“Where’s Jess?”
“She came down with a migraine and went back to the room to lie down. I was sitting down at the pool and remembered you had said you were going paddle boarding, so I thought I’d give it a try.”
“How did you know I was at that island?”
“I asked the guy at the rental place if he knew which direction you were headed and he said you had asked about the island. So, hi.” He smiled.
“Hi.” I grinned. “Do you think you can make it back to shore without falling in the water?”
“I don’t think so. Maybe I should have had some lessons first.”
“That probably would have been a good idea. You know you can just sit on your knees. You don’t have to stand up if you’re not comfortable.”
“I thought about that, but then I’d look like an idiot out here. Look around; everyone is standing.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay, hand me your paddle and slowly stand up. Put your foot where your knee was. One foot at a time and make sure the nose doesn’t dip up. Then, keep your feet hip width apart. The most important thing to remember is don’t balance with your entire body, just your hips, and don’t look down. Keep your head up and looking forward at all times.”
Drew did exactly what I said and balanced himself.
“Good, now here’s your paddle. Make sure you grip the top and stand tall. Don’t slouch.”
“Like this?” he asked.
“Yes. Perfect. Now follow me and use short strokes.”
As we began to paddle board back to shore, I looked over and noticed he was going in the wrong direction. I busted out into laughter.
“You’re going the wrong way!” I shouted.
“I can’t help it. It’s making me.”
“You’re paddling wrong. We’re going to the left, so you want to paddle on the right.”
“Oh. That makes sense.” He smiled as he turned his board around.
Finally, we made it back to shore, and I was pleasantly surprised how Drew managed to stay on the whole time.
“That was quite an adventure.” He grinned.
“Yeah. It sure was.”
We returned our paddle boards and began walking towards the lobby of the hotel.
“I think I’m going to hang out at the pool,” he spoke. “Care to join me?”
“I’m going to head back to the room and change. There’s someone I have to go see.”
“Okay. You have a friend here?”
“Yeah. He’s an old friend that I visit every time I come here.”
“You must visit a lot.”
“Every couple of years since I was six years old. I actually consider Hawaii my second home.”
“Nice. Have fun reconnecting with your friend.”
“Thanks. Have fun at the pool or maybe go take a paddle boarding lesson.” I winked.
He chuckled and I walked away and went back to my room.
Chapter Seven
Drew
She was so beautiful and she was all I thought about. I know, I was a bastard because I was in Hawaii with my girlfriend. But the truth was, we hadn’t been getting along the past couple months and I’d wondered if she was even worth it anymore. After having a slight disagreement at the pool, Jess suddenly came down with a migraine. She was successfully ruining this trip and it had only been one day. We had been dating about a year and my feelings for her never grew into anything more. She was a very selfish and jealous person and I couldn’t even smile politely at another woman without being accused of wanting to sleep with her. Her insecurities had been pushing me away for a while now and she knew it. This trip was her idea, and the reason we didn’t fly together was because I had an emergency business meeting in Seattle that came up unexpectedly, and I needed to be there. So she took our original flight out of New York and I changed my flight to fly out of Seattle.
As I sipped on my Mai Tai at the pool, I couldn’t get Jillian’s smile out of my head. Her laughter was enough to brighten up anyone’s life. She had touched me in a way that I had never felt before. From the moment she stepped on the plane, I felt a rush of something. I couldn’t even tell you what the hell it was because it was something I’d never experienced before.
“Hey,” Jess spoke as she sat down next to me.
“Hey. Are you feeling better?”
“A little. I’m sorry about earlier. I know it was all my fault and I just want this trip to be perfect. You’ve been so distant lately. We’ve been distant.”
“I know.” I sighed.
“I’m going to try harder, Drew. I promise. I love you, baby, and I want things to be good between us.” She leaned over and brushed her lips against mine.
“Okay. Would you like a drink?”
She ran her finger down my chest. “Why don’t we go back to the room and make love?”
“Are you feeling up to it?”
“Yes, and I know you’re the perfect cure for me.” She smiled.