Page 23 of An Island Promise

Laurie looked as if she’d been spun in a washing machine on a fast spin then spat back out. Her cheeks had lost all colour and her face was wet from Belle’s attempt to wash the vomit from around her mouth, chin and off her clothes. She thought it highly unlikely that Laurie’s sparkly sequinned top could be saved.

Belle had hoped that Laurie would feel a little better after being sick, but by the time she’d managed to haul her out of the toilets, she was still ashen and wobbly on her feet. With no idea of the time or how long they’d been gone for, all Belle was focused on was being responsible for Laurie. And finding Gem.

Leaving Laurie propped against the wall outside the toilets, Belle cursed as she made her way through the club to where she’d left Gem and her phone. The pounding beat thrummed to her core, the heat, the noise and the crush of bodies making her disorientated.

Other people were standing around the table, her phone was missing and Gem was nowhere to be seen.

Belle’s heart hammered as she surveyed the writhing mass of clubbers on the main dance floor. Strobe lighting made theirmovements jagged; flashes of bare skin, hands in the air, a euphoric slow-motion wave of dancers that Belle felt detached from. Her own senses were compromised, as if she wasn’t quite present. Without her phone and with Laurie’s out of battery, she felt helpless and had no way of contacting Gem. Or Diego. God, Diego. Belle wanted to scream at Laurie for over-dosing on vodka and at Gem for being stupid enough to disappear.

The chances of stumbling across Diego between here and the exit were slim, but proved to be zero by the time Belle made it outside with Laurie and into a taxi. If she was in Gem’s shoes and had found herself on her own, she reasoned she’d have gone back to the hotel to wait for them.

No such luck. Their room was as empty as they’d left it, with clothes scattered across the beds and used wine glasses cluttering the coffee table.

Shit.

Belle manoeuvred Laurie onto her bed and tugged various tops and dresses out from under her and dumped them on the chair. She plugged Laurie’s phone in to charge and somehow managed to wiggle the vomit-stained sequinned top off her so she was just in her bra and skirt.

‘If you need to be sick again, try to be sick on the floor,’ Belle said with a sigh.

Laurie murmured something incoherent. She raised her hand as if to protest, then let it crash back down on the bed with a thump. Her eyes were barely open, dribble stained her chin and she looked ashen. Belle put her in the recovery position just in case.

Between the club and the hotel, Belle had sobered up, yet all that did was bring a mixture of worry about where the hell Gem had got to and annoyance that her night had ended like this. With her head in her hands, she sat on the end of her bed and took deep breaths, trying to force down the rising tears, butall she managed to do was breathe in the sickly combination of cheap wine and the smell of sick that had remained lodged in her nose.

Laurie was passed out and Gem was missing, yet all Belle could think about was Diego and whatshewas missing out on with him. Without her phone she couldn’t even message him to explain why she hadn’t met up with him. And when Laurie’s phone was charged she didn’t even know his surname to be able to look him up or to message him on Facebook. What the hell would he think? That she didn’t want to see him? It was their last night in Ibiza, her last chance to spend time with him, to feel his hands on her, to kiss him, to do all the delicious things they’d done to each other the two nights they’d spent together so far. Bloody Laurie. What the hell had she been thinking snorting vodka? And although she was safe now, and would hopefully sleep it off before having to deal with the worst hangover of her life while travelling home, Belle couldn’t leave her alone, not even for one last night with Diego. She’d never forgive herself if something happened.

She swapped the stale air inside their room for the balcony. It wasn’t the greatest of views, just a few straggly palm trees, the road and another hotel opposite, but it was summer in Ibiza, the sea air was sultry and she felt better for it as she sat on one of the white plastic chairs and rested her bare feet on the balcony railings.

It was gone three in the morning, but with San Antonio’s Strip within walking distance, the air was still alive with the beat of dance music, and lights shone from the surrounding hotels. During the two days since she’d last seen him, Belle’s head had been filled with thoughts of Diego. She wondered how his sister’s wedding had gone and how ridiculously handsome he must have looked in his suit. She’d so wanted to see a picture of him in it. He was the proud younger brother and the way he’d talkedabout his sister had left Belle with a pang of jealousy that they had such a close relationship. His obvious love for his sister and his excitement for her getting married had also made her sad to have missed out on all of that; sibling rivalry, a companion growing up, the chance of becoming an aunt. Diego may have made a quip about no longer being the youngest, but his love for his family shone through when he’d talked about his parents, his siblings and his nieces and nephews. Unless she was home, it was unusual for Belle to speak to her parents more than once a month, and get togethers were usually reserved for Christmas when she couldn’t wait to get back to university.

Diego had talked about his sister marrying the love of her life and Belle hadn’t been able to tell if he was simply happy for her or if there was a note of jealousy too, that she had something he had yet to find. Belle sighed, lifted her feet off the railing and breathed in the summer heat, wanting to commit to memory the intoxicating feeling of freedom and love she’d experienced this week. Marriage and kids were something that felt way in the future, and yet her brief time with Diego had meant everything.

Belle returned inside to check on Laurie and her phone. One bar of juice. And a missed call from Gem. She unplugged it and called her back. It rang and rang then went to answerphone.

‘Yo! This is Gem. Leave a message – you know the drill!’

Beep.

‘Hey, Gem. Are you okay? Where are you? We’re back at the hotel; Laurie’s been majorly sick. I went back to find you and you weren’t there. I didn’t know what to do but I had to look after Laurie. Call me back, yeah?’

At some point Belle must have fallen asleep, exhausted. She woke with a start, squinting at the sunshine sliding through the gap in the blinds. It felt as if someone was drumming against the inside of her head. She groaned and rolled over, wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep, but her eyes fell on Laurie in the next bed, one arm lolling off the side and something that looked suspiciously like sick on her chin.

Belle launched herself out of bed, immediately regretting it as her head protested and her stomach lurched.

‘Laurie? Are you okay?’ Belle put a hand on Laurie’s back and breathed easy once she felt the rise and fall of her chest. She still looked deathly pale and had been sick again on the tiled floor. Belle retched then remembered the second problem from the night before. She spun round, once again regretting the too-fast movement; apart from an assortment of clothes piled on top, Gem’s bed was still empty.

Belle scooped up Laurie’s phone. Still nothing from Gem. She clicked on her name, her heart hammering her chest as it rang and rang then went to answerphone. With fear coursing through her, she left a message: ‘Where the hell are you, Gem? Please tell me you’ve hooked up with some guy. I’ve been worried sick. If I don’t hear from you in the next ten minutes I’m going to ask reception to contact the police.’

By the time she’d got a handful of toilet paper to clean the sick off the tiled floor, Laurie’s phone pinged.

Just listened to your messages, so sorry, I’m fine. Will be back soon xx

Finally, Gem. Belle’s thumping heart eased as she sent a reply.

Oh my God I can’t even begin to tell you how relieved I am! X

After cleaning the floor as best she could, Belle attempted to wash away the smell and revive herself with a shower. She’d only just wrapped a towel around her middle when Laurie’s phone rang.

Gem.

---