Page 10 of Jilted

Chapter Nine

“ B rett,” she gasped. “Please...stop...I can’t...” She shoved at his chest and tried to hold his hands so that he couldn’t tickle her anymore. “I can’t breathe.”

In all the time they’d been friends, not once had he ever done anything like that.

Except for when they were dancing, they were strictly hands off and in a matter of a day they’d broken that unspoken rule half a dozen times.

First this morning; then in the water when he’d hugged her, and she reciprocated; then when he’d carried her back here; and now – now he was tickling her.

“Brett, I mean it!” She erupted in another fit of giggles when his fingers reached her neck. Amy grabbed at his hands and kicked her feet. “Please,” she whined.

Finally, Brett stopped tickling her and collapsed on the bed beside her.

They both lay there staring at the ceiling, not speaking.

Amy took several deep breaths. Her mind wandered back to earlier when they were swimming.

The way Brett had hugged her and then looked at her.

She knew he’d been looking at her mouth.

Had he thought about kissing her? Lord knew if he had, she wouldn’t have stopped him.

“You’re a jerk,” she said once she caught her breath.

He chuckled and rolled onto his side, propping his head in his hand. “What do you want to do tonight?”

She shrugged. “I don’t care. I overheard some people talking about live music and an all you can eat buffet down on the beach around sunset.”

“That sounds fun. We’ll go.”

Amy nodded her agreement. She studied him for a moment. The look in his eyes was one she’d never seen before, and she had an overwhelming urge to pull him close, to comfort him, to kiss him.

“Are you doing okay?” she asked.

He sighed and flopped over onto his back. “I am if I don’t think about it.”

“You can’t spend your life ignoring it, Brett.”

“I know. I really just need a few more days, Amy.”

“Okay.” She wouldn’t push him. He would talk when he was ready. “I’m going to shower and change before we go.”

“I would hope you wouldn’t wear that bathing suit there.”

Amy picked up a pillow and threw it him. He laughed.

Amy and Brett had been at the beach party for almost three hours, and they were having a wonderful time. Both the food and the music were incredible. They’d eaten way more than they should have; they’d laughed and danced, and they even made friends with a young couple – Jason and Emma from Texas.

“I feel like I’ve rambled on all night,” Emma said with a giggle.

Amy smiled politely. In the twenty minutes since Emma and Jason introduced themselves, Amy knew all about them.

They’d been high school sweethearts and had married right after graduation, but because Jason had been deployed to Afghanistan, they were just now getting to take their honeymoon.

Jason was a Navy Corpsman – a medical doctor – and Emma was just finishing college to become a schoolteacher.

“So, tell us about y’all. How’d you meet? What do you two do?” Emma asked.

Jason kissed her on the cheek. “Don’t be so nosey, darling.”

Emma blushed. “Gosh, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Brett said. “Amy and I met when we were kids. How old were we? Twelve?” He glanced at Amy.

“Ten,” Amy corrected.

“Right, well, when we were ten, we were paired together during a dance class, and the rest is history.” Brett smiled.

Amy could tell that he was trying to give them enough information without giving away too much.

“So, y’all are dancers?” Emma asked.

“Yes,” Amy said. “We’ve competed together for several years and now we run our own studio to teach ballroom dancing to kids.”

“Aww, that is so sweet,” Emma cooed and batted her eyelashes at her husband.

Amy noticed Brett shift uncomfortably in his chair. She turned to Emma and Jason. “It has been a pleasure meeting both of you, but I think it’s time I make Brett keep his promise to take a walk with me on the beach.”

She stood and waited for Brett to follow. He hadn’t promised her a walk, but she hoped he would pick up on what she was trying to do – get them out of a situation that was quickly becoming uncomfortable.

Finally, Brett stood. “Yes, it’s been a lot of fun.

” He shook Jason’s hand and then escorted Amy down the beach.

Once they were away from the noise of the party, he turned to her and said, “Thank you. I really didn’t want to tell two complete strangers that I was left at the altar and had to beg my best friend to come here with me. ”

“Yeah, I kind of figured as much.” Amy stopped, took off her shoes, picked them up, and carried them as she walked along the wet sand, enjoying the feel of the cool water lapping at her feet. “For the record, you didn’t have to beg me. All you ever have to do is ask, Brett. You know that.”

“You really mean that?”

“Of course, I would do anything for you.” She didn’t know why she felt the need to tell him that, but she wanted him to know for certain that she was always there for him, no matter what.

Brett reached down and intertwined their fingers, causing a devastating ripple effect on Amy’s body and her emotions. He tugged on her hand and stopped her. She was afraid to face him, but knew she had to.

“Then don’t leave the studio,” he said.

“What?” Amy had no idea what she expected him to say, but for some reason, that wasn’t it.

“I know we’ve talked about opening a second studio, and I think we should, but I don’t want you to stop teaching with me. Think about it, we would both have to train new partners.”

In that moment, a piece of Amy’s heart broke.

Just because being here on a beautiful, tropical island made for lovers was bringing out all these crazy feelings in her didn’t mean it was having the same effect on Brett, obviously.

She was a fool to think it would. No. Brett only saw her as a friend and business partner.

Nothing else. Him not wanting her to leave the studio had absolutely nothing to do with him wanting her close and everything to do with not wanting the hassle of breaking in a new dance partner.

“Amy?” He tugged on her hand again.

“Yeah, okay, I’ll stay,” she said simply because she didn’t want to have this conversation with him right now. It would ruin the entire evening.

They resumed walking, but Brett didn’t release her hand like she expected. Well, she wasn’t about to tell him to let go. For right now, this moment in time, she was going to enjoy walking along the beach holding Brett’s hand.

“The stars are so bright,” Brett said.

Amy looked up. They were bright, and they looked impossibly close, too. She’d never seen stars like that before. It was mesmerizing. From the corner of her eye, she saw Brett staring at her.

“What?” she asked, looking at him.

“Nothing.” He smiled, and then added, “You just look...I mean, the way the moonlight is shining...” Brett sighed, then chuckled. “I have no idea what I’m trying to say.”

Amy cocked her head to the side and gave him a quizzical look.

He was acting so weird. She wondered if he’d been infested by a rare, aquatic parasite that was slowly eating at his brain, making him say and do things out of character.

Don’t be ridiculous! She really had to stop watching all those shows on Animal Planet.

They walked several more feet in silence.

Then Brett said, “The way you were staring up at the stars, you looked absolutely beautiful.”

“Thank you.” She felt her face flush with warmth. Dear God, was she blushing?

Brett raised their hands and pressed a kiss to the back of hers. Then, without a word, he lowered them, and they continued to walk as if nothing had happened. Amy was starting to feel like she was in an episode of The Twilight Zone.

Several yards in front of them, a couple lay on the beach. The distinct sounds of moans floated on the light breeze. Amy glanced at Brett. “Are they...?

“They’re having sex,” he whispered.

They stopped walking and stared at the couple with disbelief.

Amy couldn’t believe that anyone would have sex like that, out in the open where anyone could happen upon them.

Yet, as she forced herself to look away, she couldn’t help but be envious of them.

That’s what Amy had always wanted – a love so strong, so intense that nothing would prevent them from being together, that they couldn’t keep their hands off each other.

“C’mon, let’s head back.” Brett turned, and Amy followed.

A few moments later, Amy asked, “Are you going to take her back? Vanessa, I mean. Are you going to try and talk to her, work things out when we get home?” Amy’s heart raced as she waited for his answer.

It was a question that had been bothering her since they arrived yesterday, and considering Brett hadn’t talked about Vanessa at all, it was really weighing on Amy’s mind.

“I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about talking to her,” he said after a long pause.

Amy was afraid of that. Brett always blamed himself for every breakup, regardless of whether it was actually his fault or not. And he would always try to make things right, too, even if he’d been the one to end the relationship. He was too nice sometimes.

“But not at the expense of you or our friendship. I’m realizing that no woman is worth that. Besides, why rush things, right? I’m sure there is a woman out there who will love me and accept my friendship with you.”

She laughed bitterly, and then clamped her lips shut. Shit. She hadn’t meant to laugh at him like that. “I’m sorry. It’s just...well, we’ve both been down this road before. No one seems to understand us. I’m beginning to believe that it’s hopeless.”

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she regretted them. The last thing she wanted to do was be a pessimist. Brett, even though he would never openly admit it, was a romantic at heart.

“Do you really believe that?” Brett asked.

Amy shrugged. “If the past is any indication of the future, then yes, I really believe that.”

“Hmm,” he said like he was thinking of something else to say. “What about that one guy? He seemed okay with our friendship.”

“Finn?” Amy laughed long and hard. “He was bi-sexual, remember? He wanted to invite you into bed with us.”

“Oh, right, thanks for dumping that guy.” Brett laughed.

Amy yawned. The bungalow came into view. She reluctantly released Brett’s hand and put her shoes back on. It had been a good night.