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JAMIE
The Hawaiian island of Kohala was beautiful… from what I glimpsed in my periphery, anyway. Since I was afraid of heights, admiring the surroundings from a helicopter wasn’t ideal. The aircraft's door was open for fuck’s sake, and I might just hurl up the lunch I had on the jet.
We could have driven up to Kohala Coast, but Lincoln, Mr. Adventure, thought it would be awesome to get to the resort via helicopter. The others seemed excited about it and I didn’t want to be the killjoy of the group, so I gathered my balls and got into the godforsaken tiny tin can.
Sweat beaded on my forehead when I chanced a look outside. I got a glimpse of pristine blue water bordered by white sand and lush vegetation before a wave of nausea hit me. I immediately took my eyes off the ground and proceeded to distract myself with thoughts of business projections and analytics… boring CEO stuff.
Although I was glad to get away from work, thoughts of it would no doubt pop up from time to time. My friends didn't call me a workaholic for nothing… as if they weren’t all the same way. They were busy staring below, admiring the view, so no one noticed that I was on the verge of passing out.
However, when Spencer glanced my way, his smile melted. “Hey. Are you alright, Jamie?”
I gulped and spoke into the microphone attached to my earphones. “I’m great. Taking in the beauty of the place.”
Spencer’s raised eyebrows screamed skeptical. “You’ve barely looked down.”
Our conversation got everyone else’s attention. Lincoln did a double take at my face. “Oh, fuck. I totally forgot.”
“Forgot what?” Alex asked.
“He’s afraid of heights.”
“Oh, right,” Alex hummed.
My jaw tightened. They would have remembered my fear had I wanted them to. “I’m fine,” I growled into the microphone. “And I’m not that afraid of heights.” Yeah, right. I was a second away from swooning. Still, I kept up a brave facade.
“Is that right?” Michael regarded me with amusement. “Is that why you’re so green?”
I guess my courageous front wasn’t so effective… I gave Michael a dirty look. “How about you all just shut the hell up?” I grumbled. I wasn’t sure if they heard me with all the noise, but no one else said a word.
Finally, thankfully, we landed on the helipad on top of a rugged cliff that overlooked the coastline. The rotors wound down as we disembarked. When my feet hit solid ground, relief flooded me, and the bout of nausea that assailed me dissipated. Since I was no longer hovering in the air, I could comfortably admire the panoramic picture spread out before me with awe.
Below, the cerulean blue of the Pacific Ocean stretched out to the horizon. The helipad was surrounded by swaying palm trees and flowers. It was beautiful. Perhaps it was the change of environment that brought on a sense of peace. I closed my eyes when the salty breeze brushed my skin and ruffled my hair.
The sound of waves crashing in the distance was a serene melody. I never felt this relaxed back home. I’d been caught up in an emotional turmoil for so long, and barely five minutes into this getaway, I already felt better. I was in a tropical paradise, a world away from my real life.
Someone clapped me on the shoulder, and I opened my eyes. It was Alex. He gazed at me with understanding as he smiled. I was surprised that he perceived how I felt at that moment because he didn’t want to take the trip, and he rarely took anything seriously.
“You good, bro?” he asked.
The others watched me, waiting for my answer.
“Sure,” I replied.
And for once, I wasn’t lying. While I never had an enthusiasm about vacations or life in general like my friends, I always found solace in their company. They were genuine guys—a trait you didn’t find in most nowadays. That’s why we’d held on to our friendship for so long. I looked forward to hanging out with them for a few days.
“Let’s get this party started, shall we?”
A few eyebrows went up because that was usually Alex’s line, not mine.
“Let’s go. Our things should be at the hotel already,” Lincoln announced. “I already love this place. They think of everything.”
“Please, you only love it because your girlfriend is here,” Michael grumbled.
“She’s not my girlfriend.” Lincoln smirked. “Yet.”
As we set off on our short walk down to the hotel, I caught up with Lincoln. Curiosity about this Charlotte had me in a chokehold. I mean, the woman must be a fairy sprinkling love dust to have Lincoln behaving like this. One thing we all had in common—even the romantic Spencer—was our aversion to commitment. We never stuck with a relationship for too long before getting antsy.
“Hey, Linc. Thanks for this, even though you suggested the trip with an ulterior motive.”
