by Aimee Duffy
She held up a deep purple bikini that would rival Ciara’s on the skimpy scale, and suit Elle with her dark tan and sun-kissed hair.
‘If we hit the beach with you wearing that I’ll never get noticed,’ Gem said, darting over to the rail to dig out her own skimpy scrap.
‘Relax, I only brought out a couple of hundred euros…’ When Elle and Gem were on a mission to outdo each other it could cost thousands, even in a market.
‘No problem, Cia. Wait here and watch the purchases. We’re going to find a cash machine.’ Elle passed her the bikini and then linked arms with Gem, dragging her away into the crowd.
She didn’t see a point in mentioning that they’d be charged for using their cards to withdraw money, especially abroad. The interest on the funds they had in accounts probably covered it anyway.
Sighing, she smiled at the woman and used a twirling finger at her temple to explain in any language how crazy her friends could be.
***
When the sun set it seemed like the population doubled. Even though they’d gotten ready early to hit a bar before they went out for some serious clubbing, the streets were mobbed with people their age and younger, all seemingly with the same idea.
Ciara instantly regretted going for comfort than insta-glam when she saw the way other girls had dressed, but feck it. She was on a mission to dance the night away and anything other than the tiny shorts would flash her knickers.
Leaflets were shoved into their hands by jittery street reps who either had an insomnia or drug problem – probably both by the way they jerked around.
‘No thanks,’ Elle said, handing the thing back.
‘What’s Destiny?’ Ciara asked.
A picture of all the people dancing and a hot looking DJ on the decks was the advertisement for the ‘best of the best in Ibiza’.
‘It’s a free club, need I say more?’ Elle asked.
Free sounded good to her, especially when she’d heard what the cover fee for Amnesia cost.
‘And if those junkies are any indication of the clientele I’m out,’ Gem added. ‘There are better chemical reactions than drugs, thank you very much.’
‘Endorphins?’ Elle guessed, no doubt correctly.
‘Super endorphins.’ Gem grinned.
Ciara giggled. ‘Let me guess, you get those from sterling orgasms?’
Her friend nodded. ‘But only when you’re chemically compatible. You have to be attracted to both looks and the pheromones. The super endorphins follow the spectacular orgasms. It’s quite addicting.’
‘How much did you drink before we left?’ Elle asked. ‘That sounds like voodoo, not science.’
‘Just dumbing it down for you two.’ Gem dodged Elle’s swing of her handbag. ‘But really you should try it.’
‘I think I know what you mean. Zack does something to me—’
‘And that’s the end of this conversation,’ Elle said, cutting her off.
‘Stop being a prude, Elle. I want details,’ Gem protested.
‘You can get them when I lose my hearing. Come on, here looks okay.’ Elle led the way into the quietest looking bar on the strip.
‘Wrong. It looks boring,’ Gem protested. ‘I’m guessing a quickie in the bathroom before we hit the club is a no, no here.’
Ciara didn’t think that would be an option. The cocktail bar had a different atmosphere from most pubs they’d passed. The music was just loud enough to hear but they could easily talk over it and the inside didn’t have that students-gone-wild-every-night-for-a-decade look.
They made their way to the chrome bar and she noticed the thing barely had a scratch. There was a man sitting at the end with his pint perched on a coaster and she guessed that was why the bar remained unscathed.
‘I feel like we should have wiped our feet first,’ Ciara said, because there wasn’t a sticky patch of resistance anywhere.
Elle rolled her eyes, then approached the barmaid. ‘Do you have Crystal?’
‘Coming right up,’ she said.
The woman disappeared through the back and Gem pulled out her Amex. ‘I wonder if we can open a tab.’
‘We should be able to in a place like this,’ Elle said.
Ciara sighed, no doubt that meant her money would be no good here.
‘You’re welcome to open one as long as you leave your card details,’ the man said.
He was pretty cute even with the longer hair, skinny jeans and questionable fashion sense. Or was that his style? It reminded her of the American skater boys but with his own stamp.
Surprisingly, Elle was the one to approach him and when she spoke, it was with her flirting voice. ‘Thank you. I’m Elle Muir and these are my friends, Ciara and Gem.’
Elle stuck out her hand for a shake. Skater boy – who was the last person in the world she’d think her friend would be interested in – stood up so he was towering over Elle. He took her hand and brought it to his lips.
‘It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Kieran and this is my place,’ he said.
‘Are you seeing what I’m seeing?’ Gem whispered.
The way Kieran looked at Elle was so intense that she swore her friend was blushing, but that couldn’t be right. Elle went for the polished, put together men who looked clean cut and scrubbed up well.
Kieran looked like he’d rolled out of bed an hour before, finger combed that shiny black hair and pulled on the first clothes that he stumbled across.
‘I’m seeing it, but I’m not sure I believe it,’ Ciara whispered back.
She and Gem were distracted by the waitress bringing back the Crystal, opening the bottle and filling up their glasses. Kieran signalled for Elle’s to be brought the five steps down the bar to her.
‘Let’s leave them to it,’ Gem suggested, picking up the ice bucket with the drink and her glass.
Ciara hesitated, wondering if it was what Elle wanted but they’d only be a few feet away if she needed them so Ciara followed Gem over to a table within spying distance.
‘This is new,’ Gem said and Ciara nodded. ‘I wonder if Elle’s feeling the chemistry.’
Ciara grinned. ‘I’ll bet it’s all that talk about super endorphins. Maybe she thinks Kieran is the key.’
‘Good for her.’
They watched their friend playing coy while Kieran inched closer so they were almost touching. Their voices didn’t carry but by the way Elle appeared to be flirting right back Ciara was sure she was into it.
‘So, now Ms Prude is out the way, I want details!’ Gem said.
Ciara knew exactly what details her friend was after, but somehow sharing the ins and outs of her private time with Zack felt like a betrayal. She decided vague was the way to go.
‘When he touches me everything becomes clearer, sharper and even holding his hand is electrifying. It all quadruples when it’s just us and I can’t seem to get enough of him.’
From Gem’s disappointed pout, she clocked what Ciara was up to.
‘The endorphins are definitely super, but when he leaves it’s like a sugar crash. I feel a bit depressed.’ All true and probably a reason to start worrying about where their fling was going.
‘Sounds like more than a temporary thing to me,’ Gem said, watching her closely.
Ciara shrugged. ‘Temporary is all I can do.’
‘Even though you had me convinced for a while that a flaky gene could be hereditary, I don’t think that applies to you.’
‘Let’s look at the facts,’ she said, using her fingers to count off her many flaws. ‘I can’t stay in one place for a long time without feeling like I’m going to crack if there’s nothing else to do. My past relationships have ended before they’ve even begun. I’m worried about going home because there is nowhere I can imagine working that wouldn’t have me running out after a month. And I know deep down, even if I fall for Zack and he falls for me, there are no guarantees that will stick. Just look at my ma.’
Gem shook her head. ‘You like to keep busy, there’
s nothing wrong with that. As for the job, I think the issue there is you’re scared to fail. And—’
‘Excuse me?’ Ciara asked. She was not that kind of a wimp.
‘It’s true and don’t worry, I feel exactly the same. You’re not the only one whose family has high expectations, you know. Mine want me to go straight to work and they’re expecting insta-greatness.’
Gem played with the stem of her glass, leaving Ciara speechless. She’d thought her friends were excited to go back and tackle their futures head on but it seemed Gem was as worried as her.
‘And as for Zack, I think you’re wrong. It isn’t just endorphins, it’s like you two are halves of the whole,’ Gem said.
Ciara rolled her eyes. ‘I thought you didn’t believe in that soul mate nonsense.’
Gem shrugged. ‘I didn’t until I saw you two together.’
Her palms got damp. Even the cynical Gem who was convinced attraction boiled down to nothing more than a chemical reaction was coming round to the idea that two people were meant to be together. But there was more to it than just her fear of leaving him someday. Gem and Elle had been worried for her too.
‘You both seem to think it’s me who’ll get hurt at the end of this. Why is that?’ she asked, going for broke. It was long past time she knew the truth.
Gem shot a glance Elle’s way – who was now holding hands and laughing quietly with Kieran. ‘Before we went to university, Zack was dating this girl Vanessa and they’d been together for years. She proposed to him on a leap year and he turned her down.’
Wow. He’d been with her for years. Saying no must have been the worst slap in the face ever.
‘But I saw those two together when I stayed over at Elle’s. They didn’t have much of a spark. It seemed like they were put together by his granddad and her father. They’re business partners.’
‘So it wasn’t the problem with commitment, more like an arranged match up he didn’t want?’ Ciara asked, hoping Gem would alleviate her fears.
Gem shrugged again. ‘You’d really have to ask Zack. Even Elle doesn’t know.’
‘Elle doesn’t know what?’ the Muir in question asked.
Ciara’s face burned like she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t. Elle and Kieran had decided to join them, hand in hand.
Gem recovered first and saved her. ‘Where do you want me to start? I have a list longer than my arm.’
‘Funny, Gem. Seriously though, I came to ask if you wanted to leave the clubbing until tomorrow? Kieran’s also in a band and they’re playing here later,’ Elle said.
He was in a band? Maybe that explained the eyeliner.
‘Is there a hot base player?’ Gem asked.
Kieran laughed. ‘If you mean in a sweaty way, yeah. The drummer might be more your type.’
‘Then I’m in!’ Gem said with a grin.
‘Me too,’ Ciara agreed. For some reason she’d lost the drive to party the night away and was actually relieved by Elle’s change in plans.
***
‘It’s official, I’m so tired I might actually sleep for the next week.’ Elle rolled over on the sun lounger, wincing as she did.
Gem laughed. ‘If you did more than sunbathe and starve yourself you wouldn’t be so sore today.’
Elle smiled, stretching out on her stomach. ‘I held my own last night.’
Ciara wrinkled her nose, trying not to remember Kieran’s less than quiet performance. ‘Who knew he’d be the screamer.’
‘He didn’t scream. He was just vocal about what he enjoyed,’ Elle defended.
‘Milo was a screamer. And a biter.’ Gem sighed. ‘I really miss him.’
‘You should have given the drummer a chance,’ Ciara said, though she’d been secretly glad since hearing one friend hump the night away had been enough.
Elle wasn’t the only one tired today, and on this trip to the beach Ciara felt more mellow than she had in a while. She didn’t even want to get up and do anything. Even with the dock waiting to be explored and the beach dying to be walked on, sleep sounded as much as she could manage.
Gem sighed. ‘He was hot, but that kiss after the show barely made me warm and fuzzy. It would be like having an orgasm with a vibrator. Boring and predictable.’
‘Some girls would be happy just to have an orgasm,’ Ciara pointed out.
Gem gasped. ‘Don’t tell me Zack’s shit in bed.’
‘Don’t tell her anything,’ Elle chimed in. ‘My stomach’s queasy enough as it is.’
Ciara decided a little payback was in order since her friend had kept her up past five this morning. ‘He’s amazing. Gem you wouldn’t believe the things he can do with his tongue and a tub of ice cream.’
‘That’s disgusting.’ Elle got up, showing off just how amazing she looked in her new bikini. ‘I’m going for a walk if you keep this up.’
‘Tell me about the ice cream,’ Gem said. ‘Did he lick it off you?’
They waited until Elle stormed away before giggling.
‘Serves her right for not remembering how thin the walls are.’ Gem turned to lie on her side. ‘I do want the details though.’
Ciara just shook her head.
‘You’re such a bore.’
Ciara’s phone chimed so she dug it out of her bag and read the text. ‘Zack’s here.’
She didn’t want to find out why that news wiped away the exhaustion and made her more excited than she’d been waiting for Santa to come on Christmas Eve.
Gem grinned. ‘Looks like you’ll get your payback tonight.’
Ciara smiled back, hoping the day went in quickly.
Chapter Sixteen
Ciara knew something was wrong the second Zack walked into their hotel room suite. He didn’t say more than a quick hello before disappearing into her room and stripping out of his suit. She couldn’t blame him. The sun was at its hottest around now and he must be boiling in all those layers.
But she’d come back to meet him, leaving Gem and Elle at the beach, hoping for more than a kiss on the cheek. He hadn’t even looked twice at her new bikini!
As she waited in the main room for him to shower, the thought of what happened to make him like this was driving her insane. On the other hand, if he wanted to talk about it he would have and pushing wouldn’t do her any good.
Then she remembered what Gem said about his ex and wondered if he really was a commitment phoebe. That at least would make sense. She’d been having stronger than appropriate feelings for him and maybe he noticed. Maybe coming to meet him looked like she was desperate or something.
She scrubbed her face with her hands. ‘What a way to feck up a good thing, Ciara.’
The sound of the shower cutting off had her pulling herself together. He’d come here after all. If he thought she was too clingy or was planning on cutting their time short he could have easily done that over the phone. Whatever was wrong was clearly unrelated to her.
She hoped.
Next she heard the bed springs protest and frowned. It didn’t sound like he was in a rush to get ready and hit the beach.
Before she could overthink things more, she got up and went to the doorway. Zack was on the edge of the bed in nothing but a towel, with his elbows on his knees and his hands fisted in his hair.
The sight of him broke her heart. Without her permission her legs carried her across to him and she reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder. Zack looked up and she saw the desolation in his eyes.
‘Are you okay?’ she asked stupidly. He clearly wasn’t.
‘It’s nothing.’
He wrapped his arms around her, resting his head between her breasts but there was nothing sexual about it. She guessed he was looking for comfort, just couldn’t figure out why. Still, she ran her fingers through his hair because it was all she could do.
‘I’ve missed you,’ she whispered.
The way he tensed against her was like a slap in the face.
‘Me too,’ he said, but it sounded wa
ry.
Was this how it ended between him and Vanessa? Pulling away from her emotionally so as to lower the blow when it all came crashing down. But that was ridiculous. And she was different to Vanessa. She and Zack were only having a fling. It wasn’t serious.
So then why did that feel like a lie?
She wriggled out of his hold. After all she refused to be the clingy woman he didn’t want. Whether she was his cousin’s friend or not, she’d rather be dumped now than become a pity fuck.
‘What’s up with you?’ he asked, frowning.
‘I asked you first,’ she said, folding her arms across her chest.
He sighed and rubbed his face with his palm. ‘Munich was rough. My granddad wants me to stop arsing around and grow up. We had a few disagreements.’
‘Oh.’ She relaxed her stance. ‘Do you want to talk about it?’
‘Truthfully, no. I’d like to pretend it never happened if you don’t mind.’
It’s not that she was annoyed he wasn’t opening up to her, just knew from personal experience that burying your head in the sand didn’t make anything go away. She’d tried it when her ma left but the pain and heartache was still there, just waiting for her to grow up and deal with it.
‘It might be none of my business – and you don’t have to talk to me about it – but I think you should take the time to think about what it is you want to do.’
He looked at her seriously and nodded. ‘You’re right, I do. First, I’m sure in my moping I forgot to mention how sexy you are in that bikini.’
It wasn’t misery in his eyes as he took in her body from head to toe and she decided to drop the serious stuff for now. If he wanted to talk things through she was sure he would when he was ready.
Instead she struck a pose, placing her hands on her hips and pointing one foot in front of the other. ‘Sexy is an understatement. I look incredible, thank you very much.’
His smile melted away the last of the tension in his expression. ‘You look better than that. Now come here so I can show you how much I missed you.’
***
By the time they got to the beach Ciara was exhausted in the best possible way. They hit the refreshment stand first, grabbing slushies like a couple of kids then walked hand in hand to where she’d left Elle and Gem earlier.