Chapter 22 (Carter) ~

Rosie wasn't at the palace when we got back and she wasn't there in the morning when she should have been getting ready for her speech at the children's hospital. Doña Sophia had to give the speech instead, using the detailed notes we found in Rose's office. She told everyone Rosie wasn't feeling well, so as not to worry anyone. I wonder how long we can keep this up. Rosie can't stay sick forever.

Rosie's mom alerted the PPP and they'll have agents swarming the island soon. Until then, all we can do is sit around and worry. Or in Ed's case, blame himself over and over again. Petros and Megrin have thrown themselves into planning my party, which is honestly the last thing I wanna think about right now. My best friend is missing, probably kidnapped or dead, and there's nothing I can do about it.

By the third day, I'm going completely out of my mind. I refuse to come out of my room and keep googling kidnapping horror stories until Ed comes in and confiscates my laptop.

"This isn't helping," Ed says, settling down on the bed.

"She could be dead," I remind him. "Lying in some ditch somewhere."

"Or she could be perfectly fine," Ed argues. "We don't know that anything bad happened to her."

"Yes, because Rosie would just drop everything without telling us and go on vacation," I snap. "Maybe we should phone the Bahamas and ask if they've seen her."

"I'm trying to stay positive." Ed suddenly looks tired.

"I know," I say softly. "I'm sorry."

Ed rubs his temples. "I've thought about it from every angle but there's just way too many possibilities, you know?"

"Way too many people who had a reason to hurt her," I agree. "And you've searched the village?"

"She's the most famous face on the island," Ed points out. "If she was out checking out the farmer's market, we would have heard about it by now."

"Yeah, I know," I groan. "I'm just…"

"Yeah, I know," Ed finishes. "Me too."

After Ed leaves, I sneak downstairs for some gelato, as if German chocolate is all I need to solve my problems. I have every intention of taking it out to the pool, to see my boyfriend, whom I've hardly said two words to since Rosie disappeared. In the end, I sink down in a chair in the empty dining hall and cry while I eat my gelato, mixing the sweet melty mess with my salty tears.

"Thought I might find you here."

I look up to see my gorgeous boyfriend headed my way. He reaches out to take my hand and lifts me out of my seat.

Before he can say a word, I put my hands on his face and lean in for a nice long kiss. He puts his hands on my hips and pulls me in closer. Then we stop kissing and just stay there for what feels like forever, standing forehead to forehead.

"Mi tesoro," Armando murmurs.

"I've missed you," I whisper.

"I've missed you too." He drops a soft kiss on my lips.

"You haven't been around much," I say softly.

"I was trying to give you space," he admits. "I know you're going through a lot with Rosie gone. I'm just trying to let you process through it all."

"I appreciate it." I smile. "Thanks. But I'm kind of sick of thinking about it."

"So you want me to take your mind off things?" Armando teases, dropping his head and kissing my neck.

I lose my fingers in his dark brown curls. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

We kiss again and then he says, "Midnight poolside picnic tonight, just you and I."

And I say, "Sounds perfect."

It's exactly 12:02am when I show up at the pool in a low-cut dress over my favorite skin-tight bikini. The night is unusually hot. Armando is just finishing set-up. There's a picnic blanket just big enough for two and a picnic basket filled with yummy Costa Lunan food. He even brought candles.

"What do you think?" he asks as he stands up after lighting the last candle.

"It's a little hot for a polo shirt, isn't it?" I tease, pretending he was asking my opinion on his outfit.

He strips off his shirt so he's just wearing swim trunks. "Better?"

"Much better!" I sashay closer and put my hands on those washboard abs as I lean in for a nice long kiss.

The next thing I know, he's tearing my dress off, which would be a lot sexier if the next thing he did wasn't throw me in the pool. I swim up to the surface sputtering in time to see him cannonball in after me. He grabs my hand and drags me under for an underwater kiss like in the movies.

There's something about Armando that takes me to another world. I don't think about anything else when I'm with him and when I'm not, he's on the fringe of every thought. I've had crushes before, but never like this. I just want to be around him all the time, but I only realize it in moments like this when I'm with him, in his arms, his velvet lips on mine. I wish we could stay like this forever.

"Run away with me," I lean in close and whisper in his ear.

He laughs. "What?"

"Run away with me," I say again. "At the end of the summer. Let's go somewhere far far away where no one else can find us."

"Don't you have school?"

"You do too, but surely we can survive alone on love and gelato."

Armando laughs, a deep delicious sounds that gives me chills from the tips of my toes to the top of my head. "Carter Mason, why are you so perfect?"

"Probably cuz I'm dating you, Signore—" I pause, realizing I don't know his last name.

"Savalle," he finishes for me. "Carter Savalle. How does that sound?"

"Amazing." I kiss him.

"So…marry me," he teases.

"I don't know about that, but I can definitely save you every single dance at my birthday ball," I promise as I run my fingers through his wet hair.

"That's my girlfriend." He kisses me again, deep and hungry as if he never wants to let me go, and then he finally does. "Now, are we actually going to eat something or did I pack all that food for nothing?"