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He sat up a little straighter, looking at me square on. "So, why with the midnight rendezvous then?"
"That’s when I finish work. Why? Is it past your bedtime?" I teased.
He laughed, light and airy. "Oh, I can stay up all night long, Cayman. Just you wait and see."
I grinned, my chest exploding with happiness.
Midnight couldn’t come fast enough.
6
MITCHELL
Midnight took forever to roll around. Longer than forever, actually.
After Cayman and I had said our goodbyes at the swimup bar—yes, I kept my eyes glued on him as he paddled away, and double yes, I squinted like a motherfucker as he pulled his muscular frame out of the pool using those massive arms of his—I whiled away the rest of the afternoon by the pool.
I was on a mini-vacation, and since I hadn’t made any concrete plans, I was happy to soak up the sun while my meeting with Cayman whirred around in my brain and stirred my other senses, too.
It struck me that my skin tingled the whole time I was with him. At first, it might have been due to the less-than-stellar first impression I probably made on him and his friend, basically blurting out my loserness to them at a million miles a minute.
But after getting over that initial self-inflicted speed bump, something else happened. Specifically, Cayman rested his hand on my arm, and for some reason, he kept it there for pretty much our entire conversation. Not that I minded one bit. His touch was warm and soothing and, even though we had only just met, reassuringly familiar, too.
"That’s it," I snapped my fingers in the air and then quickly looked around. The deck chairs around me were all empty, so I fortunately didn’t have anyone to witness me randomly talking to myself.
I’d had a lightbulb moment. Leo’s words about trusting the voice inside suddenly connected to the experience I’d had with Cayman like two jigsaw puzzle pieces that fit perfectly into place.
I didn’t fall into my usual trap of projection, making something bend to what I wanted it to be.
No.
Talking to Cayman felt easy and carefree. I teased him a little, and he served it right back to me. The skin tingles he produced within me were a sign—a good sign—of my instinct telling me he was a cool guy and that I was on the right track with him.
A long and winding track until midnight, but one that I was meant to be on, nonetheless.
I went back to my ocean front room and spent a few hours just chilling out and admiring the beautiful beach.
I sighed as I looked out at the water, wishing that I could do more than just watch. I wanted to dive in and swim so badly. But I’d never learned to swim as a kid, and now, it was too embarrassing to try as an adult. I’d have to be happy with staying in the shallow end of pools and admiring the ocean from a distance.
After the sun had set, splashing the evening sky with gorgeous glints of pink, purple and light tangerine, I ordered room service. As the stars twinkled in the darkening sky, I watched some Netflix before finally starting to get ready at eleven.
Cayman might have been joking about midnight being past my bedtime, but he wasn’t too far off from the truth. Back home, I worked at my family’s cowbell plant, which meant early to rise, early to bed. A simple schedule, a simple life, really. But it worked for me. I didn’t want anything more.
Well, except for one thing. The only thing that had eluded me so far.
Love.
Once I was showered and dressed in black skinny jeans and a crystal blue V-neck, I set off for the on-site bar. Cayman had explained that it was located one floor above the lobby, so I knew where I was heading.
Being up so high meant that there was a great view overlooking the entire resort, which was lit up with subtle lighting in shades of red, blue, and yellow, illuminating the pool and the abundance of plants, seamlessly adding to the tropical vibes of the place.
The doorman waved me in with a smile, and once inside, the music I’d been hearing outside as I’d approached got even louder. The walls were stripped back, all exposed brick and industrial-like. Green laser lights sprang out from the DJ booth, which overlooked a busy dance floor.
I walked over to the bar and ordered a soda. I looked at the time on my cell phone. It was five minutes to midnight. Cayman had told me he was working, but as I glanced over at the four bartenders, I couldn’t spot him. He hadn’t said what he did for work, so maybe he was working in another part of the resort.
"Hey, you like my tattoo?" a slightly intoxicated guy asked as he bumped into me, pushing me forward.
I spun around to face him. He was tipping his head over his shoulder and half turning, encouraging me to look down his back. I took him in. He was cute, looked to be in his mid-twenties, had short brown hair, and friendly, if slightly unfocused, green eyes.
