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“That’s too bad,” Sebastian replies, and he honestly sounds like he’s being genuine. “If you change your mind, call me anytime and we can add you on. The offer remains open.”
“Thank you, sir. Have a good day.”
“You too, Dan.”
Not only does taking the bachelor trip the same week as the Van den Bosch family trip ensure that Elise and I won’t have the opportunity to find ourselves conveniently alone somewhere, but it means Andries won’t have to dwell on his family being on holiday without him. He’ll be with me, his fiancée, and the rest of his friends, having the time of his life.
The travel agent is patiently waiting for me, and he beams when I take my seat across from him once more. I can see why he’s so happy, knowing how much this is going to cost me, butit’s a once in a lifetime trip. My best friend is getting married, and I’m more than happy to go all out.
I fill out all the necessary paperwork and billing information while the agent explains the itinerary and activities for each day. The five-bedroom villa we’ll stay in overlooks the sea, which is a deep, dark blue, and the Faraglione di Mezzo poking above the water like some ancient ruins. He flips through the pictures of everything: the sailboat that will take us to Capri, the breathtaking views, and even the Blue Grotto, lit with an otherworldly glow.
There aren’t many places I haven’t traveled, but this is one I’ve yet to explore. My mind drifts as the agent shows me more and more shots, thinking about how amazing it would be to spend my time there with Elise instead of her brother. She would fit right in, her long hair drenched in salt water and only a bikini on her perfect body. I want to share it all with her, but of course, it’s impossible, and I have to force myself to brush the thought away.
“Mr. O’Brian?” the agent asks, seeing that my mind is elsewhere. “Do you want to make the reservation?”
“Uh, sorry. Yes, check-in for the second of July. Go ahead and book it.”
“Splendid! We will fly you to Napoli and from there, a private boat will pick you and your group up and take you to Capri. It’s going to be like paradise on Earth, I assure you.”
I simply nod, putting my last signature on the paperwork, trying as hard as I can not think of the only person I really want to be in paradise with, and how she will be just out of my reach.
With as worked up as I’ve been, fencing class with Andries is a welcome relief. Feeling my muscles stretch and warm up helps me clear my head, and by the time I break a sweat, I’m feeling more like myself.
Andries is as serious as he ever is at practice, all his movements tight and controlled. He lunges, weaves away, and lunges again, desperately trying to get a hit on me, but I’m full to the brim of pent-up energy. He’s out of luck if he thinks he’s going to win tonight. The happy-go-lucky Andries that I’ve seen the past few weeks isn’t here today; not when he’s so zeroed in on winning.
When I inevitably take the victory, Andries rips his face shield off and throws it down. “What is with you today?! It’s like you’re working on overdrive!”
I laugh, thinking about how his sister is a lot of the reason I’ve got so much built up inside of me. “Maybe you’re just slow?”
“Dan, I swear—”
“I booked the trip,” I interrupt, and his mouth snaps shut. “Your bachelor trip, I mean. We’re leaving July second.”
“That’s in two weeks!” he exclaims, his grumpy attitude changing quickly into excitement. “Where exactly are we going?”
“Italy,” I say simply, knowing that he’s going to press me. “But that’s all I’m telling you. It’s a surprise.”
He tucks his rapier under his arm, glowering at me. “You can’t do that, Dan. I have to know what to pack, and what to tell Roxie to bring too. She’ll never accept ‘it’s a surprise’ as an excuse. You know how she is.”
I had hoped to hold the last little bit of the secret, which is the exact location of the trip, close to my chest until just a few days beforehand, but I’m almost as excited as Andries is. He’s practically buzzing with it, and I can’t hold it back from him any longer.
“Fine, you win, you impatient jerk. We’re going to Capri.”
Andries freezes, processing the information before his face splits into the widest grin I’ve ever seen on his face. He surges forward and hugs me, slapping me heartily on the back and causing me to drop my own rapier.
“Capri! I can’t believe it! I’ve always wanted to go there.” He grabs me by the shoulders and leans back to look at me. “You’re the best best man ever, you know that?”
What I do know is that he wouldn't be saying that if he knew what I was thinking about his sister day in and day out, but there’s no reason to share that with him now. “Anything for you, buddy. You deserve it.”
27
Amsterdam, June 27, 2022
Elise
There’ssomething about the last Monday before vacation that makes time slow to a crawl. It’s been a little over two weeks since my birthday, and all the tumultuous feelings that came along with my party and the attendance of one Mr. Dan O’Brian have now dulled to a manageable level… but I still miss him terribly.
Combined with the fact that I’m at work with very little to do has me bored nearly to tears. Since Dad is also leaving next week, work has been sparse at the company as we all wind down to close the office for a few days, and the amount of busy work has now become a trickle. I feel like I’m only here to stare at the computer screen and nothing else.
