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“I’m not going to ruin it. See you back in Capri.”
When he hangs up, I pull the phone away from my ear and stare at the now-blank screen in disbelief. “Oh. This can’t be good.”
“What do you mean? He just said he had a surprise. That doesn’t sound bad.”
“There’s no way he wouldn’t argue with me about being alone with you again unless he was about to pull a fast one on us. Mark my words, there is something unpleasant waiting back at the villa for us.” Even in the summer heat, I shiver. “I just feel it.”
“Well… should we head back then? Face the music, so they say?”
I take in the cove and our private beach around us. Still in our underwear, covered in sand and salt, I don’t want to let go of this. I’m not ready to reenter the real world just yet.
“Can we stay a few minutes longer?” I ask. Dan’s smile is sad, but he nods.
“Of course we can, love.”
He holds me as we listen to the waves, drinking the rest of the champagne out of the bottle, passing it back and forth. The magic is gone now that Andries has interrupted us, but he can’t erase the wonderful memories we made beforehand. I try to keep myself here in the present, not in the future back at the villa, worrying about my brother’s shenanigans, but it’s impossible.
After another thirty minutes, I take a long sip of champagne and set the dark bottle back on the beach blanket. “I guess we should go.”
“Yeah…” Dan brushes my now dry hair to the side and kisses the back of my neck tenderly. “I guess we should.”
With the sun low on the horizon, we dress, board the yacht and head back to Capri. Dan and I stay attached to one another, him sitting so I can rest my head in his lap. He gently runs his fingers through my knotted hair, working the tangles out with patience and loving touches. I keep my eyes closed, trying desperately to decipher what my brother could mean by a surprise. Unless he has been following us around every minute of every day, I can’t figure out a time when he could have confirmed that Dan and I were hooking up. It seems very unlikely to me, though, that he has an actual, fun surprise for me. Instead, I know it’s going to be some sort of double-edged sword. Nice on the outside, but made to make me miserable. After we’ve reconnected lately, I was sure that Andries would be able to accept Dan and me together, eventually. But now I’m beginning to think this is one pill he will never be able to swallow. Being in love with Dan might cost him his best friend, and me my brother.
I swallow hard, and Dan senses the rising tension in me. “What’s wrong, El?”
“I’ve just got this gut feeling that Andries is about to mess everything up for us in a big way. I can’t figure out how, but I just know he is.”
Taking my hand in his, Dan brushes my knuckles with his lips. “There is nothing your brother could say or do to separate us now. I’ve already told you—if I have to choose, I’m going to choose you, baby.”
Struck by his loyalty, I pull myself up, cupping his face in my hands and kissing him soundly. This man… I can’t believe he’s been right next to me all this time and I’ve only just noticed how incredible he is. I can’t lose him. And I won’t.
Dan pulls back, resting his forehead against mine and closing his eyes. We share breaths, the only sounds around us being the noise from the yacht’s sails in the wind. Again, a confession of love is waiting right there on the tip of my tongue. I’m sure that I mean it, but still, I’m too much of a coward to tell him.
“No matter what happens,” I say instead, “I really liked this adventure between the two of us.”
Dan opens his eyes, as deep as the ocean around us, and in their depths, I see disappointment as well as love. He wants more from me, and I just can’t give it. At least not yet.
We embrace, and I’m not sure why, but it feels like a goodbye.
35
Capri, July 4, 2022
Elise
Once we have cleanedourselves up in the small yacht bathroom, Dan and I kiss one last time below deck, before we have to emerge and take the private car to the villa, where we get to pretend that we’re nothing but rivalrous friends once more.
The atmosphere in the car between us is tense, but once we arrive back at the villa, the energy is lighter and happier than I expected. Maybe Andries isn’t about to fuck things up… maybe he genuinely went out of his way to make me happy. Is that even possible?
Everyone is gathered on the terrace, and we follow their laughter to join them. At first, nothing seems amiss, just a group of people standing in a circle, but when Andries hears us approaching, he pivots quickly and steps to the side. Next to him is a man, even taller than my brother, who I don’t recognize from behind. But something about his silhouette is oddly familiar.
“Who is that?” Dan asks in a whisper, just as confused as I am.
That question is quickly answered when none other thanJohan Bentinckturns around, his smile as bright as the sun.
“Fuck,” Dan spits, his pace slowing down. “This guy? Seriously?”
No one seems to hear him, especially not Johan.
