ROSALINE
After a few hours, the plane descended gracefully, touching down on Costa Rica soil. There was evidence of relief on Gerald's face as he made his way out of the plane, while I took out time to register the moment.
Immediately, we were met by a valet who accompanied us into the huge suite- but before my brain could catch up with everything else, I have to say- Maui looked more stunning than I'd hoped it'd be. It was extremely beautiful... The warm, tropical air enveloped me, the smell of fresh flowers filling my senses, and I stared, slack-jawed, at this place, which was paradise, undoubtedly.
The sheer beauty of the landscape overwhelmed me as I tottered behind Gerald like a lost child. He didn't seem fazed or impressed by the landscape, but I shared contrasting sentiments. I needed to take in every side of this place that I could. Rolling green hills, palm trees swaying daintily in the gentle breeze, and the distant sound of crashing waves.
Aside from the sound of the waves, I could hear chattering, joyful noises from kids and adults alike. It had barely been a minute, but I concluded this was a well-deserved trip.
"Would I have to leash you, Rosaline?" Gerald's voice pried through my thoughts. He turned to me, and I looked up at him, pouting. He was such a killjoy. We walked behind the valets into the ridiculously big building. No wonder they needed him here. It was absolutely business.
"Like I required a leash for you at that party? No, thank you."
"The party where I saved your ass?"
"What ass?" I quizzed angrily
"Exactly." He shook his head slightly, looking past me, and I instantly realized what he was trying to say. "What ass?"
"Rude!" I brushed past him, continuing my lovely survey of the place. "Why did I have to come to such a beautiful place with him? It's ruining the fun," I mumbled.
"What did you say?" Gerald inquired, his footsteps resounding behind me. "What did you say?"
"Go save bigger asses, pretty boy," I retorted, not bothering to look back at him.
My response was displeasing, as it should be, a frown appeared on his face, and he scowled. Such a petty person, but his girl-child attitude had no effect on the surge of excitement that was building up inside of me as we made our way in. It was even grander than his and my parents' house altogether.
Then again, what did I expect? It made me wonder how much more they'd earn with Gerald here. Does this mean we'd be having another interview, or reporters are glazing, skittering around to find something to talk about? The thought of that had me on edge.
Gerald's voice distracted me. "I see no reason why we travel four hours to take a vacation on Mount Everest-" He rolled his eyes. "Does water taste different here? Or do you plan to take pictures with the Zebras and whales?"
"Rather than ask useless questions, why don't you head to the reception, huh?" I nudged him. "Let's smile for the camera and get this over with."
He spared me one last glance, a mean one that I'd have taken seriously if the scenery did not too awe me. The receptionist, a young lady with a beautiful smile, handed us a key after Gerald cleared out the reservation.
A key. Just one. Not like I expected two or anything. I slipped past him and leaned against the counter. "Hi, is there a way I could make a reservation for another room? I'd like to clock in now."
Her eyes darted from me to Gerald, and she stuttered. "I..." She tucked her hair behind her ears. "The tickets are for... a couple programs, ma'am."
Oh, shit. Of course, it was! "Ah..." I let out the driest laugh from the depths of my throat. "Of course, of course! I'm aware of that! I wasn't going to make the reservation for myself or anything. I mean, it'd be weird, right? I'm with my husband. Yes, and..." My voice trailed off.
The embarrassment couldn't keep me from ranting. "And we're so in love!"
Gerald came to the rescue, taking the key from her. "Sorry about that," he said, then turned to me and continued through gritted teeth. "My lovely wife here is drunk on Maui air."
"Understandable," The receptionist beamed. "Have a lovely stay."
We said our temporary farewells and walked into the room we were escorted to, neither of us saying a thing.
"Can you make it less obvious when you lie, Pinocchio?" Gerald said in a low growl. "Your face turns into an embarrassing amount of red when you lie, and your pretty little lips just wouldn't seal!"
I shrugged. "Not everyone should be like you."
The valet led us to the room, and soon, we were sealed in an awkward silence of unexpected co-existence. The room is big enough for four, or more, but with Gerald's six-foot frame, it felt more minor, and I was beginning to imagine camping under the dining table somewhere- anywhere I didn't have to come in any form of contact with him.
The valet and his squeaking trolley behind us stopped and offloaded the petty luggage we had on. "I hope you enjoy your honeymoon!"
"What?"
"Gross--" I mumbled.
Realization weaved its way into the poor staff, and he apologized profusely for his slur, bowing repeatedly. Those six words left a bitter taste in my throat. He walked out, and the room fell into a deafening silence.
"Imagine someone thinking I'm married to you. Gross!," I said, spinning across the room. A living room and a bedroom.
"I should be the one concerned here."
I was still glancing around when it clicked in my head. Honeymoon. Vacation. Couple. Oh, no. Oh, no. "Wait a minute!" I ran across the living room and flung the only visible door by the side open.
Yeah- just one bed. One massively big bed, decorated with red satin sheets and flowers all over. Vibrations ran down my spine, and I turned to Gerald. "There's... just one."
"One what?" He questioned, walking to where I was. He finally saw it, and we momentarily made eye contact. My stomach flipped, and I felt as though my knees were jerking. "One bed..."
We hadn't discussed the sleeping arrangement beforehand- probably because no one is expected to be stuck together in a room sprawling with roses, candlelight on the dining table, and a bed adorned with scarlet red blankets and a weirdly joint pillow.
Like he read my thoughts off my face. "You take the couch," he instructed.
"Uh?"
"WHAT!?" he exclaimed, sighing. "You just looked at that room like it disgusted you so much, so take the couch."
"Oh, wow! That's so gentlemanly of you! Do you expect appreciation?"
"You sound like you don't want it. What do you want then? The roof, or the toilet seat?"
"Did I tell you I do?!" I barked at him. "Why would you instantly suggest a lady should take the couch? That's so barbaric!"
"Oh my god, Rosaline. Take the room then," he looked at the couch, his voice lazy. It looked comfy enough. I loved the couch, but his offering it was so off-putting.
"Stop making it sound like it's such a chore!"
He ruffled his hair, sighing dejectedly. "Swing by the balcony then, Spider-Man. Do what you want. Or come with me on the bed. It's big enough to share!"
Tempting. Such a tempting offer. The kind that led to all sorts of bad decisions. I couldn't believe I was even contemplating it. I let out a broken sigh, scanning the room for longer than I should.
"Tempting offer, right?" His silky voice grazed past my ears. "Just take it."
I stumped his feet, staggering away from him. My cheeks were burning, and I feared that he'd notice, or hear how loudly my heart was thumping against my chest. "You sneaky perv. Get that thought out of your head!"
"You seem to be the one doing the thinking," he taunted, his hand reaching out to me, and I squirmed. "Do you want to share the bed, Rosaline?"
"No!" I took off my jacket and aggressively launched it at him. "And I take the room."
"You have the temper of the animals we might see on this vacation."
I stopped in my tracks and paused to lean against the doorknob. "Why see them when you're going to be stuck in this suite with me? I can brey if that's what you're into."
He was displeased but chose silence as I made my way into the room, angrily stomping my feet. "Too much anger for that size," I heard him mutter.
"What did you say!?"
"Nothing... just prepare for the dinner. We have to be outside. That's the main reason we're here. Let me live, witch."
I chortled because I found it adorable that he accepted defeat, for the first time in forever. Maybe sharing the suite with him wasn't so bad after all.
Maybe...
#
About an hour had passed from unpacking, and we finally got ready to tour the place. We got out of our room, making our way to the lobby without words, although I was having a hard time tearing my gaze away from him.
Seriously, was this the best time for a man to be wearing a top that hugged his biceps and a knicker so short that his calves were out in public? I hadn't seen Gerald like this, ever. It was nice to see that he wore something else other than a suit, but that didn't make it any better.
I was beginning to feel possessive of him for no reason. Gerald suddenly turned, catching my eyes on him, and I immediately looked away, scared to my stomach.
"Are you checking me out?" he smiled coyly as he asked. " Just when I was beginning to think you've had enough of me."
Ah, yes. That arrogance was something he sure couldn't do without. I smirked, eyeing him. "I was just wondering why a man had such a large butt. Do you do glute workouts only?"
He looked perfect, and that was simply annoying. I had to find something to say about him, no matter how untrue it was.
"And you clearly seem not to be doing any," he responded without breaking a sweat. Gerald was too well aware of his charms, and he knew how to use them, too. "Take your eyes off my butt and..."
"Wait..." I looked up ahead and caught a glimpse of the last person I'd ever hope to find here. "Which company did you say sponsored this vacation?"
Gerald trailed the direction I was looking before answering. "Fuck!" he cussed and, grabbed me by the waist, and pulled me in the opposite direction. "Not today!"
I didn't know which to be bothered about, whether the fact that Jonathan suddenly appeared out of thin air or that I was being anchored with his hand wrapped around my waist. The shock sat on my face, and I exhaled through my mouth, trying to contain the adrenaline rush.
God, it felt good feeling his arm around me. Anything to feel more of this. Anything to-
My thoughts screeched to a halt, and the pleasure faded when that all too familiar voice hollered at me, then at Gerald.
He found us. Jonathan saw us, and he sashayed through the lobby like he owned the place. Well, his father did.
"Isn't it my favorite couple!" Jonathan clapped in awe as he stood before us, bringing the atmosphere to its ruins. He leaned closer and placed a brief kiss on my cheek. "You, my love, look stunning as always!"
I cringed in disgust, my fingers twitching to wipe my face. "Heyy," I added an unreasonable amount of Y's. "It's Jonathan."
"Jonathan, I sure wasn't hoping to see you here," Gerald grumbled, and I nudged his side. "Such a pleasant surprise!"
"Yes!" Jonathan snapped his fingers. "It is a surprise! The moment I was informed that you'd accepted our invitation, I volunteered to be your tour guide. I was going to come get you, but my luck shone through!"
I guess ours didn't. This was ill-luck. Gerald and I exchanged glances. "Can we do this later?" Gerald inquired. "I get that this is for the company's publicity, but it isn't a convenient time for me. For us."
"And that's exactly why I'm here to make it convenient!" Jonathan countered. "Come with me, gentleman and stunning lady, our first stop is my favorite spot. The bar! Let's get drunk, people!"