2. Tonight's Plans

Trey bumps shoulders with Simon the moment we show up to breakfast. That’s how I know they know. They probably figured it out when we left together last night. 

Still much better than one of them catching me sneaking out of Jude’s room, though. Not that it matters now. Now, we are together. There’s nothing to hide.

There’s only four people at the table; Trey, Simon, Sam, and Liam.

Simon looks at us and a slow grin takes over his face.

The look on his face promises a load of questioning later. I would like to say I don’t look forward to it. But I think I do. 

I need to shriek. In excitement. And have someone shake me and tell me I’m not dreaming. And then roll a hundred times on the beach and shout to the ocean. Simon is the perfect company for all of that.

Right now, I’m biting down on my bottom lip to hold back the eternal smile that has wanted to take over my face for a while now. My cheeks already hurt. Even my head aches. I didn’t know it was possible to get a headache from being too happy.

“What do you want?” Jude asks, taking hold of my hand and steering me towards a breakfast buffet. 

He is holding my hand. 

Compared to what we got up to last night, it isn’t much, but my heart begs to disagree. Suddenly, it wants to escape the confines of my chest and also go rolling on the beach. I chuckle at the image.

Jude lifts an eyebrow. “What is it?”

I shake my head. “Nothing.”

I’ve never been high on anything, but this must be it. It can’t get any better than this feeling.

He doesn’t look convinced. My heart beats even faster as I look at him looking at me and trying to figure out what’s going on in my head.

Right now, it’s a whole lot of ‘I really, really want to kiss him right now.’ 

I also want to go back to his room and spend the rest of the day wrapped up in his arms. I just got him back. I’m not keen on sharing him.

The curious look on his face disappears, replaced by something else. He rubs the back of his neck. “Damn, Jo. You have to stop doing that.”

I blink. Was I doing anything? “Doing what?”

“Looking at me like that.” 

“Like what?”

His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows. His hand’s grip around mine tightens, loosens, and then tightens again. 

We get to the buffet table. The aroma wafting around is mouthwatering, but the rollercoaster in my stomach has nothing to do with the scrumptious food in front of us.

“Like you want me to lay you down on this table and have my way with you right now.”

My face fires up, but it’s the only thing doing anything. Everything else pauses for a moment. My heart, the sounds from around us, my brain. Even my stomach stops rolling around for a second.

He is not done.

“Or like you want to lay me down on this table and have your way with me. I don’t know which version I like better, but both probabilities are giving me a hardon.”

I think I’m going to disappear. Into the ground.

I look around frantically, hoping nobody was near enough to hear any of that. Nobody. I still want to disappear.

I hit his arm with my free hand. “Stop.”

“Let’s go back up.”

“What?”

“We’ll get room service.”

“I…” Yes. But… “I don’t want to miss Lily before she leaves.”

Lilian and her husband Arthur spent the night here, but today, they are leaving to go on their honeymoon. The rest of us leave tomorrow. Our extra night here is courtesy of my folks. 

“You already missed her,” Simon’s voice comes from behind me. He shows up on my other side. “They had an early flight.”

I blink at him. “They did?”

He nods. His eyes lower to our hands, and then back to my face. He hooks his thumb towards the table. “We are talking about tonights’ plans. Wanna join? Before you go back up.”

He smiles knowingly as he says the last sentence. How much did he hear?

“Sure,” Jude says.

Simon loads a couple of croissants onto his plate. He gives me one last knowing look before going back to the table.

Jude grabs two mugs. “Coffee?”

I nod. Are we still going back up? After talking about tonights’ plans, that is?

“What will you eat?”

“I’m not really hungry,” I say. I think I was, ten minutes ago. But right now, it feels like there’s no space in my stomach for anything but butterflies. And rollercoasters, apparently. 

“Later, then,” he says. He carries the two mugs in his hands. “Let’s go.”

The guys are sitting at a round table for eight. We take two of the empty ones. Sam and Liam are to my right, and Trey and Simon are to Jude’s left. Right ahead is the beach and the ocean. 

I hear the waves, and I think they are calling my name. 

Later.

Much later.

When Lilian first announced she would have her wedding at the beach and we’d be spending a couple of nights at a beach hotel, I was excited to see the ocean. 

I was going to swim and sunbathe and soak up as much of the beach getaway as I could before the new year came and it was time to get back to work.

Now, all I can think about is staying within four walls, soaking up none of the beach but a lot of the guy sitting next to me.

Of course, later, we can go on a beach walk, the sand shifting between our toes, the sunset dipping into the ocean, the cool breeze in our faces. Then I can soak up both at the same time.

“We are going to the afterparty,” Simon says to us right after we sit down.

My eyes bulge. “What?”

He can’t be talking about what I thought we’d be discussing when he mentioned tonights’ plans. 

Today is the day before New Year’s Eve. And Tuesday Night, the most popular band on the scene right now–and for the next decade, if you ask me–is having a concert right here in Sea City to wrap up the year.

Had I known I’d be in the city around this time of the year when the tickets went on sale, I would have grabbed one. But when Lilian announced her beach wedding three months ago, it was one month after every last ticket was sold. 

Now, I’m not the only one wishing I could attend the concert. The moment we all found out about the wedding’s venue and date, we all knew it was where we wanted to be before the year ended. 

Not everybody here is as crazy about the band as I am that they’d go hunting for resale tickets or anything, but we all have a mutual connection to Tuesday Night. 

Okay, it’s not like we know a band member or anything, but…Isaac is working as a stage engineer at the concert. And, maybe this is irrelevant, but his boyfriend’s brother is part of the band. And Isaac’s boyfriend, Ben, is our friend so…

Simon nods. “Isaac says he got us passes.”

“You are kidding.”

This entire morning is unreal. I’ve gotten back with the love of my life and now I get to see my absolute favourite band in real life?

“Here,” Jude says, pushing a glass of water into my hands. Yeah, I must look like I need some. “I don’t know whether to be jealous or happy that you are happy right now.”

I give him an innocent smile and take a drink of the water. Let’s just say Jude’s amusement with my fangirling tendencies ends when it comes to Tuesday Night. 

Sure, I like the lead singer a lot–Ben’s brother, who Isaac keeps claiming is a total asshat–and the lead guitarist is, well, every girl’s wet…scratch that. Everybody’s wet dream, but that’s all. 

I don’t fantasise about dating them or anything. 

I just really, really like the band. 

I told Jude it’s the same as cheering on and wanting to see my favourite football team, pointing out that he never accused me of having a crush on any players. 

But he maintained it’s not the same. We had to agree to disagree. That happened about two years ago, and it looks like he hasn’t changed his mind about it. 

“Let me get this straight,” Trey says, leaning forward, his eyes moving from me to Jude and back. “Are you two back together?”

“I thought it was obvious,” Sam says, speaking for the first time and not looking up from his phone. “First they disappear at the same time last night and then they show up holding hands.” He finally looks up. “Can you have a beach wedding too? We never go anywhere fun ever.”

His last sentence is louder, and I know why two seconds later. Dad and Mum appear, looking like they are ready to go somewhere.

“You still have your face buried in your phone, with the Ocean just ten feet away, so I can’t see the difference between you being somewhere fun and at home,” Mum points out with a raised eyebrow.

Sam places his phone on the table and gives her a look loaded with challenge. “I was looking up fun places Liam and I can see before I have to go back home. To no fun.”

Mum presses her lips together and nods. “No fun sounds about right for someone going into their senior year. You’ll be alright.”

Sam groans. 

Dad shakes his head and addresses us. “We have booked a tour of the islands so we’ll be gone for most of the day. You can get whatever you want, just put it on my tab.”

“Sounds fun,” I say, beaming at my parents. I kick Sam’s foot beneath the table when it looks like he wants to ask to go. Can’t he see? They are going on a date! He is right. They also never have time to go anywhere fun.

Sam narrows his eyes at me. He can be such a last born sometimes.

Once my parents are gone, the conversation switches back to tonights’ plans.

“Can Liam and I come to the party?” Sam asks.

“No,” Trey and Simon answer in unison. 

Sam is seventeen, Liam is fifteen. I don’t think they’d even be allowed into the party.

“Can I bring Leo?” Maria asks, suddenly appearing at the table with her breakfast tray.

“Who is Leo?” I ask.

“Arthur’s cousin who she has been stuck to since Friday,” Trey says. He makes a show of looking towards the elevators. “Where did you leave him?”

Maria rolls her eyes. “I’m bringing him,” she announces.

“There are no extra passes,” Trey tells her. “Isaac only got five.”

“Tell him to get another,” she says.

“You can ask for it yourself,” Trey replies

“Fine, I might not even go,” she says.

“Sounds like a plan,” Trey says, biting into a croissant.

The table is suddenly quiet, an invisible cloak of ice settling over us. I think the mood is ruined. I take a sip of my coffee and look at the ocean, at how still it is. How beautiful. 

Nope. Nothing can ruin this mood. 

Nothing can ruin this day for me.