The house was like nothing she had ever seen before. She knew there was more to Jamaica than the stereotypes of marijuana and crime but she never realized the beauty.
�Are you coming? It gets better on the inside.�
She smiled at Derek, �I don�t know if I could take it. I might faint.�
�I�ll catch you.�
She smiled a bit as she followed him, with her suitcase that he was carrying, into the house.
He was right. It did get better. Much better as she stood there with her mouth open.
He laughed, �If you�re going to hang with us you�ve got to get used to this kind of stuff.�
She shook her head, �Its not that. It�s just I have this thing for architecture, interior design and all that girly pretty stuff.�
�I guess that�s why none of us are fazed by any of it. We can�t appreciate it.� He said nonchalantly as he looked around the house.
�Whose house is this?�
�It�s rented. My agent set it up. Come on, I�ll show you to your room.�
She stood in the middle of the room and before she could do anything he laughed.
�If you stand there with your mouth open I�m putting you on standby for the next plane back to Florida.�
She had to stop. It was going to get embarrassing. She was acting like she�d never been anywhere before.
�I wasn�t.�
�So, is this room ok?�
�Yeah, its perfect.�
Perfect because the guys wouldn�t dare sleep in it she thought. The walls were a very soft pink, so soft at first glance it simply appeared to be a dull white. The curtains were sheer white and flowing with the soft breeze. It was so island-like.
He placed her suitcase on the floor near the bed, �If you need anything just yell we�re all here.�
�Thanks.�
He was walking out the door when she called out, �Thanks for letting me tag along on the boys� retreat. I won�t get in the way.�
He laughed, �You�re welcome.�
She started unpacking; putting away her clothes in the dressers. She opened the closet and saw hangers; they had thought of everything. She lined her shoes on the floor of the closet and hung her remaining clothes.
She headed out into the living room and saw Jack and Ben sitting around on chairs, each with a beer in their hand.
�What are we going to do now?�
They all looked at her and Ben slapped the sofa beside him, �Relaxing, sit down.�
She sat down and knew she wasn�t going to be able to sit in silence like they were doing. From the sofa, she could see the ocean and stood up.
�Where are you going?� Ben asked.
�Out back to see the view.�
There wasn�t a sliding glass door like back home, she stepped through double doors that had been opened completely. In the backyard was a pool with lounge chairs all around. Behind the water was a large green plush lawn and just beyond the grass was the ocean.
�You better watch out or you�ll fall in love with this place.�
She turned to see Derek walking towards her, �Too late. I�m head over heels.�
�I know what you mean.� He looked down at her feet, �This is Jamaica, you�re not allowed to wear shoes.�
She looked down to see that he was not breaking the rules; his was barefoot. He moved towards the pool and motioned her to follow. Her shoes came off easily and she sat down next to him and they plunged their feet into the water.
�How often do you guys come here?�
�We try to come at least one week a year.�
�You should buy a house here. Or you guys should buy one together.�
�I've thought about it but I always go and talk myself out of it.�
�Why?�
�I keep thinking �oh well, I�ll probably stop coming here so I�d better not�.�
�Do you ever see yourself not coming here?�
�No.�
�Could you ever see yourself getting tired of being here?�
�No.�
�Do you love this place?�
He smiled and seemed to realize he had his answer, �Absolutely.�
She raised her eyebrows at him. �You�re right. I should get a place. Its not like I�m throwing money around.�
She shook her head; he smiled, �Well, you made that easy. So, tell-�
�Yo D, come here for a minute.�
They both turned to see Sean standing near the door.
�Excuse me.� He stood up groaning and grunting like an old man as he got up. Her eyes followed him as he left. He was a big guy. Just her type, she liked tall broad men. She shook her head as if shaking the thoughts away. She wasn�t going to start fantasizing about men. It wasn�t like she was going to be able to hook up on the trip. Vacation tail was a guy thing.
**
She changed out of her skirt and tank top and into a red sundress. They were at local restaurant with no air conditioning of course just the cool natural breezes of the island air. The view was awe-inspiring, the music sway inducing.
She sat back and simply watched four guys who were completely comfortable with each other. She didn�t feel like a fifth wheel, she truly enjoyed observing their interaction.
�What's with you? Why are you so quiet?�
She shook her head, �No reason.� She stood up, �I�ll be back; I need to powder my nose.�
Be frowned, �Powder your nose?�
She sighed, �Good grief. I have to go potty. Are you happy now?�
The others laughed at him, �Man, you have no tact.�
She gave Derek a look as if to say, �Ain�t that the truth.�
016 | No Ordinary Girl