‘Can I walk you back to your room?’ he asked with no hint of innuendo, just pleasant manners. ‘I think it’s right next to mine.’
‘Okay. Can we walk by the water?’
He nodded and then we both sat on the edge of the balcony and slid off our shoes before stepping down onto the sand, which was a little cooler tonight. Or maybe the sand wasn’t cooler, and it was just that I was so full of heat that it didn’t feel as warm as my raging, internal temperature.
We strolled in companionable silence along the beach. He took my hand as my legs tired and led me further towards the wet sand, which was easier to walk on. The water touched our toes. I didn’t relinquish his hand.
‘Are you planning a naked drunk swim tonight, followed by an outdoor shower?’ he asked in a complete deadpan.
‘Not this evening. Maybe tomorrow night though,’ I replied, and shot him an enormous, dazzling smile.
‘I’ll make sure I’m free.’
‘I can pretend to drown again if you have to fulfil your hero complex?’
‘That’s exceedingly kind of you.’
‘This is me.’ I pointed my shoes towards my room.
He mirrored me, pointing to the room next door. ‘And that’s me.’
‘Thank you for dinner. Oh, hey, we didn’t figure out how much I owe you. I’ll transfer you some cash.’
‘You can shout the next one.’
We divided off, our hands reluctant to release each other, holding on for as long as possible.
‘Goodnight, Abbey.’
‘Night, Nick.’
Inside my room, I collapsed on the bed with a massive grin on my face. What was it about attraction that made you feel like a teenager?
When I finally moved, there was a note from Oliver telling me what time to be at the dock for the trip to the private island.Still no couples,it read.
Nick
I stood in the doorway for a long time. I heard her move about her room for a few minutes before she went to bed. It was difficult to comprehend what had just happened. It had felt like a date. But I did not, as a rule, date. Ever.
I could not remember the last time I’d had a nice evening with a stranger over a shared meal. The last ten years, I’d avoided this exact scenario countless times.
There was just something about Abbey. She was unexpected.
Chief among the things I found desirable was that she didn’t seem to care what I thought of her. She had this attitude that she was who she was. There was a lack of care to impress me. It was extremely attractive. So was she. She was funny and warm and really, really sexy. She’d offered me her vulnerability and her bravado in the same breath.
I’d very much wanted to run my hands through her hair, which fell in Disney mermaid waves tonight. I’d very much wanted to slide that strap off her shoulder and look at all the delights that had been pressed against me the night before.
And I’d had a nice time. Would a holiday romance be so bad? It didn’t mean white picket fences. There was an endpoint. Rules. Perhaps that was something I could commit to.
Chapter Three
Abbey
Another perfect day greeted me.God, I love it here. I had taken the time to tick the little boxes on the room-service menu for an early breakfast of fruit and coffee, and gave myself a huge pat on the back when it arrived.
What did one wear to a private island? I had no fucking idea, so I put my bikini on under cream shorts and a lightweight black shirt. I grabbed the cute, black linen beach bag I had bought for this holiday and packed the essentials: sunscreen, towel, sunglasses and, most importantly, book. I put on a hat before heading to the dock.
As I walked, panic filled my chest about the impending boat ride. My boat stress had started when I was a child. Kate and I had been shoved off to our Uncle Joe’s for the day. Uncle Joe wasn’t our uncle, he was a friend of the family who would take care of us occasionally when Mum needed a break. Our father ran his own business and was never home. Uncle Joe (balding, gay, optimist) and his boyfriend Aaron (sensible, charming, not bald) decided to take me (nine) and Kate (five) fishing. Mum had jokingly said, ‘Don’t drown,’ as we left.
