Page 23 of More Than Just Friends

So, Ali slept with her match.

I wasn’t judging. It was her body; she could do whatever the hell she wanted. It was just that…

It didn’t matter.

He’d better not disrespect her, or he’d have me to answer to.

I returned to finish breakfast with Kayleigh. Despite her cheerful conversation and the good food, there was a strange tightness in my chest. I pushed the feeling away and focused on the fact that today we’d be going to our first activity.

Kayleigh and I headed to the infinity pool where the briefing was being held.

Ali was already seated so I gave her a little wave. She’d changed into a low-cut white-and-blue striped dress and when I caught my eyes drifting to her chest, I quickly looked away.

What the hell was wrong with me?

Ever since I’d arrived in Santorini my brain had been doing crazy things. Must be the heat. Whatever the reason, it was no excuse.

‘Shall we sit here?’ I pointed to a daybed several metres away from Ali.

‘Great!’ Kayleigh said.

Once we were comfortable, I glanced at my watch. It’d just gone ten and Ali’s date wasn’t here. She wouldn’t like that. Ali was a stickler for punctuality. Then again, maybe he’d given her so many orgasms during their late night together that she didn’t mind.

After dinner, Kayleigh had invited me to her room, but I’d politely declined, saying that I’d had a long day and needed to rest.

I’d messaged Ali to check she was okay, some stupid part of me still thinking that maybe she’d gone back to her room alone and we could chat on the phone until late into the night like we used to. But of course, she’d messaged to say she was with Adonis (still couldn’t believe that was his actual name), which was totally understandable. We were here to spend time with our matches, not each other.

‘Hello, good morning.’ Petros greeted us. ‘Welcome once again to the Love Hotel, Santorini! During this morning’s briefing I will explain the plan for this week. Each day you will go on an excursion to a beautiful location to help you spend time getting to know your match. Whilst you are there, we would like you to take photographs together. Then at the end of the day, we would like you to do three simple tasks: one, write down something you have learnt about your match; two, make a note of something you like about your match; and three, choose one song which either sums up how you feel about them or the day you spent with them.’

‘Don’t we have to choose five songs?’ Ali asked.

‘Normally, yes,’ Petros replied. ‘When guests attend for the full two-week Love Hotel programme, the Love Tasks are more comprehensive. But because this is a different package and you are here for a shorter period of time, the tasks have been amended.’

‘Makes sense.’ Ali nodded, before looking behind her, then scanning the area, no doubt looking for Adonis the Arsehole.

Anger bubbled in my chest when I saw that there was still no sign of him. I couldn’t believe that dickhead had left her alone.

Fifteen minutes later, just as Petros had finished telling us that a coach would be in reception in half an hour to take us to our first destination and ended the briefing, Adonis casually rocked up, strolling towards Ali like he hadn’t turned up twenty minutes late.

He had his hand behind his back and I wondered why until he whipped out a single pink flower.

‘I am so sorry I did not get here sooner, my darling,’ I heard him say, before sitting next to Ali. ‘I went for a walk to try and find a flower that matched your beauty, but it was impossible. This was the closest I could find. Of course it cannot compare to how exquisite you are, but I tried my best.’

Was he for real?

Vomit caught in my throat.

Ali wasn’t gonna fall for that cheesy bullshit, was she?

But when I looked, she was beaming. Ali took the flower, which honestly looked like one he’d picked from the hotel entrance, then held it close to her chest.

‘Thank you!’ she gushed. ‘That’s so sweet. I better put it in water before we go.’

‘Awww. That’s so nice of him!’ Kayleigh grinned. Not her as well? I resisted the temptation to shake my head with disappointment. ‘Looks like your friend is really into her match.’

‘Yeah.’ I ground my jaw, still not believing how gullible she’d been. Ali was a strong, intelligent and confident woman, but when it came to men, she just rolled over and let them treat her like shit. It was painful to watch. She deserved so much more.

‘How long have you two known each other?’ Kayleigh asked.