Our Love Story

Bliss. Pure coconut-rum-infused bliss.

“Is drunk-Chloe going to be joining us in Tahiti?” Noah asks, squeezing my shoulders, then kissing my neck. “Because I haven’t met her and I must admit to being curious.”

“Ha-ha,” I say as Ethan and Mason leave to check in for us. “I’ve never actually been drunk before. A few drinks here and there, sure, but I’ve never gotten crazy.”

Enzo grins, calling over the waitress and asking for another cocktail. She looks at me with judgment in her eyes, and I glance at the floor, not wanting to call attention to myself. But I can feel her watching me, seeing Noah’s hands around my waist, noticing Enzo’s bright eyes as he looks at me. The way the guys all treat me. Like I am theirs.

When Enzo replaces my empty glass with a new one I smile and thank him, determined not to let a stranger dictate how I feel. But then I also remember the pilot’s frown when he took a look at us, our bodies a tangle of limbs. And the way the woman at the airport scowled at me when I held both Noah and Ethan’s hands.

But Enzo smiles back and his attitude rubs off on me. “You guys, I’m already jet-lagged, this is gonna be trouble.”

“Aww, live a little, Bambina.”

Smirking, I take another drink. “We have no idea what kind of person drunk-Chloe might be. I could be totally boring and pass out for fourteen hours.”

Noah laughs. “Or, she could be totally wild and…”

I cut him off, raising an eyebrow. “Honestly, I think I’ve been wild enough the past few weeks to get a free pass there. Remember what I did with that chocolate sauce?”

That shuts him up. A few days ago I poured chocolate sauce on Noah’s cock and went to town. What can I say? I have a penchant for sweets.

He raises his hands in defeat. “I retract. You’re plenty wild without any libations.”

I smile, a twinkle in my eye. “Well, now I’m curious.” I down my drink and wipe my mouth as ladylike as possible, considering I’ve had three cocktails in fifteen minutes.

When Mason and Ethan return with five room keys I admit to being surprised and it isn’t the booze reacting. I don’t want to be alone.

“Here’s your key, Chloe,” Ethan says.

In Jamaica, we shared a house, which meant we prepared our meals together and could sprawl out in the shared spaces, but at a big resort like this? “I’ll be flying solo?”

Mason squeezes my shoulder. “We just thought this way you could have space if you need it, and we’re all staying pretty close to one another, we each have our own hut on the water, in a row.”

I nod. “I see. It’s just, I get a little anxious being by myself in a foreign country.” I shake my head, hating how insecure I feel. But I clearly remember how alone I felt in Jamaica, on the beach before the guys found me. How scary it was.

Enzo lifts my chin, our eyes locking. “It’s okay, Bella. We’re here for you. You can share your room with someone every night, or if you want to be in someone else’s room, that’s okay too. We mostly want to make sure you aren’t overwhelmed by all of us.”

“That’s thoughtful, and space might be important. You could all get sick of me,” I tell them, linking arms with Enzo as we walk toward the water where our rooms are. He tsk-tsks me, telling me that it would be impossible to get tired of me. The sentiment is sweet, but even when they’ve all admitted they love me, sometimes it’s still hard to accept.

The view is breathtaking. The water is so vivid, so clear, the sand so white. It’s truly paradise. There are dozens of huts on stilts over the water, and just like Mason said, our rooms are in a row––and my room is right in the center.

“Want to check it out?” Ethan asks, taking my hand. I nod, and we walk down the dock to my room. The other guys scatter to their own spaces, needing showers and time to unpack.

In my room, I drop my tote bag and pull open the blackout curtains so I can see the view. I blink in astonishment as a group of dolphins jumps in the distance.

“This is insanity,” I say, still not quite believing that my life landed me here. I could be in a cubicle working as an accountant. Instead, I’m here. “It feels like too much.” Suddenly a wave of emotions washes over me, and I blink back tears, not expecting to cry at this moment.

“When life has been cruel for so long, it can be hard to accept the good things when they come.” Ethan steps behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. I lean back into him, knowing his past matches mine in some ways. We were both alone for so long.