Page 71 of Going Overboard

I hop off the machine to do a playful little curtsey. Oof, my arse muscles hurt – I wasn’t under the impression I had any in there.

‘You’ve been a great sport, you know,’ he says. ‘Considering I only told people you came to the gym with me to wind you up.’

‘Yeah, and yet when I said you came to the spa with me, somehow, you’ve still yet to visit it with me,’ I point out. ‘People might start to get suspicious…’

‘Okay, fine, come on, let’s go to the spa, you’ve earned it,’ he says. ‘We’ve got some time to kill.’

‘Honestly?’ I reply.

‘Yeah, why not?’ he says.

I could never get Todd to go to a spa with me, but I don’t want to ruin my own day by saying his name a second before I have to.

‘You told people I love it,’ he reminds me. ‘So I’d better go and I’d better love it. I don’t want people thinking I’m a bad boyfriend, that’s not going to look good on my CV.’

‘Then let’s get washed up and go,’ I reply.

‘You know…’ Brody starts, as we finally wander towards the spa. ‘It’s going to be weird when we go back to our real lives.’

‘It really is,’ I reply. ‘I feel like I was just getting used to the fact I didn’t have a boyfriend any more, being alone, and then you turn up and – I know, we’re faking it – but for all intents and purposes, it’s like being with someone, being with you. We share a bedroom, we spend all of our time together, we share our problems…’

‘That’s an excellent point,’ he says with a laugh. ‘I’d question whether it was healthy but… we’re in too deep now.’

‘I guess we are,’ I reply. ‘But know that, as far as boyfriends go, real or fake, you’ve set the bar pretty high.’

Brody smiles.

‘You too,’ he tells me. ‘You’ll be a tough act to follow.’

‘It’s going to be a shock to the system, isn’t it?’ I say, my smile falling from my face. ‘Going back to being on my own.’

‘Yeah, I get that,’ he replies. ‘But even when it feels like we’re alone, we’re not. We’ve got great friends.’

‘You’ve got a whole team of friends,’ I point out. ‘I’ve gotKelsey, who is getting married, and Kira, who just got married. They’re moving into the next phase of life, and I’m happy for them, but… I don’t know, I guess I just feel like I’m standing on the train platform, waving them off, being left on my own.’

He doesn’t say anything right away. Instead, as we turn the corner, he gently wraps his arm around my shoulders.

‘They’re not leaving you behind,’ he reassures me. ‘It’s great that you’re happy for them. But it won’t be long before Neil is abandoning Kelsey for golf and Al’s busy with bodybuilding and meal prep. Your friends are going to be begging you to rescue them from their new phase.’

I smile and lean slightly into him.

‘Yeah, I guess you’re right,’ I reply. ‘I guess it’s just hard not to look on the dark side of life at the moment.’

‘Well, if you ever get desperate, my team could always use a new mascot,’ he jokes, instantly lifting my mood.

‘I’m probably not that desperate,’ I reply with a laugh.

‘Probably?’ he replies. ‘So, you are considering it…’

‘I’d never rule it out,’ I joke.

I love the way Brody takes the heaviness away from me, making me feel lighter. His big strong arms have multiple uses, it turns out.

The spa appears like a mirage at the end of what felt like an endless hallway. Double frosted doors with the creative name ‘The Spa’ plastered across them, the frame of the door edged with flowers, greeting the most beautiful floral arch. I feel more relaxed just looking at it.

Inside, the first things you notice are the dreamy scents being diffused into the room, and the sound of trickling water – which usually I find peaceful, but on a cruise it’s sort of disconcerting.

The staff are on it, getting us into white fluffy robes and plying us with glasses of cucumber water and before either of us canthink of a reason to say no, we’re on our way to a treatment room for a couple’s facial.

---