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“No?” I said, barely louder than a whisper.
She nodded, her lips pinched tightly together into an angry frown. “No,” she repeated. “Dammit, Gemma! Why didn’t you have some common sense when spending all this money?”
“I didn’t think it would matter if it rained or not. It wasn’t supposed to be a girls’ trip with adventure and partying. I thought if it did rain, it would be romantic. So sue me!”
She waved me off and went back to her room. I thought the rain was actually quite calming. The steady patter of the rain on the roof and walls reminded me of watching the light showers through the window of my childhood bedroom. It felt like fluffy blankets and warm cocoa, until the thunder clapped so loud that I thought the world was ripping apart.
I reread the same words I had read nearly three times, when I heard the startup chime for Nikki’s laptop. I leapt off the couch and forgot the book. “No-no-no! You promised! No contact with the outside world!” I tripped a couple times in my rush, but momentum carried me through the doorway. “Nikki, we agreed! No phones, no email, no Twitter!”
“Calm the hell down, Gem. I’m only looking up when the rainy season is. I’m praying this is just a freak storm to keep us on our toes.” A few clicks of the mouse and the swift typing of her fingers over the keys later, and we had our answer. Nikki’s lips pursed at the screen, her forehead smooth as a calm lake that held some treacherous beast below.
“Sorry,” I muttered, backing out of kicking range.
“The last month of the rainy season, and you had to book it now.”
“But I got a pretty good deal on it,” I added, a little nervous laughter tacked on the end.
“I am going to spend the rest of this vacation in a Mai Tai haze, so help me.”
“It’ll let up soon. You said yourself that the storms are brief. As soon as it clears up, let’s go down to the bar and relax, huh? Whaddya say?” I flashed one of my best smiles at her.
She only glared back.
Three
Unexpected
Luckily for me, the rain only lasted a few more minutes after that. We spent the rest of that day, and most of the day after, drinking in our bathing suits on the beach. I only drank enough to keep a steady cheer going within me. Nikki went a little further.
It was warm and dry after that first storm, at least a day, maybe more—the drinks made the days blur together. But it was so peaceful. When it wasn’t raining, I spent much of my time in the shallows of the ocean, letting the salty waters ripple and flow over my skin. It was unbelievably relaxing.
After one afternoon nap, we woke up and Nikki was again—inexplicably—bouncing with energy. “Gems, I’ve got an idea for what we can do today.”
“No more oceaning?” I asked, a little hungover.
“Nah, no more of that. At least for now. This is a pretty small island, right? I figure we could take a walk along the beach and see what other resorts we can find.”
I rubbed my face, trying to get the fatigue to go away. “You just want to find some single men.”
“So? It’ll do you some good to walk around a little. We both could do with a little more activity. And I heard someone talking about these ceremonies that the natives do, and I thought you’d like to see if they’re the same at each hotel. I know how you love picking out differences.”
“Indeed, I do,” I grumbled, shuffling into the bathroom for a shower. “And by the way,” I called back, “that someone you heard talking about the ceremonies was me—back home, on the plane, the boat here, the day we arrived…”
“So, come on. I didn’t see any clouds outside today, so I think we’re safe from the rain.”
After I got out of the shower, I discovered my bikini and a sarong laid out on the bed for me. “Nikki,” I warned. “Stop laying out this bikini for me.”
“Why the hell did you bring it if you weren’t going to wear it? You look so hot in it!” she whined for the sixth time since we’d arrived.
“Not yet,” I said, and prayed that would tide her over for an hour or two. I still wasn’t ready to force my visage upon the unsuspecting masses.
When I was fully dressed, I discovered Nikki was right about the weather. The ocean air blowing across the sand and into the thick green leaves around us was refreshing. There were no clouds for miles and miles. And as we walked along the sandy stretches between sea and land, my head began to clear. Why was I always the one making the effort? Why did I insist on breaking my back to get Fred to notice me? I spent so much money on this vacation for us, and he didn’t even come along. Have I just been wasting the last five years of my life on someone who didn’t really care?
“Oh, my god,” came the breathy exclamation from Nikki’s slack-jawed mouth, derailing my train of thought.
We had finally left the expanse of jungle and came upon some impressive ceremony with bonfires and drums. Large hulky men danced rhythmically in outfits made of grass, leaves, and flowers, their shadows flickering across the forest behind them in the firelight. Nikki couldn’t tear her eyes away from the dark, rippling muscles that moved in unison.
“I want one,” she cooed. “Can I have one?”
