10. Chapter Ten
Chapter Ten
Addy
Other than Blaze’s nerves, the flight is long and uneventful. Maybe it’s because I slept through most of it, not even making it halfway through a book I thought I’d finish before we landed.
When we arrive at our destination, we all grab our bags, pile into shuttles, and head for the resort. Blaze and I get stuck sitting next to the bridesmaids once again, and while their chatter about bar hopping and what they plan to wear isn’t even remotely intriguing, it’s way better than sitting beside my granny.
I really did not handle her interrogation at the airport very well. And I hate that my answer made Blaze uncomfortable.
I’ll do better next time, though.
My gaze drifts to Blaze, who’s staring out the shuttle window, his eyes locked on the clear blue waters.
“It’s gorgeous,” I say, nudging him slightly.
He looks over at me and nods. “Yeah, it is. I’ve never been here.”
“Well, you’re here now.” I smile. “Hawaii is one of my favorite places in the world. Maybe after this is all over, we can make plans to come back.” He looks over at me, returning a smile, but something flickers in his amber eyes. “Everything is going to be okay, I promise.”
“Yeah, I know,” he murmurs before turning back to the window.
When our shuttle finally arrives at the resort, we all pile out. The wedding planner begins distributing our room keys right here in the parking lot. Before she gets to us, my mom makes her way over, her lips pursed.
“Since we didn’t know in advance that you were bringing your boyfriend ”—she emphasizes the word as she looks at Blaze—“you two will have to share a room. I know this is not ideal, but the hotel is completely booked, and no one in our party has any extra beds.”
I force a smile, doing my best not to panic. “That’s fine. It’s a suite, right?”
Mom frowns. “Honey, why would you get a suite? When we made the reservations, you were a one-person party. I figured you’d be fine with one of the smaller king rooms. I trust that the two of you will behave.”
Blaze nearly chokes, but somehow, he recovers. “You don’t have to worry about us, Mrs. Williams. I promise.”
Mom gives him this giddy smile that catches me off guard. “Good. I know I can count on you.” There’s not a single tinge of concern in her voice, and I find that perplexing. But maybe she’s just trying to keep her cool since we’re here for my sister’s wedding.
Before I can say anything, the wedding planner appears and hands me two room keys. “Here you go. Your room is located on the top floor, so you’ll at least have a good view.”
“Thank you,” I say. Mom and the wedding planner walk away. I turn to Blaze. “Shall we?”
“I guess so,” he mutters, all our luggage in hand.
I take one of the bags from him, and we enter the resort alongside some other family members. We head straight for the elevator. I smash the up button. When it arrives, Blaze and I pile in alongside my sister.
“Are you excited?” Aurora looks at me, her cheeks rosy and eyes bright. “I can’t believe it’s almost wedding time.”
“Yeah, you’re about to be a wife,” I say stupidly, still trying not to think about sharing a bed with Blaze.
Aurora nods. “Maybe you’ll be next.” She bursts into a fit of giggles, looking up at Blaze. “That would be so cute. I overheard you and Granny talking at the airport. That was so brave, just throwing caution to the wind like that and admitting your love for Blaze. Ugh. ” She places her hand over her heart. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you be so bold before, Addy.”
“Yeah, I guess he just brings out the best in me.”
Blaze snorts, and I elbow him.
“Awww.” Aurora draws out the word as the elevator stops on her floor. She pooches out her lower lip. “Love that for you, Addy. You two are just so sweet.” She steps off with her luggage, and I breathe a sigh of relief as the doors close.
I turn to Blaze. “You’re right. I overstepped by telling Granny that. I’m sorry.”
“No need to apologize.” He chuckles. “What’s done is done. You’re in love with me, as far as your whole family is concerned. We’ll just need to try to act like this relationship is more than just casual.”
“Was it ever just casual?” I retort, but my comeback is terrible and awkward.
He shakes his head at me as the doors slide open on our floor. “I’m glad you’re not worried at all about this.”
We lapse into silence as we walk to Room 1015. My mind races. Surely, we’re not going to be stuck sharing a bed. There should at least be a couch—or something. We could always order a rollout bed? Right?
I mean, I guess if we had to share the bed, it’s not that big of a big deal, right?
Sure. Totally fine.
Blaze stands behind me as I swipe the key.
Holding my breath, I swing the door in.
Oh no. Mom wasn’t kidding when she said she gave me a smaller room.
I let out a sharp breath, instantly worried. Usually, I prefer the smaller rooms when I’m staying by myself, but now…
“There’s nowhere for me to sleep.” Blaze says exactly what I’m thinking as he tosses our luggage down on the king-sized bed. I watch him as his eyes scan the rest of the room, complete with just a mini fridge area and a desk. There’s not even a couch—there’s no room for it. Which means, there’s no room for a pull-out bed either…
“It’ll be fine,” I say, my voice breathy as I walk toward the balcony. “I mean, look at this amazing view.” I slide the door open and step out on the top-floor balcony, which is nearly the same size as the room itself. “Who needs space when you have this?”
Blaze steps out behind me, the ocean breeze tussling his dark hair. “It’s nice, for sure. I can sleep on the floor, though. Or maybe there’s a bathtub. That’s what Cam did when he and Nila got stuck together in that cabin.”
“No,” I vehemently counter him. “No way. Cam may have slept in the bathtub, but that’s only because he and Nila were practically strangers at the time. We’re not them. We’ve been friends for a decade, Blaze. We can share a bed.”
He looks over at me. “Are you sure? Because I don’t know about all this. We’re already touching each other a lot.”
I make a face. “What?”
Blaze lets out a heavy sigh before stepping back into the room. “We held hands for pretty much the entire flight, and then you fell asleep on me.” His voice comes out cautiously as he turns to face me. “I just want us to be careful.”
My brows shoot skyward as I start to grow offended. “Are you implying that I’m gonna try to break the rules or something? Because I can’t help what I do when I sleep, Blaze.”
“Exactly.” His eyes dart toward the bed.
“Oh my… Are you serious right now?” I exasperate. “You act like I have cooties or something! It’s not that big of a deal. I’m pretty sure I’ve fallen asleep on you almost every time we watch a movie together. I don’t see how it’s any different now than it was then.” I fold my arms across my chest, determined to make my point.
He huffs, raking his hands over his face. “You know what, you’re right. I’m stressing out way too much over this. I’m sorry.” He frowns and then heads to the bed, grabbing his suitcase and unzipping it. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me today.”
“It’s just the nerves,” I say softly, placing my hand on his shoulder as I begin unpacking alongside him. “I’m nervous, too, but I really think it’ll be fine. Let’s just get settled in, have dinner, and then we can come back here and be our normal selves. Nothing crazy. Just two best friends.”
“Sharing a bed.” Blaze grunts, grabbing an armful of T-shirts and shoving them into a drawer. “For a whole week.”
“Well, five nights, technically,” I correct him, grabbing one of my dresses from the bag. Blaze stares at it. “What?”
“You brought a little black dress?”
I shrug, feeling my cheeks warm. “Yeah? So? You never know when you might need one. I could … I could, um, meet someone or something.”
He narrows his eyes. “Really?”
“You could meet someone, too,” I quickly add, playing it off like I’m not rambling just to fill the space. “We won’t always be around my family. But anyway, that’s not why I packed it. I didn’t know what we’d be doing in our free time, so I thought I’d come prepared for any scenario. We might go for a nice dinner.”
“Yeah, I guess.” His eyes stay on the dress. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen that one before.”
“You haven’t,” I chime, heading for the closet to hang it up. “I bought it specifically for this trip. I actually bought a lot of new stuff for the trip…” I ignore the look on his face. “But I did that before I knew you were coming.” It’s a partial truth. I bought some of the outfits before I knew he was coming, but honestly, the little black dress came after. Maybe I want to impress him as his fake girlfriend…
But in a friendly way. Of course.
“What time is dinner?” Blaze asks, ignoring everything I just said. “I’d like to go get a quick workout in, or at least take a shower—I just need a reset.”
I spin around to meet his gaze. “Is it really that bad?”
“No,” he answers, giving me a smile. “It’s not bad at all. This is just a lot. I’ve never been…” His voice trails off as he runs his fingers through his hair. “Addy, I’ve never been on a family trip before, and I’ve definitely never gone on any sort of vacation with a significant other.”
My mouth falls open, and suddenly I’m racked with guilt. “Oh, Blaze.” I sigh. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t even think about that. What can I do to help you?”
He grabs my hand and pulls me into one of his signature bear hugs. I burst into a giggle, wrapping my arms around him as far as they’ll go and squeezing.
We’ve hugged forever, just like this…
But my heart skips a beat at the scent of his cologne and the warmth of his body radiating through my T-shirt and leggings. I don’t know why I’m suddenly hyperaware of how his body feels against mine. And I can’t help but scold myself for it.
Don’t make things any weirder for him, Addy.
“Feeling better?” I ask as he releases me. “I sure hope so, because now that my lungs are crushed, I’m gonna need some time to recoup before the next one.”
He laughs, eyeing me as he reaches into his bag, grabbing more of his clothes. “I’m good. I think I’m just gonna shower real quick. Will you need the bathroom to get ready?”
The image of Blaze wearing nothing more than a towel flashes in my mind, and my body starts to feel hot at the thought. “Um, no, I should be able to do my hair and makeup at the desk.”
He grins, his eyes lingering on my face for a moment longer than normal. “Great. Then let the festivities commence.”