Room 126 was technically on the second floor of the hotel, and with its horseshoe shape, it allowed almost every room to have a balcony that looked out over the beach. In silence Jason and I walked our way down the otherwise empty hallway until we found our suite, and no sooner did I knock on the door than did Chelsea fling it open for us to enter.

"You guys have got to see this," was all she said as she stepped out of our way.

She wasn't lying.

Much like the hotel's lobby—and every other aspect of the hotel, for that matter—the layout of the suite was open and airy. The wall in front of us wasn't a wall at all, but panels of windows made to slide completely into the wall to open out to the balcony that did, indeed, give us a perfect view of the beachfront and the incoming storm. The main room itself contained a large sitting area complete with extremely comfortable-looking couches, chairs, and a chaise lounge, all facing out towards the balcony. To the right, there was a small kitchenette and a fully stocked bar, a closed door.

"That's to the bathroom, complete with its own hot tub," Chelsea advised as she followed Jason and me while we took the tour.

To the left was a small arching entryway that led into a smaller, more intimate sitting area complete with its own balcony before shooting off to three different bedrooms.

"And each bedroom has its own private bathroom," Chelsea squealed from behind me as glanced into one of the rooms.

I looked back at her. "Did you check out each one before you decided which one you wanted for yourself?"

"Maybe," she said with an unabashed smirk.

She stepped away to go back to find Jason, who was still taken by the open balcony while I entered the room that I assumed would be mine if the luggage at the foot of the bed was any indication.

Much like the rest of the suite, the wall that faced the ocean was all windows, only the bedroom included heavy curtains for privacy if one so chose. It too had its own chaise and a small table, but it was the bed that caught my attention.

It was huge.

Bigger than a king and made of white wood, the four-poster was adorned with multiple pillows and plush duvets. The expert placement of the bedding made me almost guilty for wanting to fall upon it, but the sentiment faded the moment my back landed on the mattress that enveloped me like a cloud.

If I was going to be sleeping somewhere other than my own bed for a week, this would do just fine.

"Already making yourself comfortable?"

Jason's voice from the doorway had me leaning up on my elbows. "I'd ask you to join me, but you have one all your own."

He smirked but didn't seem as amused as I was. "Get showered and dressed. We should probably get some dinner before we drain this wet bar dry."

"That's very ambitious for our first night here."

"Wasn't my idea."

"Dinner then?"

"Only way I could get Chelsea to compromise."

"Fair enough," I said as I sat up, realizing I could have been just as content to remain there than getting ready to have dinner. Thoughts of food, however, made my stomach grumble, and I decided eating before drinking anything more would be the safer bet.

Jason remained where he stood in the doorway, watching me for longer than I expected him to. I was torn between calling him out and asking him in, but he left before either seemed the more viable option.

I stared at the now-empty doorway for a moment until my stomach once again grumbled and I couldn't delay eating any longer. Finally standing, I dragged my suitcase over and hoisted it on the bed while I debated the best way to approach the evening. Casual or sexy? All-out or comfortable? Was I trying to bring attention to myself, or wanting to just spend the week with my friends.

Or at least one friend and whatever Jason was turning out to be.

Not that I didn't blame Jason for treating me how he had been. It had been five years... I just wish I knew exactly what it was I did those fives years ago to create such animosity. Even the beginning of a hint would help me try to make it better because as I began to spread out my clothes and put them away in the room's armoire, I realized I would not let the vacation end without convincing Jason he wanted to be my friend again.

***

I was glad I decided to keep it casual, at least for Jason's sake if nothing else. I emerged from my room wearing a floral tank top and jean shorts, keeping on my sandals and throwing my hair up into a ponytail. I expected to be the last one ready, but only Jason was waiting on the couch in the sitting room. He was dressed in a plain black tee and denim cargo shorts, his hair combed out of his face while he still wore his glasses.

"Did Chelsea already head down to get us a table?" I asked as I walked into the room, taking a seat on the chaise across from him.

"If only," he sighed, leaning back on the couch. "I think I still hear her shower running."

"Do you think we should go get a table then?"

He looked at me, silent for a moment. "Now I wish I had thought of that."

"But you didn't, so... point for Samantha."

"We're keeping track now?"

"We always used to."

The smallest hint of a smile graced his lips, and I fully smiled in response. "Alright, tell Chelsea she took too long and we can head down."

I groaned as I stood. "That was not part of the deal."

"To the winner go the spoils," he mused as he walked towards the door.

"But we only just started keeping score!"

"Then you should have started sooner."

"Duly noted."

I walked back towards the bedrooms and knocked on the only door that was shut.

"Chelsea, we're heading down to dinner, so hurry your ass up."

There was no response, so I leaned my ear against the locked door. In the distance I could hear a muffled rendition of Taylor Swift's "Love Story" so I knew, short of busting down the door, there would be no way she'd hear me from where I was.

"I'll text her," I resigned as I went back out to meet Jason who, surprisingly, was still waiting for me.

"Was she still working her way through Folklore?"

"Nope- she made it back to Fearless so we have at least another fifteen minutes before she's turning that water off."

I actually received a chuckle out of him for that. A laugh that warmed me like a sense of nostalgia. Where earlier I had been so much on the defensive around him, I never took a moment to step back and realized how much I missed him. And if I had missed him that much, I didn't want to consider how he had felt these last five years after everything...

But if I was going to make amends, I needed to figure out exactly what happened.