Page 9

9

TASHA

“ S orry about last night,” Josie said the next morning as we all sat down for breakfast at the same diner from yesterday. I took a big gulp of my coffee before answering. I was in desperate need of caffeine. I couldn’t fall asleep last night despite being tired, so I spent the majority of the night thinking about things. More specifically, Trevor. Being up early to go snorkeling also didn’t help.

“It’s okay.” I waved her off. To be honest, I forgot the others were supposed to join us last night.

“What did you end up doing?” When she asked, my eyes drifted on their own toward the person sitting at the end of the table. Trevor was talking to Bryton, but it was almost like he could feel my gaze on him because a second later his head turned toward me. My breath stilled for a second as we stared at one another. The intensity of his green eyes had me glancing away.

“Just walked on the beach for a little bit,” I answered, only telling part of the truth. Josie may have been my best friend, but for some reason, I wanted to keep what happened between Trevor and me a secret. At least for now. Wanting to change the subject I looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “And what did you do?”

The sheepish expression that crossed her face had me shaking my head and laughing under my breath.

“Of course you did.” Should have known her not showing up to the beach last night meant her and Wyatt were busy doing something else.

“Sorry.” She looked anything but.

“Are you guys ready for snorkeling?” Wyatt said a moment later.

Out of everyone at the table I was pretty sure I was the most excited. I'd never been and the thought of seeing sea life up close almost had me jumping in my seat. I was ready to eat and go.

“How long is it?” I asked.

“I’m pretty sure it's about three hours? The front desk said they’ll take us to a couple of locations via boat so it could take a bit longer,” Wyatt said.

Three hours of exploring the ocean and the sea bed was going to be amazing. I was seconds away from jumping up and saying screw breakfast, but I knew with a full day ahead, it’d be smart to eat. So instead, I reluctantly stayed seated and waited impatiently for my food.

Breakfast seemed to lag. My impatience didn’t help but neither did the slight tension between Trevor and me. I kept finding myself looking over at him. Pretty sure I felt his eyes on me a few times as well.

I was pretty certain the tension was all in my head, though, cause no one else seemed to be acting weird. Not even Trevor. But I wasn’t going to let myself dwell on it any longer. We were on vacation, and we were going to spend our day in the ocean so nothing was going to ruin my good mood. Not even overthinking.

Once breakfast was done, I all but sprinted for the elevators so we could go get changed. Behind me, I heard a chuckle so I flipped whoever it was the middle finger as I tapped my foot waiting for the elevator.

Trevor’s voice wrapped around me from behind. “The tour isn’t going anywhere.”

“But the animals are,” I retorted.

“The animals.”

“Yes. Right now, there could be dolphins in the spot we’re going, but by the time we get there, they could be long gone.”

“Oh, don’t want to miss the dolphins.” He mocked.

“Don’t tease me.” I elbowed him in his ribs.

“I would never.” But I could hear the amusement in his voice. Trevor lived to tease me.

“I’m being serious here.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure we get to the tour on time so we don’t miss any of the ocean life.” I looked over at him with my head tilted up slightly.

“Promise?”

“Promise.” The look in his eyes as he stared down at me made my stomach clench. Swallowing, I forced my eyes away. My stupid heart fluttered a little in my chest.

“Is everyone ready to go?” the tour guide asked as we all sat around the stern of the boat. A moment ago, he introduced himself as Johnno.

I grinned as both Mila and Josie cheered. A nudge on my knee had me glancing over at Trevor. The moment we got on the boat, he claimed the spot next to me and refused to move.

“Told you I’d make sure we got here in time.” And he did. I had barely gotten my bathing suit on when Trevor started banging on our door, saying we needed to get going. He then proceeded to knock on everyone else’s repeatedly until Wyatt yelled at him to quit it.

And once everyone was ready, he all but ushered us out of the hotel to the golf carts waiting curbside to take us to the dock. Knowing he was doing it all for my benefit made my stomach summersault with anticipation.

Instead of replying, I stuck my tongue out at him and looked away. We—my friends and I—were the only ones on the boat for the tour, which I was grateful for. Sometimes, it was the worst having random people with you. Not to mention how awkward it got when you were squished together. At least this way, we had the whole boat to ourselves and could have our fun without anyone interrupting.

I shared an excited smile with Josie as the boat’s engine hummed to life. As soon as the boat jerked forward, my whole body pressed into Trevor’s side.

I didn’t say a word as I slid back over to my spot but felt Trevor’s eyes on me again. It was like everything was intentionally pushing us together.

Trevor didn’t say anything, but he kept his legs spread wide so his thigh pressed against mine. Glancing down, I found myself marveling at how big and muscular his thigh was. Hockey players were always in great shape but damn those thighs were thick. I guessed they had to be in order to skate around the ice for so long.

The longer I stared at our bare thighs touching, the dirtier my thoughts became. What the hell was wrong with me? Getting all hot and bothered by a man’s thigh?! It had been too damn long, apparently, if I was fantasizing about a leg .

Thankfully the tour guide started talking again, making me shove all those kinds of thoughts to the back of my mind. Now was so not the time. I forced myself to pay attention as Johnno told us about where we were going and how snorkeling worked. But no matter how hard I tried, my thoughts kept veering back to the person sitting next to me.

“Oh, I love that one!” Mila gushed as all of us girls leaned over, looking at Josie’s phone. Since the boat ride was going to take a little bit, Josie decided she wanted to take some photos of all of us, her inner photographer coming out. “Definitely send that one to me.” It was a picture of Mila and Bryton together, looking gorgeous as always.

“Can I get a picture with my beautiful girlfriend?” Wyatt came up and wrapped his arms around Josie.

Taking Josie’s phone, I carefully moved around the boat to get a good angle. Looking at the two, a smile appeared on my face. The way they looked at each other, it was clear as day they were in love. Wyatt looked at Josie like she was the air he breathed. Like nothing else mattered but her.

As I took picture after picture, my chest ached with happiness for my best friend. She had absolutely no clue what was going to happen in a few days. No clue that I had been going behind her back for the past couple of weeks. Knowing how happy she was going to be soon eased the guilt that came over keeping it a secret.

Leaving the two of them in their own little bubble I gazed around the boat, turning, I found Lydia and Landon standing beside each other, leaning their arms against the railing, looking out at the ocean. Landon was standing close enough that his arm brushed against hers.

Shaking my head, I brought Josie’s phone up, taking a picture of the two. I was about to put the phone down when the two of them glanced over at each other at the same time. My thumb moved before I could think, snapping the picture seconds before they turned away. My lips tugged upward as I looked at the picture I just took.

Damn, maybe I should be a photographer, not Josie, cause it was perfect. The green island and water in the background as Lydia and Landon stared at one another was literal perfection. They were definitely going to thank me later for that one.

“I’m ready for my photoshoot.” I didn’t even look up as I felt Trevor come up behind me.

“Sorry, closed for business.”

“But my face is primed and ready.” I pressed my lips together to stop myself from smiling at his antics. “I’m a great model.”

That I already knew. I had seen countless pictures of him in magazines and commercials. A photoshoot of Trevor in his boxers flashed in my head. A photo I may have spent quite a long time staring at.

“Tashaaaa.” He dragged my name out in a whine. “I’ll pose like one of your French girls.”

The idea of making Trevor do what I wanted sounded very appealing. Turning, I gave him a shrug.

“Okay, French girl, let’s go.”

“I’m yours to do as you please.” I didn’t miss the way his eyes darkened or the underlying meaning of his words. Shaking my head, I waved my hand at him.

“Pick a spot.” My eyes almost popped out of my head when Trevor reached behind his head with one hand and pulled his shirt off. The action alone was hot, but it was put on the back burner at the sight of his upper body. His ripped upper body, I might add.

My eyes didn’t know where to look first as they moved from his wide shoulders to his biceps before finally landing on the six-pack decorating his abdomen. I eyed every bump and ridge down to the V-line that disappeared into his swim shorts. Tattoos littered his skin; chest, arms, ribs, even his upper thighs had a few. I wanted to get closer and see what each one was.

“You okay over there?” My eyes lifted to his as he smirked knowingly at me. Flushing, I ignored the teasing tone. Focus, Tasha.

Trevor brought his arms up, flexing his bicep and pointing with the other and posed. Putting the phone down, I raised my eyebrow at him.

“Seriously?”

“What? All the ladies love it.”

Scoffing, I rolled my eyes. “Uh-huh. Just stand there and look pretty.”

“You think I’m pretty, huh?” Trevor’s arms dropped, and he sent me a wide grin. I took that moment to snap a picture.

“In your dreams.”

“Oh, I dream about a lot of things, Tasha.” I refused to look up at him and let him see how flustered he got me. Looking at the picture I just took, I found my new favorite photo. Trevor may have just been standing there but the smile on his face made my breath hitch. It was enough to make anyone’s heart stutter a few beats. A part of me was giddy, knowing that it was aimed right at me.

Unable to help myself, I quickly sent myself the picture before turning back to Trevor.

“Want a few more?”

With ease, Trevor posed a couple more times. Each picture was Instagram-worthy and would no doubt get thousands of comments and likes from women.

“Your turn,” he said a few minutes later.

“I’m okay.” I wasn’t sure I could take a decent photo with Trevor behind the camera. “We’re almost to the spot anyway.”

Keeping Josie’s phone tight in my hand, Trevor reached into his pocket and pulled out his own phone.

“Selfies it is, then.”

“Wha—” Trevor snapped a picture of me just as I spoke. “Hey!” I glared up at him. He moved until he was behind me and squatting a bit down, his chest brushing against my back as he brought his phone closer to our faces.

“Smile.” Fighting the urge to roll my eyes, I looked forward and did as he said.

Trevor leaned down and smashed his cheek next to mine, beaming widely at the camera. A hand suddenly tickling my waist had me throwing my head back laughing, eyes closed. I briefly heard the camera’s shutter sound around Trevor’s tickle attack.

Squirming away from Trevor’s hand, I wrapped my arms around my waist to block his hands from trying that again. My cheeks hurt slightly from smiling as I looked at him. Quicker than I could process, he brought the phone up and snapped a picture of me.

And then ever so slowly, he lowered it, his eyes glued to my face.

“Perfect.” His voice was soft, but I still heard him. I opened my mouth to talk—I wasn’t sure what I was going to say—but the tour guide took that moment to announce our arrival. Disappointment flooded through me at our stolen moment.

“Is everyone ready to dive in and get some snorkeling done?” Johnno, our tour guide asked. “We’re going to get you guys all geared up and go over some things.” He clapped.

As we all got ready, my excitement grew. I had always wanted to go snorkeling. Growing up, I went on quite a few vacations with my parents, but I wouldn’t classify them in the same category as this one. More than anything, they were business trips.

My parents would come home and say we were going on a trip, get my hopes up that the three of us would be a family and go see all the sites, only to crush my dreams when they would end up in meetings all day. I always ended up stuck in the hotel with my nanny. I wasn’t even allowed to go outside.

I used to plead with my parents to take me to places. Beg for them to take a day off and spend time with me. To come see me do cool tricks in the pool when I went swimming. But every single time , I was told that if I wanted the things I had in my life then they had to work.

Once I turned eleven, my parents stopped taking me on trips altogether. They left me home with nannies and maids. Left for weeks at a time while I stayed home alone. For so long, I was angry at them. Hurt that they left me behind, but I grew to accept it. To accept that we weren’t a real family, no matter how much I wished we were.

After I turned sixteen, my parents had me join them on trips once in a while but only for them to show off that we were a happy little family to their friends or business partners. I’d be stuck sitting at awkward dinners with people I could care less about with my parents glaring at me every few minutes if I so much as chewed too loudly or said something they didn’t like.

So, to be on an actual vacation with friends meant everything to me. To be out doing actual things and not holed up in the hotel.

“We are a little bit away from the shoreline because we have found that this spot has the most active sea life. With snorkeling, we usually skim the surface of the water but if you are confident enough, you can swim a bit deeper in the water,” Johnno explained.

For the next few minutes, all of us were handed flippers, goggles, and breathing tubes. I had to keep myself in check so I didn’t interrupt the directions being given to us. I just wanted to be in the water.

Clad in a multi-color bikini and my gear, I was set to go. I knew I looked like a dork, but glancing over at the others, I wasn’t the only one. It took a lot of effort not to laugh at Trevor as he struggled to put his goggles on, his face getting squished.

“We are going to fall backward into the water. Trust me, you don’t want to go feet first, it doesn’t feel good.” Johnno chuckled. “Who wants to go first?”

“Tasha does.” A hand on my lower back gently pushed me forward, Trevor smirking down at me. I elbowed him for volunteering me first.

“Gee, thanks,” I mumbled, stumbling toward the guy. It wasn’t easy walking in flippers.

“You got this, T.” Josie grinned at me as I walked past. I may have wanted to get in the water, but I didn’t want to be the first one to embarrass myself.

Standing next to the tour guy, I noticed he was actually cute. He appeared a little bit younger than me, but that was easily overlooked with his attractive Australian accent and the fact that he looked pretty damn good without a shirt on.

“Come to the edge of the boat.” I felt eyes burning my back as the guy put his hands on my waist and helped me to the edge. “The best advice I can give is not to hesitate and just fall back. Best to just get it over with.” He flashed me a kind smile.

The girls gave me a thumbs up as I sat there. Suddenly feeling nervous, my eyes darted around until I met Trevor’s. His head tilted to the side as if he could sense I was nervous. He gave me a small nod of encouragement, and for whatever reason, it seemed to ease the tension in my shoulders.

“Here you go.” Johnno reached up and helped me fix my goggles until they were snug. “Don’t want any water to slip in.” Sending him a grateful smile, I took a few deep breaths. “Ready?”

With one last nod, I shimmied back farther.

“Want me to give you a push, or do you want to just fall back?”

“Push, please,” I said after a moment. Just like jumping out of a plane, best to have someone shove you and not overthink it.

I barely got the words out before I was forced backward. I fell into the water so ungracefully, closing my eyes tightly even though I had my goggles on. Kicking my legs rather awkwardly, I pushed to the surface, breathing in a mouthful of air. I hadn’t expected the water to be so cold. It was supposed to be pretty warm but the chill sent a shock through me, my skin breaking out in goosebumps.

“Woo, Tasha!” My eyes snapped open as I looked up at my friends still on the boat. A giant smile formed on my face.

I moved around the water to warm up and get used to the flippers on my feet while the others got ready to get in. It felt weird swimming with things hooked to my feet. I moved around like a little kid trying to swim for the first time. I could tell I was using my arms more than my legs.

“Fuck, it’s cold!” Lydia yelled, causing me to laugh, my head dunking under the water. “Why didn’t anyone say the water was cold?!”

“It’s not that cold, don’t be a baby,” I heard Landon say, shortly followed by an, “Oh shit,” as he, too, got in the water.

“Fucking idiot,” Lydia muttered as she swam by me. Grinning, I moved onto my back to float, enjoying the sun on my skin as it warmed me up. I hadn’t been floating long when I felt the water around me ripple just a little. Before I could open my eyes, I was suddenly up in the air before crashing back into the water with a loud splat.

Paddling to the surface, I took a deep breath, turning my head to glare at none other than Trevor. Trevor, who was grinning ear to ear. Of course the idiot still looked cute with the goggles covering half of his face.

“Why did you do that?!” My voice came out muffled, thanks to the goggles.

“No reason.” He shrugged like he did nothing wrong. The little smirk on his face had me moving before I could think. Surprised at my advancement, Trevor didn’t have time to move as I placed my hands on his head and shoved down hard, forcing his head under the water.

Keeping his head under for another second, I quickly let go and swam backward. That’s what he got. He came back to the surface sputtering while it was my turn to grin. This time when Johnno interrupted, I didn’t mind.

Sticking my tongue out at Trevor, I turned to our guide.

“We will swim a little in that direction.” He pointed ahead of us. “On the way, keep your eyes open for stuff below us. You never know what we will see.”

“We aren’t going to see sharks, right?” Mila asked.

Johnno hesitated for a split second.

“Fuck no.” Lydia said with a shake of her head.

“Don’t worry, we don’t typically see any around here. But with the ocean, we never know so keep your eyes open and shout if you do see anything.” Johnno was quick to explain.

“Don’t let the sharks come up and bite you.” Trevor’s voice sounded right beside me as my side was pinched. Jerking, I sent a wave of water toward him.

“Don’t. You’re gonna jinx us! ”

“I’ll protect you from the sharks.” The others around us started swimming, cuing Trevor and me to follow.

“Great, I’m going to die.”

“You have such little faith in me. I’m hurt.”

“You think you can fight off a shark?” I asked, swimming after the others.

“I mean, there’s a good chance I could die.”

“No, you would die.” I hurled back.

“Don’t tear me down, Sunshine.” The grin on Trevor’s face grew.

“I’ll say a heartfelt eulogy at your funeral.”

“Gee, thanks.” He deadpanned.

“You’re welcome.” I flashed him a grin. “Now try and keep up, shark boy.”

We only swam for a moment before Johnno told us to put our breathing tubes on.

With all my stuff in place, I put my head in the water, making sure to keep my eyes peeled. I hadn’t realized we were so close to the bottom. Right below us was the sea bed. If I could have squealed, I would have.

One second, the ocean seemed barren, and the next, it was filled with sea life. Fish of all different colors and sizes swam around below us. Some darting around really fast and others slowly swimming along.

Trevor was closest to me as I reached out to tap his arm, pointing at a fish that looked like Dory from Finding Nemo . It was even cuter in person.

Swimming around, I marveled at everything I saw, including the different types of rocks and algae. With the water being so blue, everything seemed crystal clear, perfect for snorkeling. The sun shone through the water, lighting it up in a way that was breathtaking.

The next little bit was a blur. I completely lost track of time as we all swam around the reef, pointing at all kinds of things: starfish, crabs, and even an octopus that swam by us. But my favorite was the giant sea turtle that slowly swam directly below me. It was the most incredible thing I'd ever seen.

Once we all got more comfortable, the guys started swimming deeper in the water. We swam close enough to the shore that diving deeper made it possible to see even more things on the floor bed.

As time went on, my arms and legs tired but I kept swimming around, wanting to soak up every last minute.

“Would you guys like a group photo before we head back?” Johnno asked as all of us came back up to the surface, taking our goggles off. He barely got the words out before Josie was yelled out a yes. I watched, surprised, as he lifted up what looked like a big camera from the water.

Had he been taking pictures the whole time? I made a mental note to ask when we got back to see if he took anything good for us to keep.

Gathering around each other in the water, I bumped into Trevor’s side. With my arms getting more tired by the second, I immediately attached myself to him. Throwing my arms over his shoulders, I practically climbed on his back, feeling the hard muscle beneath my hands.

“And what do you think you're doing?” His head tipped back a bit to look at me.

“I’m tired,” I simply said, facing Johnno for our picture. With a shake of his head, Trevor looked forward. Trying my hardest to ignore the feel of Trevor’s wet skin on mine, I grinned at the camera.

After our picture, we all tiredly swam toward the boat which was thankfully not too far away. And by “we all swam,” I meant I held onto Trevor the entire time and made him swim me back. I occasionally kicked my feet but Trevor did all the work while I laid my head on his shoulder. A thousand thoughts ran through my head as we returned to the boat.

As I kept my head on Trevor’s shoulder, I had the sudden urge to tell him everything. To explain what happened that night between us. He deserved to know why I was distant. I kept going back and forth in my head, but I couldn’t deny I felt the happiest I had been in a long time and maybe, just maybe, that was because of him.