3. Unexpected
Luckily for me, the rain only lasted a few more minutes after that. We spent the rest of that day, and most of the day after, drinking in our bathing suits on the beach. I only drank enough to keep a steady cheer going within me. Nikki went a little further.
It was warm and dry after that first storm, at least a day, maybe more—the drinks made the days blur together. But it was so peaceful. When it wasn’t raining, I spent much of my time in the shallows of the ocean, letting the salty waters ripple and flow over my skin. It was unbelievably relaxing.
After one afternoon nap, we woke up and Nikki was again—inexplicably—bouncing with energy. “Gems, I’ve got an idea for what we can do today.”
“No more oceaning?” I asked, a little hungover.
“Nah, no more of that. At least for now. This is a pretty small island, right? I figure we could take a walk along the beach and see what other resorts we can find.”
I rubbed my face, trying to get the fatigue to go away. “You just want to find some single men.”
“So? It’ll do you some good to walk around a little. We both could do with a little more activity. And I heard someone talking about these ceremonies that the natives do, and I thought you’d like to see if they’re the same at each hotel. I know how you love picking out differences.”
“Indeed, I do,” I grumbled, shuffling into the bathroom for a shower. “And by the way,” I called back, “that someone you heard talking about the ceremonies was me—back home, on the plane, the boat here, the day we arrived…”
“So, come on. I didn’t see any clouds outside today, so I think we’re safe from the rain.”
After I got out of the shower, I discovered my bikini and a sarong laid out on the bed for me. “Nikki,” I warned. “Stop laying out this bikini for me.”
“Why the hell did you bring it if you weren’t going to wear it? You look so hot in it!” she whined for the sixth time since we’d arrived.
“Not yet,” I said, and prayed that would tide her over for an hour or two. I still wasn’t ready to force my visage upon the unsuspecting masses.
When I was fully dressed, I discovered Nikki was right about the weather. The ocean air blowing across the sand and into the thick green leaves around us was refreshing. There were no clouds for miles and miles. And as we walked along the sandy stretches between sea and land, my head began to clear. Why was I always the one making the effort? Why did I insist on breaking my back to get Fred to notice me? I spent so much money on this vacation for us, and he didn’t even come along. Have I just been wasting the last five years of my life on someone who didn’t really care?
“Oh, my god,” came the breathy exclamation from Nikki’s slack-jawed mouth, derailing my train of thought.
We had finally left the expanse of jungle and came upon some impressive ceremony with bonfires and drums. Large hulky men danced rhythmically in outfits made of grass, leaves, and flowers, their shadows flickering across the forest behind them in the firelight. Nikki couldn’t tear her eyes away from the dark, rippling muscles that moved in unison.
“I want one,” she cooed. “Can I have one?”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Tell me they aren’t just scrumptious. I bet they’re all so… firm,” she oozed.
I chuckled. “If I didn’t know you any better, I’d say you were a nymphomaniac.”
She was mindlessly mimicking the movements and smiling. “Come on, it’s a vacation! What happens in Fiji, stays in Fiji, yeah?”
“Unless it’s herpes. Just be safe.”
“Nikki?” I heard a man calling from behind the bonfire. “Gemma! Hey!”
I couldn’t see anything but dark shapes through the leaping flames, but one was making its way closer. He kept waving at me, I guessed to get some sort of recognition out of me, but I was having trouble readjusting to the change in light. Who did we know in Fiji? I couldn’t recall hearing about anyone else taking a vacation at the same time, let alone the same island. I hadn’t even seen anything about vacations on Facebook for a long while.
He got closer, and I started to make out his features: he was an average weight—not skinny or muscular, but not fat—maybe a half foot taller than me, had an oval face, short-cropped black hair, and deep blue eyes. He looked out of place in a dark polo shirt and long jeans. I could see now why Nikki made me change; he had ‘NEWBIE’ written all over him.
“Jason?” I asked, still stunned that someone knew us here, but even more so it was him. “What…? Oh my god, Jason!” I was genuinely glad to see him.
“Hey,” he said, a goofy grin on his face as he hugged me. I laughed uncontrollably as he lifted me up. A sense memory bubbled up within me, something I’d buried long before. Was I giddy? My face reddened at his touch, and a twinge of longing trembled below my navel.
Perhaps it had just been too long since a man had touched me with such enthusiasm.
“Jason?” called Nikki from behind me. He put me down and gave her the same big bear hug. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“I’m writing an article on the best spots in Fiji for a vacation. You know, which ones are better for adventurers, couples, families, college kids on a super expensive spring break.”
“Wow, that’s amazing,” I said. Jason and I used to work for the school newspaper back in college. He always wrote the best articles on teachers, the latest movie reviews, and why we didn’t have more healthy options for our cafeteria meals. He encouraged me to write articles as well, but I was nowhere near as good. I had no skill for article writing. My passion was always fiction. So when he became the head editor our senior year, he set aside some space for me to have my own column for creative writing every week. I was glad to hear that he was succeeding in doing something that he did very well.
“God, I haven’t seen you guys since…” he trailed, thinking.
“Jack and Mary’s wedding,” said Nikki. “Almost three years ago.”
“Jesus, that long?” he said.
“Wasn’t that just after your fifth anniversary party?” I asked. “Speaking of, is Annie here with you?”
“Uh, no. It’s a work thing. I’m going to be doing all my research, writing, always on the move. It wouldn’t be much of a vacation for us. What about you guys? Is Fred back at the room?”
Throat tight, I barely opened my mouth to speak when Nikki jumped in. “Nah. Just us girls. It’s been a while since we had some fun, so I thought, let’s go on a trip!”
“Pretty extravagant trip,” Jason mused. I couldn’t help nodding.
“Hey, we’re not getting any younger, right?” I added, trying to join in Nikki’s spirited mood.
“So where are you guys staying?”
“The next resort up the beach,” said Nikki, pointing behind us. “Just that way.”
“The couples resort?”
“Hey, I just saw a deal and booked it. How was I supposed to know?” argued Nikki, saving my ass again. “I mean, every tropical vacation site has pictures of so-called ‘beautiful couples’ on the beach or in the pool. They’re all sending mixed signals, if you ask me.”
“She is not wrong,” I said. “Are you staying here?”
“Yeah. They’ve got me staying in one of their beachfront cabins. Hey, I’m going to the mainland tomorrow to check out some attractions and things. You guys want to join me for lunch?”
Nikki glanced at me, checking for my approval. “That sounds great,” I said.
“Cool, I’ll come by your place in the morning to get you. What’s your room number?” He pulled out his phone and opened a note-taking app, then handed it to me. I entered our villa number, then passed it back. “Well, I have to go finish unpacking and write some of my first impressions before it gets any later. See you tomorrow!”
* * *
Nikki and I stayed until the ceremony was over, and I was certain she was sizing up the buffet of local men. The crowd applauded, some hooted and hollered, but eventually, everyone dispersed in the direction of the family resort. Nikki linked her arm with mine as we sauntered in the opposite direction back toward our resort.
“So,” she said conspiratorially, “are we going to talk about it?”
With an attempt at ignorance, I said, “Talk about what?”
“How every time you seem to have an issue with a relationship you’re in, Jason somehow magically appears.”
“We’re not in college anymore. And it’s not like I’m still crushing on him like I was back then. Jesus, I’m thirty now.”
“Age has nothing to do with attraction and you know it. I saw how you were with him then, and it was not just some schoolgirl crush. And I will be completely honest—that nervous giggle you gave when he picked you up back there does not instill confidence that the feeling has faded.”
“I haven’t been lifted into the air in a bear hug in years. I wasn’t expecting it, so I giggled. There’s nothing for you to read into here. I am not some clump of tea leaves to read a fortune from.”
We were already halfway into the jungle separating the two resorts, and I could feel her getting flustered with how easily I was brushing off her insinuations. Jason was a great friend back in our college days, and while I had feelings for him throughout our four years there, our timing never lined up. When we met, I was still with my high school sweetheart. And when we broke up, I realized how attracted to Jason I was. That was when I found out he was with Annie. Then they broke up just a few months into my relationship with a guy I couldn’t even recall the name of, who I thought must have been a football player. But he was only a rebound that I didn’t know how to handle. Once I dumped him, Jason was with a freshman girl, and not long after that, I started a relationship with an acting major. Then suddenly he was back with Annie for good.
Except… that’s what I told myself, but it wasn’t completely true. My heart climbed into my throat as the memory became clearer. I rarely ever thought about it, unless we somehow ended up at the same wedding, the same party, and now the same tropical island. That one brief moment…
“I remember those days,” said Nikki. “I was your roommate for all four years and I saw how you were with him, and how you were without him. You had it bad.”
“It was a lifetime ago. And our timing was always off.”
Nikki laughed. “Right.”
“Why sarcasm? We never had a chance, and it’s never going to happen, anyway.”
She halted in her tracks and glared at me. “So you’re just going to completely wash over the one night you two spent together?” How could she know? I never spoke about it after graduation. My expression could only have been utter confusion, because she continued, “Senior year? You’d just dumped arrogant asshole, Paxton, and we went to the bar to celebrate, remember?”
It was nearly a decade before, and while the idea started hazy, the details were beginning to flood back as she spoke. “I forget sometimes that you were right there through it all.”
“Every agonizing minute. Let’s get a couple drinks and we can talk it out.”