Andy POV

A warm breeze hit me as I stepped of the float plane. I could hardly believe my eyes. The waters beneath me were the brightest turquoise I'd ever seen, sparkling in the sunlight. Through the water I could see the most beautiful coral. Fish danced through the water, starfish lay on the bottom, and stingrays glided underneath the dock looking for food. The island in front of me was lined with sandy beaches and palm trees. The sky was blue and there were no clouds to be seen. The air smelled like salt and coconuts. And all I could her around me was the waves crashing on the shore and the birds singing.

"Welcome to paradise"

I turned around. There in front of me stood Madison Hayes. I hardly recognized her. She was taller than me now, only by an inch or two. Her long blonde hair was wavier, pulled back into a loose ponytail. Her face was littered with freckles, probably form all the sun. And her skin was tanned, which was strange for me to see because she was usually so damn pale.

"Madi!" I yelled jumping into her arms. "You look different"

"It has been 7 years." She said

"I know... I'm sorry I should have visited more often."

"No worries Andy, we both got busy. C'mon we have a lot of catching up to do." Madi said as she pulled me down the dock towards the resort.

After giving me a tour of the resort, Madi took me to the restaurant for some drinks.

"This place is incredible" I said as I sipped my pina colada. "You really built it all yourself?"

"Well obviously not the actually building part but ya. I designed the buildings." She responded

I couldn't believe she had done this. The resort had 4 restaurants, 50 villas, 3 pools, and a spa.

"It actually won 2nd best resort in Australia last year." Madi said proudly pointing at the plaque on the wall of the restaurant.

"Holy shit Mads that's amazing. I always knew you would make a great hotel manager. Mainly because you were so damn bossy."

"Was not" Madi said nudging me. "So what brings you to Australia?"

I stopped and stared at my drink. I wanted to tell her the truth, but it hurt to much to say.

"You" I responded

"Are you sure that's all?" Madi asked me. She could tell when I was lying but I just couldn't talk about it. Not yet.

"Just you" I said smiling.

"So how long can you stay?"

"I took a leave of absence so... I was think a month or two?" I responded looking up at her.

"Seriously? Andy that's amazing... your lucky it's off season... I have a beach suite you can stay in. But don't think your not gonna have to work for it..."

"What do you want me to do?" I asked

"We need a new fitness instructor. It's pretty chill, just three classes a day."

"I'd love to Madi." I responded

Madi POV

There was something up with Andy. I mean don't get me wrong, I was thrilled when she told me she was coming. But from the moment she stepped off the plane I could feel it. Something is wrong. Her laugh was fake, her eyes were dull and lifeless. It was like someone had sucked all the joy out of her. Like she was just the shell of the Andy I knew. The last time I saw her like this was at her moms funeral 20 years ago. As I walked her to her room she was quiet. Oddly quiet. I opened the door and showed her around.

"Do you wanna go snorkelling?" I asked "or we could grab a bite to eat or..."

"I better unpack." She cut me off turning to walk inside.

"Ok..." I said.

I started to walk away m, but turned back to look in the window. She was sitting on the edge of the bed completely still. She was staring blankly ahead, a tear streaming down her cheek. She looked... haunted

Sorry this chapter was pretty short, the next one will be up in a day or two.