I lie on the deckchair and smile up at the sun.
I’m wearing my gold bikini-the one that started everything. I’ve worn it every day, and Nathan has taken it off every night.
It’s day seven of our holiday. We’ve swam, eaten, sight seen, and made love under the stars. Majorca is so beautiful.
It’s now 7:00 p. m, and the sun is just starting to set over the ocean. We are on the beach drinking margaritas. Nathan is on his phone, and I’m lying in a lazy state of heaven.
“Hey,” he says as he reads. “Your apartment settles tomorrow.”
“Your apartment,” I remind him.
“Our apartment.” He sips his drink as he watches me. “So, I’ve been thinking.”
“Did it hurt?” I ask as I tilt my face to the sun and close my eyes.
“What if I…?”
I open one eye to look at him. “What if you what?”
“What if I moved in with you… permanently?”
I sit up, suddenly interested in this conversation. “You mean, like a boyfriend in a real relationship?”
“Yes.” A trace of a smile crosses his face, and then he chuckles. “Real relationship.” He mouths as he repeats the words.
I bite my bottom lip to hide my smile. “Nathan Mercer, are you asking me if I’ll be your girlfriend?”
“No.” He sips his drink casually. “You’re already my girlfriend. I’m merely stating the facts. When I told you I loved you and you said it back, so then….” He shrugs, as if I should already know what he’s talking about.
“You didn’t ask me yet.” I smirk.
He puts his drink on the table in between our deckchairs, and he turns his attention to me. “Eliza, do you want to be my girlfriend?”
“I’ll think about it,” I reply casually as I lie back down.
“Right, that’s it.” He jumps up and he sweeps me up into his arms like a bride. “You asked for it.” He strides toward the water.
“Asked for what?” I laugh. “Put me down, people are watching.”
“They’re going to see a lot more in a minute.”
“Like what?” I laugh.
“I’m going to hold you under water until you agree.”
I burst out laughing as I feel the water meet my stomach as he walks further into the Mediterranean Sea.
We fall into the ocean, laughing, and he takes me into his arms. My legs instinctively wrap around his waist. Skin to skin, we fall silent. He wraps my ponytail around his hand and pulls my head back so that my eyes meet his. “Be my girlfriend.”
“What do I get for it?”
“Me.”
The most wonderful reward of all time.
My heart swells, and I smile and kiss him softly. “It’s a good thing I love you.”
“It’s the best thing.”
His lips take mine.
And just like that, I have a boyfriend who lives with me.
Look at me being all grown up.
* * *
It’s day eight of our holiday. and I close my eyes as the masseuse’s hands roam up and down my back. Nathan has gone off on his own, and I have spent the afternoon at the spa. I’ve had a manicure and pedicure, and now she’s just finishing a two hour massage. I really am living this up.
When I finish here, I’m going to go and buy a new date dress. Nathan is taking me to some fancy restaurant for dinner and dancing tonight. I want something really special.
“There you go.” The masseuse smiles.
“That was wonderful,” I say. “Thank you so much.” I dress and pay before I make my way out into the street. My phone rings, the name Brooke lighting up the screen. My stomach flips with nerves. I haven’t spoken to anyone since Nathan and I got together.
“Hello.”
“Oh my god, it’s a disaster!” Brooke cries.
“What is?” I frown as I walk along.
“Jolie has drunk too much kombucca and gone totally fucking insane.”
I stop walking. “What, why?”
“She’s been fucking Santiago and letting him film her.”
“Noo!” I gasp.
“She thinks she likes it; says it’s turning her on to know he’s watching it back when he’s alone.”
My eyes widen. “Are you serious?”
“Yes. She doesn’t even know this guy, and now she doesn’t care if he shows anyone. Oh, and get this. She thinks they have something special-that he could be the one.”
“She has lost her mind. This is disturbing.”
“You need to talk to her.”
“I’m on the other side of the world.”
“Call her right now and tell her how stupid and irresponsible she’s being.”
“She’s a big girl.”
“… who is making a huge mistake she’s going to regret when she’s uploaded onto a porn site for millions of men to jerk off to. She’s going to become a public come-bucket.”
I wince at the horrendous analogy. “She hasn’t thought this through at all. I mean, okay I get it if she wants to sleep with him. But to let him film it when she knows he openly shows everyone. I mean… what the hell?” I whisper.
“My point exactly. You need to talk to her.”
“Why do I have to do it?”
“Because she’s not listening to me. She thinks I’m a prude and don’t get it. We had a huge fight about it, but as her friends, it’s our responsibility to look out for her… even if she doesn’t want us to.”
I roll my eyes. “Okay, yes, you’re right. I’ll call her.”
“Call me back and tell me what she says.”
I hang up and dial Jolie’s number.
“Hello,” she answers abruptly. “If you’ve called to tell me that Santiago is a bad idea, I don’t want to talk to you.”
I cringe, jeez, she really is set on this. “No,” I snap. “I called to say hello, bitch.”
“Oh. Sorry. I thought Brooke had been in your ear. Hello. ”
I roll my eyes feeling guilty, Brooke has so been in my ear.
“How’s the vacation?”
A big smile crosses my face. “Amazing. ” I don’t know whether to tell her about Nathan and I. No, I’ll wait to tell them in person. “Majorca is beautiful. You need to come here; it really is incredible.”
“I’ll add it to my bucket list.”
“So, what’s this about Brooke and Santiago?” I ask as I sit down on a bench.
“I’ve started seeing him and, oh my God, Eliza, he’s amazing.”
“The porno guy?” I frown.
“Yes, but, you know what? I appreciate his honesty.”
I need to try and be understanding here. “Well… I guess.”
“There’s just this sense of honesty between us, and we really connect on a deeper level.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. Brooke is completely right: Jolie’s lost her fucking marbles here. “Okay, so have you been sleeping with him?”
“Yes. Holy fucking shit, he’s so hot I can’t stand it.”
“Right.”
“And the orgasms.”
“Is he filming you?”
“Yes, but he’s not going to show anyone.”
“Jo,” I sigh.
“Don’t ruin this for me.”
“I’m just saying. It’s a bit of a red flag, you know? And, as my friend, I just need to point out the potential dangers here. I’m just trying to be a good friend.”
She exhales heavily. “I know.”
“Look,” I try to think of a solution, “why don’t you just film yourselves having sex on your phone or camera? That way, you have possession of the film.”
“Hmm… maybe.”
“I’m just saying, you don’t know him, and you don’t know what he’s going to do with that footage. Do you really want your future kids seeing mommy getting banged on porn sites in years to come?”
She stays silent, and I know my words are resonating with her.
“Look, I’m all for you and him having a great time. Have fun. Fuck his brains out. But just guard yourself. Guys who pick up girls in bars by showing them footage of themselves fucking other women… they aren’t really husband material.”
“That’s his past, Lize.”
“I know, baby, and it may be all behind him, but as your friend, I have to have this conversation with you.”
“I guess.” She sighs.
“Look, I’ve got a video camera you can borrow. You’ve got a key to my place. Go over and get it. It’s in the top shelf of my linen closet. That way, you own the footage and not him. The risks are lessened. It’s the perfect solution.”
“Really?”
I smile. Nathan is going to freak and throw the camera in the garbage as soon as she returns it, but whatever. “Sure.”
“Thanks, Lize.”
“Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
“You’re wearing condoms, right?”
“Goodbye, Eliza.” The phone goes dead, and I giggle. That may have been pushing it.