Page 9 of One Week in Paradise

‘Stand a little bit to the left. Tilt your head a bit. Yeah, yeah, that’s great.’

I’ve never been camera-shy. Mum loves to tell embarrassing stories about me as a child forcing my way to the front of any family pictures, and you can’t really be an influencer if you don’t like being in front of the camera.

But, as I stand in front of Cash and let him snap photo after photo of me, I can’t help but feel incredibly awkward.

We’re about to head off to The Blue Mahoe for dinner.

I’ve only ever really seen Cash in sweatpants and various Great Dane Construction Services T-shirts, so I’m very impressed with his holiday wardrobe so far.

He’s wearing a cream polo shirt with a pair of matching shorts.

His outfit actually goes quite well with mine, a short, strappy blue corset dress that hugs my thighs.

‘Move your hair a little bit,’ he instructs.

I do as he says and flip my long curls over my shoulder.

My dress is nice, but my hair is really the star of the show.

I’ve decided I’m going to post a photo on the grid tonight and tag the brand.

The thought has my stomach in knots, but Amber gave me a pep talk earlier, and I know I need to get it over and done with.

‘I think we’ve got it,’ he says. ‘You want to check?’

‘I trust you,’ I say, taking my phone back. ‘Shall we head out?’

I slip on my heels, and we open the door to find a golf cart waiting outside.

The porter waves to us, and we hop in. It’s only a two-minute drive to The Blue Mahoe, but it feels like an eternity.

My bare thighs constantly brush up against Cash’s, and every time our skin meets, I feel a shock buzz through me. I wonder if he feels it too.

When we get to the restaurant, the others are already there. We slide into the two empty seats next to Meera and Sara. As soon as we’ve sat down, Penelope claps her hands.

‘Dinner will begin to be served shortly,’ she says. ‘Everything on the menu tonight has been locally sourced and features a delicious selection of fresh and flavourful dishes inspired by the many exotic flavours of the Caribbean Sea. Please take a look and enjoy.’

The menu is truly phenomenal. I don’t know whether to choose the marinated lamb chops, supposedly ‘grilled to perfection’ and served with a tangy guava glaze, or the juicy and tender jerk chicken served with rice and peas and fried plantain.

After a minute or two of dithering, I opt for the jerk chicken – the promise of plantain too good to give up. Soon enough, waiters and waitresses begin to bring out our dishes. Lacey and Danny are sitting directly opposite us, and Bea and Marcus are to the left of them.

‘I love your dress, Bailey,’ says Bea. ‘Such a nice colour on you. And your hair ! Stunning!’

‘Thanks,’ I say, an easy grin spreading over my face. I take a lot of pride in my hair, and it always makes me feel good when someone notices. ‘You look lovely too.’

As our dishes come out, the conversation around the table turns to our excitement about the next few days.

‘We’re definitely going to do the jet-skiing,’ says Bea. ‘That was Marcus’s only requirement for coming on this trip.’

‘Jet-skiing and some good rum,’ laughs Marcus.

I watch them closely as we dig into our meals.

You can tell they’ve been together for a while.

There’s something easy about the way they interact with each other.

Marcus doesn’t even need to ask before he slips a pile of mushrooms onto Bea’s plate, and Bea doesn’t even glance his way as she picks up his glass and gives his drink an experimental sip.

The others are the same. Meera and Sara have angled their chairs, so they’re leaning into each other.

I watch as they pick from each other’s plates and do a cheesy arm loop to drink their wine.

Danny’s got an arm draped over Lacey’s shoulders, and he seems to have no issue eating one-handed if it means he can maintain contact with her.

Bea is staring at Cash and me intently. I wonder what she sees when she looks at us. I glance over at him, and I’m surprised to see he’s looking at me. Or to be accurate, he’s looking at my plate.

‘See something you like?’

His gaze flickers back up to me and lingers for just a beat too long. Despite the humid heat around us, I shiver.

‘Are those plantain?’ He points at the small pile on my plate. ‘I’ve never had one before.’

I nod and pluck a piece from my plate. ‘Feel free to try some. They’re delicious. And it’s plan tain . Like mountain.’

‘Plan tain ,’ he says, with a teasing grin. ‘Like abstain.’

I wonder if I’m imagining the way his eyes drop to my mouth as I pop the piece in. ‘We’re in Jamaica,’ I tell him. ‘You’ve got to say it like they do.’

He shrugs and, after a brief moment of hesitation, snatches one from my plate. He takes a tentative bite, then his eyes go wide, and he quickly devours the whole piece. ‘That was great.’

I laugh. ‘Welcome to your newest obsession. Dane and I could get through five fingers in a day when we were younger. Used to drive Mum mad.’ I pick up another piece and squeeze it between my fingers.

‘These are a little fatter than I usually have them. I like them crispier, and you generally have to slice them a bit thinner to get that.’

‘I’ll have to try some of yours when we get back home.’

I shrug. ‘Sure.’

It occurs to me that, aside from our staged photo outside the airport, this is the most couple-like we’ve been since the trip began. I wonder if we’re doing a good job.

‘Do you want some of mine?’ He doesn’t wait for me to answer before he cuts off a piece of lamb and spears it with the tip of his fork. He waves the fork around a little and grins. ‘Try it.’

I hesitate, then remember how casually the others are all eating off each other’s plates. I lean over and bite the piece of lamb clean off his fork. The lamb, cooked to perfection, melts in my mouth and I can’t help but close my eyes and hum in appreciation as I chew. ‘That’s amazing.’

When I look over at Cash again, his eyes are wide and focused on me. His tongue darts out to run over his lips. ‘Glad to hear it.’ His voice sounds gruff, choked even, and he quickly turns away from me and pokes at his own plate.

‘So, Ethan,’ Lacey says suddenly. ‘What do you do?’

I stiffen in my seat.

The quiet hum of conversation around the table stops in an instant. Lacey’s cheeks start to redden as she realises what she’s said.

‘Sorry, sorry, sorry! My bad,’ Lacey grimaces, and to her credit, she does actually look apologetic. ‘Sorry, it just slipped out. I’m so used to seeing Bailey and Ethan on my feed.’ She turns to me, her expression shifting from apologetic to inquisitive. ‘Girl, what happened?’

Everyone is staring at me. I knew that this would come up eventually, but I can’t believe she’s asking in front of everyone. My breathing gets heavier, and my heartbeat quickens.

‘I don’t think Bailey wants to talk about that.’ Cash’s voice is polite enough, but there’s a coldness to it that leaves no room for argument.

‘Shit,’ says Lacey. ‘Of course. Bailey, I’m—’

I don’t wait to hear her apology. I push my chair back, mumble something about needing the bathroom, and run.

Ethan WAS a dickhead who cheated on me for the entirety of our relationship.

Even before I found out about the cheating, he used to treat me like he was some kind of prize, and I should feel lucky to be with someone like him.

I know that I shouldn’t be wasting tears over someone like him.

And yet here I am, dabbing away tears in Jamaica , of all places.

I’m angry at Lacey for embarrassing me in front of everyone and furious at myself for being so weak.

‘Bailey?’

The door to the bathroom opens to reveal Bea, Meera and Sara. They stand there for a second or two, taking in my red eyes and tear-stained cheeks, before all three of them spring into action.

‘Oh, God, Bailey ,’ Sara whimpers, hurrying into the bathroom. Before I can say anything, she’s pulled me into a hug like we’re lifelong friends and didn’t just meet a few hours ago. ‘Are you okay?’

‘I’m fine,’ I say, my voice noticeably clipped.

Bea rolls her eyes. ‘You don’t have to lie to us, you know? Here.’ She reaches into her purse and hands me some blotting paper. ‘Just dab it on your cheeks. That way, you won’t ruin your make-up.’

‘I think we’re wearing the same blush,’ says Meera, rifling through her own purse. ‘Fenty “Cheeks Out”? Here, you can top up with some of mine.’

Sara pulls away from me so I can wipe away my tears and reapply my blush.

‘Thanks,’ I say once I’m finished. ‘You guys didn’t have to do this.’

‘We have to stick together,’ says Meera earnestly. ‘That wasn’t cool back there. I don’t know what Lacey was thinking.’

‘She wasn’t thinking,’ says Bea with another roll of the eyes. ‘You know how she is. I’m not excusing her or anything, but I doubt she meant it maliciously.’

‘Yeah,’ says Sara. ‘I think she was just surprised, that’s all. We all were, if I’m being honest.’

I take a deep breath. ‘I know. I’m guessing you all saw—’

‘Yeah,’ says Sara. She drops her gaze for a moment. ‘We all saw The Video.’

‘I—’ I begin, but Bea cuts me off.

‘Listen, whatever happened between you and Ethan, that’s your business. It sucks that it got made public like that, but you don’t need to explain anything to us. Especially if you’re not ready to.’

A wave of gratitude washes over me.

‘Thank you.’

‘And who cares about Ethan?’ says Meera. ‘Not gonna lie, Bailey. Cash is definitely an upgrade there.’

Everyone shoots her a look.

‘What?’ Meera laughs. ‘Just because I’m gay doesn’t mean I can’t tell whether a man’s good-looking or not.’

That gets a laugh out of everyone, and I feel some of the tension I’m carrying start to float away.