Journey

by Karina Sharp

  Since we did not fall asleep until very late, we don’t wake up until around noon. Journey’s hair is wild and everywhere on her pillow. I would have her this way at every moment, if I could. She has a particular glow in the mornings of which I have grown quite fond.

  Journey groans and holds her hand to her head. Anticipating a hangover, I already have two ibuprofen on the nightstand next to her, along with a glass of water.

  I pick up the pills and water, holding them out to her. “Here, you’ll want these.”

  Sitting up, sheet still wrapped around her torso, she says, “You’re the best,” in a gravelly voice. “I don’t know what Rico’s Fat Frogs had in them, but I think he failed to warn of their potency.”

  “They have a bite, don’t they?” I laugh as she gulps water with her medicine.

  “Isn’t that the truth?” she sighs, hand still on her head. She grabs her phone from the nightstand and moves her fingers across the screen. “I need to text Lexie and let her know I’m still alive. I think she planned to meet up with us today.”

  “That’s cool.”

  “What about your friends?”

  “I think they’re golfing and plan to meet us at some point later in the week for dinner and some dancing.”

  “Awesome.” Journey places her phone back down and looks toward the French doors that lead to the beach level balcony. “Holy frijoles! We came back here after dark, and some of it is a little fuzzy, so I didn’t see the view from here!” She gets up, white sheet still wrapped around her, and walks over to the double glass doors. Salty ocean air fills the room as she opens them and steps out into the bright exterior. I follow her lead.

  Her large grin looks back to me in awe. “This is the amazing. We are literally steps away from the ocean! Did you do this for me?”

  “Maybe,” I reply coyly, “but don’t let it go to your head.”

  Looking back up at me with her verdant eyes, Journey blinks slowly in gratitude. “Never,” she says in a breathy way. “You really shouldn’t have, but I’ll take it!”

  Journey stands on her toes in an effort to be closer to my eye level and connects her lips to mine in a gentle, closed-mouth kiss. I close my eyes and milk the short interaction for all that it’s worth, trying to keep my arousal at bay. My lips long for her the moment she releases mine. Journey begins walking back into the room as I stand still, continuing to revel in her previous touch.

  She glances over her shoulder and smiles. “I’m going to take a shower. Join me, if you want.”

  I don’t need any more prompting than that. Shaking my head out of the state I’m in, hurriedly, I move past her and tease, “Not if I get there first!”

  Journey laughs, trying to push me over as she runs past me into the bathroom.

  Together, we emerge from our lengthy and physical shower, still breathing heavily and red in the face. Journey has on a white, plush robe provided by the condo. I selected to simply wrap a towel around my waist. My eyes move with Journey’s body as she retrieves a bright pink, string bathing suit from her suitcase and slips it on.

  “I’m going to make a drink,” she declares walking over to the minibar. “You want one?”

  “Starting already?”

  “Did you expect anything different?”

  “Nope. I’ll have whatever you’re having.”

  As I slip on some board shorts, I hear Journey open and close the fridge, then the sound of liquid going into glasses. “Is Jack short for something?” she asks passively.

  “No, I’m just Jack.”

  “Isn’t that what a character on a television show used to call himself?”

  “Yeah, except he was Just Jack,” I emphasize with some makeshift jazz hands.

  Journey chuckles. “Nice.” She hands me my drink. “To Just Jack.” She then clinks her glass against mine.

  “Do we have to toast every time we have a drink?”

  “Pretty much, yeah. Now, let’s go catch some rays. The girls should be meeting us here in an hour or so.”

  We walk out of our condo straight onto the beach, grab a couple of chaise lounges, and lie down in the ocean breeze.

  “This is the life,” Journey exhales. “So, tell me, how did you know I would even stay with you when you reserved this place?”

  “I suppose I didn’t know for sure, but you could say that I had a pretty good idea.”

  “You are pretty irresistible.”

  “Not like you.”

  I’m actually a financial investor in this condo’s complex, along with a few others in the area, but for some reason, I don’t want to share that information. Just part of my belief of keeping personal information to myself. I don’t know much about her personal life, but I know enough to understand that her parents must have some money. I assume she can figure out that I too come from wealth, but it’s not something I advertise. I come from a family of shipping magnates in the Mediterranean, thus money has been around for generations.

  Although I am an only child, my parents were determined to instill in me the value of a dollar. I’ve held a job of some sort since I was sixteen. My parents helped me financially with my first couple of investments, but I’ve since paid back every penny and then some. With their assistance, I’m quite successful for a man in his early twenties, but money isn’t really the measure of success for me, and it doesn’t seem to be for Journey either.

  “Last year, you graduated from Columbia with a BA in business. What does a businessman do after he finishes school?”

  “A businessman usually goes into business of some sort, which is what I did.”

  “Oh,” Journey replies, sounding disappointed. “Sounds thrilling.”

  “It is for me, but I know it’s not for you,” I smile at her. She’s wearing sunglasses, but I can still see her eyes, which seem satisfied by my response. “Why did you decide to go to medical school?

  Journey takes a sip of her drink and laughs. “Originally, I wanted to be an attorney, but then realized I would be ‘Journey the Attorney,’ so I decided against it. Becoming a doctor seemed like the next best thing.”

  I laugh aloud. Journey the Attorney would’ve been adorable. I feel like it needs to be a cartoon or telenova. “You say that as though the choice was as simple as choosing a loaf of bread at the supermarket.”

  “It was, kind of. I had the opportunity to do just about anything. I’ve always loved biology and medicine, so it seemed like a natural choice.”

  I shake my head. “I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone who finds nothing to be a challenge.”

  “I wouldn’t say that I don’t find anything to be challenging. Everything is relative. Things that are a struggle for me may seem quite trivial to another.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “I mean, for example, I’ve had a pretty easy life- I’ve always had a car, a home, two parents who love me –so, you know, things that happen in everyday life to those who have not been as fortunate I might find challenging. For example, I don’t even know how to take public transportation. I once tried to ride a city bus, just to prove to myself that I could, but I didn’t realize you need exact change.”

  “You’re telling me that you thought the driver would make change for your dollar bill?”

  “Worse. I had a twenty dollar bill.”

  I practically fall out of my chair in laughter. This intelligent and generally logical person is so clueless that she went to the ATM, pulled out a twenty dollar bill, and tried to ride a city bus with it? I watch Journey’s tits bounce in her swimsuit as she laughs at herself. If I wasn’t so entertained by her bus faux pas, I would have my mouth all over them right now.

  “You do realize that bus drivers would get robbed everyday if they carried change, right?”

  “Yes! It’s just a detail I didn’t consider before I got on the bus. It’s a thought that had never crossed my mind because I never had to think about it, honestly. The bus driver felt sorry for me and let me on anyway. Lesson lea
rned, that’s for sure.”

  “You’re lucky he took pity on you.”

  “His face when I tried to hand him the bill was priceless! I will never forget it.”

  “I can only imagine.”

  “Anyway, as I was saying, it was something millions of people do every day, yet it became an ordeal for me. And a life lesson. I find biology and anatomy easy to learn, but for the life of me, know nothing about business. See? What’s easy for you is not so much for me.”

  “Very true.” Sitting back into my chair, I slide my sunglasses onto my nose and over my ears. “Very true.”

  Chapter 3

  Journey

  Lexie appears in front of me with a breezy calm. Behind her, Emily and Anna look like pack mules carrying bags, chairs, and a large umbrella to the beach.

  “Think you packed enough?” I ask sarcastically.

  “We’re going to be here all day, shower and change, then go out tonight, so we had to bring everything for it,” Anna explains.

  “How did you even get all of that into a taxi?”

  “We didn’t,” Lexie chimes in. “I paid some cute local guy forty bucks to bring it here in his car. Naturally, I rode with him. The best part is that he’s supposed to meet us later and help them haul it home.”

  “How convenient,” I smirk.

  Lexie’s eyebrows lift as she turns her attention to Jack. “Jackie boy! Fancy meeting you here.”

  Jack’s defined stomach moves in front of my line of sight, causing my breath to hitch, as he gives Lexie a hug. “Crazy, isn’t it?”

  “My god, Jack, I think you’re more ripped than last year. How is it that you keep getting hotter each year?”

  “I’m like a fine wine, I suppose.” Jack winks at me and turns his attention to the other girls. “Emily, Anna, good to see you. Can I help you with anything?”

  Emily’s face turns to relief, but quickly back to aggravation when Anna answers, “We’re fine. Just point us in the right direction.”

  “You’re looking at it,” I say, pointing to the patio directly behind us.

  “That’s where you’re staying?” Lexie gasps. “You sure know how to treat a lady, don’t you, Jackie?”

  Jack shrugs, “I do what I can. Let me walk you ladies over there and show you where you can put your things.”

  My eyes thank Jack as he grins, moving past me. A server from the property comes by to take our drink order. I ask for a round of piña coladas for everyone and attempt to pay, but the young man informs me that he has strict instructions that everything will be on Jack’s tab. He is too sweet. It’s not as though I haven’t been wined and dined before by men, but they tend to make an overt display of their generosity and remind me of it each time they get the chance. Jack does things that are thoughtful and thinks nothing beyond it. At least, in the few interactions I’ve had with him, that’s how he is. I truly don’t know him outside of “vacation Jack,” so he could be a completely different person back home, but something tells me that he is genuine.

  “Holy ho-nuggets, that place is awesome!” Lexie exclaims, now wearing a swimsuit and laying her towel in a lounger beside me.

  “Where’s Jack?”

  Lexie rolls her eyes, clearly annoyed. “He’s helping Anna get all of her things organized and in place in her own bedroom. Like she needs it... She’s not even staying here. I hope you don’t mind, but I just threw my stuff in the master bedroom.”

  “She has her own room? There’s more than one?” I’m confused.

  “No, I just made that up. Yes, Journey, there’s more than one bedroom. Did you not see the entire place?”

  “Not exactly… We were a little preoccupied.”

  “I bet you were. The place has three floors. How did you miss that?” Lexie turns and motions behind us. “Those balconies are all part of the same unit, and there’s a rooftop patio with a hot tub up there.”

  Huh? How was I so oblivious to all of that? I turn, looking over my shoulder, to see the balconies when I spot Emily step out onto the third one with Jack. Emily waves excitedly. I return with a slighter one. I hold my hands to my sides with my palms up, mouthing “What the hell?” to Jack. Jack simply smirks and tilts his head in a smooth, it-was-nothing motion.

  “Seriously, girl, you so lucked out with him,” Lexie tells me as she puts on suntan lotion.

  “Yeah…too bad he’s just a fling.” I return my attention to the rolling waves in front of me. “Here, let me get your back for you, Lex.”

  Lexie hands the bottle of lotion to me and sits on the front of my chaise cushion. “I wish I could score an annual ‘fling.’” Lexie makes air quotes with her fingers.

  I want to ask Lexie what she’s hinting at, but I already know. She always tells me that she suspects there’s more going on between Jack and me, but I insist that there’s not. Would I like there to be more between us? I don’t know...maybe. But, you can’t conjure things that don’t actually exist. I don’t know a whole lot about him, including his last name or where exactly he’s from. I just know that he grew up in New England and traveled a lot. I don’t think I even know enough to look him up on Facebook if I tried. I’ve never attempted it because I’ve told myself it would be stalkerish since we don’t have a relationship beyond vacation. Still, I look forward to the rest of this trip and my time with him every year. He seems to become more endearing to me as I spend greater amounts of time with him.

  Grinning wildly as thoughts of Jack and his sweet nature consume my mind, out of the corner of my eye, I catch Lexie staring at me with pursed lips and knowing eyes. I sigh and roll my eyes.

  “Why do you continue to insist that there’s nothing there but a casual, sex-fueled relationship?”

  I bite my lip in thought, staring at the sky. “I don’t know, Lex. Well, I do know. I’m a smart girl. I know there’s something there that I can’t quite put into words, but realistically, we have two separate lives.”

  “But he might be willing to merge those lives.”

  “I don’t know. I’m afraid if I ask for more from him, it will ruin what we do have. How can I ask him to pack up and leave whatever it is he does so he can be with me while I go to medical school?”

  “So, you’re at least acknowledging that there’s more than just platonic lust between the two of you?”

  I answer begrudgingly, “Yes.”

  I think about the topic to myself. Yes, I acknowledge I feel something for Jack, but they’re feelings that I think would either wind up to be fleeting or would require too much of the other in order to fully acknowledge. I really don’t know… I know that I’m scared of ruining our bond, and honestly, I have my entire life ahead of me. And, I don’t know that I’m ready to settle down. I have so much to do and many goals left to meet. So instead thinking too deeply on the subject, I continue to live in my happy bubble of denial.

  “It sounds like you have a real poopsicle on your hands.”

  “Poopsicle?”

  “Yeah… You’re in a crappy situation.”

  “I see. It’s nothing I can’t handle.” Changing the subject, I ask, “What’s your local friend’s name?”

  Lexie continues her glare for a moment, then shakes her head and answers, “Alberto, but he goes by Tony, which is short for Antonio.”

  “You learned an awful lot about him in such a short time.”

  “Unlike you, I ask lots of questions and get as much information as I can up front. For example, I know that he has two sisters and one brother. He’s from a little further inland and happened to be this way because he was meeting a friend. Also, he’s in engineering school.”

  “How long were you with him?”

  “Ten minutes. Like I said, I ask lots of questions. You’ve spent a great deal of time with Jack and know, what? His first name, his degree, and that he has parents?”

  “Pretty much. I ask questions. He just doesn’t fully answer them…”

  “Why do you think that is?”

  “I don’
t know, Lex. I don’t really dwell on it much, okay?”

  “Why do you think that is?”

  “Oh my damn… You earn a degree in psychology and now you think you’re freaking Doctor Phil.”

  “Actually, Doctor Phil doesn’t have a doctorate in psychology; he has one in biology or something. But how’s that avoidance working for you?”

  “Just shut up, ho-bag,” I say with a smile.

  Lexie knows I don’t really think she’s a ho-bag. We tend to use terms typically considered to be derogatory as ones of endearment to one another. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because we’re trying to take away some of the stigma and sting of the terms. Okay, that’s totally a lie- we just think terms like “ho-nuggets” are hilarious. I think Lexie’s many nights of using me as a “client” to practice her therapist skills might be getting to me.

  Out of nowhere, the server arrives with the drinks, and I am mucho grateful. Alcohol and a distraction from this conversation is exactly what I need. Lexie attempts to pay, but the server insists that everything is already covered.

  Jack reappears in the seat next to me while Anna and Emily take theirs on the other side of him. I see my reflection in his mirrored Ray Bans as I hand him frozen beverages to pass down to the girls.

  As if his face wasn’t perfection enough, his body is to die for. Having been privy to every inch of it, I can say, without a doubt, that he is the most handsome example of the male specimen. His shoulders curve in all of the right places and have that indentation by the collar bone where I love to run my tongue. His torso is toned so precisely that every single muscle from his chest to his hip bones smooth over to create precisely sculpted ridges that narrow as your focus moves lower. Below his belly button is a very fine line of hair, directing your eyes to his more than ample manhood. One of my most favorite parts of his body is his smooth and rounded butt that borders on being a bubble butt, which makes it that much more adorable.