Page 11 of Best Friends' Unexpected Love

“Correct, just coconut water like you asked,” he assured her.

Thanking him and settling back into the chair, she sipped her drink and sighed as relaxation took over her body.

“Beth, have you dated since Manny died?” Chad inquired, realizing a moment too late that he should have given her some kind of warning that he was about to go deep.

“Thanks for the warning that we were about to have a very serious conversation.” The smile that lifted the corner of her lips told him she wasn’t seriously offended and also let him know that this topic was okay with her. “In answer to your question, no. Not seriously, anyway. I did go on a few dates when Sarah was in college, but nothing ever went past date two. After a few years, I just gave up. No one could compare to my Manny. Not that I was comparing them all to him physically or mentally. It was the emotion. I realized pretty quickly that I was never going to get to that depth of love for those men and ended it before anyone got too attached. Does that make sense?” she asked, looking over at him where he sat next to her, staring out at the waves processing what she had just said.

“Yes, it makes sense. You weren’t comparing the men to Manny as people; you were evaluating the connection and overall relationship to what you had and determining if you saw it getting anywhere close. When you realized you weren’t heading in that direction, you walked away.” Turning to meet her gaze, he asked, “So, since you said yes to us, does that mean that you see us getting to that level of connection and commitment?”

“That is just it; after thinking it over last night, I realized we already are. I had a wonderful marriage with my husband. He was my friend, confidant, support, guide, and lover. You are all of those things to me now with the exception of lover. I asked myself, do I see myself opening up and letting you become the last, and the answer was yes. Where all the other men had a physical attraction to me, they were missing all the other parts. You and I have developed the deep connection and have kept our attraction to each other under lock and key.” Her smile turned into more of a smirk as she continued, turning her gaze to the turquoise water on display in front of them. “Don’t get me wrong, I noticed how handsome you were. How could I not, with all the females on my team constantly pointing it out. I just never allowed myself to dwell on it.”

Silence stretched between them, each lost in their own thoughts. “I have noticed over the past few weeks that your casual touches and compliments have started to mean something more, but I hadn’t put two and two together. It must have been when you realized you wanted more that you started putting off a different type of energy or pheromones. The ladies have even commented on it more in recent weeks. Now, on this trip, your touch has reignited a fire that I thought had burned out for good. So much has happened in the last twenty-four hours it is overwhelming.’

“I know what you mean. It is like Sally unlocked the floodgates, and everything is coming at one time. We will take as much time as we need to process this, though, and not rush into things. I feel secure in the fact that we could marry today and build a successful life and happy marriage, but I really want to enjoy the journey with you.”

Marriage!Beth’s thoughts swirled. Two days ago, they were best friends, andnowmarriage was in the conversation. She wasn’t scared by that thought, but it was a lot. For someone whonever moved her furniture, had the same hair style since she was a teenager, and just updated her closet for the first time in at least fifteen years, things were moving at warp speed, and she wasn’t sure she was ready.

“Breathe, Beth. I didn’t mean to throw the M word out so quickly, but I guess now that the other cat is out of the bag, I might as well just throw it in the wind and be honest that those are my intentions. That is where I want this to go. You and me together forever. How fast we get there is up to you, but that is my finish line.” Chad leaned over and kissed her cheek. I am going for a walk on the beach. Want to come or stay and rest.

“I am going to take a little catnap. If you are still walking when I wake up, I will come find you.” She gave a small wave, leaned her head against the bright blue cushion, and closed her eyes.

Before she knew it, Chad was back and holding out a plate overflowing with grilled meat, conch salad, and other Bahamian favorites. She remembered the Captain’s dinner was that night, so she tried hard not to fill up, but it was all so good it was hard not to eat everything on the plate, which had enough servings to feed six people.

Chapter 12

When they returned to the ship an hour later, they spent the rest of the afternoon in their rooms, resting and preparing for the evening’s events. The ship was preparing to leave the port and sail on towards Jamaica, which meant it was formal night. Everyone would be dressed in their best attire, drinking cocktails, and taking pictures. Beth decided to wear her brand new black dress with black and silver beading swirling in a random pattern over the front. She washed and blow-dried her hair and applied a hint of makeup to highlight her eyes. She was fastening the clasp on her black strappy sandals when Chad knocked on her door. “Come in,” she hollered, unable to stand without tripping.

Her breath caught in her lungs when he entered the room. He was wearing a suit like he did most days at work, but this one was a deep navy blue, and his tie was a pewter gray. His mostly silver hair was cut shorter on the sides, and a hint of gel held the longer strands on top in place. The air of confidence that always surrounded him was magnified in this suit; he was a man who had reached the top of his game, and everyone whosaw him knew it. It was an extremely attractive quality, and as his best friend, it had always made her feel proud to stand by his side, but now that she was something different, she felt a little intimidated. She knew she was pretty, but she didn’t hold a candle to the looks of this man. He was a prime example of masculine physique.

Standing after fastening her second shoe, she smoothed down her dress and reached for her sweater. Chad walked to her and lifted her chin, having noticed her appreciative look turn self-conscience. “You are stunning, Beth. Never doubt that for a moment. We make a good pair inside and out. I am proud to be the man by your side, and it is taking every ounce of willpower not to kiss you silly right now.” His grey eyes bore into her deep blues, daring her to doubt his word. He could sense when she accepted his statement as fact and straightened her spine. Her usual level of self-assurance returning.

“Ready? It would be rude to keep the captain waiting, and I want to hit at least two photo booths before we eat just in case I drip something on my white shirt.”

This statement made her chuckle because in all the years she had known and shared meals with Chad, he had never once dropped food down his shirt. He was the most graceful man she knew.

Making their way to the dining room by way of all the common areas on all the decks, they finally found two backdrops they felt looked like them, avoiding the ones with the ship in the background, gold sparkles, and the Greek column props. Standing in front of the dark gray backdrop, Chad stepped behind her when directed by the photographer and wrapped his arms around her waist. She then rested her hands on top of his and looked up into his eyes as he looked down into hers. It was a touching moment. It made this new phase in the relationship very real to her. When the young lady instructed them to kiss,she could see the moment of indecision before Chad pulled away and said not this time. Relief flooded through her, but also a sense of disappointment. She realized she looked forward to Chad’s kisses but was glad their first was not here in front of so many people. They took a few more pictures in front of an elegant white and grey backdrop, with Beth sitting sideways on a chaise lounge and Chad standing behind with his hand resting on her shoulder. She was pretty sure the previous photo would be her favorite, but this one had potential.

When they finally reached the front of the line for their dining room, they were relieved to discover they had new dinner partners that evening. The meal went by smoothly with simple small talk and the ability to enjoy the delicious food without awkward questions or embarrassing moments. The captain did stop by to say hello, but other than that, Beth was unsure as to what the fuss was all about. She guessed it was nice to have a reason to dress up outside of weddings and funerals but thought they should give it another name.

“Would you like to head to bed now so you are rested for tomorrow’s activities, or would you like to watch a movie up on deck and snack on popcorn?”

“Do you know what movie they are playing?” Beth asked as she allowed Chad to pull out her chair and escort her to the door after wishing their dinner companions a good night.

“It is the latest James Bond movie if I remember correctly,” he said, gently taking her arm to steer her in the opposite direction she had intended to go.

“Ugh, I swear if you were not walking with me everywhere I went, I would be lost for days on this ship. I don’t like the new 007 movies as much as I did the old ones, but I am game for movie night under the stars. It sounds like a fun experience to add to my growing list of new things I tried. I am stuffed from dinner, so I will skip the popcorn, though.”

After settling on a double lounger with a blanket over her legs and her sweater wrapped tightly around her upper body, she tucked herself into the hollow beneath Chad’s arm and rested her head on his chest, listening to the steady beating of his heart. They spent a few minutes debating who the best James Bond in the franchise was. Beth could not be swayed from her belief that Sean Connery was the best James Bond, while Chad held firmly to his argument that it was Pierce Brosnan who was the best. Both agreed that the new female 007 was an interesting twist but that it broke from tradition and, therefore, while it had its merits, it was not going to rank on the favorites list for either of them.

As they fell silent and watched the movie, Chad felt total relaxation release the tension in Beth’s body, and knew she had fallen asleep. This wasn’t the first time he had held her as she rested, but it was the first time he had allowed himself to feel something more for her, and this moment warmed his heart. He knew she trusted him. But holding the woman you love in your arms is very different from holding your best friend. He couldn’t explain why; it just was. He pulled her closer and held her as the James Bond movie ended and throughout the entire second feature.

As the guests turned in for the night and the ship’s staff cleaned up after the evening’s entertainments to make sure everything was ready for the morning, Chad contemplated staying right there all night and sleeping with Beth in his arms. He might have done it, too, if not for the concern that she would awaken with a crick in her neck and not thank him for the discomfort. He brushed the hair away from her face and pressed a gentle kiss to her head, “Wake up, sweetheart. It is time to take you off to bed.” He gently rubbed her arm to help her leave her peaceful slumber behind.

“Did I miss the movie?” she asked, sitting up and stretching her arms over her head. No doubt her arm had fallen asleep wedged under her for almost three hours.

“Most of it, but we can always rent it another time if you want to see the whole thing. Let’s get you back to your room so you can get some sleep. We have been very busy the past three days, and we still have seven more to go.”

Beth took his hand when he offered it and allowed him to lead her to her room, several decks below. He kissed her on the forehead after opening her door and wishing her a good night. Not feeling like doing the contortionist act required to reach the zipper on her dress, she asked him to lower the zipper until she could reach it with her left arm behind her back and then entered her room. Wishing him a good night before closing the door. She quickly prepared for bed and fell asleep as soon as she laid her head down on her pillow.

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