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Dinner continues on as normally as it can after the earlier outburst, with Mia being an unabashed flirt the entire time. Her hands are constantly stroking my arm or landing on my knee, no matter how many times I shift away. Elise has taken the only avenue left to her and is pretending that Mia and I don’t exist, talking animatedly with Roxanne about the other attractions they want to see on the island, and making plans to go shopping. Roxie looks confused that Elise is being so overly friendly, but I know she’s just doing it to distract herself from the nonsense that her brother has caused.
It’s just one dinner, I keep telling myself.One dinner and then I’ll tell this poor girl that I’m not interested and that will be that.
The worst part is that whenever Andries looks over at Mia and me, I’m forced to give in to her overbearing affection just to maintain the image that it’s her I’m interested in, and not his sister. Hell, if I had never met Elise, I probably would have already slept with Mia, so Andries inviting her to dinner wasn’t completely out of the realm of the possibility of things I would have done on my own. Something tells me he knows more than he’s letting on about Elise and me though, and he’s using Mia as a wedge to get between us.
Midway through the meal, I get a text. I hope it’s Elise, but instead, it’s from Roxie, and simply says,Sorry, I had no idea. I give her a discrete shrug from across the table, noticing that she kicks the attention she’s giving her fiancé into high gear. It tells me that Roxanne has picked up on what is going on between Elise and me, and while I had hoped to keep it secret until wewere ready to tell Andries, at least I know Roxanne will be on our side if she thinks whatever is between us is genuine.
Dinner finally ends, and I’m more than ready to flee Mia’s grabbing hands and go to my room until I’m sure she’s left, but Andries asks the butler for music and digestives out on the terrace once the meal is finished. Mia’s eyes glow as we all shift outdoors where soft songs are being piped in over the surround sound speakers, but all I can do is look at Elise, leaning against the railing by herself and watching as all the couples join together in gentle dancing embraces.
There’s no help for it. I put my hands stiffly on Mia’s hips, and she watches me, eyes hooded. I try to catch Elise’s eye, just so she knows that this isn’t what I want, but she’s turned to glance out over the cliffside––anywhere but where Mia and I are stiffly turning together to the music… I can’t blame her, either.
After a moment, Elise stands, a frown fixed on her face, and walks silently past the makeshift dance floor back into the villa. I want to call out to her, but I just can’t. Not here, not now. Andries, Roxanne, Robin, and Lili are all tipsy, laughing and twirling across the tile floor, and I can tell Mia is getting frustrated with my reluctance to do anything but the most unenthusiastic slow dance known to man. Once Elise is gone from my view, I come to the conclusion that I have to let this girl down gently because I’m dying to follow the woman that I’m actually falling for. Mia might be handsy, but it’s not like she’s to blame for any of this. I was even the one to invite her in yesterday, showing her false interest just to further my own desires. But I can’t feel overly guilty for her because every ounce of my concern is now on Elise, who is gone, thinking god knows what about this terrible turn of events.
“You seem distracted.” Mia sighs as if she’s finally catching on to my disinterest.
“What?” I wince, realizing I’ve just proved her point. “...Yeah, you’re not wrong. I guess my mind is elsewhere.”
“Maybe there’s something I can do to bring it back to the present,” she purrs, leaning in and trying to press her lips to mine.
Disgust rolls through me, and I push her back by the shoulders, breaking our embrace. Mia freezes, looking distraught.
“Sorry. I’m not feeling right,” I babble, looking for a way to get off the terrace without being confronted by anyone else. The sweet, slow music is almost a mockery of how chaotic I’m feeling. “I’m just going to bed. I guess you can… uh… see yourself out or whatever.”
Eyes fixed forward, I take no notice of everyone looking at me as I make a beeline for the doors leading back inside. As soon as I’m in, I feel a hand grab my arm; Andries, looking pissed.Fuck.
“What do you think you’re doing? I brought that girl over here for you and now you’re just going to bail?”
“I’m just tired man,” I tell him honestly because I’m suddenly exhausted from all of this.
“Bullshit. It’s barely ten pm. Are you sick or something? I’ve never known you to refuse a beautiful woman like that.”
“Shouldn’t you be more worried about your fiancée than my sex life, Andries?” I gripe, shaking his hand off me. “Just because I took your sister out for sorbet doesn’t mean anything is going on, and it certainly doesn’t mean I need you to set me up on blind fucking dates without telling me.”
Stunned, Andries just blinks at me before responding. “I just didn’t want you to be alone when everyone else has a significant other here—well, except—”
“Yeah, except your sister. Did you ever think I was hanging out with her because she doesn’t have anyone else to spend time with here?” The temptation just to tell him the truth abouteverything hovers on the edge of my mind, but I know I can’t take such a drastic step without Elise here to make the decision with me. “If I spend the entire time with some random girl like Mia, what is Elise going to do? I’m just being a good friend.”
My friend looks like he can’t decide if I’m telling the truth or not, but before I have to remind him that I footed the bill for this entire trip, he sighs and nods. “Okay, Dan. Sorry, I might have overreacted. It’s good to know you haven’t broken your oath. Let’s just forget this and talk tomorrow, okay?”
“Sounds good to me.”
I watch him go back outside to find Roxanne, and once he’s shut the door behind him, I go back to my suite, intending to spend the rest of the night alone. There is nothing good that can come of me trying to speak to Elise tonight, not while her brother is on high alert, so I keep telling myself it will just be a shower and bed for me.
That is, until I hear her moving around in her own room, and the sound of her shower kicking on. Thinking about her showering, just one wall away from me is almost painful. I retreat to my own en suite bathroom and hide under the nearly scalding water, hoping the sound of it will drown out the matching sound of Elise’s shower from across the way, but the knowledge supersedes everything else.
After the fastest shower of my entire life, I throw my clothes back on, intending to knock on her door and force her to talk to me. I can’t live like this for nine more days, with her occupying my every thought.
Since I can’t talk to her face to face, I settle for sending her a text.
Dan:Are you awake? Still in your room?
Elise:Yes. You still slow dancing in the dark with the love of your life, Mia?
I start to type out a sarcastic response, but then I have another idea. A stupid one, but if it works, there is no way anyone will see me going into her room, which is what I want to avoid.
Out on the balcony, lit only by the moon and stars, I try to judge the distance between my balcony and Elise’s–it’s less than a foot. I can jump it, no problem. So, like the love-struck teenager sneaking out that Elise had accused me of being earlier tonight, I climb over the railing of my balcony and hop to hers.
I make it, thank God, because had I fallen it probably would have been to my death down the jagged cliff that the villa is perched on. I’m nimble enough, though, and the surge of adrenaline I get from the dumb decision makes me laugh out loud. Still feeling giddy, I knock on the glass door into her room.
