Day 1 - Then
Everything was more beautiful than I imagined.
The ocean was a deeper, richer hue. The white structures were blinding against the sun. The city was alive with street performers and vendors selling handmade merchandise that represented the Greek culture… and through every single thing, all I kept thinking was that somewhere, hidden within the beauty, was Tommy Oliver.
I tried not to think about it as the driver pulled up into the hotel.
I arrived a little later than the rest of the group, seeing as how I was a last minute addition.
"Welcome to Crypto," the driver called out, waking me up from my pounding headache.
I've slept nothing in the last nineteen hours. I mean, how could I with a screaming toddler kicking the back of my chair for the entirety of the flight from Angel Grove? It was just the torture I needed to start this amazing trip. If that flight was any indication as to how this trip would be, then I'm sure it'll be as hellish as I imagined.
"Thank you," I responded, not even bothering to open my eyes behind my dark sunglasses.
This is the kind of feeling I get after a rager. The nausea and headache are too familiar.
"Miss?" The driver was beside me before I even knew what to do next.
His name badge said Nico, but the first thing that I noticed was how his eyes matched the blue water… maybe I would like Santorini after all.
He offered me a crooked smile, which I somehow found charming. "Would you like some help getting your bags upstairs?"
Nico's accent was thick, but I was still able to understand what he was saying.
I contemplated having this beautiful man help me with my bags but quickly decided against it. I'd never live it down if Jason or Zack caught the hordes of bags being dragged up to my room.
"No, thank you. I think I can manage," I returned with a small smile. I didn't have the energy for more.
He nodded and finished placing my bags at the entrance of the hotel.
I'm not sure how I managed to make it upstairs with my three bags, seeing as how I was barely functioning, but I did it. The impossible was done.
When I stepped foot into my room, I shrieked! The water stretched out as far as I could see, falling past the horizon. The sun reflected all of the white structures, making them glimmer. Through the chaos of the crowds roaming around, the water remained still, creating a calmness I wasn't even sure was possible.
I loved the salty breeze flowing through my light brown hair, tickling my spine.
Everything inside was pressed crisply, from the oversized bed to the sheer curtains adorning the windows. The whitewashed interior echoed the streets of Oia. I was falling in love with this place before I even got a good look at it.
I had never seen anything as stunning in my life before.
I sent Cole a quick text letting him know I had arrived but he never returned it. He had to stay back in Angel Grove to finish up closing a business deal and then he would be joining me. I extended the invitation to him like Jason suggested, but when he agreed without a second guess, I was disappointed.
I shouldn't feel that way. I mean, who wouldn't want an all-expense paid trip with their boyfriend? I knew the cause of it, but I just wish it wasn't so.
Nothing could have made me feel more guilty than the sound of my phone buzzing in the bag. I was sure it had to have been Cole finally returning my text but it wasn't.
Trini: Are you in yet?
Trini was the unofficial mother of the group. Somehow she just turned out to be just that.
Me: Just got in.
Trini: Come downstairs. We're having brunch at the hotel restaurant!
Me: Be right down. Save me a seat.
Trini: You know I did ;)
My brows narrowed. I didn't like that mischievous wink at the end. For as sweet and kind-hearted as Trini was, she was always up to something.
I'd been wrong, at least up to that point. Jason, Rocky, Trini, and Aisha were seated around a table on the terrace, laughing about something that I didn't quite catch. When Trini saw me walking towards them, she stood up and waved me in their direction. It had been a long day and all I wanted to do was sleep, but I couldn't exactly ignore the reason why I was here in the first place.
"Happy Birthday," I smiled when Jason stood.
His arms wrapped around me and he placed a kiss to the top of my head, the same way my dad always greeted me when I would visit him after not seeing him for weeks.
"I didn't think you'd actually show up," he chuckled in return.
I almost didn't.
"Anything for you," I laughed and turned to greet the rest of the group.
There were three empty chairs next to me once I took a seat beside Trini.
"Ready to order, miss?" The waitress asked as she came up behind me. I had just gotten there and hadn't had any time to look anything over.
"She'll have a mimosa," Trini interjected, without giving me a second to think anything over.
Alcohol was the last thing I wanted with this splitting headache.
I leaned in to whispered to her, "I'm not drinking."
"You're gonna want to," she returned.
The waitress stood silent for a moment, allowing me to make up my mind. She must have heard our little conversation.
"Are we expecting more?" The waitress gestured towards the unoccupied seats.
"Just three more," Jason answered.
Three? Who else was invited?
"Here they are," Jason said, beckoning over behind me.
I didn't have time to react or think or breathe. I just knew. My heart unintentionally began to beat both fast and slow, driving me absolutely wild. He was here.
"Happy Birthday, man," I heard the familiar tone of his voice, followed by a laugh and a couple of heavy pats.
My body went rigid, my spine automatically straightening to cure the burning going down my back.
Tommy went around the table and plopped right down across from me. I turned before I could get a good look at him. I needed a couple of extra moments to compose myself before I faced my past.
Somewhere in the background I heard Zack greeting everyone in his usual self, but I wasn't feeling cheerful. I was feeling hot and bothered.
"Nice to see you, Kimberly," I heard Tommy's words directed towards me.
His voice was deeper than I remembered, but it held that same charm that I once adored. I dared not face him yet, which killed me because even without looking at him I could hear that grin.
That fucking grin that used to reel me in every single time. Long ago I would have given up everything to live at the edge of that smile.
"You too," I mumbled.
You have to face him.
"The mimosa will be fine," I nodded towards the waitress that had gone invisible to me the last couple of moments.
"Mimosa?" Tommy's arrogant tone wasn't lost to me. "Little early for that, don't you think, Kim?"
Kim? Like we're fucking friends? Those are his first words to me in a decade?
My fists clenched on my lap as I turned to look at him for the first time. I had been right about the smile, it was there, but it had been tainted by my last memory of him.
His arms were crossed across his chest, making his shoulders look even wider than they had been since the last time I had seen him. His hair was also different, although I already knew it would. It was cut short for his military regulations. The stubble on his face, however, was not, but it did make him look older. Everything had been perfectly packaged by the bronze tan that contoured every single muscle peeking out of his white t-shirt. How was that even fair? He looked good.
"It's five o'clock somewhere," I answered calmly, somehow hiding the screaming girl inside of me.
That wasn't exactly how I wanted our first conversation to go, but what else could I do?
The server was back with my drink in no time. Suddenly I was happy Trini recommended the drink.
I lived in the same building as Zack, Rocky, and Aisha, so seeing them here wasn't anything new.
"Where's the plus one, Tommy?" Rocky asked, "I thought you guys were coming together. That's why we grabbed the extra chair."
Plus one?
Tommy answered something inaudible, which was perfectly fine by me.
It was like everyone knew something that I didn't and they were purposely keeping it from me.
My hand went back to my glass, trying to find some relief in the little alcohol that it had. This was torture and it was just getting started.
Brunch was quiet, at least when it came to me. I spent my time staring out into the water, trying to find some distraction to keep me from staring at the man that couldn't keep his eyes away from me. He was obvious and I don't think he cared that everyone else noticed.
We hadn't said a word since our first conversation when brunch started. There was no need because I had absolutely nothing to say to the man that once haunted my dreams. His smug face and the way he carried himself absolutely pissed me off.
He spoke to me like he didn't completely destroy me. I cared to know nothing more about him than what I already heard. I wanted the day to be over, I wanted to be back in the comfort of my own house, I wanted to have Cole wrap his arms around me and kiss me and tell me that I'm everything to him… just like he always does.
"How's Cole doing, Kim?" Jason asked as he pushed his empty plate away from him. Tommy's eyes quickly flashed down, something that I caught right away. "Did he manage to get the time off?"
Having Cole brought up right now created a fire in my chest that ached more than any sun burn. For the first time since Tommy joined our table, he was the one that was fidgeting in his seat.
I turned to give Jason a small smile, "Yeah, he'll be here in a few days."
"Awesome," Jason clasped his hands together, "I've been meaning to talk to him about this new company I was thinking of investing in."
Cole was the chief financial officer of Pearson Media, the company where we worked, and he knew more about numbers than a damn calculator, which is why he was so successful. There wasn't a bad decision that he made, even the risky moves worked out in the end. I'm the public relations manager at Pearsons and I met Cole when he was hired last summer.
"I'm sure he'll be able to help with that."
"Of course he can," Jason chuckled, "The dude is golden. I haven't made a bad investment since I began taking his advice."
"Tell me about it," Zack added, "If I play my cards right, I can have enough money to send all my kids to school."
"Am I missing something? You don't have any kids," Aisha chuckled.
"Not yet," Zack clarified, "but when I do I'll be set!"
Although the conversation centered around the man I love most in the world, I had never felt so out of place. While everyone couldn't stop talking about how savvy and brilliant Cole was, all I wanted was for them to stop.
Because although I told myself again and again that I didn't care, the silence from Tommy was eating at me. This was my territory, yet I was the one uncomfortable. This day couldn't end soon enough.
Author note: Hey there! I'm done with school for now and things have settled. I hope to be back with an update soon! Hope you enjoy :)