Beautifully Tainted

by A. M. Guilliams

  “Fine. You’re lucky I already have a passport or you’d be shit out of luck. What time does the flight leave tomorrow?” I was going to have to bust my ass to get everything I needed together if it was early.

  “It leaves at six in the morning. I’m going to leave around four to get to the airport in enough time. The girls are meeting us there,” he stated.

  “I guess I need to get a move on then. I need to pack and take care of a few things before I head to bed.”

  I walked him to the door and just as he was about to walk, he turned around and stated, “You know you had no choice in coming, right? I already changed your name on the airline tickets.” He laughed his way back to his apartment. Cocky ass. In the short time that we’ve known each other, he knew just how to get to me and that would be by putting Emily in the mix of things. I just hoped that this didn’t backfire on all of us.

  I packed in record time surprisingly. I checked the weather for Cabo San Lucas and it was going to be perfect. I didn’t have to pack too much because we would probably be spending most of our days on the beach. Plus, I’m a guy and we didn’t need much anyway.

  Going into the safe, I grabbed the necessary documents that I’d need to travel along with some spending money and put it into my carry-on bag. I grabbed my suitcase off of the bed and my carry-on and went down the hall into the living room to sit them beside the door.

  Once I double checked everything, I went into the kitchen to clean out the refrigerator. I cleaned out all of the leftovers and put their containers in the sink to be loaded into the dishwasher. I grabbed the trash bag out of the trash can and took it outside and threw it into the dumpster.

  As I was walking back towards my apartment, the thought that I would be spending a second holiday with her hit me. I wanted her in my life. We enjoyed spending Thanksgiving at the firehouse together a few short weeks ago. It doesn’t seem like that long ago, but when life gets busy, you don’t realize how fast time flies. The memory of that holiday flooded my emotions.

  I had texted Emily earlier in the day to ask her what her plans for Thanksgiving were as well as to wish her a Happy Thanksgiving hoping that Jeremiah had invited her to the firehouse, as well. I was shocked that he wasn’t spending the time with the brother that he’s told me so much about, but he just shrugged and said he switched shifts with another firefighter so he could spend it with his wife and child. He was a good man I thought when my phone chimed.

  Emily: I’m at the firehouse.

  Me: I’m heading there now. C U N a few.

  Later in the day, I decided that I’d head to the firehouse early to help out with any preparations that they’d need. I got there and was surprised to see Emily in the kitchen throwing around flour with Jeremiah.

  Leaning against the wall, I watched the scene before me. She was so carefree in that moment that I wanted to memorize the look on her face. She was usually so guarded, but seeing her like this made me want to get closer to her.

  I didn’t want to break up their shenanigans, but if they didn’t stop soon no one would be eating.

  “Hey guys. Looks like you two are having way too much fun in here,” I joked. They both stopped and turned my way trying not to be embarrassed that they were caught.

  They both blamed each other for starting it and then burst out laughing. I’m glad that I found them, but mostly I’m glad that I found Emily. I fought getting close to her, but since Halloween I couldn’t fight it any longer. She needed someone and I desperately wanted that someone to be me.

  I helped them clean up the mess and finish preparing the rest of the meal. Before I knew it, it was time to eat.

  Jeremiah, Emily, and I carried the food to the huge table that was set up in the common area of the firehouse where the other firefighters that were on shift, their loved ones, as well as the Captain had already gathered. We all sat down and began saying what we were thankful for.

  Emily responded, “I’m thankful for my strength, home, and my closest friends.” It pained me to hear that she didn’t have any family to be thankful for.

  I replied, “I’m thankful for my family, new friends, and a fresh start.”

  We all ate and talked to each other. It really was a good day. Even though I couldn’t spend it with my family, I was relieved that I was able to spend it with Jeremiah and Emily.

  Noticing her gathering all the dishes and carrying them to the kitchen, I went to help. I just wanted to get her alone so I could talk with her.

  We scraped off all of the food that was left on the plates, put away the leftovers, and started to rinse them off. We were working well together when all of a sudden I felt water running through my hair. She had squirted me with water. Oh, this was going to be fun. Game on.

  Turning back around, she attempted to look innocent. I knew better. I grinned at her and made my plan. She was trying to slowly back away from me, but I wouldn’t let her get far. Lunging for her, I went straight for the faucet she had in her hand. She tensed a little and it broke a piece of me. When I started to back away, she squirted me again. She was good, that was for sure.

  I went for the faucet again and this time succeeded. I had it in my hands, ready to douse her with water, when she tried to call a truce. Nope. Not going to happen this time I thought to myself. I acted like I was going to put it back, but squirted her right in the face.

  Five minutes later we were both calling truces and the faucet was put back into place.

  She playfully punched me in the shoulder and I grabbed her hand. She looked up at me debating whether she should pull away or let me continue holding her hand. I didn’t give her too much time to think though. I pulled her into a hug and whispered into her ear “Happy Thanksgiving, sweetheart.”

  Pulling myself out of the memory, I made my way back into the apartment. I glanced over at the clock and was surprised to see that it was already after eleven. I needed to get some shut eye if I was going to be worth anything tomorrow. Problem was, I knew that sleep wouldn’t come easily. My nerves were all over the place thinking about how she’d react to me bombarding in on her vacation.

  I did my nightly routine of locking up the apartment and brushing my teeth. I was already in some track pants so I decided to crawl into my bed. I silently prayed that sleep would come and my nightmares would be kept at bay.

  The blaring from the alarm on my phone woke me. I wanted to crush the damn thing, but I knew that I needed to get my ass in gear so that we could leave on time. I can’t believe that I’m going on this trip. I went into the bathroom and relieved myself and brushed my teeth. Going back into the bedroom, I changed into a pair of sweats, a t-shirt, socks, and tennis shoes. Since we were going to be on the plane for hours, I wanted to be comfortable. I grabbed my IPod off its charger and my headphones and put them into my carry-on bag. If she didn’t want to talk to me, I needed to have something to pass the time.

  Going into the kitchen, I made myself some instant coffee since there was no reason to make a whole pot. I would just grab more coffee at the airport and on the plane. After having a restless night’s sleep, I was going to need all the caffeine I could get.

  I drank my coffee and double checked all of my bags. Everything was good to go.

  A knock on the door occurred just as I was rinsing out the cup. Jeremiah was right on time according to the clock on the stove. Putting the cup in the sink, I went to answer the door.

  We greeted each other quickly while I grabbed my keys and wallet off the table by the door. After I had picked up my suitcase and carry-on bag, we headed to Jeremiah’s truck.

  The drive to the airport was relatively quick considering there was hardly any traffic at this time of day. We parked and went inside. We went through all of the security checks and walked towards the terminal that we would be leaving from. I was silently wondering why we weren’t waiting for the girls before we did all of that. It was probably so I would stay hidden and Emily couldn’t back out.

  I went to grab some coffee fr
om one of the concession stands while we waited for the girls.

  As I made my way back over to where I had left Jeremiah, I noticed that the girls had finally arrived. Now my nerves were kicking in. I didn’t know if they had spilled the beans about me taking Jayson’s place yet so I didn’t know what to do. I knew that I’d have to make my presence known before too long because they would call us to board in about a half hour. I needed to man up and just face the music. She was either going to be okay with me going or pissed off. I guess I should find out which one it’s going to be.

  Emily and Sophia had their back towards me while I was walking up to where everyone was standing. I decided that I would just walk right up and make my presence known.

  She was talking to Jeremiah and asking him who was taking Jayson’s place. Guess that answers the question of whether or not they’d told her yet.

  Walking up behind her, I whispered into her ear, “Hello, sweetheart.”

  She nearly came out of her skin and was screaming at the top of her lungs. Guess that wasn’t the best approach. Jeremiah and Sophia were trying to contain their laughter. Emily, on the other hand, looked pissed. I needed to remember not to sneak up on her like that, but I just couldn’t resist the chance to get close to her.

  She seemed to have finally calmed down, but looked confused. When I was about to explain why I was there, it finally clicked for her.

  “You’re the one taking Jayson’s place aren’t you?” She asked.

  “Yes I am, sweetheart,” I replied.

  I couldn’t judge the look on her face. This time she was actually hiding her emotions pretty well. I hoped she was too pissed about me hijacking her vacation.

  She looked up at me and smiled. That was a good sign I hoped.

  “Welcome aboard, Texas,” she laughed. Oh, we were back to that now were we? I loved and hated when she called me that and she knew it.

  They were calling our flight before I had a chance to respond back to her. We all grabbed our luggage and headed for the gate. Jeremiah handed me my boarding pass and we boarded the plane. According to our seating arrangements, I was supposed to be sitting by Emily. I wondered if she would change that and sit by Sophia. I sure as hell hoped not.

  We got to our seats and I was shocked that she had chosen not to change her where she would be sitting. I found that odd considering that we barely knew each other, but I wasn’t going to say anything. I was just glad to be able to spend the five and a half hour flight next to her. Even if not one word were spoken, being close would be worth it.

  The flight attendant announced that we’d be taking off and that we should fasten our seatbelts. I secretly hated flying, but I wasn’t going to lead on to that fact. We both fastened our seat belts and prepared to take off. Just by looking at her, I could tell she was nervous as well so I placed a gentle touch on her hand to let her know that I was there for her and she squeezed mine in return.

  She continued squeezing it to the point of pain until we’d taken off and leveled out in the air. I didn’t mind though. Her touch helped calm me.

  I turned to look at her and she was smiling shyly.

  “Sorry if I hurt your hand. I just hate takeoffs and landings.”

  “It’s no problem. What’re friends for?” I hated that it’s all we were, but I understood it. For now.

  “Thanks.”

  We chatted about nothing important the whole flight and before I knew it, we were buckling our seat belts back up getting ready to land. I couldn’t believe that five and a half hours had passed. Every time I was around this girl, time seemed to get away from me.

  When we landed, I turned and noticed that Sophia and Jeremiah were pretty close to each other in their seats. What was going on with those two? I asked to myself. Neither one would speculate, but I knew that something was up even though they thought they were pretty good at hiding it. Oh well. Good for them if it’s more than friendship.

  We made our way off the plane and grabbed a taxi to head to the hotel. From what I gathered from Emily, this hotel was supposed to be amazing. I hoped so because I needed a distraction.

  We arrived and my breath was taken away. This wasn’t a hotel. This was a damn resort. It was huge and right on the water. I could only imagine what this cost and there was no way I could let Jayson not take my money. I shuddered at the thought. I looked at the sign and noticed that we were staying at Casa Dorada Los Cabos. Well, from the looks of this place, the vacation was going to be better than I thought it would be.

  We grabbed our luggage from the taxi and went inside to check in. Jeremiah went to the counter to check all of us in and I overheard the receptionist only giving him one room number. We were all staying in the same room? I didn’t know what to think about that. I glanced over at Emily and Sophia and they didn’t seem surprised by this at all. Seems like Jeremiah failed to mention that little detail to me. I took a couple of deep breaths and pushed away the frustration. I needed to relax. It was no big deal. I could handle being in the same room with her. At least I hoped I could.

  We all made our way up to the room after Jeremiah retrieved the key cards. The room was on the fourth floor of the resort and once Jeremiah opened the door, I was amazed even more. This suite was luxurious. The rooms were side by side and the living area was spacious with a sectional sofa and flat screen television on the wall. I could see the view of the beach from the balcony entrance as soon as I walked into the room. The resort definitely did its part on selling relaxation that was for sure.

  The girls were giggling nonstop. It made me feel good that she was happy to be here. They went into the room they’d chosen to set their luggage down and Jeremiah and I did the same. I went into my luggage and grabbed out a pair of swim trunks and changed. I couldn’t believe that the girls wouldn’t want to go on the beach soon, plus the weather was amazing here and being in sweats wasn’t cutting it.

  Jeremiah and I walked back into the living area after we were both changed and waited for the girls. About thirty minutes later they emerged. I was mid-sentence and then speechless. Emily in a swim suit was amazing. She had a golden tan probably from going to a tanning salon to prepare for the trip and curves in all the right places. I noticed a tattoo on her hip, but I couldn’t tell what it was from this distance. It looked like some type of Japanese symbol with a flower beside it. I made a mental note to ask her what it meant later. I was trying not to stare, but couldn’t help myself. I made my way up her body and met her eyes. She looked nervous. She almost looked like she wanted to go and cover herself up. I could tell she was out of her comfort zone, so I needed to remain cautious around her. I didn’t want to do anything to make her even more uncomfortable.

  We all gathered our beach supplies and headed downstairs to enjoy the rest of the day.

  At first, Emily just wanted to stay on a lounge chair and not get in the water. I could tell that she wasn’t comfortable enough playing around like we all were so I made sure that I kept an eye on her. She had on a pair of sunglasses and was reading on her Kindle and that was fine for now.

  Throughout the day, she seemed to warm up to the idea of being around all of us and horse playing. By the end of the day, we had played hard and were worn out. We ordered some room service and ate a quiet dinner in the hotel suite.

  While we were eating, I remembered that I needed to ask Emily what her tattoo meant. As I was finishing my dinner, I finally asked her what that symbol on her hip meant. She responded hesitantly that it was the Japanese symbol for broken. That’s interesting. It made me wonder what happened to her even more. I would just have to bide my time until she felt comfortable enough to tell me.

  The four of us parted ways shortly after the meal to take showers and get ready for bed. It wasn’t long after the shower that I made my way over to one of the beds in mine and Jeremiah’s room and flopped down onto it. I can’t believe tomorrow is Christmas and I get to spend it with Emily. That was the last thought I had before I drifted off to sleep.

&nbs
p; ***

  Emily

  The first day in Cabo San Lucas was amazing. Even though we were all exhausted, we spent the day on the beach. At first I was reluctant because I wasn’t really comfortable in these types of situations. I hadn’t been on the beach since long before I left home; therefore, I didn’t have any need to be in a swimsuit. I wasn’t self-conscious about my body, but I didn’t like feeling so exposed when I was around other people.

  I read for a portion of the afternoon and I finally came around to playing in the water with the others. The weather was perfect. It was in the upper seventy’s and it was a complete one hundred and eighty-degree turn from the cold weather in Maine.

  We all decided to just order in room service due to the exhaustion of the day and it was nice to sit around and joke some more with my friends. I could get used to this.

  I had taken a shower after dinner and exhaustion was starting to set in. I put on my pajamas and laid down on the bed that I had chosen. I was scared to go to sleep though. Other than that one time when Mattie stayed over, I hadn’t slept around anyone else in a very long time. I just hoped and prayed that my nightmares stayed away while on this trip because I didn’t want to have to explain anything to any of them. I silently prayed that sleep would come quickly and that the dreams would be good instead of the pure evil that I was accustomed to.

  The next morning, I woke up before anyone else and was thankful. It was Christmas morning and I just wanted some time to myself. I changed into a pair of shorts and tank top and quietly exited the bedroom. I decided that I would just go and watch the waves crash on the beach for a little while because it was only a little after six in the morning and I knew that the others would sleep for a while.