I Am Beautiful

SELENA’S POV:

TWO YEARS LATER:

“Woahhhh!” Cherry exclaimed in excitement as she zoomed off in a pink jet ski along with Carmeron who was shirtless on another jet ski, roaring up in the same excitement as Cherry.

We had all rented out a beach in order to rewind, relax and spend time with each other being that we had all been busy this past few months. Cherry had travelled to Yester, a city in another country about eight hours in a plane from here and it was quite amazing. I had stopped by to visit her about two months ago. A year ago, she had decided to quit being ‘childish’ and get a job, complete her degree. She headed to the University of Yester, one of the top schools in the world to complete her degree in fashion and we celebrated when she completed it last month, getting her different gifts and Mrs Scott threw a whole party inviting family, friends and Cherry’s fellow graduate.

Cherry and I had grown a bond for different reasons but she had highlighted that by deciding to get a degree in business and finishing with honours while also running my company, I motivated her.

“This is so relaxing.” Carmeron’s girlfriend, Ashley, announced, laying next to me as we both got sunbathed, enjoying the warm, relaxing breeze in a bikini.

I met her when we all arrived at the beach house two days ago, and she had been so sweet with literally everyone. She was a beautiful, natural blonde, having the body shape of a Victoria Secret’s model and according to Henry, she was the one of the first girls Carmeron had kept around longer than a week.

“Right.” Gabby also agreed, fixing up her sunglasses. She was the wife of one of Henry’s other friends from school, Julian, he was a big time soccer player and she remained a media sensation and a soccer player’s gorgeous wife.  She had the most soft red hair I had ever laid my eyes on, she was so sweet and an amazing friend, we had instantly clicked when we met two years back.

I strongly believed our weekend together would be so blissful because by the look of exhaustion and the amount of sleep we had all been getting, I just knew we needed it. 

Henry and Julian waved in our direction before hopping into the surfboard and riding the wavy water, laughing and having a great time.

I noticed Cherry’s boyfriend, Kelvin, as Cameron often referred to him as her ‘little college boyfriend’ because they had met in college and he and Cherry were just exactly the same height, so every time she wore heels around him, he looked short. He had a cute look on his face but I never really interacted with him much so I knew nothing about him. He had put on sun block and watched Cherry on the jet ski.

So attentive, right?

“I’m going to get us a drink.” I announced and they both hummed, I walked towards the lemonade stand Olivia had begged to create because she was here all alone despite the fact that we had a help and a chef that catered to every single one of our needs. I almost chuckled seeing the scowl on her face as she prepared the lemonade.

She had found out Craig was stealing from her and even had a whole other woman and a child, she had been so furious that she brought hell upon him. With a lawyer like her with so many qualifications, she had him imprisoned from robbery, denying ever knowing him thereby getting his sentence longer than it should have been. She had been distant with all of us ever since, throwing herself into her work for the past year. 

“Just because you’re here alone doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have fun, you know that right?” I raised my eyebrow and she looked up at me before laughing out loud.

“I know…that’s not why I’m like this.” She heaved out a sigh and I took a seat behind her stand. I was curious to know how she even got the stand set up.

“So what’s wrong, you can talk to your big sister.” I nudged her shoulder and she looked at me with a scrunched up face.

“Big sister? Girl, you were literally just twenty three. I’m two years older than you.” She repeated for the hundredth time, I knew that but I loved seeing the amused look on her face every single time I said this and that was the only way I knew how to tease her.

We both laughed and she glanced at me, “I just want to feel as free as a child again. Without no worries, with the single goal of selling lemonade, no boy issues, no worries about the future. Just lemonade and candy, oh and also sending off my smelly brother and his friends who always try to steal my chocolate.” She proceeded to slap a hand and it was Henry’s. 

He winced, wrapping his other arm around my waist, I laughed as Julian and Carmeron ran off with a bar of chocolate and she followed him at full speed, unable to catch one of them. She stomped her feet and yelled for Henry, who was too busy showering me with kisses on the neck.

“You look so beautiful and sexy in this bikini.” He whispered in my ear, making me smile. I had really grown so much, if this was two years ago I would have never been able to wear a bikini and walked around gracefully but when you have a husband who tells you how great you look every single hour of the day and his family who do the same every single time they lay their eyes on you, as well as a therapist who is appalled that I even think I’m not a pretty, you start to look at the mirror different.

I really am beautiful! My facial features are incredible! I stared at myself in awe and said that to myself everyday, amazed like I had surgery done.