Page 12 of The Right Guy
An almighty thud startled me. Both my grunt and the act of ramming a plastic bottle into my face brought the room to a standstill. I groaned aloud and blinked. Everything was fuzzy. Probably because my right lenswas awkwardly positionedat my left temple. Instantly, my cheeks flushed to a shade brighter than the flaming sun. I’d walked face-first into a floor to ceiling mirror.
“Ada. Are you okay?” I stumbled sideways to watch Ro weave around exercise machines in the bright gym with a halo of light around his physique.
“I’m fine. I ran on the treadmill for too long.” Because I was ogling you from a distance.
His eyebrow quirked, and in a flash, his fingertips rectified the position of my glasses, pushing them higher. The sweet smell of his workout blended with a fresh aroma of clean laundered clothes.
“Do you need to sit down?” His furrowed forehead glistened, and I instantly noticed pressure cuffing my wrist as if he expected me to fall over. My legs wobbled, and I brought the water bottle back to my lips for something to do that didn’t involve nervous giggling. “Come on, kid. Sit down over here.” He guided me to the bench lining the wall, only letting go of my arm when my ass hit the solid wood. “I haven’t seen you in here before. Did any of the staff show you how to use the machines?”
My head shook, and normal sentences hid in my mouth. His hands slotted under his armpits, and his stance widened. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes. Just embarrassed. Why would they put a huge mirror there?” I forced indifference with a quick pat of my messy bun and swept a trickle of sweat from my brow. “I didn’t see it, even if it is enormous.”
His burst of laughter made me question the silly plan to bury him in the ‘never going to happen box’. “I’ll get the staff to give you a rundown of the machines, Ada.”
He called me by my name. I nodded wildly, light-headed from running or from being so close to him. “Are you going with Kim to Lux?” he asked out of the blue.
The bottle squeaked in my death grip squeeze. “Uh, maybe. I don’t know. Does she have tickets yet?”
Ro’s gaze drifted over his shoulder to the group of guys loitering at the weights station. “Fia gave her a couple of tickets this morning. Guess I’ll see you there.”
One second, he was lingering before me, and the next, he was wandering back to his friends, like he hadn’t even seen me. My stomach dropped as I exhaled, observing his casual, confident gait. So much for giving up on my Ro obsession.
He was hotter than sin, and now I had a glimmer of hope for the fantasy to become a reality.
Six
The best gift EVER
Scantily clad students crowded The Reef, going crazy for the new cocktail of the week, Siren Sunset. We crammed colored glasses to the brim with crushed ice, Kahula, Vodka, and soda water, blending a lethal combo that tasted amazing. The students went mad for it. Theo was the mixologist sent from alcohol heaven.
A steel guitar strummed hypnotic chords, bending through the rainbow beams overhead. It was barely audible under the drunken chanting that grew louder with every drink sank.
Over the past year, Theo taught me the skills for crafting the perfect alcoholic mix. He was the best teacher, so knowledgeable and relaxed. We worked together as a well-oiled machine, servingtheonslaught of thirsty customers. Kim sat on a wooden barstool, sipping from a coconut shell filled with frozen strawberry daiquiri.
I mopped up a spilled drink with paper towels and quizzed her about Fia’s VIP party. “Your brother told me Fia offered you a couple of tickets for Lux?”
Kim’s white locks draped her cheeks, falling forward when she nodded. Her cheeks drew in as she sucked up the sugary slush. When she swallowed, her brows suddenly scrunched. “When were you talking to Ro?”
“I saw him at the gym earlier.”
She pushed the empty coconut toward me. “You went to the gym? The big room with exercise machines, for people who exercise.” She emphasized exercise to make her point.
I shrugged lightly. “I’m stressed about the exams and had energy to burn. Anyway, he said, she gave you a few.”
“Are you stalking him now?”
“No! As if.” The soaked paper towel fell apart in my fingers.
“Ada, the whole time we’ve been friends, you’ve never gone to the gym.” Kim’s chin rested on her knuckles, and she raised a skeptical brow. “I think you once said, ‘if they meant me todoexercise, there would be pancake stacks on the floor.’”
How could I tell her my libido had been eating its way through my body, and I had to run it off or go crazy? “There’s a first time for everything. Strawberry orwatermelon?” I dragged the empty coconut away.
“Oh, yummy.” She smacked her lips together. “I’ll mix it up with a watermelon daiquiri this time. So, are you in?”
“Okay, I’ll go, but don’t expect me to get in the water. I’ll sit in a cabana and watch the hot guys strut their stuff.”
“What are you two gossiping about this time?” Theo yanked my messy bun. His broad smile reached his eyes when he stopped beside me. He tossed an arm over my shoulder, like he always does and I slid my arm around his lower back.
