LA to The Bay

Chapter 18: Phoenix

Courtyard Hotel, Scottsdale, Arizona

'So you and Duncan, huh?' Harry's thick laugh trickles into my ears. I better not be dreaming again, because I'm sick enough of him in real life to be able to cope with another one of his appearances whilst I'm asleep too. Can't the guy just give me a break?

But seemingly not. I open the crack of my left eye which confirms that I am definitely awake this time and I did hear correctly, for I can squint the outline of his body looming over me, cast in to a shadow in front of the setting sun.

This is just typical; the single moment I get to rest and he wants to start a conversation, and an annoying one where I am the butt of the joke at that.

I was ecstatic when Leah had announced that there was to be no organised activity this evening. You got that right, NO ORGANISED ACTIVITY! As in I can do exactly what I want to.

Whilst others in the group panicked at the mere suggestion of free time, I ran to my hotel room and ripped out my bikini (purple, sparkly, string tie FYI) from my suitcase. Ninety six hours I've spent on this vacation so far and I have yet to wear my bikini; the fundamental ingredient of all my holidays past and so on this stop, now at last given the opportunity, there is no stopping me.

I've not seen any of the city and nor are there any plans to do so, but already I can tell you that Phoenix is much more my kind of place than San Diego. What with there being my bikini, a sun lounger, a swimming pool and 100 degree heat. 100 degrees! Oh my. And bone crunching dry heat too, not sweat bucket choking mosquito weather.

As I had reclined down on to the hotel towel which covered the sun lounger I felt my achingly bones sigh. Because being wrapped up in this blissful blanket of heat is the best medicine that can ever be administered and I suddenly realise why old people retire to such places in the years before they die; because what better way is there to go then sipping cocktails and getting a sun tan.

As I open my eyes fully I realise that this is that is happening to me. Not the dying part but getting a suntan. I am actually getting a suntan for real, i.e. not following the application of a smelly foaming product. And my legs are included too. They never tan but why they are also bronzed. Maybe it's just the lighting but I feel like I could be sparkling and judging from the sudden choking look on Harry's face, as I sit up and rest my hands on my glistening shins, I can only assume that I am set to a rather flattering filter.

'Shut up Harry!' I bawk at his earlier statement, shaking the idea that he might be staring at me from his mind. 'What do you care anyway?'

'I don't. I just think you'd make a good couple.'

'Like you know the first thing about me.' I'm mortified that Harry would fit me up so readily with anyone, let alone Duncan.

'Touch a raw nerve did I? I'm only joking; I'm just trying to help you move on from Louis remember?' Oh how could I forget.

'Where are you going?' He splutters as I stand up, 'you're not leaving are you?'

As if I'm going to let a petty annoyance like Harry turf me out from my newly found paradise. Ignoring him though is something which I can do, and it's exactly what I'm doing now as I sit down on the side of the pool and lower myself into the water.

God he's such a nuisance, even now as I accidentally look up at him with his towel slung over his bare shoulder. Trust him to have the perfect tan which would take me nearly a fortnight of timed tanning rotation to achieve, and the subtlety of his abdominal muscles, like you can tell him takes care of himself, but not to the extent of being obnoxiously buff.

'Seen something you fancy Niamh?' He is grinning at me like I just crowned him King of the world or something.

'Hardly.' I roll my eyes and turn to swim at the opposite side of the pool.

I hear a splash as Harry jumps in behind me. Just what is he trying to achieve by following me around all the time?

'It's just you had your mouth open and you were staring?' He inches closer to me as he reaches my side of the pool.

'I must have been trying to catch flies.' I give another eye roll. 'Where's your girlfriend anyway? I thought she would be way more fun to hang around with than someone as boring as me.'

'Well yeah,' so he's not denying that she is his girlfriend or that I am boring, 'but she went to Fuddruckers with everyone else.'

'And you weren't hungry?'

'Nah I fancied a swim.'

'Then get swimming then?' I mock shoo him away, accidentally causing the water to splash at him.

'I'm sorry.' I gasp. And I genuinely am, if only because I know what he is about to do to me in retaliation.

'So it's like that, is it?' He charges towards me, splashing through the water, grinning.

'Don't you dare!' I hold out my arm in a desperate attempt to hold him back.

'If you hate it so much then why are you laughing?'

'I am not laughing!' I choke through my giggles, but the thrill of what he is about to do to me is making me ecstatic because I know that any second now he's about to toss me through the air and into the water.

'Harry!' A female voice shouts, 'I thought you were coming to join us at Fuddruckers?'

I look up to find Marty glaring down at us.

'Er, yeah I was, I just fancied a swim first.' Harry shifts about, suddenly distancing himself from me, like he's guilty that he's just been caught lying. Which is exactly what he was doing, right?

'I thought you didn't like swimming Niamh?' Louis' voice speaks up and I realise that he, Lottie and Juno are line up next to Marty, all of them with the same disapproving faces staring down at us.

'So are you coming or what?' Marty jumps back on to Harry denying me the opportunity of answering Louis.

'I was just coming anyway. See you around Niamh.' Harry nods at me before climbing out of the pool.

'Well yeah, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then.'