Chapter 16- : LOCAL LIFE

'If you are going to stand there the entire day, then I might as well walk without you" Leonardo arrogantly told her, killing the world of day dream that Aurora was experiencing.

'You derive joy from ruining my day, don't you?" she asked him, hands on her hips and she impatiently awaited for his answer but she was only met with silence. Although mad at her, Leonardo stopped himself from smiling.
Aurora's actions were just like his mother's when she was mad at his father.

He knew that arguing with his newly wedded wife would get him nowhere as he quickly remembered some wise words. Happy wife, happy life.

Leonardo turned away from Aurora and walked along the beach, just like he had predicted, she followed behind him. Whereas his long longs easily navigated through the sand, Aurora struggled to keep up with him.

'I could carry you if you like" Leonardo teased her, turning around, looking into her eyes and seeing her shoot daggers at him, gave him relief. Getting on her nerves and seeing Aurora angry, made Leonardo feel as though he had accomplished something.

'No you may not, I am not some hooker that you can just touch whenever you want too" Aurora pointed out to him.

'But you are my wife and this is our honeymoon" Leonardo continued teasing her which only mad her more angry with him. Aurora could not believe what a pervert Leonardo was, even as he had disrespected her not even five minutes ago, he went on about his walk as though it was nothing, while she nearly ran after him.
The further they walked along the beach, the more people they saw and this got Aurora wondering a few things.

'Why is it that there are more people on this side of the beach and not on our side" She nearly yelled at Leonardo as he was far ahead of her.

'It is because our side is private property and this side belongs to everyone" Leonardo answered her without turning back to look at Aurora in the face. She followed silently behind Leonardo but his words kept ringing inside her head.

She was aware of the great divide between the poor and the rich but never had she thought that she would ever be in the rich side of things, owning a beach no matter how nice it sounded still felt wrong to her. They owned a piece of nature that should not have been brought in the first place.

'Up there!" Leonardo told her, his deep voice demanding that she give him audience, until she looked up. Up on a tiny hill was a Tiki bar and Aurora smiled. Never had she seen a Tiki bar before and now she would finally get to enter one.

Leonardo walked in, pulled out a chair for himself, and sat down. Aurora followed right after and pulled out a chair for herself and also sat down.

'Waiter! He called out and in no time, a local islander appeared before with a notebook and pen.

'Aloha" the islander greeted in which Aurora and Leonardo responded in unison as they smiled at the islander.

'I would like a coconut drink" Leonardo ordered his drink and the waiter turned his attention towards Aurora whom smiled at him.

'And what would the lovely woman like?"

'I would like a mango martini" Aurora ordered and watched as the waiter took her order and was gone. She had only heard of a mango martini when Avena would speak about it but never had she had actually tasted one before.

'You act as though you have never been here before" Leonardo commented, his eyes studying very movement she made and Aurora was fully aware of it.

'Oh! I have been here, its just that it has been long and often I tend to forget" Aurora responded with a smile, once again, she had lied and it weighed heavily on her. Leonardo looked away from her and focused his attention on the islander's children playing on the beach.

'I can see that you love kids, why don't you have your own?" Aurora through Leonardo's concentration.

'Well we're married, we could get to it" Leonardo answered Aurora and her pupils dilated only for Leonardo to burst out laughing. 'I am just kidding with you"

'Oh"

'I just don't have time, I am devoted to my job and I have never really thought that far. Honestly, if it were not for this arranged marriage, I would probably never have be married" Leonardo told her.

'Tell me more" She asked and from the look on Leonardo's eyes, he was stunned that she had wanted to know more about his life.

'Okay, I'll tell you" Leonardo opened up to her about his teaching job. He told her how much he loved teaching underprivileged children and how he wanted to make the world safer for them. The entire time, Aurora stared at him with stars in her eyes.

Listening to Leonardo speak about his passion made her happy because she could see the happiness in his face as he spoke about all his students, a side of him that she was only seeing now.
Half way through the conversation, Leonardo stopped and smiled at her.

'I am boring you right?"

'No you're not! Keep talking, I want to hear more" Aurora encouraged him and just then their foods arrived. None of the beautifully decorated and cooked food pleased her as her attention was only focused on Leonardo.

'That is great, you really love your kids" she was in awe of the man in front of her as Aurora too had a teacher just like him. She remembered going to school and her teacher constantly reminding her of how special she was.

'Yes I do love my student, they unlike everyone else make perfect sense" Leonardo answered her but the words he chose left Aurora wondering what he meant. She had not yet figured Leonardo out but listening to him made her see a different side of the man who was now her husband.

Aurora turned her attention towards the dance floor, even with the sun shining and it being early in the morning, the locals gathered and began dancing the Siva dance, a dance synonymous with the Samoan people. She looked her eyes mesmerized by the locals dance moves and rhythm.

'It's beautiful is it not?" Leonardo asked Aurora who for a brief second looked at him, smiled and nodded her head in agreement. 'You should go and dance with them"

'No way, I do not know how to dance" Aurora responded, she smiled so bright that it reached her eyes and for the first time since they had met one another, he had truly seen her happy.

'I am sure that you know how to dance, just try it" Leonardo continued cheering her on.

'I do not know how to dance" she told him once more while smiling the entire time.

'Okay, let's make a wager. If you dance then I will too" Leonardo told her, surprised by his dare, Aurora stood up from her chair and walked towards the dance floor. Leonardo sat in his chair as his jaw dropped, not believing that Aurora had actually taken him up on his dare.

He watched as the locals welcomed Aurora onto dance floor, contrary to what she had said, Aurora actually knew how to dance. He watched her sway and swung her hips along with the beat of the drums, her smile so infectious that it made everyone around her smile.

All those things that were said about her and all those rumors that he had heard about her were not making sense to him at all.

'Come on!" Aurora called out to him, drawing him in by pretending to pull Leonardo in with an invincible rope.

'I can't dance!" he told her, trying to voice over the loud Samoan music and drums playing in the background. Unable to make out what Leonardo was saying, Aurora walked towards him, pulled him by his arms until Leonardo stood up.

'Aurora!" Leonardo called out to her but Aurora continued pulling him towards the dance floor. They arrived on the dance floor, Aurora turned to face him, and her smile brighter than it was before and seeing her happy made him happy.

Encouraged by the crowd around him as well Aurora, Leonardo began dancing. Not really knowing what moves to do or how to go about dancing while keeping to the rhythm of the music, he shook his hips, imitating the female dancers.

'Go Leonardo!" Aurora clapped her hands in tune with the music as she cheered him on, watching Leonardo fabricate his ridiculous dance moves made her laugh.

Just as quick as it began, the dance had ended and the dancers had begun leaving. The magic of the moment was disappearing along with the dancers as they were leaving.

Aurora turned around and her face knocked into Leonardo's hardened chest, she fell backward, shutting her eyes as she fell backwards and right before she could hit the ground, Leonardo's hand wrapped around her hips to stop her from falling.

Feeling someone's hands wrapped around her hips, Aurora opened her eyes and too her shock, she was looking right into Leonardo's eyes. Time seemed to have stopped once more, just for the both of them; the children playing and running on the sand's noises seemed to have faded away.

Realizing that the moment had become awkward between them, Leonardo lifted Aurora up and quickly pulled away from her. Leonardo's nerves took over him, as he did not know what to say to Aurora now that their little moment had ended.

Aurora too was nervous, she looked everywhere except at Leonardo, as she rubbed her hand against her arm.

'Are you okay?" Leonardo gathered the nerve to ask her and as though nothing had happened between them, she turned to face him and she smiled.

'Yes I am okay; you dance nice by the way"

'Oh that, it was not dancing, I was simply improvising" Leonardo responded nervously, not wanting to give himself any praise for his dreadful dance moves.

'But you tried and that is all that matters" Aurora told him, her words of praise lightened his mood and even as they sat down on their chairs, they were silent like they had been before.

They were back to being strangers, even though they were officially a married couple, they knew the truth about their marriage, the truth that others could not quite figure out. They were not in love with one another and that they might never fall in love.

I am not who you think I am, the woman in front of you is a fraud. Aurora thought to herself as she watched Leonardo watch a group of islander children play. Even in his silence, she had seen him smile at the children in a distance.