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“Of course it is. It’s Fiji for Christ’s sake. Paradise doesn’t become less paradise-y.”
“Please don’t ever use that word again,” I groaned.
“Fine. Just go check-in to your beautiful room and text me when you’re settled.”
“Will do. Bye.”
I dragged my small suitcase behind me as I disembarked and took in the familiar sights and smells of the tropical island. The last two years were kind to both this place and myself. I wrote and published a new book in the shortest amount of time I ever had, though I was still waiting to hear how it was being received. I felt more comfortable with myself, was more confident and self assured, and was even okay with being alone for long periods of time. No more leaving a television on just to soothe my nerves while home alone. I finally felt like I had become who I always meant to be.
Moving out of that tiny apartment I’d been sharing with Fred was a blessing. When I went to pack everything up, I realized just how much of the furniture and big ticket items were mine: All but one set of bookshelves, the couch, the bed, both our desks, our TV and gaming consoles were paid for by me, and generally everything outside of his teeny little office that he loved sequestering himself into at all hours. After it was all in the moving truck, there was barely anything left for Fred, save a small folding table and two folding chairs.
I left him the bed. I didn’t need those memories to follow me into my new chapters.
Nikki practically cackled from the moment we left to the moment we hit traffic.
In my spring green sun dress and floppy hat, I arrived at my cabin quickly and opened the door. The warm ocean breeze teased my hair as I stepped over the threshold and took a deep breath. “God, this place is amazing.”
“Didn’t I tell you it would be perfect?” said Jason, hugging me from behind and kissing my shoulder.
“I can’t believe we’re back here,” I said, turning to face him. I wrapped my arms over his shoulders and kissed him. “I can’t believe it’s already been two years.”
He lifted me into his arms and carried me over to the giant bed that stood on a raised dais in the rear corner of the room. We flopped down, bouncing a little, and he pressed his lips to my throat. I couldn’t help but laugh as his whiskers tickled me. “Stop! You need to shave before you do that again!”
“So I’ve got a five o’clock shadow at ten in the morning. Deal with it!” he muttered against my skin, making me squirm even more.
“I’m supposed to text Nikki when I’m settled,” I cried, struggling as he slipped a strap off my shoulder.
“She’s going to be waiting for quite some time, then.”
“Not as long as you think,” said Nikki from the doorway. “Shame on you two. Have you no knowledge of tradition? You might as well be walking under a ladder in front of a parade of black cats.”
“Should I mention that mirror I broke before we left?” Jason joked, setting me free.
Nikki ignored him and took my hand. “Your parents got here about two hours ago. And yours,” she said to Jason as she pulled me toward the door, “will be here around noon.”
“Nikki,” I whined. “We’ve been on planes, trains, and automobiles—”
“And boats!” added Jason.
“And boats for over a day. Can’t you just let me have an hour or two alone with him before we start getting ready?”
“It is my sworn duty to keep you chaste at least for the next twenty four hours,” she stated like a member of the Queen’s guard. “She’ll be sleeping in an undisclosed location tonight, Jason. It will do you no good to look for her!” She took my suitcase with her other hand and pulled me out of the cabin.
“Ugh, fine. I knew I should have made my cousin my maid of honor. I’ll see you soon,” I called to Jason, waving and blowing a kiss. “Love you!”
“Love you!” he called back as he disappeared from view.
In truth, I couldn’t have picked anyone better than Nikki, especially since she had become a Fijian local a little over a year ago. Apparently, her fling with Siti was more than just a vacation dalliance, and it wasn’t long before international calls were happening daily. They fell head over heels for each other. She made the decision to move to the other side of the world for him in the blink of an eye and never looked back. Since then, they’ve lived together in a beautiful two-bedroom cottage, and while he still danced at the local resorts, she took a resort job as well teaching couples yoga.
I’ve never seen her happier.
“You know we’re not exactly a traditional couple, right? I don’t think every traditional rule applies to us,” I groaned.
“Yeah, he’s divorced. Yeah, you two hooked up before the lawyers were called. And sure, you were already going to town on each other in your little den of sin before the ink on the divorce papers dried. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have a little semblance of decorum until six-thirty tomorrow night.”
“I wouldn’t call it a den of sin,” I countered, a little insulted. “I liked our starter apartment. We were incredibly lucky to find a place with enough space for all our stuff at such a low rate on such short notice.”
“You’re lucky Annie let you guys shack up together because she was already boning down with a couple randos, or she would have dragged that shit out longer than the mandatory ninety days.”
