The luxury RV had some high-end facilities even a regular house wouldn’t have like a hot tub and a home theatre system and the five hour trip didn’t feel cramped or boring at all.

I finally met Seth’s two other friends, Chris, whose bright red hair matched his feisty personality, and Franco whose dark, Hispanic look only added to his quiet, mysterious appeal. 

Chris’s current lady love is Anna Kolsenberg who is a German, up and coming lingerie model who is also taking up Fashion Merchandising at Cox. Franco has been in a long-term relationship with Clarissa Leblanc, an artsy type with a short, dark blond bob and ice blue eyes. 

None of them warmed up much to me as Vivi had warned and I could feel them observing me while we were in the RV but I managed to keep my mouth shut and enjoy the rest of what were surprisingly meaningful conversations that I had with everyone else.  The guys talked and goofed around like guys and they didn’t come off as stuck up at all as I had feared. The other girls kept to themselves, which I didn’t really mind because Vivi is more than enough company for anybody, really. 

Five and a half hours later, we arrived at a secluded beach villa in Tuzon, a resort community, with the finest white sand and a stunning view of the crystal blue sea.

It had two levels, each level with a wrap-around balcony of its own, and it was practically steps away to the beach. Tall palm trees offered a nice, cool shade around the villa and the breeze was warm and smelled salty. 

“Welcome to our own little paradise for the weekend,” Patrick announced as we walked into the large, open foyer of the practically wall-less main level of the villa. There was a stone staircase in the middle of the room that led to what I expect are the bedrooms.

“There’s six bedrooms in this villa, each pair gets one,” Patrick continued, fishing out a fistful of keys from his pocket. “There’s a couple extra left but I hope none of us would ever have to use it.”

There were snickers from the guys as Patrick handed out the keys to them. Seth had a crooked smile as he got ours.

“Keep it low you guys, okay?” Patrick teased with a mischievous wiggle of his brows which Seth responded to with a playful smack on Patrick’s shoulder. 

He just laughed and put his arm around Amanda before heading up the stairs behind the other couples.

“He’s just kidding,” Seth told me as he picked up our bags. “Don’t look like you’re about to dive off of a cliff.”

I scrunched up my nose in protest. “Don’t tempt me to make you use one of the spare bedrooms.”

He grinned and lightly kissed me on the tip of my nose. “I won’t, silly. I promise.”

We trudged up the stairs and found our room at the end of the almost circular hallway. It was big and airy  with large windows and double doors that led to the balcony. A rustic-looking, wooden king-sized bed sat in the middle of the room, piled on with pillows and cushions and surrounded with sheer white curtains hanging from the ceiling, giving the illusion of a four-poster. 

“This is ridiculously luxurious,” I commented when I stepped into the ensuite bath that had a jetted tub, a separate, two-person stone shower with multiple rainshower heads and even a two-person sauna. “What is this? A spa?”

“No, but it’s pretty close to one,” Seth answered as he set down our bags. “There’s several lounge chairs out by the beach where you can get a massage too from a local yet awesome masseuse. Pat’s mom wanted it to be a traditional beach house with some perks that she just can’t live without.”

“I bet,” I agreed as I opened the empty closet and started hanging some of my clothes on the wooden hangers. “I guess if you can afford it, why not?”

He grinned. “There’s also phone, cable and high-speed internet but I hope you’d never need them for the weekend.”

He came up behind me and put his arms around my waist, his lips and nose buried in my hair. “I really want us to have a great time. So great you’d be so convinced to never leave me.”

Vivi’s words flashed back in my mind as Seth nuzzled my ear. It was hard not to believe her with all these sweet nothings Seth’s murmuring to me that are now starting to sound like sweet somethings. 

I turned around within his arms so I could look up into his warm green eyes. With every bit of courage I could summon, I mumbled, “That sounds a little bit long term.”

He smiled. “What does?”

A blush crept to my cheeks but I stood my ground. “Never.”

“You don’t like the idea?” he asked, brushing a strand of hair from my forehead. 

My heart skipped a beat. “Do you?”

He grinned. “I like it a whole damn lot.”

I guess I broke out in a grin because he chuckled and suddenly hauled me on to the bed where I snuggled close in his arms. 

Love. Maybe it’s not so bad after all. 

I thought of the word as we laid there wrapped in each other’s arms and the lulling scent and sway of the sea breeze blowing through the windows. 

I’d hate to start being a romantic now but this moment—Seth, me and the beautiful world around us—felt damn near perfect.

***

“What’s that?” Chris asked when he looked over my shoulder and into the grill wok where I was tossing some mixed vegetables and spices. 

I shrugged. “Just a roasted vegetable mix. Some carrots, onions, pepper, zucchinis. I also threw in some walnuts and a sprinkle of dry herbs.”

“That smells amazing,” he said, much to my surprise, spearing a pepper with the fork he’s been carrying around as he helped me and Seth at the barbecue where we were whipping up lunch for everybody. “Where did you learn how to cook like that?”

I smirked. “In a kitchen where you’ve got to use everything you’ve got in the fridge. Throwing away food is rarely an option.”

Patrick came over with a pile of plates which he set down before grabbing a pair of tongs for the burger patties. “If only the other girls here knew a thing or two in the kitchen. Amanda can’t even boil water. She’s completely helpless.”

“Speaking of Amanda, I forgot she had those special vegan patties in the freezer,” Seth said, setting down his flipper and wiping his hands on the dishcloth hanging from the end of the five-burner barbecue that was the centerpiece of this upscale outdoor kitchen. “I’ll be right back.”

“Grab some napkins on your way out too. They’re on the side table near the door,” I told him as he was just about to walk past me.

He grinned and planted a quick kiss on my cheek. “Yes, ma’am. You smell like smoked patties. Nice!”

I rolled my eyes as Chris and Patrick laughed. “Eau De Barbecue. The scent no man can resist.”

“Trust me, it’s not just the barbecue aroma that’s causing his highly unusual behavior,” Patrick said as he grabbed the flipper Seth left. “It’s amazing what you’ve done to our friend.”

I blushed. “I didn’t do anything to him.”

Chris snickered. “Don’t be so modest, Ali. You can take credit and it’s perfectly alright, you know.” 

“Seth’s always been goofy since I met him,” I tried to explain. “That’s not unusual behavior for him.”

“Goofy, yes, that’s usual behavior for Seth,” Patrick agreed. “Romantic, swoony, bubbly as champagne, nauseatingly sweet—no, that’s not him at all until he started mentioning you.”

“God, yes, I still remember that day,” Chris said with a light groan. “We were at Franco’s playing pool and talking about hitting up the pub later that night for a boy’s night out. Seth suddenly said he couldn’t go and he wouldn’t say why at first. Just said he was tired. We started annoying him about it until he finally blustered that he had plans to go to a bar and we were like, well, why don’t we just all go together since he did admit it was not a date?”

“He looked a little uneasy at first we thought it was strange,” Patrick added. 

“Then he told us we couldn’t go with him because it was a different type of bar so we got really, really suspicious,” Chris continued. “We let it go but later that evening, we borrowed one of my brother’s cars to follow Seth after he left his house, just out of curiosity, and we ended up in this funny-looking place called Art on Stage and we watched Seth get out of his car with a big bouquet of flowers in one hand. He went in and ten minutes later, he stepped out, looking glum with the flowers still in his hand. We worried so we decided to walk up to him. He didn’t seem mad we followed him. He actually seemed relieved.”

Patrick shook his head with slight amusement. “He threw the flowers in the trash, like a defeated lover, and said we should go get something to drink. Chris, of course, couldn’t shut up and bugged him all night about it and when Seth had enough to drink, he finally blubbered something like, ‘Ali’s on a date’. And we were all like, ‘Who’s Ali? Have we met her? What were you doing showing up on her date with some other guy?’ He looked pretty grim and grumbled something about hearing her talk about going to an art show there.”

I bit my lip, my cheeks red and hot. “I was talking to my friends about it while we were waiting for our class to start that morning. Seth was there, bugging me to talk to him but I ignored him and went on with my conversation about this performance we were going to see later that night. That was the most horrible date I’ve ever been to in my entire life. I can’t believe he was there. I never saw him.”

Chris laughed. “Oh boy, you hit him pretty hard. He was quite wasted that night. He said the funniest things: Ali likes homework like we wouldn’t believe it. Ali kicks his butt all the time. Ali was driving him crazy but he liked it. It was all Ali, Ali, Ali.”

“He was still mumbling about you when we dropped him off at his house,” Patrick added. “The next day we met up for lunch. He had a pretty bad hangover but he didn’t mention you again. He was pretty quiet the next couple of weeks after that. Then one day, while we were playing poker, he suddenly said that there’s a girl he really likes. Her name was Ali. And we all answered in a chorus of groans, ‘We know’. He looked at us in surprise so we know he didn’t remember all the things he blabbered out when he got drunk that night.”

“Seth barely drinks so when he gets drunk, he’s really drunk,” Chris said. “Since then, you’re all he could talk about. So when we tell you you can take credit, we really mean it.”

I bit my lip again, at loss for something to say.

Then I shrugged, “I’m trusting that you guys are not just making up this heartbreaking story to get me to fall head over heels with your friend, right?”

Chris laughed. “Oh my, Seth was right on point when he said you were severely suspicious.”

“Sorry,” I mumbled, taking a deep breath and glancing over my shoulder just in time as Seth was coming out of the cottage. “This is still pretty bizarre for me. I never really knew that Seth felt that way about me.”

Patrick smiled and patted me on the shoulder. “It doesn’t really matter now. He’s got you and that’s all we can ask for. We were worried you’d shoot him down and break his heart and we’d have to fix him up.”

Chris snickered. “Seth’s never had any trouble getting a girl but you are obviously a different case. That’s good. A guy wouldn’t waste his time if it didn’t mean much to him. Guys are lazy.”

“What did I miss, Chris?” Seth asked as he arrived with the pack of frozen vegan patties and a stack of napkins. “Sorry, I had to dig this out of the freezer. Who’s lazy?”

“You,” Chris answered with a mischievous smile. “I was telling Ali that she is better off with someone else.”

Seth couldn’t help it—he glanced at me with concerned eyes and I laughed and the two other guys burst out laughing as well.

“Thanks for the loyalty, Chris,” Seth grumbled with a crooked smile, playfully punching Chris’s arm. “Wait till I tell your girlfriend all your dirty secrets.”

Chris grabbed a plate and tossed a couple of patties and toasted buns onto it. “It’s too late for that, she already knows.”

Patrick grinned and beckoned Chris over. “Come on, Chris. I think Franco is turning yellow now from listening to the girl’s discussion of Prada’s new collection. Poor guy.”

The two grabbed a couple of cold beers from the fridge and started their way towards the beach huts where the girls were tanning themselves.

“I hope those two didn’t tell you anything embarrassing,” Seth said as he threw some of those frozen vegetarian patties on the grill that sizzled on contact. “You look like you know a secret. What is it?”

I tried to smooth out the grin that kept forming on my face and shook my head. “I don’t know a secret. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He smiled and wrapped his arms loosely around my waist. “Ali? You don’t lie very well.”

I finally gave way to my smile and shook my head. “I know. I don’t seem to be able to do a lot of things around you.”

“Like what?” he asked, cupping my chin gently. 

I looked into his beautiful green eyes and my toes curled a bit at their intensity.

“Like turn around and run away. Or fight you off. Or tell you that you’re crazy for doing this with me. A lot of things.”

He pulled me closer, smiling. “Because you don’t want to do any of them. You don’t want to turn around and run away. Or fight me off. Or tell me that I’m crazy for doing this with you.”

“Why do you think so?”

He shrugged. “Because you want this as much as I do. At least I hope you do. Do you?”

I looked at his almost imploring face and I imagined the scene Chris and Patrick had told me of Seth walking into that artist bistro with a bouquet of flowers only to come out minutes later, shoulders hunched, face glum. 

That was a long time ago. I never knew. But then, who would think I could break Seth Wallace’s heart?

I wrapped my arms around his neck and nodded. “I want this. Very much.”

His lips curved into a small, almost wistful smile as he leaned down to kiss me softly on the mouth. My arms tightened around him as the kiss deepened, making my toes curl. 

Then warm water sprayed out from nowhere drenching us both that we leapt back trying to get away.

“Hey, lovebirds!” Chris yelled as he held up the water hose. “Anybody caught making out will be hosed down. Go to your room!”

I grew beet red as the others laughed and hooted. Seth just grinned and threw a pot holder at Chris before sweeping me up in his arms and started running. 

“First couple to make it to the water gets dibs on the boat at sunset!” Seth yelled as he started running to the beach with me screaming my lungs out in fright of being dropped or us slipping.

The other guys dropped their beer and grabbed their girlfriends and I don’t know who made it to the water first. All I knew was that one minute I could hear the wind rustling past my ears, the next I was submerged in warm, salty water.

I clung to Seth but straightened myself out and saw that the other couples were just jumping into the water despite the girls’ loud protestations, especially Amanda who was pounding on Patrick’s shoulder to no avail.

Seth and I laughed as we hooted in victory.

Seth glanced at me, his hair and face glistening with water, his smile bright. “Sunset later. This beach. You and me.”

I smiled. “It’s a date.”