CHAPTER TEN

The darkness outside didn't cover the beauty of the place. Alexia looked her eyes out, spraining her neck to catch a glimpse of the beautiful dark blue water she'd noticed was everywhere. The plane had landed and instantly everyone felt hot and oozy. Although it was three in the morning, it was insanely hot. She'd put off her jacket as soon as possible and saw everyone doing the same. Since everyone came from either the US or Dubai, everyone was dressed in warm winter clothes.

Those were not needed anymore.

Male Airport was small but cute, little unknown shops everywhere. Alexia made everyone stop walking once in a while to take a look inside, and no one really cared. Every single person that had stepped outside of that plane was in awe with the beauty, and they were still inside the airport! Imagine what would happen when they were outside.

Passing a place that sold coffee, the guys bought coffee, but the girls didn't want any. They all picked a table and sat down, exhausted from the long trip.

There was a long silence with only the guys drinking until Sienna broke it. "Do you guys realize we've been travelling for nearly two days? The first flight was fifteen hours, then we walked around in Dubai for hours and the flight after that was four hours. I'm surprised, it went by really fast."

Everyone let that sink in for a moment. "Holy shit. That is very long indeed." Alexia responded, finally feeling the exhaustion en soreness kick in.

"I really feel tired now suddenly after you said that." Ryan murmured, rubbing his eyes. Jason coughed. "How? You slept through both flights! I literally didn't see you awake once."

Alexia pushed out a weak chuckle and everyone did the same.

"Not true, Jase. For as far as I can remember, I was awake when you and Lexi were asleep." Ryan pulled up his eyebrows and Jason took a sip of his coffee, not knowing what to answer.

"Oops."

"Yeah I thought so." Ryan winked and everyone tried to laugh again.

It just was so difficult, everyone was so goddamn tired!

After a short while they all decided to suck it up and go outside so they could finally get to their cabins. Or whatever they were called.

They left the airport and walked towards the boat in a slow pace, not a single word being spoken. Alexia was mesmerized by the palm trees and the calming sound of the water. It was so peaceful.

The temperature would have been perfect if she wasn't wearing her thickest sweatpants and warmest sweater. However, she knew everyone felt the same way and she knew what was in her suitcases. She was damn well prepared for this weather.

On the boat, her eyes closed occasionally. She couldn't help it, the serene rocking of the boat and the tranquil sounds of the water plus having to sit through two flights and no proper sleep did that to her. Whenever her eyes opened she saw Ryan's head in Sienna's lap, eyes closed, and Chaz and Jason both leaning on each other's heads, eyes also closed. Chloe had her head on Alexia's shoulder.

"Lex?" Chloe whispered.

Alexia hummed.

"Do you think it's bad I had sex with Chaz?"

Alexia sighed. "No, why would you ask that Chlo?"

"Because, I don't know. I don't want to just be the girl he's fucking. I want to be his girlfriend." Chloe sounded weary, like she could fall asleep any second but this was the one thing that was keeping her awake.

Alexia shook her head and shushed Chloe. "No babe. Chaz is a good guy and I'm sure he'll do what's best for both of you. Trust me."

After that she fell asleep.

When she got woken up fifteen minutes later, her hair and clothes were sticking to her skin because of all the sweat. Ryan had been the one waking her up, pushing her hair out her face. "Come on Lex, we're here."

She mumbled something unintelligibly and let Jason pull her up to her feet. She wiggled before she stood steady and he held her until she did.

"Thanks." Alexia muttered sleepily.

"'s okay." Jason replied just as sleepy, gripping her suitcases and pulling them with him as he started to walk faster, three suitcases in his hands. Alexia just let it happen. She did not have enough energy to be telling him she could just pull her own suitcases. Mainly because she couldn't.

"Jesus, what did you take with you, bricks?" Jason hissed groggily.

Alexia nodded.

Jason growled.

There were those white carts that looked like golf carts. Every pair got one. Ryan and Sienna lead the way, Chaz and Chloe in the middle and Alexia and Jason in the end, both struggling to keep their eyes open.

"Alexia, man you have to see this beach." Jason whispered, although he could barely see anything. It was still dark and four in the morning. Alexia kept her eyes closed and shook her head. "Tomorrow. I'm literally dead right now."

"Fair."

They drove up a beach. The sand was so white even the darkness couldn't hide it. Ryan drove through a wide opening, surrounded by palm trees, and parked the cart in the middle. Everyone did as he did and got out as well. To the right there were little huts with staff members, to the left Alexia could see a bar if she squinted her eyes just enough.

"Welcome to the Maldives!" A short, dark man with white clothing quickly rushed up the sand to welcome the six friends. Everyone greeted him back and Ryan started to do the talking.

"Let me check in and they'll take us to our water bungalows." Ryan quickly said before following the man to the left.

No one replied, everyone was too busy either gawking at the place or dozing off.

When Ryan came back, everyone got back into their carts and drove up to another part of the island. The water bungalows were extraordinary, but of course you couldn't see much because of the darkness and everyone's drowsiness.

The staff member wished them a peaceful night's rest and told them they could always find him for help before he left.

"Alright, there's three bungalows," Ryan started when he was out of sight. "In every bungalow there's place for two people. One double bed. So of course me and Sienna are getting one, and I thought Chaz and Jase, and Chloe and Lexi. What do you guys think?"

Alexia nodded. "Yeah, I agree with that."

She would've liked sleeping in a bungalow with Jason, but when she heard there were only double beds that thought was crushed.

"Fine by me." Jason responded.

There was a short silence.

"Chloe? Chaz? What do you guys think? Please hurry the hell up, I'm about to collapse and fall asleep." Ryan snapped.

Chloe cleared her throat. "Um, we thought, maybe, me and Chaz could get a bungalow together?"

Silence.

"Well, of course, but that would mean Jason and Alexia would have to share one too and... I don't know if they're comfortable with that..." Ryan looked at his two best friends, at a loss for words.

After just a few seconds, Alexia groaned loudly. "Whatever! You guys can share a bungalow, I don't care. I want to sleep!"

Another silence. Jason looked at her. "Are you sure? I mean..."

"Yeah, let's do it. We're friends after all and we're comfortable with each other. Besides I'm pretty sure we're both mature enough to know what's okay and what's crossing a line." Without any further explanation, Alexia grabbed her suitcases and started walking towards one of the bungalows.

Jason walked closely behind her. "Mature enough my ass." He whispered to Chaz before entering the bungalow. She heard that.

Inside the bungalows, it was dark. Alexia dropped her suitcases by the front door and quickly ran up to the bed, collapsing on it. The bed was big and high and extremely comfortable.

She closed her eyes and sighed deeply, happy she could finally sleep.

That is, until Jason switched on the lights.

"Jason!"

"I have to be able to see where I'm walking, Alexia!" He hissed back. Alexia groaned and opened her eyes, now fully able to see the interior of the bungalow.

The bungalow was small. The living area and the bedroom were in the same space. No matter how small it was, it was beautiful. The bed was king sized and had white sheets, with big windows on the walls and doors that lead to outside.

"It's really hot here." Jason murmured, locking the front door behind him and taking a look at the bungalow before walking towards the doors near the bed. Alexia agreed.

He opened the doors and chills ran up her spine. The wind that had blew into their bungalow was just perfect.

"Shit, you've got to see this. It's amazing." Jason whispered in awe. Alexia didn't move. "Tomorrow, Jase. Just turn off the lights."

"A'ight." Jason replied, still not moving. Alexia groaned. It was way too hot for her to be sleeping in her Christmas sweatpants and sweater.

In a swift motion, she sat up straight and started putting her clothes off, looking at Jason who had his back facing her. Jason was still looking outside.

Alexia just really couldn't be bothered with it until she'd had a good night sleep.

Jason turned around and widened his eyes when he saw Alexia undressing.

"What are you doing?"

"I can't sleep in these clothes, and I'm too tired to go look for a pyjama."

Jason switched off the lights and slowly walked towards the bed, grabbing the hem of his shirt and putting it off quickly.

Alexia looked at him as she slid her sweatpants off her legs, throwing them somewhere.

Their eyes were locked while they both undressed, a strained atmosphere surrounding the two. She closed her eyes for a mere second, feeling the wind alight on her skin gently.

Opening her eyes again, she looked at Jason as she laid down on her side, facing him. He was wearing nothing but boxers, and she was wearing nothing but her underwear.

"Good night, Jase." She whispered, her eyes travelling up and down his body. That damn darkness made it hard for her to see everything.

Jason didn't smile and nodded. "Night, Lexi."

Somehow, they both fell asleep just seconds after that.

-

The sound of birds chirping and water moving woke Alexia up. She kept her eyes closed for another while as she enjoyed the calmness. The salty smell of water and beaches girdled the entire place, and the warmth of the sun was just enough.

Sighing, her eyes fluttered open and the first thing she saw was Jason.

The sunlight shone on a part of his cheeks, his shoulders, his waist, his legs... he looked magnificent. His eyes were closed and he looked so peaceful. Finally being able to stare at his body, Alexia took all of it in.

His shoulders were wide and muscular, his arms, his chest, his abs... She couldn't ignore the big plump in his boxers and looked at that for a long while before glancing at his bum.

Why was even his ass beautiful?

Looking at her own body, she remembered she was wearing only her underwear. Well shit. Because of the long trip and all that, she'd worn her most comfortable granny panties and grey bra with no lace or sexy stuff whatsoever.

However, this is Jason. Did it matter? Would he mind?

The answer to that, was no. It didn't matter and he wouldn't mind.

She cleared her throat before sitting up straight. The bright sunlight forced her to squint her eyes a little before she could fully capture the bungalow and more importantly, the amazing deck outside.

As she'd noticed last night, the bungalow was really small. Nonetheless, the interior was beautiful. White and bamboo everywhere. There was a tiny kitchen, white couches, a little television, the huge bed, some counters and a corridor, which probably led to the bathroom.

Alexia left the bed and softly walked towards the doors. They were wide open and the white curtains were dancing with the wind.

There was a deck-like soil, attached to the bungalow. The deck included two white garden chairs, a tiny pool, a sitting area with a table and a brolly. A staircase led to a smaller deck, with only two white seat cushions and lights.

All in all it looked amazing, and Alexia could only imagine how it would've looked like at night with all the lights on. God, this place was so romantic.

"Morning." Alexia heard Jason murmur. She turned back around and caught him staring at her body.

She didn't mind.

"Good morning." She responded, crawling up the bed and laying down again. Jason stared at her boobs for a split second before he looked up and met her eyes. She snickered.

"How'd you sleep?" Jason asked huskily. Well fuck, his morning voice was really sexy.

"Great. This place is amazing. You?"

"Yeah me too, waking up to this sight is fucking incredible." Alexia didn't know whether he was talking about the beauty of the bungalow and all the water, or her in her underwear. Either way, she couldn't disagree. She liked waking up to Jason in his boxers, too.

They chatted a little about the bungalow and the deck before Alexia decided to get up. "I'm going to shower."

"Where is the shower?"

She shrugged. "I guess it's down that corridor somewhere." She got up and indeed found out that the corridor led to the bathroom. "It's here!"

Suddenly, a warm breath perched the skin of her ears and shoulders, and two arms wrapped around her waist tightly. "I see." Jason whispered, tilting Alexia up and turning around to put her down behind him.

"Jason!" Alexia hollered.

Jason laughed. "I want to shower first!"

"That's not fair! I was first!"

"I don't care," Jason cackled, opening the door to the bathroom. "I'm going to shower first."

"No, you're not!" Alexia exclaimed in irritation, trying to push him out of the way. He just laughed at her attempts. "Stop trying, little one. I'm showering first and that's that." And with those words, Jason gently pushed her backwards and quickly got in, locking the door behind him.

"Asshole!" She yelled. Jason laughed from behind the door and she kept standing there, hoping he was just kidding, until she heard the water running.

"Asshole." She whispered again. Damn you, Jason McCann.

-

When Alexia also finished showering and the two were ready to go outside, they went to meet up with the others. Everyone was talking about the allure of the bungalows and the nature of the Maldives in general. Chloe hastily walked next to Alexia and Sienna.

"Hey, Alexia? Thanks for sharing a bungalow with Jason."

Alexia shrugged. "It's okay, that's what friends are for."

When they walked up the beach, Alexia widened her eyes. The sand was so white, the water was clear blue, and the palm trees, the palm trees were everywhere. It was beautiful. It was paradise.

"So, Ryan, what are we doing today?"

"I thought we could just relax for today. It's already three thirty, we slept a lot. Maybe we could drink something at the bar tonight and there's also a club for all the tourists staying here, so how about we get drunk?"

Everyone agreed.

"Nice! Let's go swimming!" Chaz and Jason suggested, winking at each other in a way no one understood. All of them thought it was a good idea so they walked back to their bungalows to change into their swimwear.

Back inside, Jason was already wearing his swimming trunks. He waited for Alexia patiently, who was changing inside the bathroom.

"C'mon, hurry up!" He called.

Alexia sighed and looked at her bikini's. Without any hesitations, she decided for her white bikini and put it on in a swift motion, quickly leaving the bathroom.

Jason's reaction was priceless. It was a skimpy bikini, and she secretly did it just for him.

"Jeez, that's..." he muttered, his eyes going up and down her body. Alexia shrugged. "It's just a bikini."

There was a silence until Jason spoke up. "I guess I'd just forgotten how you looked in a bikini."

They both laughed shortly and he wrapped an arm around her waist. "Let's go, princess."

A pang went through her heart when she heard him say that. Jason used to always call her princess because of the fact he thought she was spoiled and a brat. Which he loved, by the way.

"Let's get moving, princess!" Jason exclaimed, pointing at the time. Alexia groaned loudly. "Stop hurrying me! I need to look good, okay?"

"Babe, you look good in everything. Just wear the black dress, it doesn't matter. My parents don't care."

"Yes, they do. They won't like me if I'm dressed like a skank." She ripped off the purple skirt she'd put on just moments ago. God damn! She was meeting Jason's parents for the first time and she really didn't know which outfit was appropriate enough for the occasion.

"Babe, baby, listen to me," Jason took a hold of her wrists and held them up, pulling her as close as possible. "They. Will. Love. You. No matter what you wear, no matter how you look, you make me happy and they're grateful for that."

Alexia sighed. "Yes, babe, I get that, but I still want to make a good impression."

"You will!"

"Just help me pick an outfit."

Jason groaned and picked a skirt off the floor, giving it to his girlfriend. "Whatever pleases you, princess."

She just rolled her eyes.

Jason and Alexia met the others and started jumping into the water. The boys went in first, commanding the girls to jump in as well.

Although the water was clear and not deep, the girls didn't jump in instantly.

"So, you and Jason?" Sienna looked at Alexia. Alexia shook her head feverishly. "No, no! What makes you say that? We're just friends."

Sienna shrugged. "He had his arm wrapped around your waist, you didn't seem to mind. I don't know, I could be wrong of course."

Alexia shook her head again. "No, believe me, we're just friends. I'm engaged."

"Engaged?" Sienna looked at Chloe in surprise, trying to find an indication she was joking. Chloe nodded. "It's true."

"Oh my God, congratulations!" Sienna hugged Alexia tightly and kissed both of her cheeks. Alexia tried to laugh it off and thanked Sienna for the congratulation, although she hated it. She hated people being excited for her and she hated how everyone acted like an engagement was so special.

She hated being engaged. She hated being engaged to anyone but him, the boy in the water.

He was splashing and playing, trying to get his two best friends as wet as possible. Alexia looked at the scene. There he was. The man she really loved.

Just Jason, Ryan and Chaz warmed her heart. He was different around them, he seemed... comfortable. Content. His smiles were genuine, his words sincere and his movements more gentle. It was like how Alexia used to know him, funny and cocky.

"Ryan, you're such a whipped pussy!" Jason laughed, grabbing Ryan by the neck and pushing him into the clear water.

Ryan barely struggled before he got out of the water, snuffing his nose and pushing all the wet hair out of his face.

Alexia had seen how Jason merely tried to harm Ryan. He just wanted to joke around and laugh, he just wanted to enjoy this time he had. She smiled. Jason was so happy right now. She wished she could be the reason of his happiness. She knew she could be, if she just got the chance.

"Come on Alexia! Or are you scared?" Jason yelled, his lips curled upwards.

"You wish!" She yelled back, jumping into the water.

The guys squalled and clapped. "You go girl!" Chaz exclaimed, pecking Alexia on the cheek before swimming closer to where Chloe was standing, begging her to get into the water as well.

Alexia chuckled and put the strands of hair behind her ears, looking at Jason.

His chest was wet. His hair was wet. His face was wet. His lips were wet.

"Damn, good jump!" Jason complimented, winking. Alexia smiled. "I know. What can I say? Learned it from the best."

"Somehow I feel addressed.." Jason smiled too and grabbed her by both shoulders, pushing her into the water more.

"Jason, stop it!"

"Sorry princess, everyone needs to be drowned by me at least once."

"Jason!"

She went underwater.

Opening her eyes, she felt how Jason let her shoulders go, but she didn't swim back upwards. Instead, she swam closer towards Jason and put her hands on his abs. He didn't react and she trailed down, grabbing a hold of his swimming trunks and quickly pulling them down.

She saw a glimpse of his cock before she went back up for air.

"Alexia! The fuck?" Jason screeched, pulling his swimming trunks back.

Alexia burst out in laughter and the others laughed too. Jason started laughing loudly too and in no time the six friends laughed until they couldn't breathe anymore.

"I'm sure you just wanted to see my dick." Jason grinned cockily.

Alexia rolled her eyes. "You wish boy, you wish." But swimming towards Jason, she wrapped her arms around his neck loosely and put her lips on his ear, breathing arduously. Jason casually wrapped an arm around her lower waist, acting like it was no big deal that she had her tits all pushed against his neck and her legs wrapped around his waist slackly.

"If I've got to be honest, from what I saw, it looked good." She whispered into his ear before letting go and creating space between her and Jason. He snickered and shook his head, looking at her with his eyebrows pulled up. "I know."

-

After swimming, which they did for hours and hours after that incident, everyone got out of the water to have dinner at the resort restaurant. No one bothered to dress fancy, the guys just put on shirts and the girl covered their chests with shawls, wore maxi skirts or beach dresses.

The resort's restaurant was surprisingly full. Of course they'd seen a lot of tourists around, but they hadn't expected there to be this much.

"Lucky us if we get a table." Chloe complained.

"Give me ten minutes, I'll have it arranged." Ryan replied, leaving them to go talk to a staff member.

And just like he said, they found a table outside with six empty chairs, waiting for them.

Everyone sat down and ordered their food. Alexia's leg was intertwined with Jason's, who sat next to her.

"Ryan, I just want to say, thank you, for including me in this trip. You're the best." Sienna spoke, pressing a kiss on his cheek. Ryan smiled as everyone started thanking him.

"It's no big deal guys! You're my friends, who else would I take?"

Alexia smiled widely and faced Jason. He smiled back and rubbed his leg against hers gently.

Well, that was promising.