Chapter 3 Arrival

• Thinking back to Jace, I wondered what planet he was on. Why did he really think that I would get in a car with a man that I barely knew? Then again, why was he willing to give a lift to a woman that he barely knew? For all he knew, I could have been anyone.
• Looking around at all the other holidaymakers, I could see that quite a few of them were couples and were sat all loved up with each other. Maybe a death-ride with a total stranger would've been a better idea than being inflicted with the sight of happy couples all around me.
• Turning my attention to what was outside of the bus, there were beautifully serene scenes to behold, and that was better to look at, than bumming myself out with notions of being on my own in such a beautiful place.
• Finally, we arrived at the Ocean View Hotel, and I did feel tired after the journey. I was weary in more ways than one, and after such an eventful day, I wanted to have a soak in the bath and forget that it had ever happened.
• As the porter took hold of my bags and escorted me to my room on the ground floor, the door was opened, revealing the most stunning honeymoon suite that I'd ever seen. The pictures of the place when I had viewed them in the brochure, did not do this place justice. With crisp marble floors, beautiful furniture and the sheer drapes which crowned the beautiful balcony overlooking the ocean, I was in paradise and could've happily lived here.
• When I'd tipped the porter and he'd left, I stopped in the centre of the room and took a look around. I felt so small. I knew I was expecting something along the lines of 'lavish', but this was on another level. With opulent furnishings, and huge, floor-length, arched windows draped in white muslin, it was elegant, refined, light, airy, and totally laid back. This was definitely the best place to get away from it all.
• Then I clocked the four-poster bed that I could've easily got lost in - so much for escaping all thoughts of a wedding. On the bed was a tray, filled with all sorts of sweet treats, and a congratulations card and a bucket of ice with a bottle of champagne and two glasses.
• Wandering over to it, I noticed that the bedspread had been scattered with rose petals, and there were two towels folded into swans. Propping myself on the bed and scooping some of the rose petals into my hand, I watched as they floated from my palm and onto the floor. Those ruby red rose petals represented my heart; it was in pieces.
• Bowing my head and feeling the trickle of warm tears flood down my cheeks, I wondered what I was going to do. I hadn't had enough time to heal, and flopping back onto the bed and feeling the tray shake next to me, I didn't feel that tired anymore. My head was well and truly awake and wanting to think things through. It was so helpful - not.
• I thought about Scott, and the betrayal stung in my chest. I felt sick, yet I wandered over the prospect of when he had started to cheat on me. Then I remembered the time he had come home late, stinking of perfume and making some lame excuse that he was buying perfume for me and needed to smell different ones!
• Oh my word, I was such a gullible idiot.
• At the time I'd not thought anything of it, because I liked to trust people. Let's face it, if I was going to trust anyone, it should have been my own fiancé.
• Then I thought of someone else who I was totally hacked off with - Lisa. How could my friend have done this to me? The little tart. I hated her, and I could feel the seething sensation ripple through me whenever her face popped into my mind.
• So there was love involved, was there? She seemed to have thought so, when she announced to me that they loved each other outside of the church, and in front of all our friends and family. I really hoped my sister had punched her in the face for me. Homewrecker.
• Imagine if I had gone through with the wedding? Would she have just stood there and smirked as we said our vows to each other, knowing what she had been up to with my own fiancé? And she was my bridesmaid! What a bitch.
• She was gone for good from my life, and there was no way she would ever be forgiven for that. The betrayal hurt like hell, but a stubborn side to me was not letting me give in to the lump of upset that was reserved for her and lodged in my throat.
• The main lodge of upset seemed to be reserved for Scott, and I couldn't bear to think of him. I wondered whether he was with her now, and that made me feel helpless. Maybe the best idea wasn't to run away, because here I couldn't do anything about the situation. Yet what was I planning on doing? Dragging the pair of them off each other? Yuck. I never wanted to see either of them ever again, and they were welcome to each other. I didn't deserve that sort of treatment, and I wasn't going to allow it to dictate my future.
• Whilst I thought that, it was easier said than done. As I dried my eyes and took another look about the room, I wondered how long it would take my heart to heal. A part of me never wanted to have to heal, and wanted to get over it straight away to not waste a moment on the pair of cheats. Yet no matter how much I denied it, my heart was sore and did need time to recover.
• It was no use to be staying in the room any longer - I did need to get out for a little while, stretch my legs and clear my head. A walk would do me good.
• Leaving the room and locking the door behind me, this place was so beautiful and perfect, that it seemed a shame not to utilise my surroundings as a form of therapy. Making my way to the reception area, I wasn't sure about needing a walk; I could've done with a stiff drink. Nevertheless, to clear my thoughts and relax, a little stroll around the outside of the hotel would do me wonders.
• Giving a polite nod and smile to a couple of the hotel staff who kindly smiled my way, I navigated my way through the back of the hotel through the French doors and was met by the sight of the rippling blue hues of the pool, cushioned by sunshine and palm trees. This was heaven.
• All was still, apart from the odd scattering of people in the distance, making their way to various places. The grounds were stunning, and arranged around the pool were some sun loungers, so quietly walking over to them, I decided to perch myself on one for a moment and take in the breath-taking azure sky.
• Lying back on a lounger, I took in a deep breath and exhaled all of my cares. The universe was sat with me, cradling me in my thoughts of being in a state of bliss. The air was coconut warm and delicately touched my skin with its reassurance that all, eventually, would be okay.
• Watching a small blanket of dusty cloud wash over a part of the translucent sky, this was how I wanted to stay. Still. Calm. Peaceful…
• "Hello there," came the deep voice next to me.
• Nearly jumping six feet into the air, the adrenaline raced through my bloodstream. So much for bloody relaxation! There, a couple of loungers away from me, was Jace, lying back and seemingly enjoying the view with me.
• "What the bloody hell are you doing here?" I asked, feeling my heart beat through my chest.
• He chuckled. "Sorry to make you jump. I didn't think you'd seen me."
• Was I meant to?
• "You can't jump up on people like that," I half-panted, catching my breath and coming back down to earth with a bump.
• "I didn't. I was here first," he protested, slowly sitting up from his lying position.
• I watched the tension in his arms as he steadily sat up where he was, and I couldn't help but watch the flex of his muscle in his controlled way of sitting upright.
• "Yeah, well," I mildly sulked, sitting up straight and realising how exposed I was in front of him by lying down.
• He leant forward and rested his elbows on his thighs. I could feel his intense stare penetrate my aura, and it was comfortable in an almost uncomfortable way. I felt naked under his stare, and I wondered whether that was my intense paranoia of him being a potential serial killer, at play. You heard about the likes of Ted Bundy - good looking and charming - and maybe this one was the same.
• "I'm gonna go…" I began, standing up and gesturing back toward the hotel.
• "Don't rush off," he spoke, standing up after me.
• "I think it's best," I replied, wondering whether if I ran, it would look suspicious.
• "I don't bite," he spoke, with a chuckle behind his tone.
• Biting didn't concern me. Unless he was a cannibal.
• "I think I need some rest," I replied, edging away from the scene.
• Before I could get away, he was walking over to me, and I wondered what was coming next. It seemed my trust in men was well and truly up the creek without a paddle.
• "Come and have a drink with me," he ordered, rather than asked, as he stopped in front of me and locked his eyes into mine.
• A drink? I wasn't sure I needed one of those, because my knees were already like jelly. As much as I wanted to run away and use my better judgement, I was glued to the presence of him. He was even more beautiful than my surroundings, yet I realised what dangerous territory that was to be in.
• "Er, I, er…" I mumbled, trying to think of any excuse to get away from him, yet I was coming up with nothing.
• "One drink?" he asked, playfully grinning my way.
• "Okay," I caved. "One drink, and then I'll have to get some rest."
• "Great. Come on, cabin buddy. Let's go and get you something nice to drink."
• And with that he set off back into the hotel. Perhaps he was only being nice to me, because he called me his "cabin buddy", and that wasn't the best pick-up line I'd ever heard.
• Heading into the bar area of the hotel, I was still taken aback by the wonders that the place seemed to be inflicting upon me. With a luxuriously calm feel to the atmosphere, with crystal lighting and fresh interiors, I couldn't help but feel underdressed in my shorts and t-shirt.
• Arriving at the bar and taking a seat at the plush seating area situated next to the open floor-length doors, he asked me what I wanted to drink, and I decided to opt for a glass of dry white wine, while he ordered himself a lager. It was actually nice to be sat with someone, as the people around seemed to be in couples or small groups. At least I wasn't a loner - sat drinking wine by myself like some lush.
• As the waiter served us our alcoholic beverages, Jace took a swig of his drink, whilst looking over me with those jade eyes that seemed to match the colour of the sea.
• "What?" I wondered, scanning around me, and hoping I didn't have anything else stuck in my hair.
• "Nothing." He grinned. "I'm just trying to work you out."
• "You, work me out?" I sniffed. "Good luck with that."
• "You mean you don't know who you are?" He smirked, taking another gulp of his drink and placing it down.
• I wasn't sure what it was, but when he looked at me, it was if the whole of the room phased out, and I had his full attention. I didn't feel like he was distracted in any way, yet I still couldn't work out if that was nice to have his full attention, or unnerving. I suppose I wasn’t used to it.
• "Yeah, I know who I am." I gulped, placing my wine glass down. "Yet I don't know the first thing about you. You seem to ask very personal things."
• "Who do you think I am?" He grinned again, sitting back and eyeing me for a response.
• "Well, I think you're some random guy, who I met on a plane and is quite nosey. You could be a serial killer on the side, or a stalker, because you seem to be everywhere I go." I may as well come out with it.
• He sat up straighter, and much to my surprise, burst out laughing. His hearty laugh filled the air, and I looked around to see whether everyone was staring our way.
• "You think I'm a serial killer?!" he asked, rather loudly, and I could see people giving us a funny look.
• "Would you keep it down?" I hissed, leaning into him.
• "Sorry." He chuckled, trailing off his laughs and smiling at me with a gorgeous set of pearly whites. "I just can't believe that you have accused me of being a serial killer and stalker, all in one go!"
• "Yeah, well at least half of the room know that now." I blushed, hoping that everyone would go back to their drinks and ignore us again.
• "You're funny." He winked, taking another swill of his drink.
• "I'm glad you think so. You know, I wasn't joking. You could be anyone," I huffed, taking a gulp of my drink and willing the embarrassment away.
• "Can I do anything at all to reassure you that I am neither of those things?" he asked, still grinning my way.
• "Not really. How do you prove such things?"
• "For a start, I can't stalk you on a plane. I would have to be a legitimate passenger, with a paid-for ticket…"
• "Fair enough…"
• "Secondly, we are staying at the same hotel, and there's really not much I can do about that. I could show you my room, if you like?"
• "Don't you think it's a bit quick for anything like that?"
• "I didn't mean it that way. I meant that I would show you that I'm actually staying here. And another thing, when you came outside before, I was already there. Did you think that I would camp out there, in that exact spot, on the off-chance that I would see you again? How hard up do you think I am?" He laughed again, and I couldn't help but snigger. He was gorgeous, and I was sure that he wasn't hard up on any woman-front.
• "Okay, okay, you've stated your case." I chuckled.
• "And the verdict is?" He smiled.
• I rolled my eyes. "That you're a normal guy, on a normal holiday, and I was wrong," I mumbled. I hated being wrong, but I was pretty relieved about it in this case.
• He winked again. "I'm glad we got that cleared up. Shall we start again? I'm Jace," he spoke, outstretching his hand.
• Thinking he was still a bit strange, I caved and thought that it would be nice to have a bit of smoking-hot company today.
• "I'm Becca," I replied, taking his hand in mine.
• As we touched, a static shock shot straight through our palms, and I pulled away quickly and shook it out.
• "Ouch," I whispered.
• "See, it's fate. The spark’s already there," he commented, holding his hand with his other one.
• "I suppose so. Although that hurt," I chuckled.
• "Does a connection ever not hurt?" he asked, and I could feel the blush caress my cheekbones.
• Did we have a connection? I could feel something there, but this was way too soon. I was having a hard time unscrambling my feelings because of all that had gone on. This morning I'd left a man at the altar! This wasn’t your average day.
• I'd had a connection with Scott, when we had first met, but was that a good thing? I daren't think about him, as I could feel my eyes become watery whenever I did. I hated how much he had hurt me.
• "I'm sorry," I sniffed, as I grabbed for a nearby napkin and dabbed the corner of my eyes. I was such a blubbering mess, and I hated crying in front of anyone.
• "Hey, no worries. Here…" He pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to me.
• "Thank you," I replied, taking it from him and dabbing my cheeks with it.
• The handkerchief smelt amazing, and I'd never realised before how lovely Jace's scent was. I probably smelt like a bear's backside after the antics of today, and I would definitely be getting a bubble bath tonight.
• "You were upset on the plane, and you're upset now. What I want to know, is why? I know we hardly know each other, but I don't like seeing you like that. What's happened?" he asked, leaning forward and looking genuinely concerned.
• "You don't want to know." I chuckled lightly, going to hand his handkerchief back to him.
• "It's okay, you keep it. If you don't want to tell me what's bothering you, then that's fine. But just know, that when you are ready, I'm listening." He lightly smiled at me and went back to drinking his drink and looking out toward the lapping waves of the ocean.
• As strange as I thought he initially was, I could feel my stubborn side start to soften around him and looking at him now, sat drinking his drink and looking perfect and at ease, I realised that I'd been a bit stupid in thinking he was some sort of deranged weirdo. He was actually a perfectly normal guy, in lovely surroundings, and I suppose he didn't fit the classic profile of some serial killer.
• Then again, I'd been wrong about men in the past. Very wrong. But this was a weeklong holiday, and there was no point in overthinking things.
• I wanted to enjoy the relaxation and to be in the moment.
• "So how long are you in Barbados for?" he asked, leisurely leaning back in his seat and taking me in with those green eyes.
• "A week," I managed to utter, whilst trying not to ram his handkerchief up my nose.
• "I'm here for six days in total," he naturally filled in, before I'd even had chance to ask.
• "Do you come out here for breaks often?" I asked, taking a large swill of dry white to moisten my throat.
• "Sometimes. But anyway, how about you? Have you got any plans for the week ahead?"
• Locking that intense attention back onto me, my mind turned to mush. I couldn't seem to think straight around him, and I would've liked to have functioned like a relatively normal human being around this guy.
• "Er, nothing is set in stone. I just want a relaxing break to clear my head."
• "I gathered as much," he spoke, sipping his lager.
• "How so?" I uttered, watching the way his mouth caressed the top of the lager bottle. It was distracting.
• "You seem to be bothered by something, so it only makes sense that you are here to sort something out. Emotionally or otherwise. It's good to occasionally escape."
• Hmm, but this wasn't my average escape. If anything, I'd kind of run away without thinking much through.
• "I'm going to have to have a complete life overhaul," I spoke out loud without thinking. I bit my lip and watched his eyebrow arch in curiosity. I seemed to be crying at the drop of a hat, and now blurting stuff. Maybe he should be more wary of the strange woman sat with him.
• "In what respect?" he asked, leaning in toward me.
• I coughed lightly. "Oh, nothing. I'm just tired. It's been a long day."
• "I'm sure it has been." He swilled the last of his lager and set the bottle down on the table. "Shall I walk you to your room?"
• "Er, well…"
• "Nothing like that. See," He raised his hands in the air in a gesture of surrender, "hands firmly to myself. No serial killing, or anything like that will occur." He laughed, and I couldn't help but smirk at what he had said.
• "Okay. As long as those hands stay firmly in view." I winked, finishing off my drink and standing up.
• Talking lightly on the way to my room, Jace was asking me what I did for a living, and I did surprise myself at how comfortable I felt around him. This was the guy who I thought was a closet drug baron, a potential stalker, and even a serial killer; yet I was letting him walk me to my room and chatting with him like I would with an old friend.
• As he said goodbye to me at the door, I watched him walk away. His pert backside covered in the beige of his shorts left a little to my imagination, as his broad shoulders were crowned in the navy cotton of his polo shirt. Jace was one of the most pleasant sights that I'd feasted my eyes upon in a while, and as I opened my hotel door and made my way into the room, I thought about how it was a shame that I hadn't met him when I was free and single. Well, I suppose I was, but it hadn't even been twenty-four hours since the break-up from hell, and I was still wounded from it.
• Running myself a luxurious scented bubble bath and slipping into the creamy hot water, my mind drifted over what my future would consist of. Nothing was simple. Nothing ever was.
• I'd met Scott at my place of work, and a part of me knew that when I got home, I couldn't go back to my old job. In fact, Scott was the manager of the estate agents I worked for.
• Guess who else worked with me? My ex-friend, Lisa. I always thought that it was nice how they both had gotten along, but little did I know how close they actually were.
• A few years ago, me and Lisa had lived together, and at the time, she had a real horror of a boyfriend. I was always telling her that she deserved better, but she wouldn't listen. People seldom did when the heart was involved. Some time passed, and eventually she got rid of him, and I could see how hurt she was. Being the good friend that I like to think I am, I encouraged her to get out more, and often invited her along to concerts and the likes, with me and Scott. Looking back, I realised now that I was such a mug.
• Grimacing as I washed myself with the sponge that was available, I never thought I would see the day that whenever I thought about her, I would hate her this much. She had betrayed me in a way in which no friend ever should, and in all honesty, I had no idea what to do about the situation.
• Working alongside them both was going to be hell on earth, and there was no way I could go back there. I felt physically sick when I thought about turning up to work and seeing them both again - there was no way that I could act like nothing had happened. It wasn't possible and not in my nature to just ignore the betrayal.
• Inhaling a deep breath and ducking myself under the warm water, I wondered whether there was any way to escape this situation, without having to see either of them ever again.
• Running out of air, I emerged from the water and let go of the breath that I had been holding in. There was no way I was drowning at the thought of them both. Ha, imagine getting me out of the way that easily? No, I was never going to make it easy for them. They would have to face me again, and eventually, in time, karma would hopefully come along and bite them both in the butt.
• Emerging from the bath and wrapping myself in a fluffy white robe, I made my way into the bedroom and moved the tray containing the honeymoon delights, on to the floor and out of my way. Flopping back on the mattress and staring at the fan on the ceiling, this was the first day of the rest of my life, and nothing was going to stand in my way anymore. It was me, myself, and I, and even though I did have support at home, this situation was not going to break me. If anything, it was my chance to break free, and grabbing it with both hands, I would do just that.
• It was time to woman-up.