I put him out of my mind, turned off the shower, and got out. I didn’t put any clothes on for the moment, and instead just slipped on the hotel robe and climbed into bed. I grabbed the menu sitting by the phone, picked up the receiver and ordered room service. I was trying not to run up Kent and Anna’s wedding bill any more than I needed to, and I was in a constant battle to break my habit of stress-eating, but I think all parties involved would agree I’d earned myself a room-service steak and potatoes. Once I’d had a chance to eat and calm down, I turned my attention back to double checking the details for the wedding and making sure everything was in line, apart from the fact that I angrily scratched out Luke’s name any time it appeared on the paper.
I exhausted all of the things I could do inside my room and finally became bored. It was in a beautiful tropical location, and thanks to an asshole who’s been haunting me for ten years, I was holed up in my room? No. I got out of bed, changed into one of my comfortable dresses, slipped on my flip flops and left the room. I didn’t know what I was going to do, but it was a refreshing, chilly island night and I was desperate to enjoy it.
“Miss?” I’d wandered down into the lobby and must have looked lost enough to elicit help from the staff. A concierge in a tropical shirt and navy slacks was walking over to me. “Can I help you find something?”
“Sure,” I responded. “I’m bored and just looking for something to do. I don’t want to travel too far away from the resort, and if it sounds like it would attract a group of gorgeous, idiotic men, do not send me there.”
“Uh, okay,” the concierge replied. “Well, if you’re just looking to have a drink—”
I cut him off before he could finish. “A drink sounds good.”
He chuckled. “Well then you should visit our state of the art tiki bar. I believe I recognize you from the wedding that’s in this week, correct?”
“Yes,” I responded.
“Then you should have two drinks comped to your room, given you haven’t used them yet,” the concierge explained.
“Free drinks?” I asked. “Yes, sir, I will take that please.”
The concierge pointed down one of the hallways. “Head down this way like you’re headed to the beach, and you’ll see the resort entrance to the bar on your left. It’s got a beautiful balcony where you can enjoy the fresh air and our tiki lamps which burn in a variety of colors.”
I nodded. “Perfect. Thank you so much.”
I pulled a $5 bill from my clutch and slipped it to the concierge and then followed his directions to make my way to the tiki bar. I walked into the bar and was immediately blown away. It was beautiful inside. There were dangling white lights lining all of the banisters, and the roof was faux-thatch like an old hut. About halfway through the bar, it transitioned to a gorgeous deck that was completely exposed to the stunning night. Stars dotted the sky and the sounds of the uninterrupted waves crashing against the shore filled the air amidst the absent chatters of the guests inside. Surrounding the balustrade enclosing the deck, were a variety of tiki torches that all burned brightly in flames of pink, green, blue, red, and purple; it was astounding.
There was one circular bar that was designed so that half of it sat inside the establishment and the other half sat outside. I knew I wanted to enjoy the night sky, so I made my way out to the outer bar. I walked up to the counter and a bartender walked over, his eyes lighting up as he looked over me.
“Well, hello there,” he greeted. He had caramel skin and slicked back black hair. He was no Luke, but he was good-looking.
“Hi,” I responded. “I’m looking for something fruity and strong.”
“Absolutely. One Island Sunrise, coming up,” he replied. I showed him my ID and then he flitted away.
“I’m on my third Island Sunrise. I think you’ll enjoy it.” My heart sank and my skin crawled. I slowly turned my head to the right, and it became clear that the gods had teamed up to smite me. Luke was sitting at the bar, a few feet away from me, working on a drink in a pineapple. We locked eyes and he smiled. “Hey.”
“Fuck my life, I knew I should have stayed in my room,” I responded. “You are a tumor.”
Luke winced a little. “Ouch, that was harsh. I didn’t realize you were so averse to water.”
“I’m not averse to water, I’m averse to being dragged into water against my will by men that I can’t stand,” I hissed back. “Now please leave me alone.”