Page 5 of One Week in Paradise

My heart is in my throat as I wheel my suitcase through Gatwick Airport. I’ve barely slept, and I’m a bundle of nerves. Cash is supposed to be meeting me at the check-in counter, and I regret not deciding to meet him somewhere else.

Aside from double checking he knew where and when to meet, we haven’t spoken since the café.

The Cash I met in the café was nicer than the Cash I’ve known since we were children, and it lulled me into a false sense of security.

Was there a chance that Cash was finally starting to get over his weird hang-up with me, and we could potentially be friends?

It’s stupid, but I’d allowed myself to hope so.

After the café, I tried to keep up some friendly conversation, even going so far as to send him a cheesy photo of me sitting on top of my overflowing suitcase and a crying emoji. He didn’t even bother to respond.

What if he’s changed his mind and doesn’t show up? I’m about five seconds away from pulling out my phone and sending Dane a furious message for even convincing me to do this stupid plan when I turn a corner, and the long British Airways check-in counter stretches out in front of me.

I spot Cash almost immediately. He’s leaning against the counter, hands stuffed into a comfy-looking pair of olive green sweatpants, and he’s got a bright pink travel pillow wrapped around his neck.

The sight of him should fill me with relief, but it doesn’t.

A fierce scowl twists his usually handsome features.

He looks like he’d rather be anywhere but here.

I pretend like I don’t notice the way he stiffens as I approach. ‘Morning, Cash.’

The only response I get is a sharp nod.

Well, fine . If he doesn’t want to play nice, then I won’t bother either. I resign myself to waiting for Penelope in silence when a blonde blur runs up to me and peppers me with air kisses.

‘Oh. My. God. Bailey, is that you?’ a high-pitched voice calls out.

‘Hi, Lacey,’ I manage to get out between her shrieks.

Lacey Lou (@ LaceyLouXo ) is a titan on the influencer scene.

She has over a million followers and the power to make or break a brand with just one post. I wouldn’t say we’re friends, but we’ve met a few times at PR events, and she’s always been nice and friendly to me.

Standing to the side is her rugby player boyfriend, Danny.

He occasionally shows up in her posts – usually the ‘pranking my boyfriend’ type ones.

I look around to see who else is here. I see two women who I vaguely recognise.

Meera and Sara. They run the popular vlog, Vanilla and Spice , documenting their interracial and queer relationship to hundreds of thousands of fans on YouTube.

I’ve never met them personally, but I’ve seen a few of their videos, and they seem adorable.

They also get bonus points for the fantastic name ‘Vanilla and Spice’.

Standing close by Meera and Sara is another face I recognise.

Beatrice Rose, also known as @ ItsYourGirlBea .

I wouldn’t call us rivals because I truly believe there’s enough space for everyone to shine, but we do have a very similar audience base.

She leans a little more toward high fashion than I do, but her hair tutorials are phenomenal and nearly always go viral.

Today, she’s got her hair in intricate straight-back cornrows, and she’s wearing a colourful (and probably) designer tracksuit with a pair of Fendi slides.

She’s here with a man I don’t recognise. She’s definitely not posted him before.

Bea turns to look at me. I watch as her quizzical gaze slides from me to Cash and back to me again. Her lip twitches.

‘I didn’t know you were coming,’ Lacey coos. ‘I feel like I haven’t seen you on my feed in forever. Where have you been?’

Hm. Has Lacey not seen The Video?

‘And where’s your man?’ she asks, dramatically swivelling her head this way and that to peer through the crowd. She’s searching for Ethan.

I glance up at Cash. He’s glaring at a spot on the ground, but I don’t have time to worry about him right now. He knew what he was signing up to.

‘He’s right here,’ I say, pointing to Cash. To his credit, he looks up and offers Lacey a weak and brief smile. ‘This is my boyfriend, Cash.’

Bea’s perfectly plucked brows shoot into her hairline, and both Meera and Sara exchange a loaded look between them. Danny and Bea’s so far unnamed boyfriend barely look up from their phones.

‘Oh!’ says Lacey, brows furrowing. It’s clear that she was expecting to see Ethan. So she definitely hasn’t seen The Video. That provides me with a little bit of comfort. Maybe it didn’t go as viral as I thought it did.

‘When did that hap—’ Lacey begins, but she’s interrupted by a smartly dressed woman approaching us. I take the opportunity to stand next to Cash.

‘Sorry about that,’ I mumble. He doesn’t respond, and I don’t even know why I bother.

‘Hello, my lovelies!’ the woman says brightly. ‘I’m Penelope. It’s lovely to meet you all in person. We don’t have long before the flight, so let’s get you all checked in now.’

As soon as she says that, Lacey, Meera and Bea all whip out their cameras, ready to start making content. I watch as Lacey sends Danny ahead of her in the line so she can get a clip of him walking towards the check-in counter.

I take my phone out tentatively. Should I be filming this too? I hate how I’m second-guessing myself. Where has my confidence gone? I decide against filming and stick my phone back in my pocket.

‘You all right?’ Cash murmurs to me as we shuffle forwards in the queue.

‘You done ignoring me?’ I ask. I know it’s petty, but I’m already tired of the moody act. ‘Listen, I know you don’t want to be here with me. You’re just in it for the holiday. I get it.’

We inch forward in the queue. Ahead of us, Bea is taking a photo of her and her boyfriend’s passports.

‘But you knew what you were getting into when you agreed to come,’ I continue. ‘If you’re not going to play the part, tell me now. I’d rather cut my losses right here than have this all go to hell in Jamaica.’

He looks alarmed by my outburst, which brings me a sense of satisfaction. Did he really think I was going to spend the whole week letting him ignore me and treat me like dirt? Though, to be fair, he has been doing it all our lives, so why would I expect any different now?

‘Sorry,’ he mutters after a beat or two of stunned silence. ‘I wasn’t ignoring you.’

I scoff. ‘All you do is ignore me, Cash. And you can get right back to it after the trip.’

‘I told you, I’m not—’

‘Save it, Cash,’ I say abruptly. I’m in no mood to hear his excuses. ‘I know you don’t like me, and that’s fine. But I just need this to go well.’ I hate how needy and desperate I sound, but it’s true. ‘I need my life back.’

Cash looks like he wants to say something, but instead, he shakes his head. Wavy curls fall in front of his face, and again, I’m struck with the urge to run my fingers through them.

‘Got it,’ he says curtly. I know that he probably wants to say more. That there are probably insults on the tip of his tongue, but I’m impressed by his restraint.

After we check in, Penelope informs us that we’ve got about an hour until we need to be at our gate. She leads us over towards the British Airways lounge and tells us to relax and that she’ll come and find us when we need to leave.

I want to dip into a booth and sit by myself, away from Cash and the others. But the rest of the group all stick together, so I begrudgingly join them at their table. Cash follows me without saying a word.

‘Does everyone know each other?’ Lacey asks once we’ve all settled into our comfy armchairs. I’m not sure why she’s become the de facto leader of the group – maybe because she’s got the most followers? – but it doesn’t bother me. I’m happy to lean back in my seat and let her take the lead.

‘I recognise everyone,’ says Meera brightly. ‘Even if we’ve not met in person before. Bea, I loved your Skims try-on haul last month. You made me run out and buy that dress in three different colours!’

‘Thanks, girl,’ Bea says with a bright smile. ‘This is my boyfriend, Marcus, by the way.’

Marcus gives us all a wave.

‘I didn’t know you had a boyfriend,’ says Lacey. ‘You’ve kept that quiet.’

Bea laughs. ‘I know, I know. I like to keep some things off the feed, you know? And Marcus isn’t really the social media type.’

‘Watch out, lad,’ says Danny. ‘I wasn’t the social media type either, and now I’m in every video.’

‘Bailey, it’s so good to see you here,’ says Sara. She’s smiling sweetly, but I can’t help but hear the unsaid ‘ What the hell are you doing here? ’ instead.

My strained smile flickers. ‘You too,’ I say, hoping my voice doesn’t sound too clipped. ‘This should be a fun week.’

‘Ooh, shall we get a group pic?’ Lacey asks. She doesn’t wait for a response before she whips out her phone and sticks out her arm. ‘Come on, come on. Get around here. I think we should all fit.’

I glance at Cash and offer him a small shrug. Sorry, Cash. Welcome to the influencer life .

We all shuffle behind Lacey, who remains in her seat, and smile up at her camera. Cash is standing so close behind me that my back brushes up against his chest. I shiver at the contact and fight the urge to turn around and see if Cash is bothered by it at all.

‘One, two, three!’ Lacey snaps the photo and then quickly inspects it. ‘Ew. No.’ We take another six before we have one that she approves of. ‘There. Posted!’

My phone vibrates with a notification from Instagram.

@LaceyLouXo has mentioned you in their story

I tap it and immediately show Cash. Lacey’s put a soft filter over the photo that makes all of our skin look vaguely golden.

Cash and I are squashed in the corner, and I think we look like a real couple.

I’m leaning into him, my back pressing up against his chest, and from the angle she’s taken the photo, it looks like he’s resting his chin on my head.