“If it wasn’t spiky, we could’ve cut through here.” Hena pointed to the gaps in the hedge maze to their right, where bits of brown leaves and dead branches had splintered and fallen to the ground. Through it she could see hints of light from the resort.
“Are you suggesting we cheat our way out of this?” Reza looked scandalized. “We got this, Hena. I believe in us.”
They strolled down side alleys, doubled back to the main arteries, and eventually glimpsed the end in sight. Their shoulders brushed as they reached the other side. The swamp glimmered beneath the moonlight.
“I need more wealthy friends,” he said, looking around. “A week here and I feel properly spoiled.”
“I tend to get cabin fever at all-inclusive resorts,” she said. “Places like these were my mother’s vacation of choice—she’d drag me along to massages and mud facials with those cucumber slices on your eyes. I hated every second of it.”
“Massages and facials. Sounds rough.” Reza raised an eyebrow.
“World’s tiniest violin for me.” She elbowed him playfully. “Were your family vacations more nature-based?”
“We didn’t take vacations. I’d say the closest we ever got to resorts was working at them.”
“Yeah?”
“They were nice resorts, a lot like this one. Ours catered to the Disney tourists. My dad tended the gardens. My mother cleaned rooms. My two older sisters did odd jobs—towel duty, shifts at the kids’ clubs. They toiled seven days a week, but we still lived paycheck to paycheck.”
“That sounds really hard.”
“It was. Especially after my mother died. My dad shut down, so my sisters had to keep everything running. I was the baby, so they basically raised me.”
“I’m guessing they were probably too young to take care of a child.”
“They tried their best.” He smiled faintly. “My oldest sister used to make Mom’s favorite omelets each Sunday all the way until she graduated and moved out. My other sister would swipe gummies from the kids’ club. She’d hoard them all week, then leave little stashes on my bed if I had a rough day.”
Hena felt a tug of familiarity. “It was KitKats for me. My aunt raised me when I was little. Whenever I had a bad day, one of those bars would magically appear on the kitchen table.”
“That couldn’t have been easy, not having either of your parents around.”
“It was the best thing that could have happened to me.”
The admission startled her. She didn’t talk about her family. Not even with her family. But Reza was a good listener. There was something about him that made her want to tell him. Except she couldn’t tell him. There were some things she was meant to keep to herself.
She was thankful he didn’t press.
They fell silent for a few moments, the scent of night jasmine lingering in the air. She needed to change the topic. Back to something lighter.
“You said you like this resort,” she said. “What’s the best part?”
He thought for a moment. “Hard to narrow it down. The service is unbeatable. You already know how good the food is. I tried the Jacuzzi the other day, and it’s top-notch. The swans, though…” He shook his head.
“What about the swans?” she asked.
“One of them tried to bite me.”
“You weren’t trying to pet it, were you?”
“They’re cute.” He flashed her a sheepish grin.
“Reza, no! Swans are notoriously vicious.”
“Trust me, lesson learned.”
“So I guess it’s safe to say the swans are out of contention.”
He was still smiling, but a look passed over him as his eyes held hers.
