Professor Bryant's Second Chance

Chapter Eight

Riley



Just as promised, Justin met us at the airport the next morning. Being excited about this trip was such an understatement. I wouldn’t miss people taking jabs at me for anything. I’ve never been somewhere so exotic before either. This trip would be one that I was sure to never forget.

“Hey, you! Are you excited about this trip?”

I practically leaped into Justin’s arms. “I wasn’t sure if you were going to make it or not. It would have been a lot less exciting without you.”

When Justin smiled down at me, my heart fluttered for a brief second. That smile would make any other woman feel the exact same way. He had a way about him that was so easygoing, and when he flashed that smile, it put you at ease.

“What?” he laughed.

“Nothing,” I said all too quickly and looked away, pulling away from him completely.

“Would you two just hop in the bed together and get it over already? The s****l tension between you two could cut through ice,” Nora stated, embarrassing both of us.

Mikey wrapped his arm around Nora and guided her toward the terminal while giving me a wink. Sometimes when Mikey was around, and Nora would say something that clearly upset me or embarrassed me, Mikey always knew and would try to help me out. That’s why I say he is so good for her. She needs someone that can keep her in her line when needed.

Justin picked up my luggage for me as we followed in behind them. Now it was more awkward than anything. He didn’t talk about things like this with me. Granted, I didn’t see Justin in that light until Dylan hurt me. Now that Nora had mentioned s*x, all I could think about was that day in my bathroom when I turned into someone other than myself to get a rise out of Justin. It worked, and we were so close to having s*x, but it wasn’t suitable for either of us at the time. I was using him to get back at Dylan, and he knew that. That didn’t mean I didn’t have feelings for Justin because I obviously did. Since taking some time away from our feelings since I left Dylan, we have grown closer. I was ready to possibly talk it to the next level, but he wasn’t, and I had to respect that. Maybe this trip would change his mind.

We walked in silence and stayed that way even as we found our seats on the plane, which was coach, by the way. It made me even more suspicious about this trip. What radio station can afford all this plus coach tickets for four people? Because I didn’t want to ruin anyone else’s good time, I kept my thoughts to myself.

This plane ride was going to be a long one. I kicked my feet up and relaxed, looking out the window for a bit until my eyes grew heavy. Justin wrapped his arm around me comfortably until I leaned into his shoulder and fell asleep.

“Are we almost there?” I asked, groggy from my sleep.

Justin took a look at his watch and nodded. “A few more hours. You slept for a long time. How are you feeling about all this so far?”

“Nervous, mostly. You?”

“Why would you be nervous? I’ve done some reading on the resort where we are staying. You are going to love it. It’s so beautiful, and we have tons of things to do. I think that you will be more relaxed than you have ever been, which you deserve. The journey here hasn’t been easy for you, and I’m sure it’s going to get harder before it gets easier, but I’m right here for you. I won’t leave unless you tell me to.”

Well, that was never going to happen. Now that Justin was in my life, I could never see him not in it. Even if nothing ever grows between us and we stay just friends, I’d be okay with that because having him in my life as a friend was better than not having him in my life at all. Wow. Saying that in my head makes me understand where he is coming from even more now. Justin has stopped anything from happening between us, scared that it will change our relationship. I’m starting to get why he feels that way.

I giggled and pulled him to me. “You are the best, Justin. Seriously. There is anyone that I can think of that would be a better match for me coming on this trip. I can’t even begin to thank you enough for being there for me through all this crazy shit.”

“Yeah, I know, but we all have our own crazy s**t to go through. Your crazy s**t just happens to be more than anyone bargained for,” he laughed but kissed my forehead to soften his humor. “You want to know something else? Riley, you are the best thing that has happened to me. I mean that with all seriousness. Before you, I was afraid to put myself out there. From the second I saw you in class, I could tell that you were special. Something about you made me want to know you. Now, while I have been lucky with the ladies in the past, most of them would always seek me out, not the other way around. You, Riley, are different. Maybe that’s why I feel like I can be myself around you. Regardless of what anyone says, Riley, you are special.”

When he says things like this, it’s hard not to pull him into my arms and kiss him. I want to possibly take that next step with him, but I also don’t want to be forceful. If anything was meant to happen between us, it wouldn’t be forced. It would happen naturally, and I was hoping that it would. Justin was the kind of guy any woman could see themselves being with. So, why was I also hesitant? It would be so easy for me to tell him right now how much I cared about him and that I wanted to erase Dylan from my mind completely to move forward with him. I couldn’t say that because I believed a part of me would always belong to Dylan, and that wasn’t fair to Justin.

“Thanks. You’re pretty special yourself,” I said while winking.

The rest of the plane ride was spent cracking jokes, drinking some wine, and eating crackers while watching a movie. The movie was sad and left me crying by the end of it. It was about this dog that got separated from its owners, and the whole movie was about him trying to get back to them. Great movie, but terribly sad.

I was happy when we finally landed. Nora seemed just as happy until we learned we had to take a cab to the resort, which was another forty minutes or so from the airport. For the entire drive, we all talked about the things we would do on this trip and how much fun it would be to relax a little until we came to a stop that we didn’t request.

“Compliments of the resort,” the cab driver said. “This store is the best the island has to offer for swimwear. They are treating you to two pairs each. For the men, two as well. I will be outside waiting in the cab for you to continue on to the resort.”

Nora wasn’t the one to ask questions. Instead, she smiled and jumped out of the cab, dragging me along with her into the store. Justin and Mikey walked in behind us at their own pace, but Nora already had me in the bikini section before they made it inside.

“Look at this one! I would look like a total babe in this!” Nora picked up a strapless white bikini off the rack, holding it up in the air for me to see.

If there weren’t any alarm bells ringing inside my head, there were now. What sort of resort offers to pay for someone’s swimwear? Not just one but two for each one of us. Something was going on, but I couldn’t say anything to any of my friends. They all wanted to come here to have a good time, and I’m not sure if my suspicions were justified quite yet. Time would tell, though. It always does.

After spending nearly an hour inside the store, we all picked out two pairs each. Thankfully the cashier didn’t give us the total because, based on the price tags in here, it would have cost more than any of us could afford.

Once out of the store, we made our way to the resort, pointing out things outside our windows that stuck out to us as things to do while here. We couldn’t be on this beautiful island and not go snorkeling. It was at the top of my list of things to do.

When the cab pulled up to the resort, we all became speechless. I didn’t bother researching this place before coming here because I felt as if it would take the surprise out of it for me. Boy, was I right. It was spectacular. Huts were all lined up on either side of the pier, hovering over the see-through ocean. This was a dream.

Justin grabbed my hand in his as we all walked over to the check-in desk. “We are looking to check-in, please.” Justin was always so respectful.

“Name, please.”

Nora walked up to the desk and showed our tickets that she had been holding onto. “We are the prize winners!”

The woman behind the counter smiled brightly. It seems like Nora’s excitement bounced off onto her. “Wonderful! Your huts are ready. Each couple will have their own hut. We will bring your luggage down in a few minutes. For now, here are the keys. The lovely women have been set up for a spa day every other day for the duration of your stay. There is access to private pools on the back deck of your hut. There have also been jet ski rides that have been reserved for everyone, along with snorkeling. You will also have a complimentary breakfast brought to your huts each morning. How does all that sound?”

“Amazing,” Justin said in awe. “This has got to be a dream.”

The lady leaned a little giving him a smirk that I didn’t appreciate until I realized her intent. “Sometimes dreams are meant to come true. You can go ahead and check in, but if there is anything that you need, please let us know right away.”

I was trying to get over the initial shock of all this. I’m not sure what to think about it, but I knew places like this just didn’t give things away for free. Something was definitely going on, and knowing that made me nervous. The last thing that I needed was more drama in my already chaotic life.