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Amsterdam, July 2, 2022
Elise
“I will do my best,Dad. I can only spend so much time with them, you know.”
“I know, I know.” Pops lets out a sigh on the other side of the line. Despite everything going on in my mind today, I’m happy he at least gave me a call before I catch my flight. “Honestly, dear, I will miss you on our summer trip this year. I hope whatever you’re doing in Capri is worth your time.”
I think of Dan poised above me last night, and blush furiously, glad that Dad is miles away at our home estate and not here in person. “I think it will be. Just… give me some time to work on it.”
“Well, try to have a good time, yes? I know you’re all work all the time, but you can squeeze in some time for fun.”
More mental images of Dan flash through me, and I drag my hand over my face. “Yeah, yeah, Dad, I get it. I’ll send you and Mom a message when we land.”
“Have a good flight, dear. Keep an eye on your brother.”
With an exhausted laugh, I hang the phone up and cram it into the pocket of my leggings. With everything going on in my life, especially the last twenty-four hours, I had almost completely forgotten that my excuse for skipping the family trip with my dad was to try and split Andries and Roxanne up. At this point, I find myself thinking of them as a permanent couple more and more before I catch myself and remember that I’m supposed to hate the idea of them together. Truth is, seeing my brother happy makes me happy, even though he infuriates me to tears at times.
There is no denying that the biggest reason I’m going to Capri is for my own personal gain. I want to spend time with Dan, and see if I can get under his skin and between his sheets, all while not getting caught by Andries. We’re basically going to be in paradise, and I want to make the most of it.
So why did you act so distant with him this morning?
I can’t help but wonder what caused me to behave like that. The truth is when I looked over at him in the morning light, it felt like panic and exaltation combined, and I had fought with the desire to lean forward and press my lips all over his adored face and flee his bed with all the speed my legs could manage.
With all the conflicting feelings churning inside me, I had frozen. I can't let Dan know how much he means to me, how much I’ve wanted for him to do the things he did to me yesterday; it’d make me look like a complete fool. And yet, his signature is written all over my body; in the soreness between my legs, my swollen lips, and the warm areas where his stubble had rasped against my neck, making it more sensitive than ever. I became a coward in the face of it all, pulling on my clothes and running to the bathroom, hoping to get home and sort through my feelings before he woke up. Unfortunately, Dan was up almost immediately after me, and I had still been in that frozenmindset. I know I upset him, but there was no help for it. I’d messed up, so now I have to figure out my next move.
The rest of the morning is a blur, gathering my things and finishing up all my preparations for the trip. The schedule had been so tight when Dan finally invited me that I had hired a personal shopper to pick up my new things for Capri, giving her a few inspirational images and just hoping for the best. When the packages were delivered and I parsed through what was bought, some of the items were so skimpy or out of my comfort zone that they made me feel prematurely embarrassed, but I shook it off and at this point, I’m excited to show myself off for Dan. I want to show him an entirely new side of myself. No more workaholic, underhanded Elise. He was going to be dealing with Elise, the woman, and all her varied desires.
For the flight, I pull on a pair of bike shorts that leave nothing to the imagination and a breezy, taupe button-up shirt that ties under my ribs, exposing just enough of the skin of my stomach to catch the eye. With one last look around my apartment, I text the driver to come get my luggage, and I’m ready.
It’s strangely lonely, riding over to the airport on my own, with only my phone to keep me company. Once we arrive, it’s even stranger to arrive and ascend the steps onto the jet alone, because once I’m inside, it’s readily obvious that I’m the odd one out.
Andries and Roxanne are glowing with happiness, Roxie with her legs draped over my brother’s as they talk quietly, probably about all the beautiful, private little moments they plan on having once we arrive. Roxie’s sister Lili and her boyfriend Robin are sitting across from them, less touchy with one another but still clearly excited. A trip to Capri can be a once-in-a-lifetime thing for a lot of couples, and I wonder if Dan knows how special this whole thing really is.
Speaking of Dan, the only other person who has arrived as a singleton, he’s lounging in a seat of his own, hair slicked back, wearing a lightweight summer suit unbuttoned to display the tan skin of his upper chest. I think about how my lips have kissed his throat, and heat ripples through me. He isn’t looking at me, but something tells me that it’s a struggle for him not to. It’s bizarre to think that we were just a mess of tangled limbs just the night before and now we have to pretend to be antagonistic almost-friends again. We’re lovers, or at least we were, and I want to sit close to him like Roxie is with my brother so much that it almost hurts. I’m used to putting on a brave face, though, and this will be no exception.
There is no way he can ignore me the entire ten days we’re there. I’ve got a bag full of the sexiest outfits I’ve ever owned, and a body he’s proven he can’t resist. It’s just a matter of time before his walls crumble.
I greet everyone as we make our way on board, hugging my brother and exchanging happy greetings with everyone else, taking a seat across from Dan so he’s forced to acknowledge me at least a little bit. The nod he gives me is tight, but his frown holds a lot of secrets that I can’t quite decipher yet. There’s a lot going on in that handsome head of his, but I have plenty of time to figure out what it is.
There is a touch of awkwardness among us all. I’m sure everyone knows that I didn’t get invited until the last minute and that Dan didn’t want me to come for whatever reason. Certainly, Andries and Roxanne do, since they broke the news of the Capri trip in the first place. All I can hope is that Robin and Lili don’t know so I can keep my embarrassment to a minimum. Not that I’m ashamed about having scored an invite at the last minute… especially after last night… but I know everyone expects me to be.
“I’m glad you’re joining us,” Roxanne says, addressing the elephant in the room so no one else has to.
“Me too,” I respond, telling her with my eyes a silentthank youfor having gotten that out of the way.
“You know, this was supposed to be a guys’ trip, not a family vacation,” Dan mutters, but Roxanne and Lili just laugh.
“We all know that isn’t Andries’s sort of thing anyway. He likes to be around all us ladies,” Roxanne quips.
Andries rolls his eyes but then turns to his fiancée with an affectionate look.
“One of them at least,” he tells the group, receiving more laughter.
Dan is back to looking out the window as the plane begins to taxi and take off. Conversation is quickly moving on to other subjects, so I take a second to shoot him a quick message.
Elise:You can’t ignore me forever.
I watch him pick up his phone, read the message, and put it away once more without even an ounce of recognition. I narrow my eyes at him, but it’s not like he’s looking anyway, so, resigned to my boring fate for the trip to Capri, I settle back into my seat with a huff.
