When I woke the next morning, I decided to go jogging along the beach. There were a few people out before the sun came up, so I didn’t feel crazy being out here by myself. I did a few laps up and down the beach. Finally, when I had enough, I walked back toward the resort and found Cory walking toward me.
I smiled. “Hey, you. I thought you’d still be sleeping.”
“Well, I woke up to an empty room, and I thought I’d come find you.”
He kissed me, and then walked along beside me.
“How was the couch bed?” I asked just to fill the space.
“It was cool. Nothing like the bed, though.” He pushed me with his shoulder.
“Well, you can have the bed tonight. I’ll take the couch.”
“Or maybe we both can sleep in the bed. I think we can handle that, don’t you?” He looked over at me, but I didn’t respond. “That guy really did a number on you?”
I looked over at him finally. “What do you mean? What guy?”
“Mason. It was obvious you two had more than just a thing. I mean, he couldn’t take his eyes off you, and you…hell…I wonder what you would have done if I wasn’t sitting next to you.”
“I would have done the same thing, okay? Look, despite what you might think, Mason isn’t the complete reason why I’m cautious about us. I just don’t want to rush into anything. I’m skeptical on relationships and love. It’s just not that easy for me, okay? And besides, Cory, you and I are friends first and foremost. I don’t want to mess that up, you know?”
Cory looked over at me and smiled.
“I understand cautious. About six months ago, I was dating this girl named Tiana. She was great, and I felt she and I hit it off. But one day she got her dream job and moved away. I like to think she felt the same way as I did. I mean, I was in love with her. But if it was easy enough for her to leave, then maybe the feelings weren’t mutual. So, I get it. You want to take your time and make sure what we’re doing is right. I just don’t want to miss a really good opportunity with you. You’re right; we are friends, and I don’t want to lose that either. But maybe we can become more than just friends. Maybe meeting Tiana and Mason have brought us closer together. We’ll never know until we give this a go fully.”
When we arrived at the hotel, I stopped just shy of the door.
“I hear everything you said, and I get it. But to be honest, it makes me more nervous. There is no doubt I care about you, Cory. I have for a long time. What worries me is that we both may be trying to fill gaps that are missing in our life. Some may use alcohol or drugs or anything to get over a person. Hell, some bury their feelings with sex.” I saw a smile creep on his face. “The difference for me is I don’t want to use anyone, especially you, to fill a void in my heart too soon. I want what I feel and what we have to be real. For me, it’s going to take some time.”
Cory and I walked back into the hotel. When I saw Mason—now for the second time—I tried to act natural. I mean, that’s what he’s doing, right? If he isn’t affected by me, why should I be by him?
I concentrated on talking to Marc and AB, but it was hard. He looked good in his khaki tan shorts and button-down sky-blue polo shirt. His hair fell on his forehead, and it took a lot of self-control not to move the thick locks from where it lays. And, holy shit, is that the watch I bought him on his wrist?
I was so thankful that Cory came back when he did. Just being near Mason was doing something to me. When Cory kissed me, I thought I saw a look come over Mason’s stoic features. But it was wishful thinking, right? I did wonder though, as they walked out together, what the hell they would talk about playing golf.
When I finally got with the girls, we ate breakfast first then went to see the dolphins. We then went shopping a little and decided to pamper ourselves at the spa in the hotel. We tried to keep the conversation random and light. I could tell Diane wanted to ask me all sorts of questions, but I didn’t let her. I asked Marie about her kids, and she showed me pictures. She asked me about singing, and Kat and I regaled her with story after story about me and her.
Kat is the second person that I know who loves to sing. We both have big voices and really should try and make something of our God given talents. But the love wasn’t in us. She wanted to become an ER nurse and then go to school to become a doctor. I wanted to work in the sports rehab side of medicine. We both had our passions, but our hobby—what we couldn’t get enough of doing—was singing.
“So, how did you and Mason meet?” Diane finally asked.