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“I just like to go up last,” I say.
He raises his mask up to his forehead. “Mila, what’s going on?”
I let out a breath. “Don’t make me tell you, Grayson,” I practically whine.
“I just want to understand.” His face is so full of concern. I don’t want to tell him, but I can’t think of any other excuses.
“Oh, fine,” I grumble. “It’s the bathing suit I bought at the hotel.”
“What’s wrong with it?”
“Oh gosh.” I look up at the sky, wishing for a UFO to beam me up right here so I don’t have to tell him. “Okay, fine. It’s got a thong back.”
His brow moves downward, bringing the goggles with it. I wait for him to figure out what I’m saying.
“Oh,” he finally says. “Got it.”
“And you’re my boss and I’d rather you not see my butt.” I might as well lay out all the cards right here since it looks like no aliens are going to save me from this.
“Right,” he says, and then rolls his lips between his teeth.
“Don’t you dare laugh,” I say, but I’m fighting it off as well, twisting my mouth around, trying to keep my lips from pulling upward.
Grayson covers his mouth, his shoulders now moving up and down as he floats in the water. He’s fully laughing now.
“You can’t laugh at me,” I say, pouting even though I’m giggling at the same time.
“It explains why you were fidgeting around so much on the way here,” he says.
“It’s uncomfortable!” I exclaim.
This sends Grayson into more laughter.
“Hey,” one of the crew members calls down from the platform. “Do you two need help?”
“No,” I say, nudging the shoulder of Grayson who’s still laughing. “Come on—they can’t leave without us.”
Grayson, whose laughs have morphed into something like a chuckle, grabs onto the ladder and climbs up to the boat, and I follow right behind him.
When we get to the top, we take off our gear and hand it to one of the crew for them to collect and clean for later.
“After you,” I say to Grayson, both of us dripping-wet, and I follow him back toward our towels and clothes, my practically naked butt hanging out for everyone else to see.
Grayson
I SMILE TO MYSELF AS I walk down the sidewalk, not far from our resort to the place where I scheduled the luau, feeling happier than I have in a long time. There’s not a cloud in the perfectly blue sky as I stroll, and the evening has cooled off enough that the tan shorts and navy-blue T-shirt I’m wearing feel comfortable in the slightly humid air. It took us longer to get back to the hotel after snorkeling than anticipated, so we had very little time to shower and get ready. Mila wasn’t quite done yet, so she sent me ahead to make sure we kept our reservation and told me she’d be right behind me.
Today has been a good day so far, and I’m feeling excited to keep it going. Yes, there’s been a voice in the back of my head that’s been pestering me about all the work I need to do. Except for the call I made to Vik this morning about the hotel issue, I’ve done nothing. Which feels strange... but also good. I didn’t realize how badly I needed this. How much work has been sucking the life out of me. And yes, I know what I’m doing now—going to a luau I scheduled through the app—is technically work, as was the snorkeling earlier today, but it doesn’t feel like work, especially with the company.
Just thinking about Mila is why I’ve got what’s probably a foolish-looking grin on my face as I walk down the path dotted with palm trees and bushes full of big yellow flowers. I’ve felt freer today than I have in a long time. I feel younger, like the kind of person I was before I started AppInnovate. The old me. I’d almost forgotten about him. It’s all because of Mila. There’s just something about her that makes me want to leave all my worries behind, at least for a little while.
I was wrong to think this trip would cure me of her. If anything, I’m even more attracted to her now. And feeling more frustrated by the minute that she belongs to someone else. She hardly talks about Dave, though. I also haven’t seen her call him or text him since we’ve been together. Which seems … odd. Maybe Dave doesn’t know what he’s got. And if that’s true, I kind of want to punch him.
I need to keep reminding myself about him, though, because holding Mila’s hand while we swam around in a crystal blue ocean, looking at all the sea life, was probably one of the best afternoons I’ve had in a while. Mila has this way of making me laugh like no other person has before. She makes me forget about everything on my plate right now. Which, in turn, makes it easy for me to forget Dave exists.
If only that were the case.
I walk under a sign that says Coconut Cove and down a foliage-lined pathway, which leads to a picturesque paradise at its end. Tables are set up near a stage, with incredible views of the sun setting behind the ocean as a backdrop. I can smell the smokiness of a fire, probably from the roasting pig that’s supposed to be the highlight of tonight’s dinner. I get in line at the host stand, keeping an eye out for Mila.
