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I rolled my eyes. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Tell me they aren’t just scrumptious. I bet they’re all so… firm,” she oozed.
I chuckled. “If I didn’t know you any better, I’d say you were a nymphomaniac.”
She was mindlessly mimicking the movements and smiling. “Come on, it’s a vacation! What happens in Fiji, stays in Fiji, yeah?”
“Unless it’s herpes. Just be safe.”
“Nikki?” I heard a man calling from behind the bonfire. “Gemma! Hey!”
I couldn’t see anything but dark shapes through the leaping flames, but one was making its way closer. He kept waving at me, I guessed to get some sort of recognition out of me, but I was having trouble readjusting to the change in light. Who did we know in Fiji? I couldn’t recall hearing about anyone else taking a vacation at the same time, let alone the same island. I hadn’t even seen anything about vacations on Facebook for a long while.
He got closer, and I started to make out his features: he was an average weight—not skinny or muscular, but not fat—maybe a half foot taller than me, had an oval face, short-cropped black hair, and deep blue eyes. He looked out of place in a dark polo shirt and long jeans. I could see now why Nikki made me change; he had ‘NEWBIE’ written all over him.
“Jason?” I asked, still stunned that someone knew us here, but even more so it was him. “What…? Oh my god, Jason!” I was genuinely glad to see him.
“Hey,” he said, a goofy grin on his face as he hugged me. I laughed uncontrollably as he lifted me up. A sense memory bubbled up within me, something I’d buried long before. Was I giddy? My face reddened at his touch, and a twinge of longing trembled below my navel.
Perhaps it had just been too long since a man had touched me with such enthusiasm.
“Jason?” called Nikki from behind me. He put me down and gave her the same big bear hug. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“I’m writing an article on the best spots in Fiji for a vacation. You know, which ones are better for adventurers, couples, families, college kids on a super expensive spring break.”
“Wow, that’s amazing,” I said. Jason and I used to work for the school newspaper back in college. He always wrote the best articles on teachers, the latest movie reviews, and why we didn’t have more healthy options for our cafeteria meals. He encouraged me to write articles as well, but I was nowhere near as good. I had no skill for article writing. My passion was always fiction. So when he became the head editor our senior year, he set aside some space for me to have my own column for creative writing every week. I was glad to hear that he was succeeding in doing something that he did very well.
“God, I haven’t seen you guys since…” he trailed, thinking.
“Jack and Mary’s wedding,” said Nikki. “Almost three years ago.”
“Jesus, that long?” he said.
“Wasn’t that just after your fifth anniversary party?” I asked. “Speaking of, is Annie here with you?”
“Uh, no. It’s a work thing. I’m going to be doing all my research, writing, always on the move. It wouldn’t be much of a vacation for us. What about you guys? Is Fred back at the room?”
Throat tight, I barely opened my mouth to speak when Nikki jumped in. “Nah. Just us girls. It’s been a while since we had some fun, so I thought, let’s go on a trip!”
“Pretty extravagant trip,” Jason mused. I couldn’t help nodding.
“Hey, we’re not getting any younger, right?” I added, trying to join in Nikki’s spirited mood.
“So where are you guys staying?”
“The next resort up the beach,” said Nikki, pointing behind us. “Just that way.”
“The couples resort?”
“Hey, I just saw a deal and booked it. How was I supposed to know?” argued Nikki, saving my ass again. “I mean, every tropical vacation site has pictures of so-called ‘beautiful couples’ on the beach or in the pool. They’re all sending mixed signals, if you ask me.”
“She is not wrong,” I said. “Are you staying here?”
“Yeah. They’ve got me staying in one of their beachfront cabins. Hey, I’m going to the mainland tomorrow to check out some attractions and things. You guys want to join me for lunch?”
Nikki glanced at me, checking for my approval. “That sounds great,” I said.
“Cool, I’ll come by your place in the morning to get you. What’s your room number?” He pulled out his phone and opened a note-taking app, then handed it to me. I entered our villa number, then passed it back. “Well, I have to go finish unpacking and write some of my first impressions before it gets any later. See you tomorrow!”
