“Want to go for a walk on the beach?” he asks from his float. Well, not a float, but a huge, neon orange tube. Mine is pink. We’re in the pool, enjoying the sun. “You know, build up an appetite before we have lunch?”
“Haven’t we been building up an appetite in other ways today? I mean, I’m starving already,” I tell him, laughing, slowly spinning in my tube, and brimming with a happiness I never knew could exist for me.
“We had breakfast, Liv.” His voice is smooth as silk, and I shiver with delight thinking of the breakfast in bed he served me.
“And we worked that off almost as soon as we finished the last forkful.”
“It’s not my fault that you’re insatiable,” he teases.
I feign being offended, but when he lifts his sunglasses and looks at me, I’m ready to prove his point and drag him out of the water and onto one of the lounge chairs and have my way with him.
“But that’s a good thing,” he goes on. “Because that’s how you make me feel too. I feel like we need to make the most out of this time alone together. Soon everyone will be back, and it will be stolen moments and having to be quiet up in my room. And before we know it, I’ll be leaving.”
It’s the first time he’s put it out there like that, and I feel like it’s an opening for us to talk about what comes next.
I’m just not sure I’m ready to find out.
Right now, we’re happy and there’s no pressure from the outside world.
“So, a walk on the beach, huh?” I say, in a lame attempt to change the subject. Naturally, he’s on to me because he slowly floats over to me and even though his sunglasses are back in place, I can tell he’s looking at me with pity.
“Liv, it’s okay for us to talk about it. We both know the guys and I are going home next week. I know they talked about coming back on the weekends, but that was new information for me. I’m not sure what my work schedule is going to be like or what traveling I might have to do.”
I nod and stare as he takes my hand in his. “Do you ever go to Seattle for work?”
“No. We don’t have any clients there.” When he tucks a finger under my chin to gently force me to look at him, he asks, “Have you decided to stay there?”
“I’ve been a little distracted since we talked about it yesterday, so…for now? Yes.”
He looks like he’s about to say something, but both our phones ring, and I know our bubble has been broken. Reality is about to come crashing back.
Wordlessly and awkwardly, we move. We splash and jump off our floats in our haste to get out of the water. Ash takes his phone and moves to the other side of the deck as I look and see that it’s Vanessa calling.
“Hey! Are you guys on your way back?”
“Hey! And no. Not yet.”
I try not to sound too excited as I ask, “Oh? Is everything alright?”
“Yeah. Roxie has agreed to come back, but she wants to wait until tomorrow. She said she needs an extra day away from Loren.”
“Uh-oh. That doesn’t sound good.”
“I know, right? But I’m also afraid to leave. Like…if Zayne and I head back today, she might change her mind and not follow through. So we talked and I’m going to drive back with her tomorrow. Zayne said he doesn’t mind waiting another day and following us back to the beach.”
“Oh. Okay. That all sounds very logical.”
“How are things going there? Did Loren and Mike come back to the house?”
“Not yet. I’m pretty sure she’s going to wait to find out what Roxie’s plans are before she decides.”
She groans. “You know she’s going to create drama with this, right?”
“You mean more drama than she already has?” And yeah, I don’t even try to hide the sarcasm.
“Definitely. She’s going to play the victim, and we are going to have to proceed with caution or this whole vacation is going to implode.”
I kind of feel like it already has, but I keep that to myself.
