Good Morning from Paradise (2 page)

After
I had shown Amber around and we had a little catch up, she went in the shower
and I decided I was going to try to do something with my hat hair and put some
make- up on, maybe perfume, you know, make some sort of effort at least. I
brushed my hair, considered wearing something a little more revealing but I
didn’t want to look like I was making too much effort. I stuck to wearing my
white dress but put my white bikini on underneath, that way I was prepared for
swimming and sunbathing and boy oh boy it had got hot out there! I checked myself
in the mirror as I heard Amber emerge from her room. I was never going to be
Nadia, my boobs were real for a start, but I wasn’t bad. I was gifted with a
decent sized chest, my arse balanced it out at the back, my waist was slim and
flat, my legs were slim and long. I liked to run so I wasn’t fat but I liked
cake and wine so I wasn’t skinny. I guess I would just describe myself as
average. Anyway, Amber and I went off better prepared for the rest of the day
and in search of the others. We found Brit and Wil on the beach sunbathing,
Nadia had insisted she needed a massage after the flight and had gone off to
the spa, the other guys were at the bar drinking already and Wil couldn’t wait
to join them, he left us as soon as Amber and I got settled on our loungers.

We
sunbathed, chatted and giggled for a couple of hours, one of the staff members
kept us topped up with iced water and we took sea dip breaks whenever the heat
got too much. It was great to relax and laugh with the girls. After a while we
noticed that Nadia hadn’t joined us.

“You
don’t suppose she’s banging the masseuse do you?”  Brit joked, I laughed
but Amber didn’t seem like it was such an outrageous suggestion.

“Guys
she only just got here, surly she won’t have the energy for ‘banging’ maybe she
went for a lie down.” I said shaking my head at the two of them. Brits phone
sang loudly to let her know she had a message. Wil had text to say that Nadia
had joined them straight after her massage and they were going to order food
shortly if we were interested in joining them too. We decided food would be a
good idea and made our way over to the bar, calling into our huts for a squirt
of deodorant and a make -up fix of course.

When
we got to the bar we could see that Nadia had made the effort, she was dressed
for a night out on the town. We all self- consciously looked down to what we
were wearing and then thought better of it, each to their own. Nadia was
desperately trying, unsuccessfully, to grab the interest of Justin but he was
more interested in what Kyle was saying. Wil and Dan were scouring the menu as
if they had never eaten, discussing what they might order. When Wil saw us he
stood and pulled out a chair for Brit and then for Amber, Dan did the same for
me and for some reason this made me blush. Cool Ella, real cool! Nadia noticed,
of course, and decided she was going to bring me crashing back to earth, or at
least she was going to try.

“Nice
dress Ella, is that from your local high street?” she smirked. Everyone looked
at my dress. There were endless amounts of things she could have picked on me
for, but the dress? I knew I had her this time but I had to play it cool, I
didn’t want to look like a bitch, I needed her to look like the bitch.

“Actually
Nadia, you’re absolutely right It is from my local high street.” I replied. She
bit straight back.

“See…”
she looked around everyone to make sure they were all listening as she
delivered her sting.

“I
can tell high street cheap from just a glance.” She looked extremely proud of
herself. The gang looked at me and I could see Brit itching to come to my
rescue, but I didn’t need her. As I lowered into my seat, which was still being
held by Dan, I looked Nadia straight in the eyes and smiled “Well,
congratulations Nadia, it is a high street dress, I got it from a little
boutique in town but it wasn’t cheap.” She rolled her eyes at me in disbelief,
wow this girl was something else. I took a deep breath to calm myself.

“It
was free. I got it from Brit, you know our friend Brit right?” I asked waving
my hand in Brits direction, Brits blood was boiling by this point, I continued
“Well she designed and made this dress as a gift to me and I think it’s
gorgeous.” Satisfaction flowed through me and I was trying hard to hide my
smugness as her face fell.

“Me
too!” agreed Brit, the sentiment seemed to echo around the group. Everyone
agreed with Brit and me.

“Slammed
Nadia. Boom!” Kyle laughed as he high fived me. Nadia didn’t say a word. God
that felt good but I knew it wouldn’t last, Nadia was a bitch, plain and
simple. She wouldn’t stand to be slammed by someone like me that’s for sure.
She would get me back soon enough but I’d enjoy this moment for now. Dan sat
next to me and handed me the menu to look at.

“Thanks”
I said taking the menu from him, I offered him a smile.

“No
problem” he said and actually smiled back. Wow, his smile did things to parts
of me I didn’t know I had, I started to get flustered and was pleased when Wil
handed me a glass of wine. We ordered food and I normally would have hated
every second of eating in front of someone I liked but I was too hungry to
care.

“Where
are you from?” he asked, I looked at him and while I finished chewing he added.
“I noticed your accent but I’m struggling to place it.”

“I’m
from a little town in the north of England” I answered happy that he’d noticed
something about me. “My accent was a lot stronger when I arrived here but I had
to learn to tone it down so that the patients could understand me.” I took a
drink.

“You’re
a doctor?” he asked smiling.

 I
shook my head “A nurse at my local clinic.” I smiled back.

“A
nurse, cool” he said seemingly to himself.

“So
Ella, you live with Brit right?” Justin joined the conversation. Dan never took
his eyes of me and I started to melt under his gaze.

“Yeah
I live with Brit, and Bud of course.”

Brit
pouted “Aw, I wish we could have brought him too.” She said. Wil put his arm
around her shoulders and Nadia dragged Justin back into her conversation.

“Who’s
Bud? Is that your boyfriend?” he asked quietly.

I
giggled “No, he’s our dog. I don’t have a boyfriend.” I looked down at the
table embarrassed.

“Good
to hear.” He took a swig of beer and then started talking to Wil and Kyle about
sport.

For
the rest of the night we ate, drank and laughed a lot. It was fun and I could
tell we were going to have an awesome holiday. As it turned midnight Wil
scooped a very drunk Brit up in his arms with zero effort and took her home.
Amber and I were kindly escorted to our hut by Kyle and Dan while poor Justin
was cajoled into buying Nadia a ‘night cap’ as she called it. Amber and Kyle
carried on their conversation all the way home while Dan and I walked in
silence. It was awkward as hell. I was glad to get back. After saying goodnight
to Kyle, Amber made her way indoors and Kyle left ahead of Dan. I was just
following Amber in when Dan turned around.

“You
look beautiful in your ‘free’ dress by the way” The tone of his voice turned my
insides to jelly. He gave me the dreamiest side smile as he turned and jogged
to catch up with Kyle. Holy crap I am in trouble!! I’m pretty sure I’ll
remember that look for ever, and I’m sure I’ll dream sweetly tonight just as
soon as I stop floating.

Monday 10th June.

Good Morning from Paradise,

Well, I eventually fell asleep at around 2am.
I couldn’t stop thinking about his parting comment and seeing that smile over
and over in my mind. My dreams were full of him, running my hands over his
body, his lips exploring me, our bodies, hot and sweaty as we became wrapped up
in each other. I woke up feeling around for him. It was just a dream; one I
hope I’ll experience in the flesh one day. I’ll shower and try to shake it off.
The last thing I need is that lingering in my mind when I see him again, I
blush as is it, I’d probably combust if I was thinking about us naked together
when I saw him. A hot shower will do the trick. I hope I do see him today …

Ella xx

As
I shut off the shower, Amber knocked asking if I wanted to join her for
breakfast. I dried quickly, put on my guest robe and joined her in the kitchen.
She had made coffee, warmed croissants and made a fruit smoothie to die for.

“You’re
going to make a lovely wife one day you know” I said between mouthfuls of hot,
buttery croissant.

“Why
thank you” she bowed her head and smiled as she began to pour the coffee.

Over
breakfast we decided we couldn’t wait any longer to explore the shops, we both
wanted to buy something for Brit’s Birthday and avoid Nadia so going shopping
together was a solid plan. We wondered whether poor Justin had survived the
night or whether she’d managed to get her claws into him. Amber had noticed
that he looked terrified as we left him with her last night, that’s what her
and Kyle had been laughing about on the walk home. I wondered if I should I
tell her what Dan had said to me but decided to wait, I didn’t want her to
think I was a man hungry beast, crushing on someone after only a day together,
I didn’t know her well enough to know if she would judge me, I suspected not
but you just never know. After breakfast we got ready for our day at the shops.
I decided on my floral culottes jumpsuit with my Jackie O sunglasses and flat
toe thong leather sandals. I looked classy enough to face Nadia should we run
in to her but I wasn’t overdressed. The jumpsuit had straps and a low V cut
neck and the culottes ended just below the knee so I would be cool enough in
the heat. My light brown hair was cut into a choppy bob style, almost shoulder
length and I thanked God that I’d let Brit talk me into the change, it was the easiest
hairstyle to handle, I could just let it dry on its own and the natural wave I
had meant it always looked good without any effort. Amber had dark long curls
that bounced everywhere when she walked. Today she had tied them up into a high
pony tail and they cascaded down the back of her neck like a waterfall. She was
wearing a plain white maxi dress and she looked stunning.

“You
look amazing” we both said at exactly the same time and then burst out
laughing.

We
set off on our day trip excited and full of hope that we would come home laden
with beautiful things. By lunch, neither our excitement nor our hope had faded.
I had bought some sandals, some new swim suits and a bottle of my favourite
perfume. Amber had bought some jewellery to wear at the party, some lovely lace
cover-ups to wear on the beach and swim suits too. We had had an amazing
morning and we hadn’t even been out to the small town shops yet, we were still
in the complex. We decided to have lunch in the bar we had eaten in last night
because the food was good and we both wanted to try the cocktails. Over lunch
conversation turned to the guys.

“OK,
so, you can go ahead and totally judge me or whatever, but OMG I am totally
crushing on Kyle right now! He is hot!!!” Amber blurted out and I almost choked
on my lemon chicken.

 I
laughed “I’m glad you told me because I’ve been dying to tell you I like Dan
but I didn’t dare say anything in case you thought I was a slut or something”
we both giggled.

“You
know I’d never think that!” she said between sips of her mojito. “Anyway,
what’s wrong with a little holiday romance? We’re all adults, we’re all single
except Brit and Wil and we’re in paradise, the perfect setting. You can’t
really fight it!” She was right, for the first time in a long time I didn’t
want to fight it. Sure I had reservations, doubts and nagging thoughts but the
butterflies I got when he was around excited me.

“Last
night, as we said good bye he told me I looked beautiful in my free dress and
then he gave me the most beautiful boyish grin.” I told her dreamily.

“Aw
Ella, he’s into you too!” she said jiggling about excitedly and clapping her
hands.

“You
know, on the flight over I had my head back, eyes closed and was trying to get
some sleep when he and Kyle started to have a conversation. I know I should
have sat up and let them know I was still awake but I totally didn’t” she
giggled. “Kyle was telling Dan that the break would do him good, you know, help
him over the sadness. Dan said he wasn’t really feeling sad, not about losing Rachael
at least. He said that her leaving was a relief, that he hadn’t loved her for a
long time but he hadn’t realised until she told him she was leaving. If
anything, he was sad that he had wasted so many years with her, and that she’d
made him look like a dick leaving him for an old guy. You could be good for him
Ella, make him feel wanted again.”

Strange
thing was I knew how he felt. I thought back to my last boyfriend Tom. He and I
were together for three years, we were engaged, shared a flat and our lives,
only, he was lying the whole time, using me as cover to hide his sexuality.
When he came out to me I think I’d already known it for a while, it was his
next surprise that floored me. Humiliated me in fact, left me so devastatingly
low that the only way I could go on was to run away from it all. Turns out Tom
wasn’t only gay but he had been seeing someone for a while behind my back, they
were planning a future together just like we had been and he wanted my blessing
because he was in love…with my brother Lee. I would be forever known as that
girl whose fiancé left her for her brother. It was too much to take and it
shattered my confidence and my trust in men altogether. I ran away, met Brit
and never looked back. Of course Amber didn’t know all of this and maybe I’ll
tell her one day but right now we’re having too much fun and I don’t want to
spoil that for the world.

“Maybe
he could do the same for me” I smiled and we finished our lunch and carried on
with our shopping.

When
we were all shopped out we walked back along the beach to the hut with our
bags, both of us hoping to catch a glimpse of the objects of our desire but
neither of us actually admitting it out loud. It wouldn’t be long before our
wish came true. The others had been out on a boat for the day. Justin had taken
them sailing around the coast line to a more secluded beach just up from ours,
they were just returning from their trip at the same time as us. Brit ran over
and immediately started trying to see what was in our bags, like a puppy who
could smell a treat, she knew we’d been shopping to get her a gift. Wil came
over too.

“Hi
girlies, had fun spending?” he asked while I swatted Brit away from our
shopping.

“Need
you ask?”  Amber replied waving her bags around.

“We’re
having a barbeque at our hut tonight if you girls want to join the fun?” He
asked scooping Brit away from one of my bags.

“Sounds
great” I looked excitedly at Amber, both of us knowing we were going to get to
spend the evening in the company of Kyle and Dan.

“Be
there by seven!” he said dragging Brit away.  We made our way ‘home’ to
get ready. It was going to be a fun night, if Nadia behaved that is.

After
looking through our shopping again, Amber and I went our separate ways to
shower and dress for the evening. We both wore skinny jeans, hers washed out
denim which she paired with a white vest top, I chose black jeans with my
bright pink cami top. We were both excited and nervous, like school kids and we
weren’t even going on a date. It was fun to feel like that again and to share
it with Amber made it way more exciting too. We arrived at Brits at seven on
the dot, I had brought a couple of bottles of wine and Amber had made a
Mediterranean style salad. Will and the guys were crowded around the barbecue
and Brit was preparing bread rolls in the kitchen. We poured a glass each and
talk turned to Nadia, or rather the lack of Nadia.

“Where’s
Little Miss Sunshine tonight?” I asked Brit.

“Turns
out sailing isn’t her thing, she yacked just after we set sail, spent the whole
time an interesting shade of avocado and decided to stay home and rest
tonight.” Brit mocked concern.

“Well,
at least now I know if she starts being catty again I can just stick her on a Jukung!”
we all laughed and I felt relieved that she wasn’t going to be here tonight to
embarrass me in front of Dan.  We carried drinks and food outside and set
the table up ready for the night. It was a lovely night too. Brit lit candles
in the middle of the table and Wil stuck some candles on sticks in sand around
us. It was still warm and the flames glowed against the sunset.

The
conversation flowed as easily as the wine. We got on really well as a group,
bouncing off each other with banter until my face hurt from laughing so much.
After everyone had eaten I helped Brit clear up, Amber and Kyle were deep in
conversation and so were Dan and Justin. Brit seemed distant somehow and then I
noticed Wil had disappeared.

“Spill.”
I said as I entered the kitchen with some dirty plates.

“He’s
working.” She chucked a towel onto the bench. Wil was always working hard so
she was used to it but it was a bummer that he had to do it on holiday. “He
promised he would give it a rest while we were away”. He had slipped off to
make a conference call for work and could be gone a while.

“I’m
sure he would have avoided it if he could Brit.” I hugged her. Wil had some
making up to do. “Hopefully he can get whatever it was sorted tonight and then
you can have the rest of the holiday together.” She seemed to brighten up after
that, although she was sure going to make Wil pay for bringing work on holiday
with him. Poor Wil, I hope he brought his credit card, this situation had ‘big
shiny make up present’ written all over it. As the night drew to a close people
started filtering off, Justin went to check on Nadia, bless him. Kyle walked
Amber back to our hut, they were looking friendly so I thought I’d better give
them some time. Wil returned looking stressed and Brit immediately started
chewing him out so Dan and I left too. This time as we walked I started a
conversation.

“OK,
just so you know, I’m going to walk really slowly to give Amber and Kyle some
time, they looked like they were hitting it off don’t you think? Don’t feel
like you have to hang around with me if you have other things to do.”

He
shrugged “I’m good hanging around with you. Kyle has liked Amber for a while,
he’s just never said anything to her.” He chuckled.

“Well
in that case we better start walking laps of the beach because Amber likes Kyle
too, could be a long night!” I laughed.

“It’s
not really late if you want to go to the bar for a drink?”  He offered,
butterflies flooded my entire body.

“Sounds
good to me” I smiled “Thanks.”

“For
what?” he asked looking straight at me, I blushed.

“For
keeping me company while everyone else pairs off.”  

“No
problem” he said, as he took my hand and lead me to the bar I decided to let go
of any worries I had and just be myself with him, he seems like a decent guy
and he’s gorgeous and when he touched me I felt like I’d woken up, come alive,
I felt giddy, I felt happy.

At
the bar I chose a booth and he ordered drinks. I got a shock when he slipped
into the seat next to me, I thought he would sit across the table. He was so close
I could feel the heat from his body on my skin and I could smell him. He
smelled amazing, masculine, fresh and I had to grip the seat to stop myself
from touching him. I was relieved when the drinks finally came and I had
something to keep my hand occupied.

“So,
how come you’re not already ‘paired off’ as you put it?” he asked after taking
a swig of beer.

“I
was, a while back but it didn’t work out, long story” I said peeling the label
off the cold beer bottle. “Good job we’ve got time then, I’m listening.” He
moved around in his seat so that he was practically facing me and picked up his
beer.

I
took a deep breath. “I met Tom at University, he was studying to be a nurse
too. We hit it off straight away as friends. We were friends for a while and
everyone just assumed we were a couple so when we actually became a couple it
was no surprise to anyone. We were together for three years and seven months.
We bought a flat together, he asked me to marry him, he was my best friend. He
was my first love, my first …you know…sexual experience. We were made for each
other, I thought. The only thing was he was lying about his sexuality the whole
time. Towards the end he became distant, he was out with friends all of the
time, exam stress was getting to us both so I put it down to that.

One
night after he had been out drinking with friends, he broke down, told me he
was gay. He said he was truly sorry, he’d been trying to fight it but he
couldn’t anymore, he was in love with someone else. They had been seeing each other
for months behind my back and they were planning a future together and I was
the only person who could make it difficult for them because he was in love
with… my brother, Lee.” Dan’s eyebrows shot up. “I felt heartbroken.
Humiliated.  Lee had been my closest friend growing up, my support, my
strength, my brother. Tom had been my closest friend as an adult, my lover, my
soulmate, my fiancé and I meant so little to them both that they couldn’t keep
their hands off each other. They ripped my heart out, I hated them.”

“Is
that why you moved to San Diego” he asked putting his bottle down and holding
his hand up to let the waitress know we needed more drinks.

“I
had to do something. I had believed we were going to make it, I thought we
would get stronger once our exams were over and we started planning our
wedding. When he left me I was so low and so down on myself, if I hadn’t moved
away I don’t know what I would have ended up doing.” He held onto my hand. I
liked it. I liked him, more and more as the night went on.

“I
can kind of understand where you’re coming from.” He said and we thanked the
waitress as she put our drinks on the table. He took a swig and continued. “I
was meant to be here with my girlfriend, Rachael, she left me a couple of days
ago. We hadn’t been in love with each other for a while. She wanted more than I
could give her, more than I was willing to sacrifice.” He stopped.