Page 66 of One Week in Paradise
The sky above London is overcast and grey, but I still feel like I’ve got the warmth of the Jamaican sun on me as Cash and I drag our suitcases through the busy airport.
I remember how I felt just seven days ago. How nervous and anxious I was to approach the check-in counter, not even entirely sure that Cash would be there waiting for me. I remember how certain I was that Cash couldn’t stand me, that I was his absolute least favourite person in the entire world and that he was doing this only as a favour to Dane.
And now here he is, standing by my side, and he’s not going anywhere.
I’m his, and he’s mine.
The thought brings a smile to my lips, which immediately disappears as I spot a head of familiar blonde hair in front of me.
True to her word, Penelope kept Lacey and Danny awayfrom the rest of us for the last few hours of the trip. I’d assumed they’d been put on an earlier flight as they didn’t even leave the resort with us, but I can see Lacey stomping ahead of us now, a fierce scowl fixed on her face. Danny is nowhere to be seen, and that annoying twinge of guilt stirs up in me again.
‘Don’t worry about her,’ says Cash, as if he can read my thoughts.
‘Is it weird that I feel bad for her?’
‘No. Not for you,’ he says. ‘You’re a good person. Me, on the other hand…’ He trails off ominously, and I can’t stop the snort of laughter that erupts from me. ‘I’m just saying,’ he continues. ‘Not everyone deserves your sympathy.’
He’s right. Lacey doesn’t deserve it. She refused to give me even an inch of grace, deciding to push forward with her warped idea of me instead. Why do I owe her anything else?
I hold my head high as we pass her in the crowd and successfully resist the urge to turn around and see if she’s noticed us.
We make our way to the taxi rank, and as we wait in the queue for one to become available, I pull out my phone. I’ve got a bunch of notifications from Instagram, but I don’t click on them just yet. Instead, I open up my chat with Amber.
AMBER
Have you landed yet?
EXCUSE ME HAVE YOU LANDED YET???
omg don’t make me get on a train to Gatwick to find out myself
BAILEY! ARE YOU HOME??
I press the FaceTime button, and within seconds her smiling face fills the screen.
‘You’re home!’ she says, her voice a half-whisper. ‘How was the flight?’
‘Not too bad,’ I say. ‘Whereareyou?’ I know she’s only been living in her new place for a couple of weeks, but this definitely doesn’t look like the bedroom she’s sent videos of. It’s darker, bigger, and— My eyes widen as a muscled arm suddenly drapes over her front. ‘Amber.’
She bites her lip to smother the giggle that’s desperate to come out. ‘Yeah. I need to update you on somedevelopments.’ Then it’s her turn for her eyes to widen as Cash pops his head over my shoulder. ‘Seems like you do too?’ She nods at Cash. ‘Caspian.’
Cash nods back, lips twitching in amusement. ‘Amber.’
Before I can say anything, the owner of the muscled arm around her waist groans and tries to pull her over tohis side of the bed. Amber shoots me a wink. ‘We’ll talk later.’
‘Who was that with her?’ Cash asks, sounding amused.
‘Pretty sure that’s Asshole Client,’ I tell him. ‘Also known as Stupidly Handsome Dickhead.’
He laughs at the nicknames. ‘Ouch.’
A taxi soon arrives for us, and we climb into it. Cash immediately relays my parents’ address to the driver, and then we’re off, hurtling down the motorway and heading back to reality.
Returning to my parents’ house after all this doesn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. I don’t feel like I’m returning as a failure. I’ve got an idea of where I want my career to go, and I know how I want to get there. It might take a while, but I’ll get there. This is just a temporary stop for me now, and the light at the end of the tunnel is a little easier to see.
I pull out my phone again and launch Instagram. Just the few snippets of the trip I’ve already posted have done wonders for my engagement levels.
I’m sitting at 235,456 followers, and my numbers are still steadily climbing. I feel a sense of hope that I’ve not felt towards my job during these last few months. It’s going to be a rocky road, but I’m confident that I can do it.
