Chapter – 7

“Distraction tip of the day: live in the present and enjoy the moment. Worry about the depressing stuff later.” Rosie’s cheerful voice pulled me out of my thoughts as I made my way to the beach.

I smiled and took a deep breath, realizing the others were closer. “How long did it take for you to move on?”

“I don’t remember.” Rosie shrugged. “I guess the pain is always there. But now that I have Jeff, I always think of how blessed I am to have him whenever I remember Gage.”

I nodded. It sounded like a logical answer.

“Just live one day at a time, Ari. When you remember the pain, distract yourself with something that helps you to forget it enough to get through the day.”

Her words made sense, and I felt like it was doable. I could certainly do that. Distract myself with something…

My eyes found the epitome of male hotness walking toward our little group. The afternoon sunlight kissed his glistening olive skin.

“That’ll work too,” Rosie smirked. “He’s hot.”

“Rosie!” I pinched her arm.

“Ouch!” she hissed. “What? I was just saying.”

I shook my head and turned away, averting my gaze from the distracting presence behind me. I was distracted, all right. But the small butterflies that fluttered in my lower belly every time I saw him were what scared me the most.

My insides fluttered when I met Brian too. But this was intense. Orlando’s mere presence affected me like no other. It dominated me and made me want to do things I’d only dreamed of doing.

“Hundred bucks––you’ll kiss your V-card goodbye before we leave this island.”

I whipped around, meeting Rosie’s playful yet confident grin. For the first time, there were no words of protest in my mouth. I became embarrassed as what she implied finally dawned on me.

“You didn’t object.” Her grin grew wider.

It was true. Every time she made that prediction about me and Brian, I always objected, saying I wasn’t ready and wanted to wait. Now that I thought about it, I was glad I waited.

“Enrique said you guys wanted to ride the jet ski.” Orlando’s voice made goosebumps erupt on my skin.

“Yeah!” the girls all chorused.

“There are four, and my yacht is docked at Northwest. I’ve arranged dinner and a cocktail party for you guys in honor of the bride and groom,” Orlando announced.

“Cool!” Jeff said.

“Since you all decided to hang out at the beach, I’ve arranged refreshments. The jet skis are there if you want to ride one now. Don’t forget to wear a life jacket, and guards are stationed around the area if you need help.”

“We’ll swim and hang out for now,” Mike said. “What about you guys?”

The girls debated, weighing their choices, and decided on swimming first. “We’re in,” Rosie announced.

“Who’s going to join me?” Enrique called as he ran toward the water.

“Live in the moment, girl.” Rosie nudged me before racing after the others toward the sea, leaving me with Orlando.

“Aren’t you going with them?”

“Um…no.”

“Your skin is pink,” he observed, mistaking my discomfort for the sun’s heat. His hand traced my arm. “Come. There’s sunscreen here.” He led me to one of the beach chairs and handed me the sunscreen lotion from the small table beside it. The umbrella provided us with a perfect shade.

“Thanks.” I poured a generous amount into my hand before applying it over my arms and face. It wasn’t too hot, but the humidity was making me sweaty. I turned around and took off my loose sleeveless top, revealing my peach-colored bikini top.

I pulled out my phone from my trousers and placed it on the table beside the refreshments. When I began applying the lotion on my front, I felt a strong hand on my shoulders. It wasn’t calloused, but the texture was something I’d gotten acquainted with very recently.

My heart skipped a beat as Orlando took the bottle from my hand and squirted some into his large palms. I suppressed a gasp and tried to act normal when he applied the lotion on my back.

“So, what did Rosie say before she took off?” His question pulled me out of the haze his touch was lulling me into.

“To live at the moment,” I blurted.

Orlando hummed and quickly finished applying the lotion, and I clamped my lips shut to keep the protest from escaping when his hands left my body.

“I thought you didn’t allow others to use your jet ski,” I said, remembering Rosie mentioning it earlier.

“That was because Enrique had an accident two years ago. He was drunk at the time, and we almost lost him.”

“Oh. Where’s the yacht? I don’t see one.”

“It’s on the other side,” he said. The part of the beach where we were was actually like a private cove. It was partially hidden, and the curved shoreline gave us privacy. There was a pier on the other side along the beach that was occasionally rented to the guests.

“Do you want to swim?”

“No. I’ll just hang out here.”

“Okay.” He got up and walked away without another word.

My expression fell because I hoped he’d stay for a chat. A sudden thought crossed my mind as I watched Orlando stretch at the edge of the water. The waves brushed his feet. The wind tousled his hair, and his swim trunks hung low on his hips.

I grabbed my phone and clicked his photo, the high-resolution camera capturing all his hotness into one small frame, the contours of his taut muscles now more prominent.

@AriannaSweety320: A view of Oasis #RetreatToParadise #NewIkandas with @RosalindaPike.

I smirked as I clicked the share button on my I*******m. It’s just to show them I’m not hung up on Brian, I told myself as I placed the phone on the table again. Is it? Okay, maybe I wanted them to burn with envy.

I shook my head and focused on the couples playing in the shallow water. Their laughter reached my ears, and a smile tugged at my lips. I tried not to remember the time I spent with Brian at the beach, but I failed, and my mind was once again sucked to that day.

“Hey, aren’t you gonna swim?”

“No. I’ll just hang out for a while.” His expression turned sour when he noticed my bikini.

The two-piece swimming garment was modest to me, but he didn’t agree. Instead of admiring me like I thought he would, he threw his t-shirt at me and asked me to wear it.

“We are on a beach, Brian.”

“That piece barely covers your body, Arianna. What were you thinking?”

“I can’t swim with all my clothes on.”

Brian pinched the bridge of his nose and clenched his jaw. “Listen, honey, our family has a reputation to uphold. My parents would have a heart attack if they see you like this. What if the paparazzi shows up? You shouldn’t wear this in public.”

“You can’t tell me how I should dress, Brian. I’m capable of making my own choices, and I’m dating you, not your parents.”

That was the incident that led to our first fight. I had changed so much for him and gave preferences to his choices, but he kept dictating everything I did. It was becoming too much, but like the fool I was, I tried to fit in.

A sudden splash of water brought me out of my thoughts, soaking my upper body, and before I knew it, I was being hoisted from my seat.

“Mike!” I gasped, wiping the water off my face.

“I warned you not to zone out. For that, you’ll be punished.”

My eyes widened when I realized what he was about to do. “Mike, no, I don’t want my hair wet.”

“Too late!”

My surprised squeak was answered with sounds of laughter and splashing, followed by saltwater stinging my eyes and entering my nostrils. I shot out of the water, gagging.

“I hate you.”

“You’re welcome!” Mike was already swimming away, leaving me with the girls.

“So…” Chiara grinned and wiggled her eyebrows.

“That wasn’t a pleasant experience,” I snapped.

“She meant the exchange between you and our grumpy-pants, there.” Skyler pointed at Orlando, who I noticed was now drinking a beer with the guys.

“Can’t they drink that on the shore?” I frowned.

Skyler quirked her eyebrows, not pleased with me evading her question. I looked at Rosie for support, and she shrugged. Traitor.

“That was nothing.” I let out a sigh as I floated on my back.

“That was definitely something,” Chiara insisted. “Orlando hadn’t paid attention to a woman in years.”

“He’s being kind,” I argued. “Girls, I should be relaxing. Another relationship is the last thing I have on my mind.”

“Who said anything about a relationship?” Skyler laughed. “You can flirt. He’s the perfect distraction.”

“That’s not healthy advice,” Chiara said. “She should do whatever she wants to do.”

“Sometimes people need a push to go after what they want,” Rosie commented. “I’d say keep an open mind, take what comes your way, and leave what doesn’t.”

“What does that mean?” I asked as I waded through the water.

“Exactly what I said.” Rosie shrugged. “Just remember my mantra when the opportunity presents itself.”

“Live at the moment. Yeah, I know that,” I said mockingly before taking a dip and letting the water consume me for a moment. It was so peaceful under the water.

“Come on, we’ve been in the sun for too long. Let’s chill out.” Chiara beckoned when I surfaced.

The men were already out of the water and had pulled the chairs in a semi-circle with umbrellas to give us a cover from the sun. The table was moved to the center, and I noticed a new table that now held sandwiches and fresh juices.

I took off my wet trousers and occupied an empty chair before grabbing my phone. Snapping a photo of the refreshments, I posted it on I*******m before checking out the notifications. There were many hearts and snide comments from Alana’s bitches, which I ignored. There will always be haters.

Then a certain comment caught my attention.

_CortezO_: That’s encouraging.

The tips of my ears heated, and in my peripheral vision, I noticed Orlando coming to sit beside me. It almost slipped my mind that we followed each other on I*******m. I fought the urge to hide my face in my hands.

Our friends were giving us knowing smirks, and before I knew it, my phone beeped with notifications. They were commenting one after the other.

My phone beeped again, showing a new message on I*******m. This bikini suits you well. I wanted to die of embarrassment. Beside me, Orlando browsed through his phone as if he hadn’t messaged me at all.

I typed a response before putting my phone aside. This day was turning out better than I expected.