How to Honeymoon Alone

“Join me?” he asks.

I slowly pull out the chair. “Yeah, thanks. I’m not used to seeing you here.”

“I decided to check out the buffet,” he says.

I look meaningfully at the lack of a plate before him.

He chuckles. “I had pancakes a while ago.”

“You’ve been waiting for me?”

“I might’ve been,” he admits and puts down the tablet. I catch the headline. He’s reading the Chicago news. “You’re up later than usual today.”

“Yeah, I wanted to sleep in.”

He nods. Color rises up his cheeks, but the eyes on mine are as steady as always. “Right. I’ll come with you, I want another cup.”

We fill up our plates. Mine with pancakes, fruit, a piece of toast, and a little bowl of acai and granola. His, another large cup of coffee and a croissant.

Nerves turn over in my stomach as we sit back down. He’s the one who broaches the topic, leaning back in the chair.

“About yesterday,” he says.

I shake my head. “Yeah, I shouldn’t have answered your phone like that. It was crossing a line. But I’m glad you explained the situation afterward. Thanks for that. For clarifying, I mean.”

“Mm-hmm,” he says. He hasn’t shaved today, either, and the beard is growing in, accentuating his sharp jaw. “Eden, I wasn’t trying to hide anything from you.”

“No, I get that.”

“She’s the last person I want to talk about while I’m here,” he says. “Especially with you.”

“Especially with me?”

“Yes. An attractive woman, fun conversations, and a paradise island. Why would I want to bring up my ex?”

I grimace. “I’ve spoken a lot about mine.”

“Yeah, but I enjoy hearing you talk.” He stretches his neck, like he’s shared too much. “Anyway. She’s not my fiancée anymore, Eden. I’m not like your ex.”

“No, I know,” I say, nodding again. “I realized that.”

“Just wanted to make that clear.”

“Mm-hmm.” I take a sip of my juice. “Got it. And you’re not, by the way. You’re super different.”

“Super different?”

“Yes. Well, so far, at least. I don’t know what you’re like outside of fancy resorts and catamaran cruises, you know.”

He snorts and reaches for his croissant. The sleeves of his button-down are rolled up, the linen fabric slightly rumpled. Combined with the thickening facial hair and the unstyled strands, he looks even more handsome. Manly and relaxed.

I attack my pancakes to keep from attacking him.

“Perhaps I’m different back home,” he says. “But aren’t you?”

I consider the question. “Yes. I usually wear more clothes.”

He laughs. It breaks the tension between us, resets the score, and I smile down at my food. It feels like a small victory every time I get a laugh out of him.

“What a bummer,” he says.

I roll my eyes, but I’m smiling. “Yeah. I bet the men of Pinecrest are real sad about that.”

“They should be,” he says. He reaches down to his tablet and locks the screen, turning it over.

I take a deep breath. “Yesterday, I reacted pretty strongly by needing time alone. Some of it was that call, but it was also… I got a bit overwhelmed.”

His eyes are locked on mine. Go on, they say.

“It’s been a lot, you know? Meeting you, going on excursions, and… staying in.”

“It has,” he says.

“I’ve enjoyed all of it,” I say quickly. “A lot. And then, I realized we only have two days left, and the real world is waiting for me when I get back…”

A smile hides in the corner of his mouth. “Right.”

“Anyway, I overreacted, and I want to make sure we make the best out of our remaining time here.”

“Good,” he says. “Because I agree completely.”

I smile widely at him. “Awesome.”Têxt © NôvelDrama.Org.

“So, what are your plans for your last days on the island?”

My hand goes to the guidebook, lying beside my phone on the table. There are a few pages earmarked that I had hoped…

Phillip clocks the motion. “Ah. What does the holy book say?”

“There’s tons to do here,” I say. “As I’m sure your fabulous travel planner told you.”

He nods. “There’s an appendix to my itinerary with a history of the island.”

“No way?”

“Yes.”

“Can I see it?”