Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Intention: an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions.

1999: New York City

"A person solely observing her and having seen the damage she’s done to so many lives would most likely classify her as evil." She is brilliant," because she has managed to fool everyone in her life except me. I suppose that would make us similar but unlike Kathryn I have a heart.”

Kathryn Merteuil

“A person solely observing her and having seen the damage she’s done to so many lives would most likely classify her as evil. She is brilliant, because she has managed to fool everyone in her life except me. I suppose that would make us the same, similar but unlike Kathryn I have a heart.”

These are the words that I read in my stepbrother’s journal after so many years of wanting to know what he wrote in that book. I stood there within shock, within anger, after the years of us being together he decided to write things about me that I NEVER knew about.

Also, a heart? A heart? He was a manipulative asshole! A heart yeah, sure believe whatever you want Sabastian, but I know the truth and I know you. Well, knew you now.

I thought he loved me in the sense that we would always be together, that I would have someone who would still be my plaything. Who would pay attention to me, who understood me in every way like Sabastian did.

But for him to expose me! To expose me to the entire world and for me to get busted for doing drugs by the head of the school! And that was beaten by a bunch of virgin girls who in retrospect didn’t have an ounce of wealth or status like me.

“Kathryn Merteuil, you are here by a disgrace to this school, and we do not want someone of such a reputation be the face of this prestigious school You are stripped of your title and expelled; this is to be activated immediately.”

“What?!!!! But sir you can’t do this! I am an A+ student, my gpa is flawless. I am a good influence on the girls in this community and have helped so many of the new comers. Please, I beg you to reconsider please. It was a simple mistake and that book was made up, someone is trying to sabotage me!”

“My mind is made up miss Merteuil. Now, please leave my office.”

Mr. Hargrove’s stern look and voice echo off of my back as I exit the office, on my heels my head turned up to the sky refusing to back down when it comes to the injustice that I feel by everyone.

But the ruin of my reputation was not the only thing that I got because of that stupid little journal. As soon as I got back to my room to pack all of my things, dreading that I would be having to tell my mother of all of this.

I hear and see two uniformed officers standing outside of my doorway along with a German shepherd dog. A drug dog. However, this was just not punishment enough to add to such embarrassment, I ended up hearing these very words.

“Kathyrn Merteuil, would you mind coming with us please.”

In the end, I lost all my friends, my reputation, my status as a socialite and my eventual inheritance that I was promised once my parents died. I ended up going in front of a judge who was not lenient on me whatsoever, on me and despite my parent’s money they did not help me at all.

My brother’s journal was used in the trial against me and Ronald Clifford ended up testifying against me for a lesser sentence by blabbing to the cops. A straight up detailed confession of how I had lied to him about Cecil being a virgin. Which led him to kill my stepbrother.

Therefore, I was found guilty and I was sent to prison for conspiracy to commit murder and just like that my life was completely over. Or so it seemed…

Chapter Text

2024: Cayman islands

Kathryn

Twenty five years is a long time. To have the sun on my face again after having to stay in a prison cell for as long as I did it complete and utter heaven. You have no idea how long you miss something until you have it taken away from you.

How did I manage to get out of that disgusting place? Well, after establishing that I was the main bitch and not to be messed with I found myself being on my best behavior.

I didn’t get into any fights with the girls that the cops “know” of and I managed to spend my time focused on what I was going to be doing when I got out and worked out like crazy. That before I knew it my time there was coming to an end, and voila here I am.

I decided to relocate to the Cayman’s after my parents made it perfectly clear that I was not to be coming back to their home. So I took whatever money I had gotten from my fans on the outside who were more than convinced of my innocence and decided to donate money to me out of the goodness of their little hearts. Investing it in a house of my own, and practically starting all over again, changing my last name of course so that my past in New York City would not follow me for the rest of my life.

“Hey waters, get back to work I don’t pay you to daydream. Go give that man his order.”

I roll my eyes in complete disgust to myself hoping that the manager doesn’t see me as I walk past the front of the coffee shop with my hands filled with a box of glazed doughnuts and a grande dark mocha frappuccino with extra chocolate drizzle.

Yeah, I forgot to mention that I started working at a coffee shop because this man Marvin Rivers took pity on me and thought that I was some poor college student trying to pay my way through college.
Me, a poor college student HA! I mean, okay, in some twisted way I sort of was with my mother cutting me off of the inheritance and all. Let me explain further, see…

I grew up within the city of Manhattan as part of the socialite lifestyle but my mother was not the kind of mom who would play with her child. No, I rarely saw my mother only when she would come home from her job as an actress before her own cocaine habit took hold of her. From there her career was thrown down the toilet and she was blacklisted from Hollywood forever.

We managed to stay within the socialite circles thanks to my mother finding my stepfather and she hatched a plan to rope Sabastian’s father into a blissful marriage. Sebastian’s father helped my mother get clean and stay that way for many years after and I got the short end of the stick. So to speak, when it comes to emotional needs, wants ect. But one thing remained a constant within my life-

Money. Money is what got me anything and everything that I could ever want in my life. Those who have the money control the world right? So all I have to do is pull a card from my mother and find a rich man to give me back my status. Then I can have the life I once had back and plot my revenge against Annette Hargrove.

Walking over to the table I see a man dressed casually in a dark blue t-shirt, cream coloured shorts that come up to his knee cap and black converse on his feet. Hunched over texting on his phone, his dark brown hair swept to the right in the front, his eyes concentrating on the message that he is typing.

“Excuse me mister, uh….” I look at the box and notice the word HAMMER written in cursive. “Mister Hammer, your order is ready.”

I watch the man lift his head and my eyes meet deep blue eyes, a smile written on his face.

“Thank you so much, you are a lifesaver.”

He gets up from the chair and when he stands up, I immediately feel slightly overtaken by his height. I am 5’4 and he seems to be a giant standing next to me. My green eyes look up at him and I forget for a second that I was holding this customer’s food.

Until he says, “Excuse me, but would you mind letting go of the box? I’m actually late for a very important meeting.” His words don’t sound annoyed in any way but rather rushed.

“Oh, yes, of course! I’m sorry.” I apologized quickly, letting him take the box from my hand and his drink. I watch this man rush out of the store and all I can think is this is the person who will be the one to put me back to where I belong.

✝️

After my run in with mister Hammer I made it my mission to find out anything that I could about this man. What he was about and how I could get ahold of him, his background and get to know this guy.

After work, I decided to ask around about this man and some of the locals were kind enough to tell me that his name is Armie Hammer and he is the son of some wealthy real estate tycoon.

“He is a very nice young man. So handsome yet he isn’t married or has any children, I wonder why that is?”

One elderly woman told me as I ended up running into her while I was making my way back to the sands motel. I would be staying there until I managed to save up enough money to work something else out.

-No kids and no wife hm? That’s perfect!-

“Thank you very much!” I smiled at the woman who was gracious enough to give me the information that I needed and went about my walk.
I walk past the small gift shops along the way and as I do I find myself enjoying this small freedom of looking at beautiful things again.

I stop for a moment to admire this beautiful white sundress that ties at the back of the neck and try to picture myself in it.

Seeing myself walking along the beach in it with one of those matching white sun hats on top of my head. With the most expensive sunglasses that money can buy covering my eyes.

-A man like Armie Hammer on my arm, oh the things people would say. The thought was very enticing to me and it just makes me want to get to know this man even more. -

My fantasy is broken when I reach the motel entrance and I look up at the double glass doors, sighing with annoyance tapping my foot on the mat in front of me to make the doors open and make my way to my room.

The room itself isn't too terrible, it's not like a run down building with wonky electrical work. Or the TV is broken, a dead body under the mattress type bad.

The see-through curtains are a nice cream color and there are two beds, a round table for me to set my stuff on, and a small microwave on the dresser.

what my dear step brother Sabastian would call “commoner living.”

Seven twenty five an hour is not the type of living someone like me wants to have. But for now, I must deal with it.

I shut the door, locking it behind me. Walking to my small closet where I keep my clothes and sifting through the hangers to find my two piece black bathing suit and my old sun hat, the one my dearest step daddy got me for my birthday.

Taking it out, I decided that a good time at the beach will drown out my money and my life problems for a while and strip out of my work clothes leaving them on the floor for the housekeeper to get and take to the wash. I mean… after all it is their job to pick up the room not mine.

Grabbing two towels from the hotel bathroom, I set them in my bag along with some sunscreen, and headed back out the door, unlocking it. Leaving my phone behind me.

✝️

From the hard street to the smooth sand beneath my sandals, I feel people’s eyes on me. Which has never bothered me, since I was in high school. I am used to being the center of attention, or more specifically the sensual gaze of many men and some women from time to time. That never gets old for me.

When people were looking at me in high school it was because they wanted to fuck me. Now, when people look at me, it is either because they heard about my release on the news and have seen the mugshot. Or, they are intrigued how someone as beautiful as I am, could end up in a place like prison to begin with.

But then again, I am no Gypsy Rose, I don’t care if I am popular anymore, that is high school bullshit. I am much older now, I am more after my status as a seductive socialite more than anything else.

I make my way down to the beach to find a spot for myself away from the other people here. A few couples who look to be in college, having their summer vacations, more than enough families to cover the whole beach it would seem.

The sound of their laughing children running around, building sand castles leaves a small what if in my chest. But I try not to dwell on the future too much, let alone the past. That kind of thinking can be your worst enemy and kill you on the inside if you let it.

I managed to find a spot that I thought was private enough and placed my towel down on the warm white sands, dropping my black bag down next to the towel. Grabbing the sunscreen, I sit down on the towel and begin to lather up for my tan.

“Hey, you're that girl from the coffee shop aren’t you?”

The deep voice catches my attention and when I look up, there is a man standing in front of me, in light blue swim trunks and has a surfboard in his left hand. His right hand running through his wet short hair and his feet buried into the sand.

“You are! Thanks again for the doughnuts, you were the talk of the office today.”

Pulling my sunglasses down a bit, I let my green eyes fall on the hairy pair of legs and upwards where what I see becomes very enticing to me the further I go up again. Just to make sure that I am seeing this person and not daydreaming.

-Armie Hammer. Armie Hammer not in a suit! Holy shit! Say something Kathryn! -

“Well, well, mister Hammer. This is quite the surprise,”

⚫

Hammer & Hammer Law Firm: Michael Hammer’s office

Armie

Ah, the morning meetings at the office of my father are very boring and often filled with his morning rants of how we need to meet the clients needs better. That we are setting an example of what real justice looks like in this country! His words not mine.

Today when I walked in with doughnuts I had hoped that it would steer his thought process a bit into not hounding me about a lost case against a serial murderer. But I was wrong, the moment I stepped foot into that office, oh boy!

“Are you listening to me, Armand? Are my words getting through that thick skull of yours because you don’t seem to be taking this seriously. Do you know what kind of standards this firm holds? How much do I trust that you will be the next in line to be the right person for this job the moment that I step down? Well, do you?”

My father rants as I quietly sit on the edge of the soft brown leather chair, munching on a doughnut from the coffee shop that I had purchased them from hours earlier.

“Yes, father.” I chew a few the last bite before giving what I hope will be a good enough answer for my father’s very stern expression. “I am fully aware that you want me to take over your spot for the defense. But I already told you that being a lawyer was not something I wanted to do with my life. Why not give it to Victor, or Robsin? They are more than qualified to take the position, more so than I am.”

“Robsin, is going to our real estate business down in North Carolina and with him having a new baby on the way, his hands will be full. As for Victor, well, he is well what can I say Armand. That boy is an idiot who would rather chase pussy than track down America's most wanted. No, I need someone who I can trust and the only people you can trust in this world is family.”

-Great! Just great! -

I try to not let the disappointment show on my face as my thoughts drowned out my father’s continuous talking, rambling more like it.

My father grew up in the business of being a lawyer that started with my great grandfather Albert B. Hammer and after he died, my father Michael Hammer inherited it from him. Then after he met my mother Madaline, and moved from South Carolina to the Cayman Islands,

He was bound and determined to have a son and pass on the business to him. I unfortunately don’t have any siblings so I became that son.

My father was a really good lawyer working all over for people who were convicted of crimes but who were innocent In New York city, and anywhere that they needed him. However, he was also fixing certain cases to make them “go away” for the mob at some point to repay a debt to them a long time ago. But something went sour with that and soon we were put in witness protection and given new lives, new names. That is how I went from being Oliver Hammer to Armand Douglas Hammer. Father insisted that we were not changing our last names out of respect to my great grandfather.

I grew up on the island most of my life with my mother who works as a social worker and my father.

As a child, I would run around the island, playing and exploring the various places that were more private rather than being around large groups of people.

I was homeschooled by my mother rather than going to a public school, so the only “friends” that I would consider would be my family’s coworkers who I would interact with before my parent’s party started after that, I was left on my own forced to go into my room to play or sleep until it was over.

During my school years I tried my best to make the grades my parents wanted me to achieve which I managed to do with many years of tears and hard work. I hated school, I thought it was stupid and never wanted anything to do with it after I graduated.

So after graduating high school, when I was able to move away from his parents home, I ended up moving into an apartment at the age of 18 and got his first job working at a grocery store.

I worked my way up through the chain on shit pay, while also having to work for my father learning the business of being a lawyer. Or excuse me, an “assistant” I would call it a fetch and get honestly because anything my father wanted food or otherwise, I would get it for him.

Doing that job got me only ten dollars a week but who was I to complain right? I was making money. But my passions laid elsewhere-
I wanted to be a real estate agent or any kind of work that involved my hands but, father wouldn’t have it. He insisted that I become a lawyer and then, when he thought I was ready I was going to take over the family company.

Therefore I was forced to go to college and learn how to become a lawyer for many years of my life. Which left me no time for a social life, or a romantic/sex life to speak of in those days. Now, I pretty much take what I can get when it comes to dating even though I am a hopeless romantic.

That wasn’t good enough for dad though no.. Now I not only work for my father, but I am the guy who has to travel the world and look in on other business adventures for him. Real estate, which was something my dad didn’t know shit about until he caught me looking at how to start it and took it right from underneath me.

Thus Hammer Real Estate was created and here we are.

“Armand, I swear you will see things my way one day and you will thank me for it. In the meantime, while I am still running things here you may have your weekend off. But you will be going to check on Robsin’s progress tomorrow and will report back to me.”

With that bit of information, my father dismisses me from his office and I am officially allowed to start my weekend off.

So I decided that I would start my weekend with a much needed surf and possibly a good trip to the stables for a good ride. Robsin can wait.

⚫

The moment that I am out of that office and out in the open air, I feel a major weight of criticism lift from my shoulders. I am able to relax a little as I walk down those white concrete steps and begin to feel more myself.
I take the stairs down to my jeep and climb inside, shutting the door behind me, starting the engine and driving off with the windows down letting the wind blow through the car.

Abusey Junction blasting through my car speakers as I tap my hand on the steering wheel, my phone goes off indicating that I had a text message from someone.

Pushing a button on my radio, I listen to the woman’s voice say,

Annette: Hey, Arms are you going to be coming to the stables today? If so, let me know and I will save you a horse.’

A smile spreads over my face as I hear the text and decide to send one back.

Armie: Hell yeah! I’m there. Thanks, I’ll be there as soon as I can. Are you sure you don’t want to try surfing? I think you would really like it!

I push send and the music returns, but just when it comes back on it mutes a little and the ding is immediately.

Annette: Surfing hm? I don’t know. I don’t do so well with sharks after watching jaws. 🦈

Armie: Please Ann, I learned to ride a horse for you!

Annette: I will think about it! Okay, I am leaving now my next rider is here. Have fun with the sharks!

After that the music comes back into full volume and I am turning off one of the streets, turning down on to one of the sand roads that lead to my house.

When I get home, I am greeted by the sounds of calm waters gently raking the shore and the sound of my neighbors down the beach, some laughing, with the smell of barbecue making its way through the air leaving an aroma and the urge to cook behind me.

To Be continued

Chapter Text

Armie

I take my jeep down to the beach with everything I would need for the afternoon and park the jeep close to one of the trees for shade. Turning off the engine, I grab my backpack from the backseat and stuff my towel into the bag before zipping it up.

-Just a few hours of being on the water and then I will go see Annette.-

I had made my mind up by the time I got down to the beach, my bare feet hitting the sand with a steady thumping as I walked, I began to feel calmer the burden of responsibility and the conversation that I had with my father moments before disappearing.

Heading to my favorite spot on the beach, I noticed that someone had taken up its space. Not that I was a “Ken” about people being in my favorite spot on the beach, it was just that particular spot I loved because there was rarely anyone on that side of the beach.

No one ever ended up on that side of the beach because the locals named this part of the beach “dangerous” due to the occasional shark showing up. But that never stopped me from surfing the beautiful, big swells that would make even the best surfers gape in awe.

I decided to move around the other person and go a little ways away from her, so as not to disturb her reading. Setting my things on the ground, I grab my board and take off running straight for the water, with the warmth of the sun on my back.

I first got into surfing when I was a teenager, it was by accident actually. I had skipped out on my schooling while mom was going to the grocery store to get things for dinner that morning. I wanted to go swimming at the beach, in my favorite spot so I did.

I had escaped through my bedroom window and ran to the bus stop with what money I got from yard work and rode the bus all the way to the beach.

I got to swim for an hour. It was during that I got to see this older man, ripping through the waves that got bigger, it seemed for a minute. I remember being mesmerized by the confidence he had, the no fear stance he had on his board.

It was something that I couldn’t take my eyes off of and inside I found myself cheering for him.

Then I saw him disappear for a couple of seconds and for a moment, I thought it was over. I thought the guy had been swallowed up by the waves. Hoping that the guy was okay, I found myself crossing my fingers as I floated in the water, and with a small prayer-

The man known as Gregory sticks his hand through the wave, and that was when I realized he was riding inside of it.

It was that moment for me that made me make my mind up, I was going to buy a surf board and I was going to learn how to ride.

⚫

What I thought was going to be just an hour, ended up becoming two hours in the end as I cut through the water with my hands. Laying flat on my stomach I swim myself to shore, the water leaving goosebumps on my skin from a small breeze starting to blow.

When I reached the shore I noticed that the woman who was laying there reading her book before was no longer reading her book. She was now facing me, for a second I thought that she was staring at me until I saw her reach for the bottle of suntan lotion.

She looked very familiar and she had a beautiful body as well, something that I first noticed when I first got to the beach.

-Annette is waiting Armie, no need to keep your friend waiting over the attractiveness of this woman!-

-It will only be a second, I will say hello and then it’s back to the jeep.-

Getting off my board I settle it underneath my arm deciding that I would be nice and go to say hello to her.

“Hey, you're the girl from the coffee shop aren’t you?” the question leaves my lips before I could consciously think of anything better to say.

The moment that she looks up at me and those sunglasses go down on her nose, to reveal green eyes and a soft smirk on her lips. The connection clicks in my head.

“You are! Thanks again for the doughnuts, you were the talk of the office today.”

-You could have said something way better than that! -

“Well, well, mister Hammer, This is quite the surprise,” Her words come off with amusement as I run my fingers through my hair, as I try to gather my voice. But she continues with “So he does have a hobby.”

“So she does know how to relax.” I shoot back in a teasing manner, she doesn’t seem at all intimidated, not like I had seen her in the coffee shop. She seems more relaxed, carefree even though it is surprising.

“On occasion, when I am not slaving over a hot stove making sticky sweet treats for the locals. Or dealing with the occasional yell from my bastard of a manager who has a big stick up his ass.”

-Well she definitely has a sense of humor.-

A burst of laughter leaves me and she laughs along with me, then she motions for me to sit down next to her on her towel in a gesture of kindness. I watch her take her sunglasses off, she moves to the right and back on her towel but I decide to sit beside her in the sand.

“So what brings you here?”

“Here as in the beach Armie? Or the caymans in general?”

My eyebrows shoot up at the mention of my first name, something of which I did not remember telling this woman when we first met each other at the coffee shop this morning. But she doesn’t seem to notice my expression as I say,

“In general. I have never seen you around here and I have lived here all my life. I pretty much know everyone that lives here, who their families are ect. So- I assumed that there was no way that you grew up here because your lack of tan also is a dead giveaway. So what brought you here Kathryn Merteuil?

I watch her mouth gape at me, her silence a work of art as I see the wheels turning in her mind as to how I know her name. I know of her name and what happened to her in New York City because it was all over the news. It was a major story around the world, and this woman ended up famous in her own right.

“How did you know?” Her tone clearly was a cadence of wonder with a small mixture of fear.

“The story was world wide, you were the top story for a while, and my father was the lawyer who was working on your case at the time. So he sometimes brought work home with him. Also it was one of the cases that I had to learn very well in order to be a good lawyer in front of my father. “

My thoughts on Kathryn, I got the sense that she was a spoiled princess who still needed validation from anyone who would give her a time of day. She obviously had been through alot in the sense of humiliation and the horribleness that is high school. But at the same time-

There is an air about her that makes me drawn to her, whether it is her physical attributes of how gorgeous she is. Or maybe, it’s the fact that I do know what it is like to hide a part of yourself from those who “think” they know you. VS The people who actually know you in the sense of every single part of you and your differences and yet, they want you around still.

✝️

Kathryn

As soon as the words left Armie Hammer’s mouth I knew that in this moment that I would either be completely fucked or I could change this some how into my favor. But whatever I was going to do, I needed to do it fast.

-shit, shit shit! There goes my plan of trying to seduce him right out the window!-

“Then you would also know that I served my time and now I am a free woman, Armie, so please don’t drag up old wounds. That was a long time ago, I would like to move on from my past and I thought that moving to the Caymans would do that for me.”

“Oh, no I am in no position to be judging anyone Kathryn. It’s not like I am going to rat you out to my father or anything like that. In fact, I am going to give you a proposition that I am sure you will find more appealing than your current situation.”

Armie’s face remains blank as he speaks, I don’t understand what he is trying to do here. But the words make me feel very cautious now as the very words of my dear Sebastian come to mind.

“Care to make a wager on that?”

“Oh and what would that be?”

“Since it is clear from your tone that you don’t like working at the coffee shop. How about you come and work for me, being my personal assistant? In exchange, I will pay for your room and board, as well as keeping your identity a secret.”

“Why would you do that for me?”

I know I am being skeptical right now, but it is a trait that I have kept with me since coming out of prison and even before, I never trust someone unless they can do something for me in return.

-be careful you know what happens when you trust someone Kathryn. You trusted Sebastian and he completely threw you under the bus in the end, the person you loved stabbed you in the back.-

I see him looking out at the water and he seems slightly distant, his expression turning slightly sad for a second.

“I know what it is like to have a secret that you have to keep to yourself. So in a way, I completely understand-”

The sound of a phone going off makes me turn my head towards the noise but as I do so, Armie Hammer is gone. Leaving me with just the sight of his strong back, his surfboard, and curiosity of -
-“Since it is clear from your tone that you don’t like working at the coffee shop. How about you come and work for me, being my personal assistant? In exchange, I will pay for your room and board, as well as keeping your identity a secret.” -

I smile to myself at the thought of being with this man and immediately I end up feeling like this might be easier than I thought. He made it very easy for me and I very well just might take the man up on his offer the next time I see him.

📙

Cayman islands: stables

Annette Hargrove

Death. It’s something that happens to everyone eventually and it is often said that quote “when it’s your time, then it’s your time and there is nothing you can do about it.” These words were often told to me by my grandparents any time someone within the family would die.

However, what they don’t tell you is that when someone you love dies, it sticks with you for the rest of your life. It has been twenty five years since Sebastian’s passing yet, I still find myself thinking about him every single day of my life.

It still amazes me how I am still heartbroken over someone who I didn’t really consider the love of my life. I really couldn’t call him the love of my life because we barely knew each other, and I wanted more time to get to know him but that was taken from me.

So I did what other people often do after the grieving process, I took Sebastian’s journal and his black jaguar xk140 roadster, deciding that I could no longer stay in New York City. Something about staying in a place where I would have the memory of Sebastian’s death just did not sit right with me at all.

After much fighting back and forth with my mother and father about wanting to leave New York City. They caved after going to the trial of Kathryn, deciding that it would be the best thing for me to get away.

But I think they only let me go because of the fear that Kathryn would possibly try to retaliate from what I did to her. They also did not like Sebastian either and my father did read the printed out version

So with their blessing I made the decision to start the rest of my life.

My journey led me from New York to traveling a little bit around the world and found myself going to the Cayman Islands to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. What was going to be a small vacation ended up being longer than I had expected.

The original plan was to go to the Caymans in order to relax and just allow myself to think of where I would go from here. However, I fell in love with the island and I enjoyed the very laid back feeling that I got when I first arrived here.

I enjoyed how nice the people were to the tourists, I also found out that the island had horseback riding classes, and I ended up meeting a man who became my best friend. Which ultimately made up my decision to stay here on the island for the entire summer.

Then afterwards I ended up finding myself working as a college professor in England and living in England on my own for four years. I fell in love with my job and I made the decision to keep my job as a college English teacher, through the school year.

During the summers, I come to the island to work my job as a horseback riding teacher for the tourists that want to learn how to ride.

One of those people who I am helping is my best friend Armie.

I met Armie during the summer the first time I came to the island, I was still trying to get over Sebastian’s death at the time and decided that it would be a good idea to drink some of the pain away by having a good time.

I ended up drinking too much at the bar and I accidentally ran into the man who was walking up to the bar. I felt very embarrassed by my drunkenness, because I was always known as the good, christian girl with good morals, and a very high sense of self.

“I don’t do this… drink, I mean this not-” I didn’t even have the means to finish my sentence because I was suddenly swaying on my feet, feeling like at any second I could pass out.

“I see a first timer, got it. Well, it helps to know your limit first off and it also helps if you have someone to look out for you in places like this.”

“Right.”

Armie was the one to help me by being very considerate and helping me to the bathroom, when I ended up catching the eyes of all of the bar patrons. He led me to the bathroom and like a true gentleman, he waited outside the door until I came stumbling out.

By the end of the night, I was ready to head back home and Armie was kind enough to drive me back to my house. He also saw to it that I was walked up to the porch and he did not leave as I thought he would.

“Are you sure you are going to be okay? I don’t feel comfortable leaving you alone like this miss. I would feel like an asshole actually.

“My name is Annette Hargrove and if you are that worried about me then you are more than welcome to keep me company until I am sober.”

I didn’t expect him to still be around after my fourth glass of water but as I was sobering up Armie stayed right by my side most of the night. All night actually, we got to talking and I found out that he was a good listener, he didn’t comment much, he just sat there and let me vent all of my problems to him.

“And that is why I decided to move here to the Caymans, the city just has too many memories of that time.”

“Well, let me be the first to welcome you to the Caymans, Annette Hargrove. My name is Armie Hammer, and I will be here if you need anything, all you have to do is ask.”

So it was through alcohol and conversation that I met my best friend and I have to admit it was the craziest way that I have met someone. But I am so glad that I did Armie come at a time when I needed someone the most.

A honk of a horn snaps me out of the memory as my student points out the black jeep and asks “who is that handsome man?” when I see a head pop out of the driver seat window and I hear Armie yelling at me.

“Hey!”

I turn to the man who is riding, sprinkle our light brown mare and reply with the usual,

“That’s good enough for today Harris, you did really well on your galloping today. I’ll see you next weekend okay? Head back to the stable and wait for me there.”

The man sighs reluctantly, possibly wanting more time with me but does as he is told and I soon hear the steady thudding of hooves on the ground slowly going off into the distance until I am left with the sounds of my own horse's amusement.

I dismount my white stallion Birdy and pull my helmet off of my head, setting it on his saddle before taking a run across the ground and tackling my friend in a massive hug. I am lifted off the ground laughing with happiness.

“It’s about time Hammer!!!!!!”