AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Oh, yeah, I did do that. Classic.” Maisy grinned. “But that’s not weird. I’ve seen Aeniceans eat cooked lettuce.”
“Okay, that’s one I’ll concede to you. Cooked lettuce is weird. But I also don’t eat it — so while you may have scored a point against Aenicea, you didn’t score one against me.”
“I’ll take it anyway.” Maisy paused and drew her lip between her teeth once again. “Xander, I know what you’re doing, and I really appreciate it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Talking to me like everything is normal when nothing about this trip is normal at all.”
“I mean, some things are normal. The sun still rises in the east and sets in the west. The tides still come and go. That kind of thing.” Xander was doing his best to keep up their easy banter.
“I know what you mean. But we can talk seriously, too. I know what happened on the island was just a fluke, with all the romantic stuff and all the uncertainty and all the time we have to spend together. I know you’d never feel that way about me in our real lives. So, you don’t have to worry. I’m not going to tell anyone.”
That wasn’t what Xander was worried about, not at all. He was worried that his feelings would get the better of him and that he’d confess to Maisy how he felt about her. He was worried that he never would tell her how he felt and that she would go back to Aenicea and marry his brother and forget about him. He was worried that she wouldn’t reciprocate his feelings. He was worried that she would.
The thought that Maisy would tell Niko about the dance on the island hadn’t even broken his top ten worries.
Perhaps this was the moment for Xander to tell Maisy how he felt. But he didn’t. It would be a terrible idea. Even if Maisy felt the same way, there would be no happy ending for them. She was still slated to marry his brother.
“Thank you,” Xander said instead. “I won’t tell anyone either.”
Their food arrived and the rest of dinner passed relatively smoothly. They chatted about this and that, nothing important, and returned to the apartment late. Xander’s heart still felt heavy. Any day now, their parents would figure out a way forward, and all this would come to an end. Despite how much he hadn’t wanted to be on this honeymoon in the first place, he found that he wanted it to continue now. Kanalea was like a haven, away from the real world and from Xander’s real responsibilities. And more importantly, it was a haven where he could imagine a future with Maisy, even though none was possible. Even though he wouldn’t act on it.
CHAPTER 14
MAISY
Maisy was glad it had been a busy day.
The morning had started off with Xander and Maisy exercising together. She’d considered canceling, but it seemed better to go on as normal. And anyway, Maisy wanted to spend time with Xander — even though it seemed to be an increasingly bad idea to do so.
The exercise had been followed by a breakfast of fresh fruit and Xander’s famous pancakes from the mix. Then Safa had arrived to take them on a tour around the island in a vintage car, which had been really fun. Maisy had forgotten all her worries and all the awkwardness of the day before as she’d sat in the front seat with the car’s top down, her hair pulled back in a scarf, the island rolling by. She was beginning to think she had a thing for fast vehicles and the wind in her face.
They’d shared a picnic lunch atop one of Kanalea’s dormant volcanoes, then returned to the capital for an afternoon of basket weaving at a local art shop. It had gone very poorly; neither Maisy nor Xander had the dexterity to thread the dried coconut fibers together correctly, and they’d made a mess of things. But they’d also cracked each other up the whole time, which was a relief. As long as they were teasing each other, everything was okay.
This had been followed by dinner on one of Kanalea’s bays, then Safa had dropped them off at a local dance performance. Now, Maisy sat beside Xander, awed by the swaying dancers and the lively music.
She was beyond tired, which was a good thing. Being tired meant that she didn’t have much mental energy left to worry about the future or about Xander. He’d agreed with her last night that he wouldn’t have danced with her like that in the real world. That meant that he didn’t return Maisy’s feelings, which was a good thing, too. She could enjoy the rest of this trip as friends, then return to marry Niko.
There was no getting out of that one, it seemed.
It was all for the best. Even if Maisy’s eyes were beginning to get heavy and she wished she could lean against Xander and rest her head on his shoulder. Even if she wished she could kiss him. Even if she wished, despite herself, that this was really her and Xander’s honeymoon.
The dancers finished with a great flourish and a dramatic wave of the palm fans they’d been carrying, then bowed. Maisy joined the rest of the audience in clapping. The performance really had been wonderful, even if she had been ever so slightly distracted.
“We’re not far from home,” Xander said as they stood, stretched, and filed off the wooden bleachers where they’d sat for the performance. “And it’s a beautiful night. What do you say we walk home?”
Maisy was tired, but a stroll along the beach under the starlight did sound wonderful.
“Okay, I’m in.”
They walked down to the beach, mostly in silence. It was dark, but the moon and stars were bright enough to illuminate where they were walking.
“I think, if we continue along here, we’ll reach the stairs to our villa,” Xander said as they turned towards the cliffs.
“We’ll give it a try.”
They strolled side by side in silence for some time. Maisy listened to the waves lapping against the shore and the sound of tropical birds calling to each other in the trees. It felt very peaceful. She was so distracted by the beauty of the island and her own thoughts that she didn’t notice Xander falling silent. She didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary until he said her name, his voice low.
