I am new to the walk of shame. Totally new. But now I feel like I know it. I understand it. I'm living it. I sneak out of Will's room at half past six, and somehow manage not to wake him up. I feel absolutely ridiculous walking through the resort grounds wearing only my bright green bikini so early in the morning. Luckily, I only pass by a handful of morning runners, and they keep their judge-y thoughts to themselves. I know my hair is a mess. I didn't even check it before I left. I just sort of woke up, searched frantically for my "clothes", and then made a mad dash out of Will's bungalow.

Thankfully he seemed to be a pretty solid sleeper. And after the marathon we had last night, I was even surprised that I woke up as early as I did. The walk back to my room is good. I need the fresh air. My legs and arms and...other bits...feel lovely and tingly and a tiny bit sore in the best way possible. I can still feel his lips on my skin, the way he would grab my hands and squeeze tightly when I would do something that he liked. It's like this foggy, delicious memory that keeps drifting through my sleepy brain. I can see the very beginnings of the sun rise, and it's turning the morning sky all sorts of lovely colors.

All in all, 'Jamie' had a fantastic night. A really fantastic night. And now, it's time to turn back into Gracie. Good old, boring Gracie.

I make it to my room, and when I open the door I'm surprised to find Santos in his bed. He's got about half a dozen blankets wrapped around him, and the air conditioner at full blast. I shiver in my bathing suit as I try to close the door as quietly as I can behind me so I don't wake him up. I need a shower and some breakfast before I can face his inquisition.

"Look at you, you little hussy." Santos moans from the bed, his face barely visible under a layer of blankets. I freeze at the door to the bathroom, pause and then turn. Caught.

"Hi. Not out with yacht boy?" I ask, jutting out a hip. Santos pulls the blankets away from his face, squinting at me.

"I got in about an hour ago. Your bed was still perfectly made. And judging by that tornado of a hairstyle going on...someone got laid." He smiles, sits up with the blankets still wrapped around him and smiles broadly. I can't help but smile either. Like I said, it was a great night.

"His name was Will. He made my toes curl." I whisper. Santos makes a shrill, happy noise and pokes a hand out, pretending to fan himself.

"Love it. So happy for you, Gracie girl. I knew you had a slut somewhere in there." He bobs up and down on the bed for a moment before laughing and then throwing himself back down onto his heap of blankets.

"I'm happy too. He was really nice."

"Don't go getting attached." He mumbles, pressing his face into a pillow. I shake my head.

"No, don't worry. It's why I left early this morning. I didn't say good bye. I just left." I grin, knowing that I did the right thing. Santos raises a hand in the air, waiting for a high five. I skip over, smack his hand, and then pat his butt, which is almost impossible to find under the layers of blankets.

"I'm going to take a shower and then I'm going to try and find those waterfalls. Do you want to come?" I ask, suddenly feeling energetic and ready for the day. We had heard about some beautiful, private waterfalls not far from the resort. A few of them have great diving cliffs. We'd said all week that we would find them, but being lazy and drinking margaritas seemed to take precedence over hiking through the woods.

"I'm not moving from this bed today. I got zero sleep last night. You weren't the only one up all night being a lady of the night. Come get me when it's time for dinner." Santos says, and he seems to dig himself farther into bed, like some sort of cave. I smile and nod.

"Have fun." I turn, and go into the bathroom, looking forward to a hot shower.

****

The walk to the waterfalls takes longer than expected. I only pass one or two people as I make my way there. It is still early, and I guess most people come to the resorts to sleep and relax, not hike a few miles to some deserted waterfalls at seven in the morning. It's a nice walk though, and it is perfect for clearing my head.

It's nice not to focus on Richard for a minute. He's the farthest thing from my mind. I thought about him for a half second the other night, realizing that Will was the exact opposite of Richard's appearance, and I then banished from my thoughts. And it wasn't hard. Where Richard was often rushed and sloppy, Will was patient and precise. Where Richard had been too rough or not confident enough, Will seemed to understand the perfect pace. We just seemed to mesh well. If a girl is gonna break her rule and have a one night stand, it is definitely the sort of one night stand she wants to have. I am still all tingly just thinking about it.

And the great thing was that Will was sweet too. He was funny, and made me laugh. He made me feel comfortable, and not at all like I was some morally barren degenerate. Although if I were, I guess that made him one too. Maybe that's the cool thing about hook ups. You can have fun, and be great for a few hours, and then you can just disappear. No obligations, no further responsibilities. Just your best, sexiest self for a few steamy hours.

I am about to give up on finding the falls. I've let myself wander, following trail markers for over an hour. My tank top sticks to my sweaty skin, and I'm dying to find the falls so I can take a swim. Finally, I turn the corner around a large clump of trees, and find myself in a wide, lovely clearing. The waterfalls are huge, loud, and framed by jet black, slick rocks. The cliffs that lead to the drop look to be about 20 feet high, maybe more. My heart starts beating when I see someone up on the top of the cliff. He's alone, balancing on the edge. With the sun behind him, I can't make out any of his features. He's just a figure, blacked out against the rock and the early morning sun. He seems to hesitate for just a second, but then he jumps, plunging quickly toward the deep, jewel blue pool beneath him. I gasp softly, without meaning to, and hold my breath as I watch him fall.

He plunges into the water, making only a small splash at the bottom. I keep watching, waiting and praying for him to come up. Oh god, what if he doesn't? What if he hit his head? I don't know CPR. I took a class about five years ago, but I was so terrible at it. Will I have to drag him out of the lagoon? Or will he just sink to the bottom?

Just then, when I'm about to get totally hysterical, the figure pops up a few meters away from where he entered the pool. He doesn't seem to know I'm there, though he's swimming toward me. We seem to be the only ones at the waterfalls for the moment.

I take a step toward the pool, onto the rocky, naturally formed ledge around the swimming hole. He keeps swimming closer, and as he gets nearer, it only takes me a few seconds to realize I recognize him. Will.

Well, shit.

His hair is slicked back, wet with water. It is darker now that it is wet, and it seems to change the shape of his face. He's all strong, masculine angles in the bluish morning light. He swims effortlessly through the water, and when he finally looks up, we lock eyes. His are blue, almost unnaturally so. I remember them being light from the night before, but in this light, they are almost ablaze with how clear they are. He stops swimming, and treads water for a second, a bevy of emotions passing through those bright eyes.

"I thought you were a dream, maybe." He says finally. I lick my lips, and then step forward. I crouch down on the smooth rock, and then sit down, dipping my legs over the side and into the cool, lapping water.

"Are you following me?" I ask with a smile. He grins and then keeps swimming forward, turning slightly so he is aimed right at me.

"Pretty sure you found me." He says, swimming up to me. His head is inches from my knees, and I suddenly flash back to just a few hours ago, when his head was also so very close to my knees. I can feel the heat rising in my chest and I try to calm myself down quickly.

"You have a point." I say softly.

"You didn't say goodbye this morning." He says, his voice gentle. He sounds concerned and maybe something else. Something I can't quite read. I avoid his eyes for a half second, but then I look at him. He looks even better than he did last night, if that's possible. I tug at the straps of my tank top, and try not to bite my lip.

"Yeah, isn't how that sort of thing...works?" I ask. Will presses his lips together, his brow furrowed.

"I'm not sure. It doesn't have to work that way. You could have said goodbye. I would have liked to say goodbye to you." He says softly and then shrugs. I suddenly feel a pang of regret, and for the first time since we met, a bit of embarrassment. I shouldn't have snuck out.

"You're right. I should have said something." I nod. He gives me half a smile and then looks a bit bashful.

"I was worried you didn't have a good time." He offers this little tidbit, and I'm speechless for a second. Is this how hook ups are supposed to go? Talking and people being nice and perhaps being friends?

"I...I had a great time. I had an amazing time, to be totally honest." I don't want to lie to him. "What...about you?" I ask. He looks at me with his blue eyes and he breaks into a wide, almost boyish grin.

"I had an amazing time, Jamie. Truly." He says. There he goes with saying my fake name again. It feels sort of wrong, but I don't think I can back out of it now. I look away for a second, and then try to change the subject.

"That was an impressive jump." I say motioning to the cliff.

"I was standing there for about ten minutes, trying not to piss my pants before you came." He laughs. I chuckle and my voice echoes around us.

"Well, you made it look easy."

"Peeing my pants or jumping?" He keeps smiling. I smile back.

"Jumping."

"Are you going to jump?" He asks, and then he suddenly places his hands on the flat rock next to me and hoists himself out of the water. I watch as he rises out of the water, rivers running down his sculpted chest and disappearing down and over his swim trunks. He flips himself easily and sits down next to me. I can almost feel the cool wetness of his skin. It is a hot day, and I'm sweating from the hike.

"I was thinking about it." I shrug. Will laughs and then grabs my hand, standing up.

"Let's go then, lady. No time like the present."

"Oh, I don't know." I shake my head. I'm not Jamie anymore, though Will thinks I am. I am firmly back in Gracie territory. I don't know that Gracie jumps off cliffs into giant waterfalls. Gracie stands back and admires them and thinks about taking a picture, or a quick sketch of them.

"Nope, you have to do it now. Come on, Jamie." He smiles and tugs on my hand. I resist for only a second before letting him lead me up a narrow path by the rock. He is barefoot, and traverses the rocky terrain easily. I lag behind slightly, but I manage to mostly keep up. It only takes us five minutes to reach the top, and then shimmy carefully across the ledge toward the diving spot. Will doesn't say much, but he keeps looking back and checking on me. It's sweet, really.

When we reach the top, I shrink back immediately. It is much higher than it looks from the ground. And it looks pretty high from the ground. I can see the spot we'd just been sitting a few minutes ago, and it looks absolutely tiny.

"Ready?" He asks, licking his lips and rubbing his hands together. He's already warmed up and ready to go. I shake my head.

"No. What if we die? What if I hit my head or break my leg or..." I trail off.

"What if, what if, what if." He shakes his arms out and grabs my hand. "What if we jump together, and we both live, and we have a fantastic time. What if that?" He asks. I laugh and nod. He has a point. We both smile at each other, and I realize how much fun I've had in the last 8 hours. Just with him.

"I have...a confession to make." I say suddenly. "In case this is the last thing I do, I want my conscience to be clear." I look wearily down over the cliff, and then up at Will. The water far below looks deep, and jewel blue. Will nods and waits, watching me.

"Ok?" He says, jumping slightly from one foot to the other in anticipation of the jump. I squeak as I look over the edge again, and then I turn to him.

"Don't hate me. I'm really sorry but...my name isn't Jamie." I grimace, half shutting my eyes, and hoping he doesn't feel too betrayed. He raises an eyebrow, looks surprised, but then bursts into laughter.

"I had a feeling, honestly." He answers. "What's your name then, you little minx?" He grins and puts his hands on his hips, pushing out a long, strong leg. I smile and feel a blush rush over me.

"It's Gracie. I'm sorry I lied." I say. Will nods, his mouth turning down a bit as he considers my name. He smiles then and nods.

"That fits you better. Gracie. It fits you perfectly." He says as he brushing a hand over his mouth, covering a laugh. I grin, feeling better.

"Are you ready to jump?!" I ask loudly, jumping up and down a few times to get myself ready. Will laughs and takes my hand again. We step up to the very edge of the cliff, our toes touching the brink. Will looks at me, and then, without warning, leans over and kisses me.

It's a sweet kiss, but deepens quickly when I push my hands up and over his broad shoulders. We pull back after a few seconds, breathless and smiling.

"Let's do this." He nods. "And Gracie? I have a confession as well." He runs a hand through his hand, pushing it back. I nod, focusing back on the jump in front of us.

"Yeah?" I ask.

"I lied to you too. I felt bad and wanted to tell you, but...my name's not Will." He says, trailing off as he looks regretful. It should surprise me, but it doesn't, and I laugh.

"Oh really?" We both sway, ready to jump. "So what is it, then?" I ask.

"It's Tom. My name is Tom." He says with a big grin, as if we've both just told each other our deepest darkest secrets.

"Tom." I say his name, letting it roll off my tongue. "It fits you perfectly." I say with a wink. He laughs, loudly and openly, and then he tugs me ever so slightly forward. Without another word, we turn and face forward, and we take a big, flying leap over the side of the cliff, our fingers still intertwined together, careening toward the deep, dark cerulean blue pool beneath us.