by Lexi Aurora
Casey reached over to pat my hand, then wrapped her arm around my shoulders and hugged me to her.
“You’re family,” she said. “You’re like a sister to Travis.”
I swallowed hard, a lump in my throat when I thought of that. Of course, that’s all I was to Travis. We had shared one parting kiss, one that hadn’t even allowed me to taste him fully. It had been nothing. I felt embarrassed for lingering on Travis as if there was something between us, though there had been a certain look in his eye on the phone that had suggested interest in my mind.
“Is Travis going to be on the jet?” I asked them, hoping I didn’t sound overly curious. Casey shook her head.
“He’s flying in from Los Angeles later. He won’t be there until dinner.”
“Oh,” I said, relief running through me. I was so nervous to see Travis that I had butterflies in my stomach. I was determined not to show any affection or interest. Doing so would just embarrass me in front of Travis and make Casey suspicious of my relationship with her brother. He was completely off-limits in every way, and I would have to control the way I reacted to him.
It was then that I saw the jet fly in, beginning its descent. We backed up on the tarmac, going inside to shield ourselves from the wind as the jet landed in front of us. It was sleek and small, nothing like the giant airliners I was accustomed to. I looked at it in wonder as the staircase descended and Casey started to climb it. I followed her and almost gaped at what I saw. Inside of the jet was absolute luxury, with several comfortable-looking chairs in the middle. Each chair had a small table next to it that had already been arranged with individual plates of fresh fruits and what looked like mimosas. Casey grinned at me when she saw my face.
“Travis likes to show off,” she said as she made her way to the center of the plane and took a seat in one of the chairs. I sat down, immediately relaxing into the cushions. I picked up the mimosa and sipped at it, immediately feeling the bubbles of the champagne in my stomach. I couldn’t help but to start to feel excited for the trip.
“I think this is exactly what I need,” I told Casey. I felt my troubles at school melting away already. I knew that I would feel energized by the beach and this vacation, something that I desperately needed to get through the rest of the semester with my sanity intact.
“I think we all need this,” said Alice. “I’m so glad you decided to come with us.”
I smiled at her, eating some of the fruit and drinking the never-ending mimosas throughout the flight. I was slightly tipsy by the time we got to the island, which appeared breathtaking even from the air. I looked down to see the blue of the ocean, the white sands on the beach, and colorful old houses that dotted the island. There weren’t very many—I could tell that it was an exclusive place, beautiful and quiet, even before we landed.
We made our way through the airport and outside. I felt the moisture on my skin in the air, and an immediate warmth that hugged my body. It was beautiful outside—sunny and hot, but not unbearably so. There was a car waiting for us outside, a stretch limo that comfortably sat us all, with even more champagne cooling in a bucket in the center. I decided to wait a little bit on drinking anymore—I was already excited enough as it was as we drove through the streets of the small island.
It took us a while to get to the house, which awed me almost as much as the interior of the jet had. It was massive and modern, all sharp angles and glass. It was on the beach, too, one side of the house leading right up to the water. We went inside and it was even more beautiful there. I had never seen anything as opulent and luxurious as the things I had already experienced on this trip.
“So we’re going straight to the beach, right?” Casey asked as we went upstairs to our rooms. “I’m going to change right now.”
“Absolutely,” I said, hurrying into my room and changing into my bikini, one that I may or may not have bought to look especially good on this trip, knowing Travis would be here. We grabbed our bags and made our way out to the beach, where there were tables and lounging chairs set up under umbrellas, as well as several to lie in and sunbathe. The water was gorgeous, crystal clear and blue as we sat down in our chairs. After a few moments, a waiter came up to us dressed in a suit. He was carrying a tray of sandwiches along with fruit and salads, and placed it on the table for us as he pulled out a bottle of wine.
We drank and ate in the shade, warm and perfect. Then we spread lotion on our bodies and laid in the sun. It was after only a few moments that I fell asleep, dozing off in the sunlight and comfort of the lounger.
I didn’t know how much time passed before something woke me, the soft touch of a hand on my shoulder. I opened my eyes to see Travis in front of me, his hazel eyes soft on mine. I scrambled out of the chair, startled by seeing him.
“Travis,” I said from the ground, sinking into the warm sand. I stumbled over my words, mixing them up in my grogginess. “Where—how did you come from?”
He gave a soft laugh. My heart did a flip in my chest at the look on his face, the look in his eyes as they held mine. He reached his hand out to help me up and I took it, feeling the heat of his soft skin. It made a shiver run up and down my body, felt almost electric as his hand lingered on mine. We were standing close together, neither one of us speaking, and I found myself looking at his lips, the memory of our kiss vivid in my mind. He was staring at me with the same look on his face that I’d imagined I must have had when I’d first seen his house—something like wonder and interest, something that made me feel light and airy.
“Hey, guys,” said Casey, calling from a distance as she made her way toward us. I jumped away from Travis, tearing my eyes away from his. I knew that we had been standing much too close for comfort. It would have been obvious to Casey that Travis and I were drawn to each other, and it would do more than ruin the whole weekend—it could ruin my friendship with her.
We started to head inside as Casey came into eyesight and waved us in. As we walked, Travis bumped up against me on purpose, giving me a sly smile when I looked up at him. It felt as if no time had passed, although I saw something in his eyes—a hint of mischief that told me he was very well aware of how much time had passed and how much I’d changed. I hadn’t missed the fact that he’d taken a few seconds to look me over in my bikini when he’d first seen me. It meant that he was interested, and it meant that I was in for a lot of trouble on this trip.
Chapter 4: Travis
Seeing Jenna again had affected me even more deeply than I had thought it would when I first invited her. Something had swirled in my chest, a tight feeling when I saw her sleeping, peaceful face. Her lashes were spread across her cheeks, her full lips opened slightly. She was wearing a red bikini, one that made it almost impossible not to look over every inch of her body. I would have done so, but it felt wrong to gaze at her body without her knowledge. I had woken her up after a few moments of watching her sleep, and had not expected her startled reaction when she had fallen out of the chair. I’d noticed the way she’d reacted when I touched her though, had been able to sense the fact that she’d wanted that skin contact as much as I had. She had been so close to me, her body almost touching mine, and if Casey hadn’t interrupted I had no doubt that I would have ended up touching Jenna again in some way. The impulse had been almost too strong to resist after the first touch.
I was pretty sure that Jenna was interested in me but I wanted to keep testing it, to find out subtly rather than just coming out and asking her or making too many assumptions. When I took Jenna, I wanted her to be all in, to give herself to me with no inhibitions. I had to be sure before I made a move; I couldn’t do it if she was uncomfortable with me. There was no way I could take the thought of making Jenna feel uncomfortable when all I wanted to do was pull her against my body.
We went inside the house, walking across the beach together. I wanted to take her hand but I didn’t, knowing that Casey was watching us as we made our way back to the house. Inside, my parents were waiting in the living room. Whe
n they saw me, they both stood up, my mother opening her arms wide. I hugged her, grateful to see her. I had always been close with both of my parents, as well as Casey, and I was more than glad to see them in person after so many Skype calls.
Once I’d greeted my parents, I couldn’t keep my eyes off Jenna as we all sat down in the living room to have drinks before dinner. Jenna was sipping a glass of wine, her eyes occasionally meeting mine.
“What have you been up to, Jenna?” I asked her. I wanted to know everything about her, every detail of her life.
“I’m in my last semester at Yale,” she said. “Just finishing up. Crazy busy. I don’t even think I should be taking this time off work.”
“You deserve to take time off,” I said to her. “I think you need to relax.”
She licked her lips. “You’re probably right.”
“I am right,” I said.
“So you’re at Yale?” my father asked her. “I thought you were going somewhere else.”
“I transferred from Chicago after I got my undergraduate degree,” I told him. “Decided to go a different way.”
“What are you studying?” I asked her. I wished my parents weren’t there, that Casey wasn’t there. I wanted to talk to her alone and hoped that I would get the opportunity to do so soon.
“Bioengineering,” she said.
“Wow.” I’d known that Jenna was smart, but I hadn’t known how smart in high school. She had been a couple of grades below me and I had only paid attention to her through the lens of my crush—I had known that she was beautiful and sweet and that had been enough for me as a teenager. Now, I knew better, and the fact that Jenna was working so hard was a massive turn-on.
“That is so impressive,” Alice said, waving her fork at me. “I could never do that. How much does it cost to go to a school like Yale?”
I shot a look at my mother, but she was intent on Jenna, apparently unaware of how rude her question was to ask.
“It’s a lot,” Jenna admitted. “Luckily, I got it all covered with loans.”
“You took out loans?” I asked. I hated the idea of that. There was no reason that anyone I cared for should ever have to be in debt, not with as much money as I made.
“I had a few scholarships, but it’s been loans for the most part.”
“I can pay—”
“I’m going to pay you back for this trip,” she interrupted me. “I just need you to tell me how much my portion is going to cost.”
“No.”
“Travis—”
“You’re family, Jen,” I said. “You belong here.”
“Oh,” she said, biting her lip. She looked away from me then, turning her eyes to Casey. I could tell that she was hoping that somebody would change the subject; it seemed like the money situation embarrassed her, and I could understand why. My family hadn’t always been rich.
“Thank you,” she said after a moment. She took another drink of her wine, her foot bouncing nervously as we waited for dinner. I tried to catch her eye but I couldn’t—she was looking decidedly away from me. Before, she’d been looking at me often. I wondered if it was the money thing or if it was something else. I only hoped that I could fix it. I couldn’t stand the thought of going through this trip without seeing that look of heat and interest in her pretty green eyes again.
“I’m going to run up to my room for a minute and change,” she said, standing up abruptly. “It’s hot in here.”
“Okay,” Alice said. I watched as Jenna disappeared up the stairs. She looked at me over her shoulder when she got up there, giving me a look that was unreadable. I had no idea what to expect from Jenna on this trip, but I had a feeling that it was going to drive me absolutely crazy.
Chapter 5: Jenna
I sat down on my bed for a moment, looking at my hands. I remembered Travis’ words clearly—I was family to him, something like a sister. I was just his little sister’s friend. I felt embarrassed that I had thought there was something between us, but relieved that the trip would no longer be complicated by the temptation of kissing Travis again.
Casey came in the room then, a small frown on her face as she looked at mine. She had always been able to read me even since we were kids. Not only was she astute on her own, but she knew me like the back of her hand by now. In this case, I regretted that aspect of our closeness. It meant that it was hard to hide anything from her.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I said quickly, making sure that I didn’t avoid her eye. I had no doubt that she would know that I was lying if I showed it in any way, so I kept my face carefully blank.
“Okay,” she said, sitting on the bed next to me. She was looking at my face, studying it for any sign that I wasn’t okay. I smiled at her. After a minute, I got up and changed, then we went downstairs for dinner when we heard Alice calling us from the back patio. Casey sat next to her brother and I sat across from him, trying not to meet his eye over the table. I could feel his gaze on my skin like a caress, like a subtle warmth. It confused me—Travis had called me family but at the same time I would have sworn that he was attracted to me. In any other situation, that look would be unmistakable.
Instead of looking at him, I looked out at the ocean, the waves crashing against the rocks a few miles down from the beach here. The sun was going down over the water, and for a moment it felt like it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.
“What do you think?” Travis asked. I turned around to look at him, made the mistake of meeting his eyes. He held me captivated there, unable to look away.
“I think it’s perfect here,” I told him.
“Did you ever think you would own a house like this, Travis?” Bruce asked.
“No,” said Travis. “I had no idea my company would blow up so big. I thought I was going to go to college when I was a teenager.”
“I thought I wasn’t,” I said.
“And look at you now. I’m a college dropout. You’re at Yale.”
“You’re a billionaire, sweetie,” Alice said to her son. “I think you’re doing okay. You’ve accomplished more than enough without a degree.”
“I think he’s spoiled,” said Casey, grinning over at her brother. “Don’t you, Jen?”
I didn’t look at her, couldn’t look away from Travis. “I think he’s something,” I said. “Spoiled might be it.”
He laughed, raising his eyebrows at me. “Oh?”
I nodded.
“If that’s what I am, I don’t mind it. I would never go back to the way things were before when we were kids.”
I squirmed uncomfortably, surprised by how much the words stung me. Earlier, standing with Travis, I would have given anything to go back in time and relive that kiss with him over and over. I wanted to go back to the days when I’d catch a glimpse of him at home while I was hanging out with Casey. I remembered that each time my heart had fluttered, and I’d wound up giggly and having to explain myself to Casey.
“Why not?” I asked him.
“I’m happier now,” he said. “I have all I want. I’ll never have to worry about money again.”
“Money’s not everything,” I told him.
“She’s right,” said Alice, wrapping her arm around Bruce’s shoulder and hugging him affectionately. “Love is good.”
“I’m not looking for love right now,” Travis said, but he had glanced at me when she said it. I was sure that I was reading too much into things, but that didn’t stop my chest from feeling full.
“I am,” said Casey. “Do you have any billionaire friends?”
“A couple. But you wouldn’t like them.”
“Why not?” she asked.
“Because they’re fat, old, and bald.”
She wrinkled up her face. “Gross.”
“Yeah,” he said, laughing. I was feeling full already, the meal of fresh fish we were eating having been so good that I had kept going just to taste it. Once everybody was finished eating dinner, we went back into the
living room. I sank into the cushions of the couch, feeling full and sleepy again, as if I hadn’t taken a nap that afternoon. My eyelids were low but I was enjoying the conversation, the warmth of the family and the comfort of being in the beautiful house. Dessert was served to us by two waiters, who brought out small plates of cakes and even more champagne. I had never seen so much alcohol, such decadence, in my life. For a moment, it made me feel out of place, but then I met Travis’ eye and I felt like I was right where I should be.
Chapter 6: Travis
“I think we’re going to bed,” my mom said, standing up and stretching. My dad did the same. I looked over to see that Casey had already passed out on the couch. I hadn’t been paying attention to anything other than Jenna. I had been sneaking glimpses at her sleepy face, the relaxed smile, the lean posture of her body melting into the couch. I was privately hoping that Jenna wouldn’t get up to join them, and when she didn’t I felt relieved. I looked over at her and she finally looked back.
