Page 54 of The Suite Life
‘Thank you so much,’ I tell him. ‘I’m scared to even think about how that could have escalated if you hadn’t stepped in.’
‘Are you okay?’ the mystery man asks, his attention fully on me now, concern evident in his eyes.
‘Yes, I’m fine, just a bit freaked out,’ I say.
‘Do you know him?’ he asks.
‘I just had a drink with him but it wasn’t going well,’ I confess. ‘I guess he thought otherwise. Needless to say, I won’t be going near him again. You’re my hero…’
‘Jeff,’ the man says, offering up his name.
I never in a million years thought my hero would be called Jeff.
‘And I’m not a hero, just a guy who can’t stand seeing pushy men make women uncomfortable, never mind putting their hands on them,’ he tells me, his nostrils still flaring. ‘Okay, you’re distractingly beautiful, but that doesn’t mean he can put his hands on you.’
His compliment takes me aback.
‘Sometimes I wish I could apologise, on behalf of all men, for the seriously shitty behaviour my gender seems to love so much,’ he continues.
‘It’s okay, I know you’re not all bad,’ I reply. ‘You really are my hero. How can I ever thank you?’ I ask as I rack my brain for something, anything I can do, to show him how muchI appreciate him stepping in. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about this resort and the people who stay here, it’s that they pretty much always get what they want.
‘Can I buy you a drink or something?’ I suggest – as though that even comes close to making it up to him.
‘How about I buy you dinner, tomorrow evening, show you that we’re not all bad?’ he suggests with a friendly smile. ‘You would actually be doing me a favour. I’m here for business and I’m sick of eating alone. Plus, we can watch each other’s backs. That guy did threaten he would return…’
I laugh at what is obviously a joke – the last part, anyway. I pause for a moment, considering his offer. Do I really want to go on another ‘date’ with another guy? Olly has definitely put me off the idea of finding a date. Genuinely, I hadn’t even considered the fact that things could go wrong, that the people I meet might not be genuine, or might even have bad intentions. It’s either the reason why I should give up, or it’s a reason for me to give Jeff a chance. He saved me – surely he’s a good guy? But, regardless, hanging out with him might be best because if I don’t, I’m worried I’ll get the fear, and stop trusting men altogether.
‘How do you know that I’m not the weird one?’ I ask with a smile. ‘I might ruin your life.’
‘I think I would let you,’ he says flirtatiously.
‘Okay, well, worse than that, we might not have anything in common,’ I persist. ‘Olly, the guy you just manhandled, and I didn’t have anything in common. He made fun of me for liking horror movies, and he thought he was so amazing, because he was a footballer, and all he wanted to talk about was football, and how everyone loves footballers.’
‘Oh, well, there you go,’ Jeff says with a clap of his hands, as though he’s cracked the case. ‘I actually love horror movies – and everyone knows footballers aren’t the sharpest knives in the drawer.’
I laugh. That’s music to my ears right now.
‘Look, I get that you’re probably freaked out, and I shouldn’t even be asking, but there’s just something about you… Let me take you out, let me spoil you, let me help you forget about Olly the Premier League loser. Have you done much exploring here in Wailea? Have you seen much of Maui?’
I shake my head.
‘I haven’t left the resort since I got here,’ I tell him.
‘Okay then, how about I take you out, and I show you something cool – something exciting?’ he suggests. ‘No pressure, no getting handsy. My driver can take us, and he can be our chaperone, so you know you’ll be safe.’
I chew my lip thoughtfully.
‘I can’t think of anything else to sweeten the deal, other than offering to pay you, but that’s a whole other ball game,’ he jokes.
‘Okay, okay, put your wallet away, you’ve twisted my arm,’ I tell him with a laugh. ‘Tomorrow evening it is. Yes, to all of the above.’
I feel as nervous as I do excited, as I make plans with Jeff, but this is the right thing to do, to not let creeps like Olly put me off living my life.
Jeff walks me the rest of the way through the hotel garden until I’m back in the safety of the lobby.
‘See you tomorrow,’ he says.
‘Yeah, see you then,’ I reply. ‘Good night.’
