is magnificent!" Ace exclaimed loudly as he dashed down the hallway, a girlish high pitched squeal escaping his lips. "Yeah Ace we got the point like five–this place is magnificent–ago's. . ." Tyler murmured as he slung his gym bag into the room through the ajar door. Ace rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath that Tyler was killing his fun.

"Have you guys like never been to a hotel before?" Erika scoffed as she snatched Ace by the ear, dragging him away from our door where he was–not so subtly–peeking into Tyler and I's room.

"We have, many times actually, this idiot just doesn't know how to act whenever he sees nice things even if half his life he's been surrounded by it. He can literally be born in a mansion, step out of his house for a day and freak out when he comes back like it's all new to him." Tyler sniggered.

"Enough chit chat! I wanna hit the jacuzzi." Erika groaned deeply as she slid her arms into Ace's own and beckoned him towards their room, "what do you say we all get changed into our bathing suits and meet downstairs in the jacuzzi!?" She exclaimed. It was more of a rhetorical question seeing as Erika rarely took no for an answer so with a shake of our heads Tyler and I disappeared into our rooms, leaving Erika to drag away an excited Ace to theirs.

"Does he always act like a five-year-old imbecile?" I chuckled softly as I shut the door slowly behind me. Tyler sighed deeply and shook his head before tumbling down onto the bed with a satisfied groan.

"This may sound unbelievable but he's the scariest out of all of us whenever he's serious so he tends to act more childish. Ace is aware of his. . .antiques, it's deliberate because he's basically Tyler 2.0 when he's all huff and puff. Don't mind him, you and neither Erika should complain about his childishness, it's the only way he knows how to not be serious all the time so cut him some slack."

Who the hell would have thought that Ace Payne was the scariest out of all the guys!? I mean Max sure, he's such a cuddle bear but Aaron, on the other hand, is also a cuddle bear but he knows when not to be like the night I went looking for Tyler. But Aaron and Tyler combined?!

I've seen Tyler in the ring, I've seen Tyler at his breaking points and he was terrifying, how the hell could Ace be Tyler 2.0!?

Personally I always knew that Ace acting childish was a facade I just never knew why I guess now I do. He's sorta like the silent but deadly type of person minus the silent. He's childish/loud but deadly. That's a new one.

"Did something happen that made him this way?" I asked as I lowered myself down beside Tyler. He peered up, his brown curls falling off his forehead as he angled his head towards me.

"Ace went to juvie for eight months for beating up a kid nearly to his death for messing with his sister when we were fifteen, he was always a delinquent if you ask me and again believe it or not I was the good best friend of the duo trying to get his badass friend in check.

But after some anger management classes and therapy he learnt how to control it, hell so much so that no one would guess he was the ill-tempered one. He also fights to get any pent up anger out so that when he acts the way he does it's really genuine. Ace's personality isn't a facade, it's an extension of who he is, a freaking five-year-old in a twenty-one-year-olds body most of the time but a deadly yet extremely intelligent man when he has to be."

Ace Payne? Who the hell would have thought that a guy I've grown to know so well is in fact a guy I know so little about. I remember the day he scolded me for running off to Tyler when he fought that night, how authoritative yet frightening he was when he pulled me aside to reassure me that Tyler was okay.

I doubt that was anger, more of concern but I got at least 5% off now I'm guessing what he's capable of.

You never truly know someone huh?"

"Enough talk about Ace! C'mere." Tyler muttered as he wrapped his arms around my waist and flipped me over him onto the mattress. I squealed as my body sunk into the white plush duvet that smelt like coconut candles. Such a weird smell but I kinda like it.

"Hey, I planned to make out with you not sleep!" Tyler's voice rang in my ears and I brushed him off, a soft moan escaping my lips as I enveloped myself in the comfort of these sheets. "So comfy, so nice, so. . .sleepy."

"No!" His shrill voice filled my ears once again and I snapped my eyes open, only to find him balanced right above me, his brown eyes gazing down into mine and his lips pulled into an innocent smile. I smirked, reached upwards and began to tickle him against the waist.

I watched in amusement as his face contoured from mischievous to pure astonishment. He squirmed against me, laughing hysterically as he yelled for me to stop through his fit of laughter. I ignored him, continuing on with my assault until he slumped down beside me in defeat and cried for a tap out.

Satisfied with my evil genius plan I retracted my hands from his waist but he caught it in his grasp and quickly tugged me towards him. I squealed when my chest came in contact with his, our feet's tangled in with one another against the warm soft duvet and I sunk down beside him.

"What?" I whispered, blushing deeply when our noses brushed up against one another. He shook his head and pressed his hand against my cheek, the smile never leaving his lips. "You're just beautiful." He murmured, that look that he always sported once in a blue moon appeared once again but as quickly as it came it left.

I knew that look, it was disbelief. That any of this was real, that in two years and two months Tyler Hart and I were finally a couple, there were no problems between us, no drama, pent up anger, obsessions and toxicity. We were just us, a normal couple, two people who love one another.

Often times I'm in disbelief too. That finally after two months of back and forth bickering and fighting and pure hateful words we were here, laying in this bed facing once another like nothing ever happened.

"Oh did you only now realize that I was beautiful or were you blind this entire relationship?" I taunted. He rolled his eyes and flicked me against the forehead with his middle finger, I hissed in pain and slapped his hand away, ignoring his statement on how I couldn't take a compliment and how I ruined the moment.

"Hey, I think you're beautiful too."

I was shocked to see the pure look of offence and disgust on his face as the words left my mouth. I had expected him to smile or something but I received nothing but a scoff. "I am a man, men aren't beautiful. . .I am simply handsome."

"You are simply pompous and yes men can be referred to as beautiful, you are beautiful Tyler Hart, both inside and outside. A heart as pure as gold, well maybe a bit of black here and ther–Hey I was joking! And as I was saying! A beautiful pure heart and a beautiful face that I get to call mine."

"My face?"

"No, you dumbass!" I exclaimed loudly, slapping him upside the head and chuckling as he groaned in pain. "You're gonna pay for that, Arabella." He growled threateningly, his brown eyes narrowed to slits, I mirrored his expression, smirking mischievously as I slowly began to creep away from him.

"Game on Tyler."

A lot of people wonder why I keep recycling the same surnames in my books, it's because I do it purposely, every character in a different book with the same last name is related. Like Tyler Hart is related to Leila Hart in Mr Kingston's Roommate and Tristan Hart in the Good Girl's Bad Boy. They're all distant cousins 🙂