Page 50 of More Than Just Friends

Good thing I’d got in when I did. It was exactly what I needed.

At least that was what I thought until I saw Ali sashay towards the steps in that fire-engine red bikini then turn to climb down them, giving me a clear uninterrupted view of her arse.

Fuck me.

I thought her tits and thighs were my weakness, but now I was adding her backside to that list.

Talk about a triple threat.

Colin and Shania were right.

I wasn’t over Ali.

I was anything but.

In fact, the strength of my attraction to her right now was so off the scale, I wondered if it was even stronger than the crushes that I’d had all those years ago.

How had I not realised?

Embarrassment and shame pumped through my veins.

Embarrassment because I couldn’t believe how stupid I’d been thinking that moving to the other side of London and not seeing Ali in person for a year would be enough to dampen my desire for this goddess.

And shame because Kayleigh was a few feet away from me and instead of thinking about her, I couldn’t take my eyes off my best friend’s arse.

I was sure before that I’d need to tell Kayleigh today that things weren’t working between us, but my body’s reaction to seeing Ali in that bikini just cemented it.

It didn’t matter if my attraction to Ali wasn’t mutual. I wasn’t a cheater. And even though nothing would ever happen between us, it didn’t feel right to continue this pretence with Kayleigh knowing that I had feelings for another woman.

I wouldn’t ruin her day on this cruise, but I couldn’t put it off for too much longer.

When we got back to the hotel I’d sit down and have an honest talk with Kayleigh. Break things off gently.

After that, I’d need to work out what to do.

Was it time to tell Ali how I felt about her?

No.

Just because I was breaking things off with Kayleigh, she wasn’t going to do the same with Adonis, so what would be the point?

As much as I didn’t like her match, I wasn’t going to do anything to jeopardise her happiness.

Now that I realised I fancied my best friend, I knew I needed to do something.

But if telling her about my feelings wasn’t an option, the million-pound question was, what should I do instead?

18

ALICIA

As we sailed away from the Red Beach, I took a few more snaps. Until this cruise, I had no idea that there were beaches with different-coloured sand and rocks on this island.

Whenever I’d thought of Santorini, I’d always pictured the blue-domed whitewashed buildings. But now I knew that there was so much more to see.

Earlier we’d stopped off at the volcanic hot springs. Leonidas, the deckhand had explained that the reddish-brown water was rich in iron and sulphur, which apparently was good for the skin.

I wasn’t brave enough to go in though because he warned me that there was a risk that the minerals in the water would darken or discolour my red bikini.