South Beach

by Aimee Friedman

  "It was an accident," Holly mumbled, overcome. Suddenly it was all too much. The blinding sun and the cameras and the roar of the crowd. Holly wanted to escape from the beach and unwind somewhere, but she knew she had to talk to the Pulse producers and pick up her prize. She made her way off the catwalk toward Mike and the people from Pulse, with Alexa at her side.

  Mike handed Holly the two passes to Yacht and told her that the bikini contest would be airing that night at ten o'clock.

  "Too bad there's no TV at the Flamingo," Alexa said to Holly. "I'll call my dad and have him TiVo the show so we can watch it when we're back home."

  "Okay," Holly said slowly, unsure if she wanted to see herself on-screen.

  "Besides," Alexa added, "we'll be at the Delano by ten tonight, won't we?"

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  The Delano, Holly thought, remembering Diego. She drew a breath. As much as she was looking forward to the night ahead, she hoped it would be a laid-back evening. After everything that had happened today, she couldn't handle any more surprises.

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  CHAPTER NINE

  Under the Stars

  At a quarter to ten that night, Alexa and Holly glided into the lobby of the Delano hotel, looking their most glam. Holly was wearing a brand-new white lace dress, with flutter sleeves and a black sash cinching the waist -- definitely the girliest article of clothing she had ever owned. Holly had bought the dress that afternoon, with Alexa's help, at the Intermix on Collins, deciding she needed something special for her big night out. The dress had been on sale, but as Holly had handed over the cash, she'd felt mildly worried; her funds were rapidly dwindling.

  But money was the last thing on Holly's mind as she strode across the Delano's cherrywood floor in Kaitlin's strappy black sandals. She had gotten a slight sunburn from her long day at the beach, but Alexa had assured

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  Holly that the color gave her a healthy glow. With Daisy's faux diamond studs in her ears, and makeup expertly applied by Alexa, Holly felt like an impostor -- but a desirable impostor. She was anxious for Diego to see her. In her black bag, she'd secretly tucked her two free passes to Yacht. She figured that if she and Diego wanted to make their escape from the others, the two of them could sneak off to the nightclub alone.

  "We look so much hotter than those girls," Alexa whispered to Holly with a devilish grin, motioning to a cluster of Prada-clad models who stood in line for the bathroom. Holly grinned in return; she did think she looked pretty good, but she wished she could carry off Alexia's complete confidence.

  Alexa had decided that a visit to the Delano was the ideal occasion to debut her floaty, ethereal Laundry strapless dress; its dusty rose color perfectly set off her tan. Her hair was done up in a loose bun and she'd lined her eyes to make them look smokey, but left her lips pale, with just a hint of gloss. It had taken her a while to get ready that night, but the effort was worthwhile. The Delano's lobby was just as luxe in real life as it had appeared in the Elle photo.

  Flowing, gauzy white drapes cascaded down from the high ceiling and white columns lined the main corridor. There was a sushi bar and the fancy Blue Door restaurant, and on Alexa's immediate right, the

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  crowded, dimly lit Rose Bar. At the very end of the lobby was a set of a doors leading out to the lush back orchard and pool.

  Suddenly, Alexa felt a hand on her shoulder and she gave a start.

  "Hey," Thomas said to her. "Wanna come grab drinks with us?"

  Oh, right. Alexa had been so caught up in her Delano reverie that she'd momentarily forgotten about the Flamingo crew. The boys in Number 5 had learned about her and Holly's Rose Bar plans from Kaitlin and Daisy, and they'd eagerly tagged along with the girls. Now, Thomas was leering at Alexa, while Aaron was mooning over Holly. Meanwhile, Daisy, Jonathan, and Kaitlin were holding a whispered discussion about a possibly famous person they'd seen walk by.

  "We'll catch up with you guys in a few," Alexa told Thomas, stepping out of his reach. She sighed with relief as he led the others over to the Rose Bar.

  "Whew," Alexa said. She faced Holly again, but her friend was busy waving to someone at the end of the lobby.

  Holly's eyes were dancing. "There he is!" she murmured, more to herself than to Alexa.

  Alexa made a face. Was Holly actually that excited to see Car Crash Boy? Alexa turned around, following Holly's expectant gaze. She saw the Prada girls again,

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  walking in a tight pack. Then, one of them stepped aside.

  And there he was.

  Alexa stared at the tall, olive-skinned boy making his way toward them. Surely this wasn't the same Diego from last night. This Diego was so polished and put-together that he could have been cast in The OC. His dark hair was combed back neatly, revealing his large, jet-black eyes. He'd clearly shaved; his well-defined cheekbones stood out prominently. He wore a striped, collared Thomas Pink shirt that enhanced his broad shoulders, and simple, classy black pants and shoes. He held a gin and tonic in one hand, and waved the other in Holly's direction.

  Oh... my... God, Alexa thought. Her entire body flushed so deeply that she wondered if she was getting a fever. She was unable to take her eyes off Diego as he neared.

  Maybe it had been the baseball cap and glasses, or maybe her own anger but, last night, Alexa had utterly failed to notice what this guy looked like. But now, she was noticing. Big-time.

  Diego was absolutely, devastatingly gorgeous.

  Alexa took a deep breath to steady her nerves. You hate him, remember? she reminded herself sternly. He's the jerk who ruined your night. Alexa could hold on to

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  her grudges with impressive will. She wasn't going to forgive Car Crash Boy so easily, even if the sight of him was making her stomach feel funny. Trying to still her thumping heart, she watched as Diego leaned over to kiss Holly's cheek.

  Does Holly even notice how sexy this guy is? Alexa wondered, observing her friend. Holly hadn't mentioned anything about finding Diego cute last night or this morning. Holly is generally oblivious to boy matters, Alexa thought with a smile.

  Holly, meanwhile, was having heart palpitations of her own. She'd never seen Diego look so grown-up and well-groomed. As he kissed her cheek, she breathed in the scent of his heavenly cologne. He was clearly in his element at this chic hotel bar. Holly couldn't believe that the Diego standing before her was the same boy she'd gone for a bike ride with that morning, let alone the same boy she'd known three years ago. She felt even more tongue-tied in his presence now than she had upon first seeing him last night.

  "I'm glad you could make it tonight," Diego told Holly, flashing his dimples. "You look really nice."

  "Thanks," Holly replied, unable to meet his gaze. She wasn't sure what else to say. "I got a little too much sun this afternoon," she finally added, pointing to her pink arms.

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  "Be careful," Diego said. "You can really get burned in South Beach."

  Again, Holly found herself at a loss for words, and was relieved when Diego turned his attention to Alexa.

  "Hello, Alexandria," he said, his expression serious.

  Alexa nodded coolly, barely looking at him. Holly's stomach clenched. Couldn't Alexa at least attempt to act friendly toward Diego?

  "Look, I -- " Diego began, but he stopped when two other well-dressed guys appeared at his side, both carrying drinks. One was short and wiry; he had a dark complexion, a shaved head, and a goatee. The other was almost as tall as Diego; he had a mop of straw-colored hair and hazel eyes behind round glasses.

  "Hey, D, introduce us to these two beauties," the blond boy said, smiling at Alexa and Holly.

  Alexa smiled back, glad for the distraction. She was finding it increasingly difficult to keep up the ice-queen act toward Diego.

  "These are my boys, Andres and Ian," Diego said, gesturing to, respectively, the bald guy and the blond guy "This is Holly, who I was telling you guys about, and her friend, Alexandria," he said to his
friends.

  Who I was telling you guys about. Holly smiled, flustered and flattered by those few words.

  Just then, a tiny, dark-haired girl wiggled up to Andres, taking his hand and whispering something

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  into his ear. Andres hardly glanced back at his friends as the girl led him away. Holly was relieved the seductive siren hadn't hung around to talk to Diego.

  "You have to excuse Andres." Diego grinned. "He and our friend Marisol finally got together this past winter after, like, years of sexual tension. Now they're so into each other they couldn't care less about being polite."

  Alexa was cursing the blush that had warmed her cheeks when Diego spoke the words "sexual tension." What's wrong with me? she thought, tugging on one of her dangly pearl earrings. She couldn't remember the last time a boy had thrown her so off-kilter. Luckily, Ian sidled up to her then and asked how she knew Holly. Ian was cute in a completely nonthreatening way, which restored Alexa's sense of balance.

  With Ian and Alexa engaged, Holly and Diego regarded each other again. There was a moment of awkward silence.

  Holly shifted her weight from one foot to another, Kaitlin's shoes biting into her ankles. Her mind was completely blank. She and Diego had had plenty to say to each other over ice cream that morning, Holly mused. But now the vibe between them felt stilted. Can we only connect when we're reminiscing? Holly wondered, with a sinking sense of dread. Maybe all we have in common is our shared past. She shook her head, dismissing the

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  thought, arid she gazed desperately around the lobby, searching for a conversation starter.

  "Is that J. Lo?" Holly asked at last, pointing toward a curvaceous woman who was walking out to the back garden, surrounded by two bodyguards.

  "There'd probably be a bigger crowd around her," Diego replied, his dimples showing. "But who knows? You can sometimes see celebrities in this place."

  "Right." Holly nodded, playing with her silver ring. "So ... do you come here often?" I did not just ask that, she thought, horrified.

  "Mostly on weeknights, when it's not overrun with tourists," Diego said. He flashed her an apologetic grin. "Not that tourists are bad."

  "Oh, I wasn't offended," Holly said, too quickly, her words overlapping his. Stop, she told herself. You 're making it worse.

  Diego rubbed his chin, looking pensive. "It's funny. The Delano's great, but I kind of feel over the South Beach scene. I'm definitely ready for college. I need a change, you know?"

  Holly didn't know. College was still a while away; she wasn't even taking her SATs until senior year. Her parents had driven her to look at Rutgers back in January -- naturally, they wanted Holly to stay close to home. But Holly herself had no idea what she wanted

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  yet. She felt, as she had last night, that Diego was somehow far ahead of her -- beyond her.

  "I guess," Holly replied after a minute. "Do you know where you want to go?"

  Diego glanced down modestly. "Actually, I was accepted early-decision to Princeton. They have a really good premed program."

  Princeton? Premed? Jeez. Holly had never realized how smart Diego was. She was racking her brain for a response to his grand announcement when she felt her cell phone vibrating in her bag.

  "Excuse me," Holly said, taking out her T-Mobile. When she saw the caller ID on the screen, her stomach sank. Why were her parents calling now? She'd spoken to them that morning, in between biking with Diego and bikini shopping with Alexa. Holly had avoided mentioning the car accident, but now she wondered if they'd found out from Grandma Ida. That was the only reason she could think of that they'd be bothering her at night.

  "Do you need to get that?" Diego asked. Holly glanced up at him.

  This is the perfect metaphor for my life, she realized. I'm talking to an older boy about college and Mom and Dad check in.

  "No," Holly said, turning off her cell and dumping

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  it back into her bag. She'd talk to her parents tomorrow. She couldn't let them interrupt her good time.

  But am I really having a good time? she asked herself. When she noticed a stylish woman slink by with a frosty Cosmopolitan, Holly decided she could use a drink, too. That Cuba Libre had relaxed her in Ohio's. With a drink in hand, maybe she'd feel more on even footing with Diego.

  "I'm going to check out the bar," she told Diego casually. She glanced at Alexa, who was still talking to Ian. "Alexa, do you want to come?" Holly asked her friend.

  Before Alexa could respond, Ian raised his empty glass, rattling the ice. "I'll join you," he said to Holly. "I need another Jameson on the rocks."

  Thank God, Alexa thought. Ian was boring her into a state of utter numbness their well of small talk was running dangerously dry.

  "I'll be back, okay?" Holly told Alexa and Diego as she followed Ian to the Rose Bar. She hoped Alexa would behave herself somewhat with Diego. It was clear the two of them didn't get along, and Holly could do without that tension ruining an already awkward night.

  Alexa watched Holly and Ian walk off, and realized she was alone with Diego. He was standing to her left, silently examining his gin and tonic. Alexa dug around

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  in her clutch, pretending not to notice him. Of course, it would help if her fingers would stop trembling.

  "What I meant to say before," Diego spoke up, as if they had been in the middle of a conversation, "was that I'm sorry about last night. I hope you won't hold it against me until the end of time." His voice was solemn, but when Alexa looked up at him, she saw a teasing glint in his dark eyes.

  Is he making fun of me? Alexa wondered. But instead of feeling defensive, she suddenly wanted to laugh, too. Maybe she did take herself too seriously sometimes.

  "Do I act like I might?" Alexa teased in return, raising one eyebrow and meeting his gaze. When their eyes locked, her cheeks burned.

  "Well, you still seem kind of... pissed," Diego said. He was trying not to smile, but his dimples gave him away.

  Alexa glanced in the other direction, looking at the chandelier that hung above the Rose Bar. She could be a bit bullheaded now and then. It was something that she had always disliked about herself.

  "Petit taureau," she said, remembering out loud. "Little bull. That's what my father used to call me when I was younger." She looked back at Diego, and gave him a half smile. "I guess I am pretty stubborn."

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  Diego was studying her with interest. "Stubborn ... and French?" he asked.

  "Half. I was born in Paris," Alexa explained, slightly flustered by the intensity of Diego's gaze. She suddenly felt self-conscious -- a rare sensation for her.

  Diego tilted his head thoughtfully. "I've been to Paris only once, but I really want to go back. They have the most incredible museums there -- The Louvre, the Musée d' Orsay ... And the city itself is like a work of art, isn't it? The way the light falls on the stone cathedrals and the bridges over the Seine ..." He gestured with his hands, as if he wanted to conjure up the city. "It's beautiful."

  Something about the way Diego emphasized the word "beautiful" made Alexa think, for one heart-pounding instant, that he actually meant she was beautiful.

  Don't be conceited, Alexa admonished herself, remembering the incident at the Oceania. Not every boy who paid attention to her was hitting on her. She hadn't been very nice to Diego; she couldn't even expect him to like her as a person. Still, Alexa wished that Diego did think she was beautiful. It was sort of hard not to fall for a boy who spoke so poetically about Paris.

  "Isn't it gorgeous?" Alexa replied, focusing on him again. "I suppose I'm biased, but I've traveled to lots of other cities, and I still love Paris the most."

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  "Where else have you traveled recently?" Diego asked. The two of them began slowly walking away from the Rose Bar, toward the double doors that led to the garden. Alexa thought fleetingly of Holly; she'd wonder where they were when she returned from the bar. But when Alexa felt the back o
f Diego's hand lightly brush against her arm, her concern evaporated. Holly would find them somehow.

  "Cuba," Alexa answered, after a moment. "I went with my dad when he was studying the architecture in Havana. We had to fly through Canada to get there. The trip was so eye-opening. Like nothing I've ever experienced."

  Diego's face lit up and Alexa felt a rush of pleasure, knowing she'd made him happy somehow. "My parents are from Havana," he said. "But I've never been. Neither has my sister -- we were both born here in Miami."

  They had reached the double doors but stood still for a moment, facing each other.

  "I feel really close to my Cuban background," Diego went on. "But since I've never seen Havana ... it's like this essential piece of me is still missing."

  Alexa stared into Diego's dark eyes, feeling a sharp tug on her heart. He was killing her.

  "What was Havana like?" he asked. "I've only seen my parents' old photos, but it must look different now..."

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  "I took a lot of pictures," Alexa told him. "Maybe I can ... send them to you." She'd almost said show them to you. But that would mean she expected -- hoped -- to see him again.

  "I'd like that," Diego said. He held one of the doors open for her. The humid night air blew in, lifting the hem of Alexa's dress. "Are you an aspiring photographer?" he asked.

  Alexa smiled, pleased that he'd so insightfully picked up on her passion. "I like to document all my travels, when I can," Alexa replied as they walked out onto the back patio. She realized then that she hadn't yet taken any pictures in South Beach. And if there was any place that deserved to be captured on film, it was the back orchard of the Delano.