Unexpected

Chapter 3

“Well, this certainly doesn’t suck,” I quipped, quoting one of our favorite movies Showgirls. It had started off as a joke, when we picked up the DVD in a bargain bin, but we both loved the movie's dramatic overacting and were constantly quoting it to make each other laugh.

“That it doesn’t,” Maggie returned, laughing.

I’d never been anywhere so beautiful in my life. The sand on the beach was white and soft and the water was crystal clear. We lounged around all morning, enjoying the perfect location and each other’s company, only to be annoyed when a group of three guys set up fairly close to us around noon. They looked like they were about our age and while they weren’t being overly loud or obnoxious, our peace and quiet was undeniably disrupted by their conversation and laughter.

“Ugh,” Maggie said. “Maybe we should just go get lunch and find a new spot when we get back this afternoon.”

“Is it rude if we just pack up and leave, right after they got here?” I asked.

“Who cares? We’re not here for them,” Maggie stood and grabbed her stuff and I followed suit. We had to walk near the guys’ chairs on the way to our vehicle and I tensed, somewhat expecting crude comments from them.

Something about the combination of Maggie and me tended to bring out the stares and catcalls--I think our looks complimented each other in such a way that we each somehow looked better together than we did apart. Whatever the reason was, I never garnered nearly the same amount of attention when I went places by myself or with other equally attractive friends. Maggie had noticed the same and said that this just cemented our roommates-for-life status.

“I'll take the blonde with the killer legs, you can have the brunette with the great rack,” one of the guys said to the others.

“Fine with me, man, they’re both hot as hell,” the second guy replied. Maggie looked over at me and rolled her eyes.

“Jesus, guys, a little louder, I don’t think they heard you. Does that shit seriously ever work for you?” The third member of their group was clearly the voice of reason and restored my faith in our generation. Smiling, I looked over at Maggie to see if she heard this final bit, only to realize that she had stopped short a few steps earlier.

Before I could question her, she abruptly turned to the guys and said, “Jack?!?”

What must have been the third speaker, a cute, somewhat lanky, tall blonde guy stood and turned around at her question, shock plainly showing on his face. “Maggie, what the hell?”

Maggie ran to him and threw herself into his open arms. She pulled back after a moment, looking up at him and asking, “What are you doing here?!”

“I’m here celebrating our graduation from PA--physician’s assistant--school with a couple of my buddies, what are you doing here?” Apparently expensive tropical vacations were a typical graduation present among certain groups of people. My parents had gotten me a really nice purse/briefcase that would fit my laptop to use for my future job, which I had been pretty jazzed about when I got it. Clearly I had been born into the wrong family.

“You’re a PA now? That’s incredible, congrats! I’m here doing exactly the same thing, except we just graduated from law school,” Maggie motioned towards me. “This is my best friend Charlotte. Charlie, this is Jack.”

Jack… I searched my memory bank for any mention Maggie may have made off a Jack. Oh, JACK! As in Maggie’s ex from college, Jack. The one guy she would never really talk about, despite them having dated for three years. I’d seen pictures before but had never met him.

“Nice to meet you,” he said, reaching out to shake my hand, the somewhat formal gesture seeming out of place on the beach.

“Likewise,” I said, grinning at him. I liked him already--he seemed elated to see Maggie and by all indications, he was still completely smitten with her. This combined with his earlier defense of Maggie and I to his jerk friends convinced me he was a good guy.

I wondered what had caused them to break up before, knowing I’d have to really pry to get Maggie to tell me. In a lot of situations, she was a total open book but when it came to things she really cared about, she clammed up big time.

Maggie belatedly realized she hadn’t acknowledged the other two men who were now standing on the other side of Jack.

“Oh, and these must be Jack’s asshole friends. Asshole friends, this is Charlie, who is way, way out of your league,” I blushed at Maggie’s rude introduction but didn’t really mind as I had zero interest in either of them, based on their earlier comments alone. I had never been attracted to the bad boy/d-bag type and honestly couldn't really understand the appeal. Unlike a lot of my friends, I had always strongly preferred a good guy. In my experience, nice didn’t have to mean boring.

“Sorry, this is Tom and Neil,” Jack said, not really making an effort to differentiate between the two, not that I cared. He couldn’t seem to take his eyes off Maggie long enough to really focus on anything, or anyone, else.

I didn’t know about the guys, but I was totally starting to feel like a third wheel (or a fourth or fifth, depending) and was itching for an escape route. As I’d never had much of a poker face, Jack must have realized my discomfort and asked, “Charlie, would it be alright if I stole Maggie away for lunch? That is, if she agrees to go with me?”

At Maggie’s happy smile, I replied, “Sure, just take good care of her. Mags, I’m just going to eat lunch at the villa, I’ll see you later, ok?”

I beat a hasty retreat towards our mule and drove out of there as quickly as possible, anxious to avoid an invitation to lunch from Jack’s friends. Maggie had made it pretty clear that I wouldn't be interested, but I didn’t want to have to deal with it if I didn’t have to--those two clowns didn’t exactly seem like the type to take a hint.