poured a glass
of wine for each of us, then left the bottle.
I pasted on a fake smile. “Thanks.” I
gulped down the entire glass of wine in one gulp, then poured
another.
He reached for my hand. “Am I that
awful to be with?”
“ Please don’t touch me,
Jake.”
Emotion poured from his voice. “We
have a history together. We were lovers, but we were also best
friends, Ashly. Can’t we just be friends now?”
I poured more wine. “A friend would’ve
never stabbed me in the back the way you did.”
Ignoring my command not to touch me,
he stroked my hair from my face and gazed deeply into my eyes.
“What can I do to make it up to you?”
I stared at the breathtaking sunset as
it unfolded. “That’s just it. There’s nothing you can
do.”
The waiter set down a platter for Jake
and a salad for me.
“ Thank you,” Jake
said.
The waiter smiled and turned to
leave.
I picked up my salad. “I’ll see you
back in the room.”
“ I can’t believe you’d
prefer to eat that in the room when you could enjoy a sunset dinner
by the ocean.”
“ I suppose you aren’t used
to women running out on you, huh?” I sarcastically snapped. I
guzzled the rest of my wine, then grabbed the bottle to take with
me and stormed off. The setting sun flooded the sky with more
brilliant colors, and part of me wanted to
stay and watch Mother Nature’s spectacular light show, but the stubborn side of me fueled my quick
departure.
* * *
After I ate my salad, I took a shower
and dried off, only to realize I’d left my nightgown in the
dresser. I wrapped a towel around me, peeked out, and called Jake’s
name. When I got no answer, I ran to the dresser and rifled through
the drawer. Just as I grabbed my black nightgown, the door clicked,
and Jake walked in.
“ Jake, I’m not
dressed.”
He met my gaze and smiled. “I can see
that.”
I bit my lip hard, unsure which of us
was more shocked. “Don’t look.” When he covered his eyes, still
grinning from ear to ear, I scurried back into the bathroom and
slipped into my gown. “Uh…sorry about that,” I said awkwardly when
I stepped out of the bathroom, dressed this time. “I’ll try to be
more careful next time.”
“ I’ll be sure to knock next
time,” he said.
I nodded. “I’m going to bed. Um, I
guess you can sleep on the floor.”
“ Wonderful,” he said with a
laugh.
I slipped under the covers, closed my
eyes, and fell asleep.
* * *
When I felt someone gently touching
me, I fluttered my eyes open and glanced at the alarm clock. It was
seven a.m.
“ Get up,” Jake said. “We
have an appointment with our underwater photographer in an
hour.”
“ I can’t believe I slept
this late. I’m usually such an early bird.”
He handed me a Danish and a small
carton of milk. “Well, I’ve got breakfast covered. I couldn’t
sleep, so I went for a run, then took a shower.”
After breakfast, I went to the
bathroom to take a shower. Wet towels and clothes were strewn all
over the place, and Jake had had the audacity to move my makeup so
he could make room for his electric razor. Perhaps worst of all,
the toilet seat was up. I could definitely tell he was used to
living like a bachelor. “Jake!” I said. “This place is a mess. I’m
surprised you flushed the toilet.”
“ Give me some credit, would
ya?”
“ Why’d you move my stuff? I
had everything all laid out for easy access.”
“ You were hogging the
counter space. Where was I supposed to put my stuff?”
“ Tell me you didn’t use my
toothbrush,” I said. I slammed the door with a huff and jumped into
the hot shower. Boy, this is gonna be a
long trip, I thought as the warm water
beat down on me.
After getting ready for the day, I
opened my laptop to check my messages before we left.
“ We’re gonna miss our
appointment,” Jake said. “Can’t that wait?”
“ It’s work, so no, it
can’t.”
“ We’ve gotta go right now,
Ashly.”
“ Fine!” I said, shutting
of wine for each of us, then left the bottle.
I pasted on a fake smile. “Thanks.” I
gulped down the entire glass of wine in one gulp, then poured
another.
He reached for my hand. “Am I that
awful to be with?”
“ Please don’t touch me,
Jake.”
Emotion poured from his voice. “We
have a history together. We were lovers, but we were also best
friends, Ashly. Can’t we just be friends now?”
I poured more wine. “A friend would’ve
never stabbed me in the back the way you did.”
Ignoring my command not to touch me,
he stroked my hair from my face and gazed deeply into my eyes.
“What can I do to make it up to you?”
I stared at the breathtaking sunset as
it unfolded. “That’s just it. There’s nothing you can
do.”
The waiter set down a platter for Jake
and a salad for me.
“ Thank you,” Jake
said.
The waiter smiled and turned to
leave.
I picked up my salad. “I’ll see you
back in the room.”
“ I can’t believe you’d
prefer to eat that in the room when you could enjoy a sunset dinner
by the ocean.”
“ I suppose you aren’t used
to women running out on you, huh?” I sarcastically snapped. I
guzzled the rest of my wine, then grabbed the bottle to take with
me and stormed off. The setting sun flooded the sky with more
brilliant colors, and part of me wanted to
stay and watch Mother Nature’s spectacular light show, but the stubborn side of me fueled my quick
departure.
* * *
After I ate my salad, I took a shower
and dried off, only to realize I’d left my nightgown in the
dresser. I wrapped a towel around me, peeked out, and called Jake’s
name. When I got no answer, I ran to the dresser and rifled through
the drawer. Just as I grabbed my black nightgown, the door clicked,
and Jake walked in.
“ Jake, I’m not
dressed.”
He met my gaze and smiled. “I can see
that.”
I bit my lip hard, unsure which of us
was more shocked. “Don’t look.” When he covered his eyes, still
grinning from ear to ear, I scurried back into the bathroom and
slipped into my gown. “Uh…sorry about that,” I said awkwardly when
I stepped out of the bathroom, dressed this time. “I’ll try to be
more careful next time.”
“ I’ll be sure to knock next
time,” he said.
I nodded. “I’m going to bed. Um, I
guess you can sleep on the floor.”
“ Wonderful,” he said with a
laugh.
I slipped under the covers, closed my
eyes, and fell asleep.
* * *
When I felt someone gently touching
me, I fluttered my eyes open and glanced at the alarm clock. It was
seven a.m.
“ Get up,” Jake said. “We
have an appointment with our underwater photographer in an
hour.”
“ I can’t believe I slept
this late. I’m usually such an early bird.”
He handed me a Danish and a small
carton of milk. “Well, I’ve got breakfast covered. I couldn’t
sleep, so I went for a run, then took a shower.”
After breakfast, I went to the
bathroom to take a shower. Wet towels and clothes were strewn all
over the place, and Jake had had the audacity to move my makeup so
he could make room for his electric razor. Perhaps worst of all,
the toilet seat was up. I could definitely tell he was used to
living like a bachelor. “Jake!” I said. “This place is a mess. I’m
surprised you flushed the toilet.”
“ Give me some credit, would
ya?”
“ Why’d you move my stuff? I
had everything all laid out for easy access.”
“ You were hogging the
counter space. Where was I supposed to put my stuff?”
“ Tell me you didn’t use my
toothbrush,” I said. I slammed the door with a huff and jumped into
the hot shower. Boy, this is gonna be a
long trip, I thought as the warm water
beat down on me.
After getting ready for the day, I
opened my laptop to check my messages before we left.
“ We’re gonna miss our
appointment,” Jake said. “Can’t that wait?”
“ It’s work, so no, it
can’t.”
“ We’ve gotta go right now,
Ashly.”
“ Fine!” I said, shutting
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