can ask him to stay, heading over to get his t-shirt so he can tug it on before he retrieves my clothes too.
I sit up and wait for him to say something, but he doesn’t. He’s in motion now, just like he was in the pool. I can feel us getting dragged backward like the moon calling in the tide. I feel naked, so I start to scramble then, tugging my clothes on so quickly my shirt ends up backward, but I don’t care. I’m moving, hurrying once my clothes are back in place. I go back to our bungalow, wanting the peace and privacy of our room. I expect Aiden to be right behind me when I push through the door and turn back to look, but he’s not.
He didn’t follow me back.
Chapter Nine
Maddie
I don’t know if Aiden ever came back to the bungalow last night. He wasn’t there when I fell asleep or when I woke up. A sharp headache sits right behind my eyes, a reminder that I had one too many drinks yesterday—though am I really all that remorseful? Look where it landed me: underneath Aiden.
What. A. Kiss.
Now of course there’re the aftershocks to contend with. Will we discuss it? Won’t we? Should we laugh it off or should I demand we sit down and have a serious conversation about his intentions? I mull all this over while I get dressed and carefully apply my makeup. I don’t intentionally put on my prettiest sundress, it’s just the one that’s hanging closest to me after I yank it from the back of the closet. A little dab of perfume behind my ear is casual. Another little dab on both wrists? Well, I don’t want to play favorites.
Outside, the day is hot and sunny. I tug my hair up and off my neck and twist it into a low bun.
Everyone’s at the breakfast table eating when I arrive.
Aiden’s among them, sipping coffee when I stroll up and meet his gaze.
My brow arches, and slowly, he releases a smile. It’s like he was trying to hold it back, not quite willing to give in to it.
Interesting.
“There she is! We were wondering when you were going to join us,” Dante says.
“Well can you blame the girl for needing her rest? Word is she was up pretty late last night,” Stephanie teases.
“At least someone was getting some action,” Dante groans.
I turn my back on the group as I fill my plate at the buffet, hoping no one can tell I’m flushed from head to toe.
“It’s actually so sweet to see you two finally together,” Stephanie says. “The rest of you don’t know, but Aiden and Maddie have lived together for years as roommates—”
I pause and whip around, hoping to cut off whatever she’s about to say. “Stephanie, they don’t want to hear our story. It’s boring. Let’s talk about what we’re going to do—”
“No! I love hearing how couples first got together,” Cadence says, clapping her hands together excitedly.
Stephanie grins. “Let’s just say Maddie has been obsessed with Aiden since day one.”
I’m paralyzed. Completely numb as I stand beside the buffet table.
“She’d call and talk to me for ages about her crush on him and how she felt like he’d never see her as anything other than a friend.”
So this is what it feels like.
The truth spilling out like the pages of my diary raining down for everyone to read.
“Aww, that’s so sweet!” Cadence says. “And obviously it worked out.”
Tears gather in the corners of my eyes. My hands are shaking so badly my fork rattles against my plate.
“And what about you, Aiden?” Dante asks. “Was it love at first sight for you too?”
I can’t look at him. I’m a live wire. Exposed.
His charming voice cuts through the ether. “Not exactly.”
Not exactly.
Not.
Exactly.
My body starts to move before my brain can catch up to it. I’m leaving the group before I think to offer a reason over my shoulder.
“I’m going to go change,” I say quickly, blinking away tears. “I didn’t realize everyone would be in their bathing suits already. I’ll be right back.”
I carry my empty plate with me back to our bungalow, hurrying along the path.
I’m in shock. Nothing feels real. The landscape whips by me. A lizard scurries past. It’s all happening, but my brain is too busy trying to convince me this is all just a waking dream.
I hole up inside, behind the privacy of the door, and I try to process what Stephanie just said. Words like