Until I Met You

‘Ready to clock out?’ Hugo asked. ‘Tonight is sheet masks and Chardonnay.’

This declaration was greeted with an ear-piercing cry from all the girls. Sheet masks and Chardonnay was a timeworn tradition. It had started in Las Vegas and continued on every single one of their trips; Samantha couldn’t miss out.

She removed her apron and, without giving it too much thought, went over to give Roman a hug. It felt right. Hugging him, touching him, finishing his sentences, all of that felt natural now. He hugged her back, pinning her to him with an arm around her waist. The casual and friendly hug confirmed something she’d suspected. To be held by Roman, to feel him and breathe him, was a brief stay in heaven.

‘See you tomorrow?’ She was suddenly anxious she would not see him again soon enough for her liking.

He didn’t answer, not with words, anyway. His eyes told her he would not let her down again. So much about Roman was in the things he left unsaid.

Roman swept the sand his friends had dragged into the shop and locked up for the night. The spare apron Samantha had used was folded neatly on the counter. He smiled as he tossed it into a basket, along with his, for tomorrow’s laundry. He could not stop smiling.

Samantha had thought nothing of skipping out on an excursion with her friends to spend the day at the shop with him – a gesture that touched him in ways he hadn’t dared show. Not only that, she’d made it fun. She never once complained about the steady stream of work and filled the few moments of downtime with chatter and laughter.

Roman reached for his keys and phone, both stashed behind the counter. He had a string of unread messages from Anthony.

A’s phone: Dude, listen up. I’m loving you and Sam.

A’s phone: What do you think? She’s great, right?

A’s phone: This is a good thing. I know it.

A’s phone: Don’t blow your chance!

Sam was more than great. She was a stellar human being with a big, generous heart. She looked after her friends, and by some strange twist of fate, he was lucky enough to count himself among them. He didn’t need anyone telling him how good it could be between them. He’d got a glimpse of that from the brief hug they’d shared. Feisty Samantha turned him on in every possible way. If he had the slightest chance with her, he was not dumb enough to blow it.

Jen was new to sheet masks and Chardonnay night. She arrived with a bottle of expensive tequila purchased duty free at LAX. When Samantha greeted her at the door to Hugo’s bungalow, her eyes fell to the bottle and she raised a questioning brow.

‘I thought we could do shots,’ Jen said.

Clearly, she’d misunderstood. This girls’ night in centred on self-care, quiet conversation and aromatherapy courtesy of Jasmine, all in the soft glow of candlelight. Conceived in Vegas, after three consecutive all-nighters, the session had been necessary to prevent physical and mental breakdown. Holed up in Hugo’s hotel room, they’d got to know each other pretty well that night. It was one of Samantha’s fondest memories.

Hugo came to the door. Samantha stepped aside, leaving him the burden of explaining all this to Jen. He didn’t. Instead, he reached for the bottle. ‘Yes, and thanks,’ he said. ‘Come in. It’s a party now.’

He went straight to the kitchen and splashed tequila into paper cups.

All right, then. So much for that.

‘None for me,’ Naomi said from her bed of throw pillows on the floor. ‘I’m on a strict diet.’

Samantha balked. ‘Since when? You ate everything in sight yesterday.’

‘Which is why I have to cut back if I want to fit in my dress,’ she replied.

Jasmine lit a stalk of incense. ‘Don’t argue with the bride. She can do what she wants.’

Naomi raised two long, manicured fingers in the air. ‘Thanks, babe.’

Jen had brought salt and limes, as well. She helped Hugo distribute the cups and proposed a toast. ‘May the next sheet masks and Chardonnay night be held at my house in Los Angeles. You’re all invited.’

As far as toasts went, this one was unconventional. Samantha needed more information. ‘Are you saying your house in LA can accommodate us all?’

Naomi caught Samantha’s eye and nodded. Samantha mouthed the word wow.

‘Watch out,’ Hugo said. ‘Don’t think we won’t take you up on it.’

The evening went off the rails after that. Although it wasn’t very late, Jasmine proposed a late-night swim. ‘It’s a crime to be cooped up inside when it’s so gorgeous outside.’

And so, they all went back to their respective bungalows to change, and took the bottle of tequila to the pool where Adrian, Chris and Jason so happened to be hanging out. Naomi sent a message to Anthony and very soon he was diving backwards into the pool. Sickly solitude wormed its way into Samantha’s heart. There was the general malaise of being the only single girl in this field of couples, most all of them frolicking in the water, plus the sting of missing Roman.

She itched to call him, even though she had no idea where he lived or how long it would take him to get here on such short notice. She didn’t even have his number. She missed him when she threw back another tequila shot, and when she pretended to laugh at Adrian’s jokes or feigned interest in Jason’s stories, and especially when she sunk into the warm waters of the pool to escape them all.