Tears of Endurance (Romantic Drama) Book #1 Read Online Free PDF

tablets, I will be fine.”
    The waitress ran inside the restaurant and no sooner was she gone, she was back again with a large glass of water.
    “Here you go, why don’t you sit down for a few moments until the pain has passed?” advised the young waitress, very concerned.
    “ Yes, thank you, I think I will.
    Ben waited a further 15 minutes for the pain to subside and the painkillers to take effect then he walked back to his apartment slowly with Charlie. As he approached his building, he noticed Tristan pulling up in his car.
    “Hey, what are you doing here? I don’t remember arranging anything for today.”
    Tristan smiled at his brother quizzically. “We discussed it on the phone last night, remember?”
    Ben could not remember making any arrangements the previous night with Tristan and this worried him slightly. He remembered calling him but could not remember the conversation very well.
    “I thought we could get away for a few days. You need a break, Ben. I have taken a few days off work, packed an overnight bag, and thought we could head down to Brighton for the rest of the week. What do you think? We’ve had many good times in Brighton over the years and I thought we were long overdue a trip. And yes, Charlie’s invited too. I took it upon myself to book an apartment overlooking the marina. We can hire a boat for the day tomorrow, like we used to. Just imagine all that fresh sea air, it will be good for you, Ben. So “NO” is simply not an option.”
    Ben looked at his brother curiously. “What are you up to, Tristan? Well, I can hardly say no now, can I? You haven’t really given me an option,” Ben said, smiling.
    “ To be honest, Ben, I could do with a break myself,” lied Tristan, not wanting his brother to feel pitied in anyway. He always did have too much pride , he thought to himself as he followed Ben up the stairs towards his apartment.
    Ben threw some clothes together and packed some food for Charlie. He changed his clothes and picked up his painkillers, deciding not to mention what happened earlier at Cafe Rouge to Tristan as worrying him would serve no purpose.
    “That’s me sorted then. Come on, let’s go, Tristan. I think this just might be one of your better ideas!”
    Charlie sensed an adventure was afoot and jumped up and down like an excited puppy. “Come on, boy, in the back.” Charlie jumped into the back seat and Ben and Tristan climbed into the front.
    “ We all set then?” Tristan smiled as he turned the key in the ignition. Brighton was a three-hour drive away from Birmingham, possibly four hours if the traffic was really bad. Charlie stuck his head out of the window as he always did when he was going on a car journey; he loved the wind on his face.
    “ So, how have you really been, Ben, since leaving hospital?”
    Not really quite sure how to answer Tristan ’s question and not wanting to worry him, Ben lied. “Right as rain, it’s good to be home.”
    Not at all convinced, Tristan looked sideways towards his brother. He always could tell when Ben was lying and this time was no different. Even as children, Ben ’s left eye would twitch slightly when he told a fib. Tristan was concerned that Ben was concealing the true extent of his pain and wondered why he felt he couldn’t confide in him.
    Ben looked at Tristan all of a sudden, a somewhat serious look on his pale face. “You know what, Tristan. Sometimes obstacles are placed in our path to test our strength and eventually serve to make us stronger. That’s how I view my accident. It’s an obstacle and one I will overcome, so don’t worry about me, okay.”
    Tristan glanced affectionately at Ben and turned on the radio. For the next few miles, they continued their journey in relative silence, a comfortable silence. Charlie had fallen asleep on the back seat and the sun was beaming down with full force. As Tristan was driving, thoughts of his dead mother passed through his mind and the awful week following her