Page 29 of Charming
We watch until we can’t see them any longer. “We need to start heading back,” Asher tells me and I nod. We only had an hour and the time flew by so quickly. As we turn and face the shore, it’s crazy how tiny everything looks from this distance. When you’re having fun and just going with the flow, you don’t realize how far out you really are. As we make our way back, I’m not sure how Asher’s able to tell which direction we’re supposed to go, but I follow him as he brings us immediately perpendicular to the tent where we need to return. As we get closer, workers come forward and help push us onto the shore and then help me get off.
“Fun, senorita?” The man helping me asks.
“Yes! It was a blast! Thank you so much!” I tell him wobbling a little as I make my way across the sand. He smiles and nods at my exuberance, kindly grasping onto my elbow, but then Asher comes and takes my hand. Under the tent we remove our life vests, get our things, and head back down the beach toward the Rosé. This time we aren’t in a hurry and we walk along the shore, dragging our feet in the water. Asher holds my hand the whole time and doesn’t let go. It feels right, my hand fitting perfectly in his.
At one point the water suddenly pushes to the shore roughly and before we know it we’re up to our knees. Laughing, I squeal at how cool the water is now that I’m underneath it. Having stood still for a moment when the water came in, my feet are instantly buried in the sand. “I’m stuck!” I tell Asher and with a laugh, he comes and pulls me out.
We make our way back up the steps when we reach the Rosé and stop at their showers to wash the sand off our bodies before venturing forward. He holds my cover up as I wash and then I hold his backpack while he does. “There’s a restaurant here,” Asher points at a place attached to the hotel with a large patio that sits on the beach. “We can eat there, or we can sit by the pool and order food from one of the waiters. Do you have a preference?”
“Hmm, I vote for laying in the sun and eating by the pool. Is that okay with you?”
“Absolutely,” he smiles. He pulls his hat out of his bag again and I wonder briefly if he’s worried about being recognized, but the thought passes when he grabs my hand once more and leads me to a couple lounge chairs after we grab some fresh towels from a wagon supplying them for guests. While I get myself situated, Asher flags down a waiter and gets menus for us. “What looks good?” he asks looking over at me from his chair.
“Everything,” I answer honestly, laughing at how hungry I am.
We decide to order all kinds of appetizers to share - a cheese quesadilla, chips and salsa with guacamole, and mini chimichangas with all kinds of sauces to dip them in. Sounds good to me. Asher also orders us margaritas and waters and my stomach growls again in anticipation.
“Thanks again for taking me to ride the wave runner.” I tell him for probably the twentieth time, but I can’t help it. I still can’t believe how much fun that was.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” he smiles at me and leans toward me with anticipation. I smile and kiss him gently on the lips. He sighs deeply when I pull away, “That’s all the thank you I need.” Kissing him is amazing and just a simple brush of his lips against mine makes me crave so much more. I think I could kiss him all day.
He tugs on his hat again before taking my hand in his once more. This time, I have to ask, “Are you worried about being recognized?” I ask him keeping my voice low.
“No, not really. Why?”
I point at his hat, “You keep tugging on your hat, pushing it down and I thought maybe that was why. I’m sorry, I didn’t think. If you would have preferred going back to our resort or eating in the restaurant in a private booth or something, we can see if we can get the food to go.”
“No, no, no. I don’t want to do that. I’m happy right where we are. And for the record, I love that you didn’t think about that.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, spending time with someone that isn’t demanding of my time, wanting to know what project I’m going to do next and if I want to endorse this item or that. Getting called about presenting at award shows, getting invitations for event after event that I’m expected to go to, having to act perfect in public and constantly make sure I say and do the appropriate things so the press doesn’t take and twist shit all around is exhausting. It’s so fucking exhausting, and I know you’re probably thinking ‘oh, poor baby’ so I’ll just stop talking now.”
“No, I wasn’t thinking that at all. I was thinking that all those things sound like work, not pleasure, and that it must be tiring having to put on a perfect face all the time.”
“It can be. I just want to be me. And I’m certainly a long way from perfect. And being with you, I feel like I can just be. You don’t appear to be caught up in all the celebrity shit other than just basic curiosity.”
“That’s because I don’t really care about it. I mean, don’t get me wrong, when I found out whom you were, I kind of freaked out. But, that’s because I’ve enjoyed your movies and I’ve never met a celebrity before. But, for the record, I would have wanted to talk to you whether you were an actor or if you were a…a…. mime.” He lifts a brow at my occupational choice and I shrug. “Okay, well maybe not a mime, they’re kind of creepy, but you know what I mean. I don’t care if you’re famous or not.”
He chuckles softly and the sound makes me shiver. It’s the sound I heard at the pool and at the fire pit. I love that sound. “Well back to your original question, the only concern I have is not wanting anyone to interrupt our time together.” He opens his mouth to say more, but closes it instead.
“If that happens, we’ll just leave.” He nods and squeezes my hand, and I find myself staring at him. His eyes are covered with his aviators but I can tell he’s looking around the pool. He’s taking in the people around us, and I don’t blame him, there’s a lot to see. Not only the people, but the architecture of the hotel itself is eye catching. The resort is a Greco-Roman design and actually a pale pink color, thus the name I suppose. Gleaming domes, several marble busts, and rows of palm trees provide visual stimulation. Not to mention all the room patios with people hanging out. Some just relaxing, others sunbathing. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course.”
“Why aren’t you all private and holed up somewhere in some ridiculous beach house that’s way too huge for only you and staying away from everyone?”
He laughs, “Well, if I did that, I never would have met you.”
“That’s true.”
“Not my style. Never has been. My friends and family give me a hard time sometimes because they think I should live it up, but even though I could do that if I wanted to, I’m not interested. If it can be helped anyway.”
“Helped?”
“Well, sometimes I call in a favor or two. Like dinner last night, that meal wasn’t completely on the menu. If I want tickets to a sporting event, I confess I’ve cashed in on that. And my assistant calls the places I travel ahead of time to make my reservations for me. He tells the managers that I’ll be visiting, making sure my accommodations are arranged and to give the managing staff a heads up. That way if an incident presented itself they would be able to hustle me out or handle it appropriately.”
“Has that ever happened to you? A situation that needed handling?”
