Page 66 of Escape To Paradise
“Me too.”
We picked up some Chinese takeout. It always amazed me that wherever you could be in the world, there would always be Chinese takeout. Maverick got white rice, sweet and sour chicken, and vegetables. We went back to his villa. I jumped into the shower room where I hand-washed my bikini and hung it on the shower rack.
“You want to take a swim later?” he asked.
“In your lovely pool? Of course.”
We ate the Chinese takeout at the outdoor patio. As we ate the delicious food, we chatted about our childhood. Maverick grew up in California but had moved around and lived in several states. I also found out that he was married to his wife for five years before their relationship ended.
“We just grew apart over the years,” he told me. He had finished the last piece of chicken. I was eating the vegetable stir fry.
“I always thought I’d be married by now,” I revealed. “Our separation was unexpected.” I was referring to Benoit. I had experienced two heartaches within less than a year, which wasn’t good. “I also didn’t expect to meet and hook up with Julian.”
The mention of Julian seemed to make Maverick uncomfortable. Is that jealousy in his eyes? So, I added, “But that turned out to be a mistake.”
“Let the past stay in the past,” he said.
“Yes. I agree.” Although Maverick did his best to distract me today, I was still heartbroken. Julian meant a lot to me, but his act of betrayal had made me question my life choices. I made a mental note of never mentioning Julian again to Maverick.
Maverick invited me to walk by the beachfront. We strolled in silence in the seashore, enjoying the cool breeze. The sound of the waves was calming.
Maverick’s property was bigger than I thought. Two villas seemed to be occupied, with their lights on. Some of the villas were still under construction, but two other finished villas were dark and unoccupied.
“You can invite your crew here after your next charter ends. I’m sure they’ll enjoy it here. I’m inviting them as guests. One of the villas has recently been furnished and is ready for rental in a few weeks.”
“Thank you. I’m sure they’ll enjoy it.”
“I’d very much like for them to join us here soon.”
We went back to the villa so we could change into our swimwear. I brought an extra swimsuit—a yellow one. I followed Maverick as we walked towards the well-lit pool area. There was no one there but the two of us. I jumped into the pool, and he jumped in after me. I swam to the opposite end, and Maverick followed me. We started playing in the water, splashing each other.
When we got tired, I started floating on my back and admired the clear sky with the bright moon and stars. I had carried so much heaviness on my shoulders for so long now, it felt good to allow myself to let go. I noticed that Maverick had swam to the shallow end of the pool and was just staring at me. It was hard to read his green eyes.
So, I swam towards him, stopping when I was close to him. We just stared at each other for a few seconds. I felt so comfortable with him. He didn’t judge me at all. He was just there for me. I was drawn closer and closer to him, as if a moth to a flame. I was familiar with the look in his eyes. It was the same look on Julian’s face before he kissed me. The same look that Benoit had for me when our eyes first met.
Now was the perfect moment for a kiss. But I stopped myself. I had just gotten out of two relationships. I wasn’t going to crash and burn into another one. Besides, I valued my friendship with Maverick. And at this time in my life, that was what I needed the most. Just someone that would be there for me as a friend. Someone who would accept me and not judge me for making mistakes. Maverick was the perfect guy for the job.
To ease the tension, I splashed his face with water. He smiled and did the same. Soon, we were chasing each other in the pool.
“What’s our agenda for tomorrow?”
“Agenda? You sound like we have a business meeting or something.” Maverick laughed; I did sound transactional.
“Let’s do something fun and something I haven’t tried before.”
“We can go scuba diving,” Maverick suggested.
I hesitated for a bit, because he was right. Scuba diving wasn’t something I have tried before. “Don’t you need lessons for that?”
“Yes, but it’s very short. Maybe thirty minutes. There’s a diving site with underwater sculptures.”
“Did you say sculptures? I am in.”
We stayed in the pool for another hour until we got hungry.
“Last one to make it to the villa will cook breakfast tomorrow,” Maverick announced.
I was quicker than Maverick. I dunked his head in the water before running back to the villa. I could hear Maverick running after me. I reached the door, but I felt Maverick’s hand around my waist, stopping me.
