Chapter 105 BEACH ESCAPE
Godiva POV
“It was Slosh, he wanted to ask if I was free,” I explained to Dina after dropping the call, noticing the cold stare she kept throwing my way.
“Slosh?” she echoed in surprise. “Why does he suddenly care whether you’re free or not?”
“I honestly have no idea,” I murmured, stretching lazily and yawning at the same time.
“We’re here,” Ben announced excitedly the second we drove through the giant gate leading to the beach.
“So soon?” I gasped softly, smiling despite myself as I glanced through the window. Even from afar, the beach looked breathtaking.
After parking the car, we brought out the bags containing snacks, drinks, and other things Ben and Jerald packed for the outing.
The entrance leading to the beach looked like a massive jungle sculpture with a gigantic mouth opened wide. We were supposed to walk through the mouth into a tunnel that led directly to the beach. At first glance, the entire thing looked terrifying enough to swallow people whole.
“Come on girl, don’t tell me you’re scared,” Ben teased loudly before bursting into laughter. Jerald joined him almost immediately, but the laughter died halfway the second I shot him a cold stare.
“I’m not scared,” I defended quickly. “I was only… taking caution.”
“Sure,” Dina mocked under her breath, laughing.
“Wowww… this is beautiful,” Dina squealed excitedly the moment we stepped out onto the beach. “This is literally the best beach I’ve ever seen.”
The beach looked more like a luxury resort than an actual beach. Unlike the regular crowded beaches we usually saw in movies or on television, this place looked exotic in every possible way. The atmosphere was calm, the sand looked cleaner, the water glittered beautifully beneath the sunlight, and the entire environment screamed wealth.
“You girls have never been here before?” Jerald asked with genuine surprise.
“Nope, never,” Dina replied, still admiring the scenery like a child seeing fireworks for the first time.
“Honestly, where have we spent our entire lives apart from church and home?” I chipped in jokingly, laughing.
“For real?” Jerald blurted immediately.
“Yep,” Dina confirmed dramatically. “The only time we even visited a beach was during my tenth birthday.”
“Then how exactly do you know this beach is different from others?” Ben teased mischievously.
“Because I’ve watched enough movies with beach scenes,” I fired back proudly.
“And we’re here,” Jerald announced, dropping the luggage beside a large cabana.
The cabana looked incredibly beautiful and spacious. It had soft bouncy massage chairs that practically begged people to sleep on them, transparent curtains flowing gently from the top, and another thick covering that resembled a tent you could zip completely shut.
I stared at the enclosed tent-like side suspiciously.
“That part was definitely created for fornicators who lack self-control even in public,” I muttered bluntly.
Ben choked on absolutely nothing.
“Jesus Christ Diva,” Dina laughed loudly.
Even Jerald nearly burst into laughter before quickly suppressing it.
“Just tell me why we’ve never been here before,” Dina groaned dramatically as she threw herself onto one of the massage chairs.
“Maybe because your parents don’t know the beach exists,” Jerald explained while arranging the snacks and drinks neatly on the small table there. “Most people only know the amusement park side.”
“But this place looks really expensive,” I observed quietly, still admiring the environment.
“That’s because it’s a private beach,” Ben explained lazily from his chair. “You have to book before coming.”
“You should’ve said that earlier,” I muttered in amusement as I sat beside him. “That explains why the place isn’t crowded.”
Dina was already rushing toward the empty seat beside me to avoid sitting near Ben when Jerald beat her to it calmly.
For a long while, silence settled between us as we laid back on the chairs, admiring the beach and quietly absorbing the peaceful atmosphere.
“So… congratulations girls,” Ben finally announced with a smile. “We brought you here against your wishes because we already promised ourselves we’d celebrate here if you girls won.”
He paused briefly before continuing in a softer tone.
“I know what happened with the prize money was messed up, but don’t worry. This is Mavic City, you’ll definitely get your money back.”
Dina and I exchanged small smiles at his reassurance.
“Congratulations Zhin,” Jerald added quietly. “I know things aren’t exactly okay between us right now, and I’m forever sorry for what I did, but a promise is a promise.”
Taking a deep breath, he reached for the large shopping bag beside him before bringing out a black gift bag.
“Here… my promise.”
For the first time ever, hearing “Zhin” from Jerald’s lips irritated me deeply. Part of me wanted rejecting the gift completely, but I knew the gift itself had done nothing wrong.
“Thank you for keeping your promise,” I replied softly while taking the bag from him with the type of smile that carried hidden pain.
The relief on Jerald’s face became instantly visible the second I accepted it.
“Awwn,” Dina cooed dramatically while pretending to wipe invisible tears from her eyes.
“Here’s yours mi amor,” Ben announced, bringing out another gift bag from the same shopping bag.
Dina narrowed her eyes at him dramatically without collecting it.
“I’m very sorry amor,” Ben continued quickly. “I honestly don’t even know why I’m apologizing anymore, but I’m sorry.”
“Thank you for this Ben… or should I say mi love,” Dina teased theatrically before finally collecting the gift and throwing herself into his arms.
Jerald and I immediately turned our faces away the second they started kissing. The envy sitting heavily inside my chest annoyed me even more.
“Can you both kindly get another tent and leave us here?” I teased dryly while they continued their kissing marathon shamelessly.
“If you’re capable, I dare you to do same with Jerald,” Dina challenged immediately after pulling away briefly.
“You’re sick,” I muttered, adjusting my position on the chair.
“Guys, we didn’t come here to stare at each other all day,” Jerald announced suddenly, clapping his hands together lightly. “How about we actually go have fun at the beach?”
“I’ve been waiting for this moment forever,” Dina squealed excitedly as she jumped to her feet.
“And here I was thinking you enjoyed my company,” Ben teased dramatically while pulling off his shirt.
“Don’t misunderstand me,” Dina laughed. “I definitely enjoyed the moment, but this beach? I’m ready to explore everything.”
She was already attempting to remove her shirt when Ben suddenly called out sweetly.
“Amor…”
“What?” Dina answered absentmindedly.
“We forgot to buy swimsuits,” Ben reminded while pointing directly at her half-raised shirt.
“Damn!” Dina screamed instantly before dragging the shirt back down in embarrassment. “I completely forgot.”
“You’re gradually losing your sanity,” I teased, laughing hard while shaking my head.
“Don’t worry,” Ben assured calmly. “There’s a beach shop over there where we can get swimsuits.”
He pointed toward a nearby building not too far away.
“What kind of swimsuit would you want?” Jerald asked softly, finally turning toward me again.
“Don’t worry about me,” I replied with an obvious fake smile. “I’m perfectly fine staying here.”
Little did I know how much I’d regret those words by evening.