by Amy Sumida
~
A quick run to the bathroom made Aria the last one to board the fully packed Antiguan bus. Climbing into the front left hand seat next to the driver, she chuckled. The bus was nothing more than an extra large passenger van.
Resting her head against the window, she tried watching the scenery, but her racing heart distracted her. Keeping her eyes open, but not seeing anything, she focused on breathing slowly, trying to calm her heart.
— Shona —
Shona felt Jennifer nudge her arm as Jennifer’s eyes remained fixated on the back of Aria’s head. Sighing, Jennifer asked, her voice no louder than a whisper, “Is she okay?”.
Shona tilted her head and peered at Aria’s profile, studying her, before shrugging her shoulders. “I’m sure she’s just taking it all in. She was so happy yesterday.”
Leaning forward, Trish turned sideways in her seat, facing both Shona and Jennifer. “She’s bound to have good days and some bad ones while we are here. The good news is that she is here with us.”
Shona nodded in agreement as she twisted slightly in her seat to get a better view of Aria’s face. As she turned, her eyes roamed the bus checking out their fellow passengers. She eyed one passenger. “Holy shit,” she flicked her hand into Jennifer’s shoulder. “The hotties from the plane are at the back of the bus.”
“What? Where?” Jennifer’s eyes popped open before lighting up in anticipation. She turned rapidly in her seat.
“Thanks for that,” Trish groused as she rubbed the center of her chest where Shona’s flailing hand had hit her. Her eyes scanned the bus. “But this time they multiplied.”
“Shit. Trish is right. There’s six of them now.” Jennifer faced forward in her seat as she licked her lips. A wicked smile broke across her face as her eyes moved from Trish to Shona and back again. “Good thing I’m wearing my skimpy bikini.”
Shona pushed Jennifer’s shoulder, knocking her into the van wall and nearly off the tiny seat she sat on. Not that there was any room for her to fall. “You go girl, but you don’t have a chance with me around.”
Trish and Jennifer rolled their eyes and laughed. The three passed the rest of the time talking and making plans for the rest of the week while keeping a close eye on Aria.
— Chad —
Chad and his two friends waited with a group for the tour bus to arrive, taking them to the land tour excursion office. Instead of a bus, to their shock, a fifteen-passenger van arrived.
Looking at the minibus, Chad rolled his shoulders trying to ease the cramp in his back and shoulder muscles that spasmed at the sight. Guess yesterday’s hour long massage to work out the kinks from the cramped drive to the resort was a waste. He noticed the crowd eying them warily before motioning for them to enter the minibus first.
A grateful Chad shifted his butt, trying to get comfortable in his small seat situated in the very back of the small bus. Having the back, although difficult to get through to, did give the three of them a little extra butt room, which they needed, and guaranteed real seats instead of the fold down ones. The thought of sitting on one of those contraptions nearly made him laugh.
The bus came to a stop in front of a small building, pulling Chad from his thoughts. He, along with Jason and Doug, waited for the rest of the passengers to exit before starting the process themselves. Snickering quietly, he watched Doug try to maneuver himself between the van wall with the folded up seats and the unmovable bench seats. Turning sideways, Doug bent over the seat backs and shuffled his way down the tiny aisle. Doug’s extreme size undiminished in the five years since his last NFL game.
Doug’s six foot six frame containing nearly two-hundred and sixty pounds of solid muscle made the other two look small in comparison even though both men were well above average standing at six foot two and solidly built of muscles. Jason, the broader of the two, appeared the smallest, a consequence of his tightly packed swimmer’s body. Chad’s physique carried an extra fourth pounds of bodybuilder muscles, fooling the eye into thinking he was the second largest.
As the three of them stepped down from the bus, the backend, which had been riding low, popped up causing the rest of their group to chuckle. The boys rolled their eyes and snickered along with the rest of the group as they waited for the driver to return from the office with the different tour guides.
Experiencing the Caribbean for the first time at age 35, Chad’s eyes roamed the scenery as Jason and Doug stood talking. His two friends visited different Caribbean islands frequently over the years, but while he was well travelled, his trips to exotic locals came courtesy of the military and consisted of destinations like Afghanistan, various African countries, and others that he still couldn’t speak of.
Tingles broke across the back of his neck. His eyes narrowed as his nose scrunched in confusion. Scanning the environment for the unknown danger causing the tingles, he noticed a petite brunette walking towards their larger group. He tried to keep scanning, but his eyes refused to move. Cocking his head, he studied her body looking for any signs of distress. Finding none only served to heighten his confusion. In the past, his warning tingles had saved the lives of his brothers in arms as well as himself, he knew he needed to heed the warning. Nodding, he stepped closer to his friends deciding to keep a close eye on the brunette if she ended up in their group.
— Aria —
Aria hitched her small backpack up higher on her shoulders as she made her way back to her friends with a large smile on her face. “Hey girls. Are we ready to have some fun?” She used Shona’s shoulders to help her bounce up and down.
“Yes,” exclaimed Jennifer. She motioned over her shoulder as she raised her eyebrows with a smirk. “And we have two groups of hotties to drool over. Hopefully they will both be on our tour.”
Aria looked over to the first group and felt her face drop. The brick wall she ran into the day before stood front and center unable to be mistaken for anyone else. His earlier attention boosted her ego, but it was supposed to be a singular experience. She couldn’t handle a second time. Spending time with men in a social setting scared the crap out of her.
“Why did you just make that face?” Trish quizzed her.
Aria relaxed her face and tried to appear innocent.
Shona moved until she was standing beside Aria and nudged her. “None of that, girl. Tell us.”
Aria shrugged as the tour guide motioned for the group to start walking to the entrance. “It’s nothing. I just ran into the biggest guy in that group”—Aria motioned to where her brick wall and his two friends were walking together—“yesterday when I was walking back from the bathroom.”
Jennifer snickered. “So that’s why you were so happy.”
Aria bit back a snort of laughter as she shook her head and motioned for the girls to be silent as the office worker arrived with the paperwork to sort them out into their different tours.
The tour guide called out four names and motioned for them to follow him to another vehicle. When he returned, he told the remaining ten people that they were all on the same tour and motioned for them to follow him to their vehicle.
Aria stepped forward to his side. “Are you the tour guide?”
He turned and smiled as he took her in. “I am. Is there anything in particular you want to see? For you, I will make an exception.”
Colour crept up her cheeks. “T-thanks. I, um, do have a request.” She crossed her fingers and hoped he wouldn’t be able to detect her lie. The paleness of her skin and the light sheen of perspiration, not related to the temperature, bolstering her story. “I’m not, uh, feeling that well, so I was wondering if I could sit up front instead of in the back?”
“Normally it is not allowed, but you can sit by me. I’ll just move the cooler into the back.” He looked over his shoulder at the rest of the group. “Besides”—he turned and winked at her—“I think that those big guys will enjoy the extra room.”
Aria chuckled as she remembered how big her brick wall was. “I think so
, too.”
He opened the front door on the left hand side and pulled the cooler out onto the ground. He held his hand out and helped her into the seat. “Sit back and relax. I’ll take good care of you.” He closed the door with another wink before bending down to pick up the cooler. “Everyone else, follow me. Your carriage awaits.”
— Chad —
Doug, Chad, and Jason all peered into the back and sighed at the bench seats that ran the length of the sides of the extended jeep. They would be sitting sideways facing the people on the opposite side and the aisle looked narrow. Shaking their heads, they started to climb aboard.
“Excuse me, please.” A tall woman, with a Victoria Secret worthy body spoke, stopping them. She lowered her eyes and smiled shyly, giving off the air of innocence, but at the same time slid her hands down her body to draw attention to it. “Our friend is sitting up front so do you mind if we sit at the end closest to the front?”
“Not at all.” Chad backed up allowing Doug to step down from the jeep.
“Thank you.” She ran her fingers over Chad’s forearm before moving forward to grip Doug’s. “I really mean it. Thank you.” She batted her eyelashes.
“Um, not a problem.” Doug gently removed her hand from his arm and used it to help her up into the back. “It was actually a good thing. I’m thinking that I should sit at the end anyways.”
Her face fell a little, but she quickly plastered her smile back on. “Yes”—she ran her eyes up and down his body—“a guy as large as you needs more space.”
Doug turned away and rolled his eyes at his friends as two other women climbed into the back. Chad moved to climb on next.
Jason reached out and grabbed Chad’s arm. “What are you doing? Aren’t you sitting in the back with us?”
Chad looked between the two before returning his gaze to the back of the petite brunette’s head. He brought his hand up to rub the back of his neck. “I think that I need to sit closer to the front.”
“A gut feeling?” Doug questioned. At Chad’s nod, he replied, “okay.”
Jason let go of Chad’s arm. Chad climbed into the back and found the tall woman sitting on one side by herself while the other two girls sat together on the opposite side. Sighing, he slid down the bench next to her and gave them all a small smile as the rest of the group climbed aboard. Doug and Jason were the last two and sat on either side as the driver closed the gate.
The woman next to him slid her hand onto Chad’s knee. “Hi. I’m Shona and these are my friends.” She pointed to the first one, “Jennifer and”—she pointed to the second—“Trish. Our other friend Aria is sitting up front.”
Chad glanced at her with a raised eyebrow, hoping she would volunteer more information regarding Aria.
“She gets sick in the back and doesn’t want to take anything that will make her sleepy for the boat ride.”
He nodded, examining her. The clipped tones and the confusion in her eyes assured him of her own disbelief in the story. He peered past her to the back of Aria’s head and frowned. Not moving his gaze, he ignored Shona and the rest of the girls.
With her hand still on his knee, she slid it slightly higher and squeezed until he returned his attention to her. “I didn’t get the names of you and your friends.” She turned slightly putting her back to Aria, blocking her so she faced the rest of the people in the back.
Chad tried hard to keep from rolling his eyes as he moved his knee away from Shona’s hand. “Um, I’m Chad and my friends —he pointed to the back—“are Doug and Jason.” The two gave a half hearted wave at the girls.
“So, which one—” Shona began.
“Hi. I’m Kyle.” The guy sitting next to Trish leaned forward and grinned. “These are my friends Derek and Mark.” He pointed to each in turn.
Jennifer smiled and leaned into the aisle. She stuck out her hand to Derek who was sitting on the other side of Chad. “It’s so nice to meet you.”
Derek shook her hand with a large grin as his eyes traveled her body. “It’s very nice to meet you as well.” He slowly released her hand while sliding his index finger along the palm of her hand.
Chad covered his mouth with his hand to hide his snicker at the practiced move.
There wasn’t much time to talk during their drive as the tour guide kept up a constant stream of information on the speakers explaining the different sites as they passed by them. Chad noticed Shona seemed to be watching Doug from her vantage point, but continued to try to touch him whenever Doug turned their way. He desperately wanted to turn his back on her, but something about Aria kept him facing forward.
The initial hour and a half of their jeep ride consisted of frequent stops allowing the driver to pick various food items off the trees for them to taste. At one of the stops, the driver encouraged them all to exit from the back of the jeep and walk into the clearing at the side of the road.
Chad watched as Aria started to climb out her open door, but the driver motioned for her to stay put. The driver took the rest of them into a clearing and showed them various plants while explaining their various medicinal uses, a topic Chad should have found fascinating under normal circumstances, instead his mind wandered, thinking solely on the brunette in the front seat.
Doug’s nudge to his arm brought him back to reality as the group dispersed back to the van. Turning, he noticed the driver bend down and pick some wild flowers. Those better not be for Aria, his mind growled.
Not wanting to sit next to Shona and her wandering hands, he climbed into the back after her. Taking the seat across from her allowed him to closely watch Aria. He ignored the pout on Shona’s face and gritted his teeth each time her knees rubbed against his. Putting up with it allowed him to gaze fondly at Aria wondering why she captured his full attention.
— Aria —
Driving the winding road above Falmouth Harbour, the driver pulled the jeep off to the side informing the group about a perfect lookout area a short climb up the hill. Jumping out of the jeep, the driver motioned for Aria to stay in her seat until he came around to help her exit.
Aria peered through the driver’s side window at the hill. She bit the corner of her lip. Her heart, a rapid flutter in her chest, continued to play havoc with her mind. It’s not happening. The hill’s too steep to climb. Her shoulders sagged as she made her decision.
The driver came around the jeep and opened her door after making sure there was no traffic. “Your friends are waiting for you on the other side.”
“Un huh.” Aria nodded. Climbing out, she rapidly shut her eyes as dizziness assailed her. Body swaying, her fingers whitened as she gripped the doorframe with force. Taking a deep breath to center herself, she slowly opened her eyes, relieved when the world stayed in place. She forced herself not to hold her breath as she released the doorframe and took a tentative step away from the jeep. When everything stayed the way it should, she continued her walk around the jeep.
Stopping at the corner of the jeep, she motioned to Trish who nudged Jennifer’s arm, disrupting the conversation between Jennifer and some guy. As Jennifer gave Trish a questioning look, Trish pointed to Aria before nudging Shona who stared at Aria’s brick wall and two others who must have been the friends he mentioned the day before. Aria grinned as Trish stepped in front of Shona, blocking Shona’s view of the three guys before pointing to her.
Shona turned on her heel and headed to Aria. “Hey girl, how’re you doing? The view up there is going to be gorgeous.”
“Um, yeah, about that.” Aria hitched her backpack higher on her shoulder. “I think that I’ll stay down here.”
“What? Why?” Trish reached out to hold Aria’s forearm.
Aria lowered her face to stare at the ground. “It’s nothing really.” She raised her eyes. “I just want to conserve my strength for snorkelling later.”
Shona tilted her head and stared at Aria. “Well, if you’re sure.” Aria nodded carefully to keep from becoming dizzy again. “Okay. We’ll take lots of pictur
es for you.”
“Thanks.” Aria smiled at her friends and motioned for them to head out.
“Not heading up?” The driver walked around carrying the cooler.
“No. Don’t feel like climbing.” Aria tried to chuckle despite her difficulty breathing.
“If you head across the road, the pull off area has a decent view as well.” He opened his door and placed the cooler on his seat. He rummaged through his gear until he found a stack of plastic cups. “Want a rum punch?”
“Not yet, but thanks. Think that I’ll head across the road.” Aria offered a smile as she turned to go around the jeep.
She stood against the fence, gazing at the beautiful scenery. The peacefulness, from looking at the harbour, worked its magic on her. Her breathing slowed and became a little easier. Beautiful. She sighed as her eyes closed and her face turned up to take in the warmth of the sun.
Argh! Her hand clutched at her chest. Sweat beaded along her skin. She stumbled backwards, overcome with dizziness. Shit. Not now. Please not now. Her heart raced, trying to escape her chest. Shit. Shit. Shit. She fumbled to get her backpack off.
— Chad —
“Afraid of heights?” Chad stepped in behind her. His hand went to her waist to steady her. She turned her head to face him and his senses went on high alert. He noted the paleness of her skin, the perspiration breaking out on her skin. “Hey, are you okay?”
Aria shook her head. “Heart. Failure. Need. Phone. Bag,” Aria spit out each word with an exhale.
Chad pulled her bag off her shoulder as he helped her to sit down on a nearby rock. He reached into her bag and snagged her phone. With relief, he spotted the medical attachment to give a read out on a person’s heart rhythm. Turning it on, he handed it to her.