Chapter 39 Sarah
SARAH
Ilooked at my watch. It was after eight here, which meant it was after seven in Sunshine Bay.
Pretty sure Jess would be awake by now and I desperately needed to speak to her. I picked up my phone and fired off a quick message.
Me
Hey, you awake?
Her reply came back almost instantly.
Jess
I used to get booty calls just like that!
Very funny! Do you have time for a quick call?
Course!
Thanks. Gimme five.
After jumping out of bed, I pulled my jeans and a T-shirt out of my suitcase. I really needed to unpack properly, but that’d have to wait. This was an emergency.
‘Ben.’ I knocked on the door. ‘I’m just popping out. Be back in about fifteen minutes.’
‘Okay,’ he replied.
Truth be told, I had no idea how long I’d be, but fifteen minutes sounded like a safe bet as I still needed to have breakfast and get ready for the wedding, which started at noon.
I took a face wipe out of my case, rubbed it over my skin, then popped some gum in my mouth. Obviously I’d shower and brush my teeth properly when I got back, but right now I needed to speak to Jess.
Once I’d left the room, I headed to the back of the hotel, then out to the beach.
I whipped off my sandals, and as my feet sank into the warm sand, I exhaled. It was so pretty here, although to be honest, Sunshine Bay was just as stunning.
Clearly, Spain was warmer. But Sunshine Bay had the greatest library in the world, and the people I adored lived there too. Nothing could compare to that.
I slid my phone out of my pocket and dialled Jess.
‘You okay? Have you seen the arseholes yet? How did it go?’
‘No and yes and good,’ I replied before giving Jess a rundown of what had happened with Trent and Esme and how amazing Ben was at putting them in their place.
‘Three cheers for Ben!’ Jess said. ‘I knew he’d be brilliant! Sounds like it’s all going even better than planned, so what’s the problem?’
‘I… I kind of like Ben.’ I winced.
‘What a surprise! I never saw that one coming!’ Jess said, her voice laced with sarcasm.
‘It’s not funny!’ I sulked.
‘It is a bit. I mean, you were always attracted to him, right? He’s a good-looking guy. You should know better than anyone what happens when people fake-date.’
‘But I didn’t think it’d happen to me! And I hated him. Because he hated romance books, until he didn’t…’ I sighed.
‘You converted him?’
‘He converted himself by stealing my copy of Office Delight.’
‘Boom!’ Jess shouted triumphantly. ‘No woman or man can resist the magical powers of that book. What took you so long to recommend it?’
I explained my reasoning and Jess said she understood where I was coming from.
‘And it’s not just the fact that he likes romance books and basically stuck up for me with those two arseholes, it was also the whole sharing a room thing.’
‘Oh, I didn’t realise you were sharing. Makes sense.’
‘We’re not just sharing a room. Last night we shared… the bed…’
‘Classic! You’re living in a romcom! This is brilliant. Please tell me he also got an inconvenient boner!’ She laughed.
‘Yes! And he said he woke up with my hand on his cock. I thought he was joking at first, but now I think it was true…’
‘Nooo!’ Jess gasped. ‘And you don’t remember doing it?’
‘I’m not sure? Maybe? I wouldn’t have done it consciously. I was having a lot of dirty dreams about Ben last night, so maybe I thought I was fantasising about touching it but I was doing it in real life. Please don’t report me to HR!’ I winced.
‘If Ben makes a formal complaint, I’ll have to address it, of course, but I’m ninety-nine point nine per cent sure that he likes you just as much as you like him.’
‘I don’t know.’ I chewed my lip. ‘He’s supposed to be this flirty player, but apart from that first day we properly met when he wound me up, he’s barely flirted with me or shown any romantic interest.’
‘So you haven’t kissed?’
‘Of course not!’ My jaw dropped.
‘Oh, I thought you might, y’know, just to convince people that you’re really together?’
‘No, that’s totally unnecessary. I never really kissed Trent in front of my family, so they wouldn’t expect it.’
‘If you say so. I just think that’s the best way to truly convince Trent and Esme that you’ve moved on and don’t give a shit. It’s the ultimate revenge move. Making out with a hot guy. You should consider it. It’s not a bad way to pass the time,’ Jess chuckled.
‘That’s exactly why I’m not going to! What if I kiss him and I like it too much?’
‘Then do it again. You only live once, right? And what happens in Marbs stays in Marbs.’
‘No! I’m not going to do anything with him,’ I insisted. ‘It’d get too messy. I just have to hold it together for two more days and then I’ll be home free. I can go back to working at the library and attempt to at least write more than a hundred words for my book.’
‘Are the words still not flowing?’
‘They’re flowing about as much as dried cement.’
‘That bad?’
‘Worse,’ I sighed.
I wanted to write a book more than anything. As well as working in the library with Jess, it was my biggest dream. I supposed I should just accept the fact that I wasn’t cut out to be a writer and be grateful that I’d achieved one of my goals.
‘Don’t give up. I’m sure the words will come sooner than you know it. D.D. Desire’s coming to the library later for a meeting, so I could ask if she has any advice for writer’s block if you like?’
‘Oh. My. God. That’d be amazing!’ I beamed. ‘Please be sure to tell her again how much I adore her books and that I hope to be at the library the next time she visits. I can’t believe I keep missing her!’
‘Will do.’
‘Okay, well, I better go and have breakfast, then get ready for the wedding.’
‘Cool,’ Jess said. ‘Wish your brother and his wife all the best. I hope you have an amazing day, that karma bites those two cheaters in the arse, and I hope you enjoy your first kiss with Ben.’
‘We’re not going to kiss!’ I protested.
‘Love you! Bye!’ Jess said, ignoring my denial before hanging up.
She was wrong.
Nothing was going to happen between me and Ben.
We would not end up locking lips.
There would be no snogging and definitely no hanky-panky.
But I couldn’t lie, I really wished that there would be…