When it was time to go to the spa, Cole suddenly felt unwell. “Maybe I should just stay here,” he suggested. I shook my head and pushed him towards the stone stairs.
“Welcome. I’m Isabelle. How can I help?” said an equally beautiful woman to the ones who were in the spa yesterday.
“We have some stuff booked. Under the name Benson,” Cole said quietly as if saying it any louder would make it more real.
“Ah yes. Okay, if you’d like to follow me, I’ll show you to your massage room.”
I followed Isabelle with a huge smile. I was feeling giddy with excitement at having a massage with Cole. Isabelle opened a door, and the smell of rose oil hit me. Two white beds were in the middle of the room. A little chest on the far wall, with pink orchids sitting in a large vase on top.
“There are towels on the beds. If you remove all of your clothes and cover yourself, your masseuse will be with you in five minutes.
My eyes widened. Remove all of our clothes.
“You can leave your underwear on, just move your bra straps off your shoulders,” Cole suggested. I gulped. “I’ll turn around. I won’t look; I promise.” Oh God.
He removed his top and shorts quickly, unashamed.
“I’m not looking, Oakley. Go ahead.” he said with a chuckle as he laid face down on the massage table. He had kept his boxers on.
I quickly took off my dress and pulled my bikini straps down. I was still covered, but not as much as I felt comfortable with. Hopping onto the bed, I laid down on my stomach, making sure the towel covered me.
“Okay, this was a good idea,” he admitted halfway through. Yeah, I bet he thought that with yesterday’s gorgeous model massaging him. We both had a woman doing the massages, thankfully. I hated the thought of a strange man’s hands on my body. Closing my eyes, I concentrated on Elaina’s hands unlocking my muscles.
When our thirty minutes were up, I made a long face and got up to get dressed as Elaina and Cole’s masseuse left the room. Cole turned around again so I could have some privacy. Does it really matter if he sees you? Impulsively, I grabbed the top of his arm and spun him around.
“What…?” he croaked, looking at my half-naked body. I was covered with a bikini; something Cole had seen me in hundreds of times before, so why did it feel different this time? Was it because we were alone that it felt intimate, or was it because we weren’t just friends anymore?
“I can turn… Um, turn around if… Err,” he stuttered, stumbling over his words. Shaking my head, I pulled my bikini straps up, being careful not to flash him!
We dressed in complete silence, both looking at each other. The only sound in the room was the sound of our breathing.
“You’re beautiful,” he whispered, and stepped closer to me once we had finished getting dressed. I blushed, feeling the heat warm my whole body. His eyes didn’t show any signs of lying. My eyes prickled, and I willed myself not to cry. I didn’t feel beautiful, but knowing Cole thought I was meant everything to me.
He smiled and kissed me softly. “Let’s get this face mud crap over with.”
I broke out in a smile and led him back to reception.
We were led into another room, this time bigger, and not private. Cole glared at me as the three young women looked up at us; their faces were smothered in a dark green paste. I tried not to laugh, but I couldn’t help it. Though having enjoyed the diving so much, I did feel back making him go through something he clearly didn’t want to do.
“I thought this was a couple’s thing? As in two people!” Nope, just the massage!
For the whole time we were in that room; Cole either frowned or moaned. When he looked over at me with a grey face that looked like he’d fallen in a cement mixer, I wished I had brought my camera with me. Not that the image would ever leave me.
As soon as our facemasks were off, he stood up.
“Lunch and beer time,” he announced. Beer to restore his masculinity? He’d have to hope that Jasper or Mia were around to get him a beer first. He wrapped his arm around my waist as and we made our way to the outside hotel bar. I smiled, loving the feeling of his skin on mine.
The rest of the week flew by too quickly. I hated how fast the holiday was passing, but I was still having the time of my life. Cole and I hung out at the beach a lot, and I was actually getting a tan. It was a nice change from my usual pasty, ghostly white. We barely saw our parents during the day, except for breakfast and most evenings for dinner. I loved the freedom and couldn’t wait until I was old enough to be able to leave home.