Like you had fun at your bachelor party? I ignore the little voice in the back of my mind, taunting me, and go back to thinking about my future wife. That lasts for about five minutes when a knock on the door interrupts my thoughts. I sigh, and drag myself off the bed, ready to tell whoever it is invading my daydreams to go away. I didn’t ask for any room service, so it’s got to be, Rick. It’s always Rick.
“What are you? My alarm clock, Ri—” I say as I open the door. I stop mid-sentence when I’m confronted by a tall, willowy brunette standing there. She looks embarrassed, nervous, even. Is she lost?
“Hi, can I help you?” I ask her.
“I’m so sorry to just turn up like this, but I can’t stop thinking about the other night,” she whispers, looking around, furtively.
“Excuse me?” I ask, checking up and down the hall to see what she’s looking at. I have no idea who this girl is. “Are you sure you have the right room? I don’t think we’re acquainted, are we?”
“Oh, wow, you don’t remember me?” She shakes her head and mutters something under her breath. “Wow. I can’t believe this,” she says in a low voice. Her cheeks seem to redden as she looks up at me. “I’m sorry. I’ll go. Forget I even came here, okay? I’m sure you will.”
“What the hell? Wait,” I call out, but she’s gone, storming off down the corridor before I can get any answers.
I stand there in the doorway, rubbing my jaw, trying to remember her, with no idea what to do with what just happened. I could ignore it and pretend she wasn’t implying what I know she clearly was, but I can’t do that. I’m about to get married to Darcy.
Suddenly, Rick appears. He’s all smiles, excited, and starts babbling on about the two of us going fishing for the afternoon before the rest of the guys arrive. I just look at him, because who the fuck cares about fishing when it appears I’ve done something foolish to screw up the one good thing I have going on in my life?
“Now’s not the time, dude,” I say, trying to shut the door in his face, but he edges his way inside my room and glares at me.
“Hey! What’s your problem?” he asks me, scowling.
“Nothing. I just have more important things to do than go fishing,” I snap. I push him out the door and slam it shut.
“What the fuck is wrong with you, man?” he shouts from the other side of the door. I lean back against it, put my head in my hands and say nothing. “Well, screw you, Lennon. I’ll see you later… maybe,” then I hear him walking away, muttering under his breath.
I pace the room, feeling anxious, and now I feel really bad for taking it all out on Rick. I shouldn’t have gone off at him like that, especially since he’s paid his own airfare and hotel bill to help with our wedding. That’s if there’s even going to be a wedding. The way I’m feeling right now, I’m not convinced. I need some air, and time to think. I grab my hotel key, leaving everything else behind, bolt out of the door, and run.
***
The music from the pool bar pumps through my body as I lay here on the sand, trying to forget about everything. It’s not really working, but my anxiety is a little more in check than it was. I spent most of the afternoon trying to distract myself from the unexpected visit, first by taking a jog around the island, and then by taking a swim.
Neither worked, so I thought I’d try this. I glance along the deserted beach, keeping an eye out for Darcy. I’m not exactly avoiding her, but if she saw me in the stressed state I’m in, she’d know something was up, immediately, and I don’t even know where to begin with it.
Hell, I still have no idea what the fuck happened with the girl who came to my room. I have zero interest in any woman, other than Darcy. But what if…? I shake my head, my heart pounding in my chest. I’d never do that. I know I’d never do that. I have no idea what Rick organized, but this girl seemed pretty worked up about… something. I had way too much to drink, and now I’m really paying for it by not remembering a thing.
“What the hell are you doing out here?” I look up and squint into the sunlight, Rick’s shadow towering over me.
“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m taking a break,” I reply.
“Dude, what in hell is going on with you?” he says, sitting down on the sand. “First, you lose your shit at me, and now you’re sunbathing? Man, come on. We’ve been friends since high school. What have I done to make you so mad at me? Talk to me, Lennon.”
I sit up and hunch forward, running my hands through the soft sand in front of me. I feel terrible for taking all this out on poor Rick. It’s not his fault. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I have to take responsibility for whatever happened. Rubbing my head, I sigh, trying to find the right words to get this out.
“You haven’t done anything wrong, Rick, and I’m sorry I went off at you,” I say, putting my arm around his shoulders. “You’re a good friend, and I feel awful for doing that.”
“That’s ok, dude. I know you’re under a lot of stress with the wedding, and all. You wanna hug it out?” he asks with a small smile.
I look at him and laugh. “Sure,” I say, and we both jump to our feet and man hug, slapping each other on the back. “I don’t know what this looks like from the pool bar, but they probably think we’re gay, right now,” I whisper in his ear.
“Well, if I was going to be gay, it would be with you, dude. You good-looking son-of-a-bitch,” he says, squeezing my ass, then slapping it in full view of anyone who might be watching us from the hotel. We both laugh out loud and push each other away. “Now, are you going to tell me what the fuck is going on, or am I going to have to beat it out of you? Because you know I will.”
“Yeah, sorry. Some girl knocked on my hotel room door just before you arrived and wanted to talk about the other night,” I mutter.
Rick’s eyes widen. “Hey, was that the chick leaving when I arrived?” I nod. “Man, she was hot, with a capital H.”
“Not helping,” I say, clenching my jaw.
“So, what happened?” Rick asks. “What did you do?”
“That’s the problem,” I groan. “I don’t know, because she ran off before I could get any more info out of her.”
“Shit, man,” Rick mutters. “This is crazy. What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know,” I shrug helplessly. “Talk to Darcy, I guess.”
“Well, that’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,” Rick exclaims. “Why the hell would you own up to something you can’t remember without hard evidence that you did something wrong? I mean, she didn’t even tell you what it was you’re supposed to have been up to with her, right?”
“Um, no. She wasn’t there long enough to go into detail, but—”
“But, nothing.” His face softens. “I call bullshit. I know you, man. You’re not the type of guy to do anything like that.”
He’s right, I’m not. I nod, seeing reasoning in what he’s saying. “So, what are you saying?” I ask. “Do I just say nothing, and pretend everything is fine?”
“No, just don’t talk to her about this until we know what happened. Just promise me you’ll wait, or this might not end well, and you could be throwing away your happiness for no reason,” he pleads.
“Fine,” I say. I’m still not convinced what he’s saying is the best option, but I trust him. “I’ll wait.”
***
There’s one major flaw in Rick’s suggestion. I’ll never lie to Darcy—and I don’t feel comfortable withholding the truth, either, even if I knew what it was. I know she’s suspicious of something, because the way I’m acting around her, she’d be silly not to be.
I’m avoiding being alone with her, and I’m making excuses not to spend time with her, because I’m worried she’ll figure this all out. This seems worse than telling her the truth, because God knows what she’s thinking.
“Anyone would think you’re avoiding me,” she says, with that beautiful smile of hers. She steps out from behind a corner as I approach my room. I smile down at her w
hen she drapes her arms around my neck, and her gorgeous eyes are sultry as she gazes up at me. “Can we go get a drink and have a chat?”
She bites her lip and leans up to kiss me, standing on tiptoes to reach me. My heart races as her soft, warm mouth presses against mine. My dick instantly reacts. She notices, and grins, rubbing her thighs against the bulge forming in my pants.
“Or, we can just take this inside?” she says, fondling my crotch.
“You know I’d love to, but the guys are due to arrive any second,” I mumble. “Maybe later? I can call you when I’ve caught up with them.”
“Mmm,” she nods, her eyes twinkling. “I guess I’ll have to go and play by myself then. You boys have fun. Say hi for me.”
She kisses me, and I kiss her back. Short and sweet, careful not to encourage any further arousal, or I’ll explode. With one last glance back at me over her shoulder, she walks away, swinging her hips—just to make sure I know what I’ll be missing—and leaving me staring after her. Lennon, you’re an idiot, I think to myself.
It’s like I’m going out of my way to mess this up.
***
I sit in the bar of the hotel and wait for the guys to arrive. I don’t really feel like drinking, but seeing as they’ve flown all this way for me, it seems only fair to have a drink with them before I get hitched. I’m determined this is going to be a low-key night. I don’t want any repeat of the bachelor party.
I glance at my phone, wondering what’s keeping them. I’m sure they said seven, then my phone buzzes with a message from Rick.
Rick: Plane delayed. Technical problem. Not in until after midnight.
Well, shit. That’s just ruined my night. Or maybe it saved it? Who knew.
“Mind if I join you?”
I look up and see my father standing there. I’ve barely said more than a few words to him in the last year, and I’ve no idea why he’s here now, but I offer him the chair next to me. He sits down and orders us both a beer from a passing waitress.
“Is everything okay?” he asks.
“Sure. Why wouldn’t it be?” I ask.
He shrugs. “Darcy looked a little upset when I ran into her in the hallway earlier.”
“Oh, I guess she’s probably still stressed about the wedding.”
“I don’t know. It felt more than that,” he says.
“And, how would you know?” I snap. Hurt flashes through his eyes, and I sigh. “I’m really sorry, Dad. You didn’t deserve that. It’s just…” I shake my head. “I don’t know. I think I may have messed up,” I mumble.
He puts his hand comfortingly on my arm and says, “If you want to talk about it, son, it might help to just let it out. I’m a pretty good listener, you know. God knows, I’ve learned to be, living with your mother all these years.”
I raise my head to look at him, and can’t stop myself cracking a smile to match the one beaming wide across his face. “I take it she’s not around if you’re saying that,” I chuckle.
“She’s having a pampering party for one in our room. Got her face pack on. It’s kinda scary, but at least it’s quiet. I thought it would be the ideal time to step out and see if I could catch up with my boy. Glad I found you, and I’m here if you need help.”
I pause for a moment, thinking how different my relationship with Darcy is, compared to my parents’ arrangement. I take a deep breath and decide to take his offer.
“Well, at my bachelor party the other night, I drank so much that I couldn’t remember what the hell we got up to when I woke the next morning. Then today, some random chick knocked on my door, wanting to talk about the time I’d spent with her that night.”
“What did you do with her?” Dad asks, looking concerned.
“Rick asked me that, too, and that’s the problem. I’ve got no idea what I did, but I’d never be unfaithful to Darcy. Hell, if I knew, I wouldn’t be sitting here, drowning my sorrows. I’d be fixing the damn mess I’ve gotten myself into.”
“You should be doing that, anyway.”
“What?” I say.
“The best advice I can give you?” Dad says. “Be proactive. Get off your damn butt instead of wallowing in self-pity, and dig around. If you really have been… how shall I put it?... indiscrete, you need to fix this before she finds out from someone else. If you have, be honest with her, Lennon. She deserves that much, doesn’t she?”
“Yes. Yes, of course she does.”
“Okay, then. You don’t need me to tell you what’s right and wrong, son. Nice sharing a beer with you, we should do it more often, but I’d better get back. If your mom has to call me, her face pack will crack… and that story won’t have a happy ending, trust me.”
I chuckle at the vision in my head. “Thanks, Dad. I really appreciate you coming to find me, and I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch for so long. It’s just… well, Mom—”
“Don’t be too hard on her. She’s a good woman, despite her ways, and she brought you up right. I just hope you and Darcy have as happy a life as we have. Goodnight, son. We both love you.”
I wish him a good night and sit back in my chair to finish my drink.
Chapter Six
Darcy
It’s a quarter past eight, and I’m already fifteen minutes late to meet Cindy and Emily at the pool bar when I see Lennon through the glass wall separating the bar from the outside patio. He seems to be drinking alone, lost in thought, and I’m wondering where the hell his friends are? Did they all go to the bathroom at once? Then I spot some guys playing pool and assume he’s just sitting this game out. I wave, but he doesn’t see me, and I don’t want to keep the girls waiting any longer, so I turn and head across the patio to meet them before they send out a search party for me.
As I walk through the palm garden, it suddenly dawns on me that he never mentioned the fact that a strange girl—well, strange to him—knocked on his door this morning when I saw him outside his room earlier. Now I think about it, it does feel like he’s been avoiding me ever since. He seemed distant when we met, but I just put that down to all the running around, and being social that we’ve been doing the last couple of days. I’m sure he’s as frazzled as I am.
But now I’m worrying, again. Did I take it too far? I mean, it was just a joke, right? I felt sure he’d see through it right away, he’d call me out on it and we’d have a good laugh about it. But, now I’m wondering if it’s all backfired on me. He wasn’t supposed to take it seriously. I wasn’t trying to put doubts in his head that he’d done anything wrong at his bachelor party. Is that what I’ve done?
I’m still thinking about it when I meet Cindy and Emily for a drink, and Cindy senses something’s up the second I sit down next to her. I smile, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t keep anything from her. Having someone so perceptive, and who knows me so well, is kind of cool, if not a little unnerving. I never expected to have that kind of connection with anyone, and now I have at least two people I can count on. Well, for now, anyway. When Lennon works out what I did, who knows how he’s going to react?
“Sooo?” Cindy presses. “Here’s a Sea Breeze to help you relax. Now, are you going to tell me what’s up, or do I have to pry it out of you?” I glance at Emily, who looks nervously away, and winces. Only now do I wish I hadn’t gotten her involved in this.
I take a long sip of my drink, and sigh. “Oh, I’m just stressing that maybe what I had Emily do to Lennon was really mean,” I say. “I thought he’d laugh it off, but he hasn’t. In fact, he hasn’t mentioned it. He’s gone all weird and strange. I’m worried about him, and I’m worried how he’s going to react when he finds out it was just a joke. Like, maybe he’ll think I was testing him, or something.”
“But, you didn’t do anything, really,” Cindy says with a frown. “I mean, surely the guy can take a joke, right?” I shrug, wishing I believed that.
I look up as Rick pats me on the back, and I’m relieved in one way. For a moment, I thought it might have been Lennon. Having to explain why I
was having lunch with Emily would’ve been a little awkward, but I know it’s a conversation I’m going to have to have eventually, though.
“Hey, Rick. I thought you were picking up the guys and all hanging with Lennon?” I ask.
“Nope. Flight got delayed. They’re not in till after midnight, so they’ll catch a cab,” he explains. He sits down next to me, narrowing his eyes. “So, what’s going on here with you girls?” he asks suspiciously.
“What?” I scream. “But I just saw him at the hotel bar with some guys playing pool. He was sat on his own, but I assumed—”
“They’re just guys. They’re not the guys,” he interrupts. “They’re still in the air somewhere over the Pacific.”
My jaw drops in disbelief as he glances around, his eyes finally falling on Emily. “Hey, wait a second,” he says as recognition flashes in his eyes. “You’re the lady that was at Lennon’s room this morning. How come you know Darcy?”
Emily flushes and looks down at her cocktail, clearly not sure what to say. Rick’s gaze flicks from her, to Cindy, then fixes firmly on me. He raises his eyebrows and sits back, crossing him arms over his chest.
“Okay, will someone please tell me what the hell is going on here?” he demands.
“Well, I may have played a little joke on… Lennon?” I say weakly, my words sounding like a question as I look down meekly at my own glass.
Rick unfolds his arms, leans forward onto the bar, and stares at me with narrowed eyes. “What kind of joke?” he asks suspiciously. I glance at Emily again, hoping for a little support, but I know this is all down to me.
“Um, well, I found out that you guys—or Lennon more specifically—couldn’t remember what happened at his bachelor party the other night, so I asked my cousin, Emily, to knock on his door and pretend she…”
My voice trails off, but I don’t need to finish the sentence, because Rick is laughing so hard, he nearly falls off his seat.
“Are you serious?” he splutters. I narrow my eyes back at him, which only fuels his laughter. “Oh, God. This is priceless. He’s going to kill you when he finds out. The guy is ripping himself apart, thinking he seriously fucked up. He nearly tore me a new asshole this afternoon, just for asking him if he wanted to go fishing. Honestly, I’ve never seen him so fired up.” He pauses for a second, then turns to me again, his face all lit up. “Hey, can I be there when you tell him what you did? I wanna get a pic for Facebook.”
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