Anya
"Anya." Someone is shaking me but I refuse to wake up. I'm comfortable. "Anya, wake up." Nope. Not gonna happen. I'm not ready yet.
"Dammit, Anya." Someone picks me up and I'm floating. I don't open my eyes but I snuggle closer to the warmth and feel a shiver coming from it. I fall asleep again.
Now I'm uncomfortable. I'm cold and upright. I feel warmth to the side of me and snuggle into it as I regain consciousness.
"Aw, Anya, I always knew it was me that you wanted." Someone laughed. Sam! My eyes shoot open and I see myself wrapped around him. I look up and meet his cheeky grin and find myself laughing.
"Sorry, Sam." I yawn and stretch and catch Devan's eye. He doesn't look happy. I wonder what happened while I was asleep.
"Where are we?" I ask.
"About two minutes from the resort." Josh answers. "You slept for almost the whole flight."
"How did I get through security if I was asleep?"
"You weren't. We woke you for it but you didn't last long." He laughs and I feel slightly embarrassed. I can't believe I don't even remember that. I'm almost like a baby when it comes to movement. I fall asleep so easily.
"Here we are." Josh says and I look over Sam and out of the window. We enter through huge gates and drive down a lush green driveway, boasting waterfalls and an array of beautiful flowers. It takes my breath away. The colours are remarkable.
As we drive further into the resort I can see the greenery spread into beautiful gardens overlooking the sea. The odd staff member is scattered around and nods in greeting to the car as we drive past and Josh returns it.
As we pull up to the front of the hotel I have been so distracted by the gardens that I completely missed the most magnificent building I've ever laid eyes on. It's clean white lines and glass exterior screams modern but is reigned in with traditional marble pillars and coving. The enormous building is surrounded by smaller, similar buildings and all are lit up with beautiful yellow and pale blue lights, which I imagine will look spectacular at night.
I follow Sam out of the car and he immediately drags me inside.
"Welcome to the Carlton Resort and Spa. It's lovely to see you again, sir." A man who I think is the manager greets Josh, who engages in conversation briefly before a beautifully elegant woman wearing a white sundress and a huge straw hat and sunglasses rushes over and takes him into a big hug.
"Josh, darling, I've missed you so much."
"You say me two days ago, mom." He struggles out of her hug and I smile. She turns to us and is about to greet the guys when she spots me.
"Ah, and you must be Anya." She says walking over and pulling me into a hug that squeezes me a little too tight. For a petite woman she sure has a lot of strength.
"It's lovely to meet you." I say, returning the hug briefly before she pulls back and puts her hand on my shoulders.
"Nice to see the boys are finally opting for a bit of female influence." She says seriously and I laugh.
"I'm not sure how much I influence them, Mrs Carlton. Oh, and thank you so much for having me for the week. I really appreciate it."
"Nonsense," she scoffs and takes a step back. "Go, guys show Anya around. You've all got the penthouse again and we're all on the floor beneath you. We're meeting in the main restaurant at seven." And with that she smiles again and leaves.
We head up to the penthouse suite and I am desperately trying to hide my excitement. I imagine that the guys stay at places like this all the time but I've never had the pleasure. And I've certainly never even stepped foot in a penthouse, let alone stayed in one.
"You okay, Anya? You're quiet." Jackson asks. We've at the back of the elevator, behind the others. His smile is warm and it takes away a lot of the awkwardness that remained from last Friday night.
"I'm fine." I smile back. It's all just so overwhelming and I really feel like I don't belong. I didn't do anything to deserve my place here. What makes me so special that I get to spend the week in a penthouse apartment in a six star luxury resort in Hawaii? Absolutely nothing.
I feel even worse as we step into the suite. The lounge area and kitchen centred the room with a dining area to the right, featuring a beautiful mahogany carved table and chairs. Several doors went off the main room in corridors that led to the left and right.
The suite is designed in a circular style, twisting around the top of the hotel in almost an arch. Everything screams luxury, from the heavy drapes to the huge fireplace, and the beautiful couches to the marble tops in the kitchen.
"Wow." Is all I can say. I have no more coherent thoughts. I trail my hand along the back of one of the couches as I walk to the glass wall facing the sea. It leads out onto a beautiful decking area which features a massive jacuzzi and private swimming pool. The area is decorated with wooden furniture and an assortment of flowers to match the rest of the resort.
Josh's laugh breaks my train of thought and he spins me around. "I know, I know, it's nice." Nice? Is that all he thinks. I didn't even know places like this existed! "You're room is through that door there." He points to the first door on the left., "And the rest of us will be in the others."
I nod quickly and notice the guys have all disappeared. I assume to their rooms to freshen up, which is what I do.
My bedroom is made up of creams, browns and oranges and is bright and refreshing, yet elegant and sophisticated all at the same time. The large bed occupies the middle of the room and two couches and a couple of chairs make up a seating area to the left. A beautiful floral arrangement sits elegantly on the dresser. A huge walk in closest is to the right with a door next to it which leads to the bathroom. I can't believe how much marble is in this hotel!
Eventually I strip off and take an amazing shower. I want to stay in there forever but a knock at the door disrupts me. "Anya!"
"Yes?" I shout back to who I think is Sam.
"We're all heading down to the beach bar. Want us to wait?"
"No it's fine. I'll meet you there."
"Okay cool." He pauses and I think he's gone. "Do you need a hand showering?" I laugh. Sam's suggestive comments always make me smile, even though I should probably be offended.
"I think I've got it, Sam, but thank you."
"Your loss!" He shouts back, snickering before he leaves.
I finish up my shower and dig out a pair of denim shorts and a white tank top. I put Suzy's white bikini underneath, just in case, and slip on some sandals before leaving the room.
I wander through the gardens towards the beach and hear the guys before I see them. Ricky catches my eye and waves me over and I pull up the only spare seat, which is in between Josh and Devan. Devan turns and smiles at me before continuing with his conversation.
It's only then that I notice an young man sat the other side of Josh, with his feet up on the table. Gosh, I hate that. It's so rude.
"Hey Tom, this is Anya." Josh introduces and I lean forward to say hi but am shocked to see the bright blue eyes of the Tom I also know.
"Anya?" He looks at me with an eyebrow raised and I silently plead with him to go with it. "How are you? I haven't seen you in ages." He almost screeches, jumps up and hugs me.
"Wait! You know each other?" Josh demands.
"Yeah," Tom answers and looks me in the eyes and I smile. "We go way back. Known each other for years through mutual friends." I release the breath I didn't know I was holding. He's leaving it at that, thank goodness.
"Oh, right okay."
"How do you two know each other?" I ask Josh and Tom.
"We're brothers." Tom laughs and grabs Josh in a headlock. Josh and Tom are brothers? How didn't I pick up on this. Seeing them together it's obviously, really. The thought never even crossed my mind.
"Oh, wow. I didn't realise." Tom is the front-man of a huge band, who formed about two years ago, called 'Rhyme for Destruction'. I met Tom just before they released their first single and worked with the band on some music too.
"Crap, I've got to go. See you guys at dinner tonight?" Everyone nods and Tom turns his attention to me. "Anya," he stumbles slightly over my name and I smother a giggle, "you and me are going for dinner tomorrow night. No arguments. I haven't seen you in forever and we need to catch up."
With that he runs off and I am faced with the confused and irritated looks of five guys.
*****
Devan
I can't believe Anya knows Tom. And the way he was looking at her worried me. Almost like a challenge? I want to tell her not to go for dinner with him tonight but I don't have the right to do that. There was a bit of whispering between them last night after dinner and I had to stop myself from tearing him away from her.
Everyone loved Anya when they met her yesterday, although I'm not suprised. We all went to the beach after lunch but Anya went exploring and insisted that she didn't want company, which meant that I spent all afternoon thinking about her but not seeing her, which is frustrating.
I have to do something about these feelings I have for her, they're driving me crazy. I think I need to find out how she feels, but I don't know how. When we're alone there's something electric between us but when we're not you would honestly believe nothing had happened between us. Maybe that's what she wants. For nothing to have happened.
No, I don't believe that. There's no way I'm accepting that the first girl I've ever really had feelings for isn't interested in me. I'm going to show her that she wants me. I'm going to take her out and show her an amazing time. That way, even if I can't stop her going out with Tom tonight, at least I'll know she had an amazing day with me.
Happy with my plan I dive out of bed and leave my room, crossing the suite and knocking gently on Anya's door. There's no answer so I open the door and go in, quietly. She's still asleep, although I'm not surprised, it's not even seven yet.
"Anya." I whisper to her and shake her shoulder, sitting on the edge of the bed. She falls back slightly and the sheet falls off her revealing a tiny shorts set that doesn't leave much to the imagination. My breath catches in my throat and I somehow manage to call her name again.
She stirs slightly and pulls herself forward towards me, placing her hand way too high up on my thigh. I freeze up at the feelings rushing through me and look down at her peaceful face as she slowly opens her eyes.
"Devan?" she asks gently, using her other hand to rub her eye. She looks so cute and much younger like this, but also painfully gorgeous.
"Get up, Anya. I'm taking you on a trip."
She picks up her phone and looks at it, groaning. "It's 6.37, Devan. It's a little early for a trip isn't it?"
"Nope." I say and give her a big smile, which she returns.
"Fine. But this better be good." She laughs and gets out of bed. My thigh feels cold momentarily at the loss of her hand but my entire body heats up as she walks to her bathroom and I notice that her pyjamas are thin enough for me to make out every curve on her body. "I'll meet you in the kitchen in five." She says before closing the bathroom door.
*****
"Where are we going, Devan?" I chuckle to myself. She's been at this for the past hour since we left the hotel and she's just going to have to wait.
"Hush, Anya, we're nearly there." I smother a laugh at her expression.
"Did you just tell me to hush?" I nod, struggling to contain my laughter and she punches me in the thigh.
"Shit, Anya, that hurt." She really can pack a punch for a girl. I lean forward to the glove compartment and pull out a blindfold. "Put this on." I say, handing it to Anya and she raises an eyebrow suspiciously.
"You're kidding right?"
"What's wrong," I laugh, "Don't trust me?"
"Not really, no." She laughs and I'm relieved to hear the joke in her voice.
"Just put it on. We're nearly there." She mumbles something incoherent and takes it from me, our fingers grazing as she does. She puts the blindfold on and I finish the drive, parking up.
I get out of the car while Anya mumbles "This better be good, Anderson" under her breath, making me laugh quietly, and walk around the car to help her out. I'm grateful for the opportunity to wrap my arms around her to help her forward and my heart starts racing as soon as I touch her.
"I swear, Devan, if you push me off a cliff I will survive just to come back and kick your ass."
She sounds like an angry kitten and I can't help but laugh at her again. "Don't worry, you're safe with me." I realise that my voice sounds like more of a caress than anything else and I feel a small blush creeping up my neck.
We stepped forward and I put Anya's hands on the railings to show her where to stop. She presses herself up against the railing and I stand behind her, taking her blindfold off and putting my arms around her, placing my hands next to hers as we overlooked the Kalalau lookout.
She opens her eyes and looks out at the vast panorama of sharp green cliffs and deep gorges of the Kalalau valley and gasps. "Oh my gosh, Devan. It's beautiful."
I've been here a few times so this time I spent our visit watching her take in the angled cliffs and the spectacular valley. The morning mist had lifted, leaving a clear, bright day, offering the perfect view of the valley. The different shades of green spread high and low, merging with the crisp blue sky, and as I watch Anya take in its beauty, I stand basking in hers.
"Devan, I love it. Thank you so much for bringing me." She say, turning her head to face mine and smiling. My lips are millimeters from hers and my breath hitches in my throat.
"My pleasure. I knew you'd like it."
"I really do." She said, turning back to the view.
After a couple of minutes we head back to the car and I drive to a secret spot that Josh and I discovered on our travels a couple of years ago. We pull up about half a mile from the spot and park the car. I get a cooler bag out of the back that concierge put in the car before we left and grab Anya's hand as she gets out.
"I hope you've got your bikini on under that." I wink at her and she smiles.
"Are you trying to get me to strip Devan?" She was joking around, which made my all too serious answer slightly inappropriate.
"Always." Her cheeks turn a light hint of pink and she takes her hand from mine. I instantly regret the loss but tell her to follow me and walk to our destination.
Eventually we break through the greenery into a small secluded area filled with pink, red and white flowers growing from all around us. To the right is a small pool with three waterfalls running through the rocks surrounding the pool. Pink flowers grew up the rocks creating a green and pink water paradise.
I hear Anya's intake of breath as she absorbs the scene before her and I know that this is a day she'll never forget. It's at this moment that I realise that all the money in the world couldn't buy a moment like this - the real emotions that exist when you discover something so close to paradise. And even though I've been here before, it's like the first time watching her expressions and emotions playing across her face.
Her eyes finish scanning the area and finally latch onto mine. She doesn't say a word and she doesn't need to. Her unspoken gratitude shines in adoration at me and I am just about to take a step forward and kiss her when she pushes me. Hard.
I stumble backwards falling hard into the cold pool, screeching as I do and before I hit the water I hear Anya's peeling laughter. As soon as I surface I am greeted by a big splash of water to my face as Anya jumps in next to me.
"No fair!" I shout. "I'm fully dressed!" I notice her clothes on a rock close to the edge.
"Oh don't be such a cry baby. Lay your clothes on the rock in the sun. They'll dry in no time."
I huff a little and get out of the pool, taking my clothes off. When I'm done I turn back and see her stood under the small waterfall. I watch as the water runs over her head and down her skin. Her hair sticks to her and she lifts her face to the water, running her hands through her hair.
That's all it takes to get me excited and I panic, knowing I have to do something about it before she sees. I check myself out and it's painfully obvious so I jump in the pool quickly, praying that the cold water will help.
The splash I make catches Anya's attention and she turns to me, smiling, and my heart breaks a little at the sight. I could never deserve this woman. She is everything that is good and she is the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on. She's perfect to me and under no circumstances have I done anything to deserve her. But I want her. I need her. Badly.
"What's wrong?" She furrows her brow in concern and moves out of the waterfall towards me. She stands up in front of me, concerned and I shake my head.
"Nothing. Nothing at all." I force a smile but it's tough. She's made it clear she doesn't want me after being so disinterested so why am I causing myself pain like this? Spending time with her, making myself fall more and more in love with her. This is only going to hurt in the end.
"You're lying." She says and I look at her, expecting to see a smirk but the concern is etched even more deeply on her face.
"I was just thinking about how beautiful you are." I say quietly. As soon as the words are out of my mouth I wish I could take them back. Her eyes sadden a little and I feel my heart sinking.
"Thank you." She whispers and turns away.
"Wait, Anya, please. I'm sorry." I pull her into a hug and she's shaking slightly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."
"Uncomfortable? No, Devan, you didn't. You just....you make it so difficult!" She snaps and pushes away from me.
"Make what difficult?" I don't understand. My hands are still on her waist and my thumbs are rubbing circles on her perfect skin.
"Nothing. Forget it, Devan, please." She turns away from me and I let her go. "Can we just enjoy this please? It's perfect here." She says with a small smile while she fights what looks like an internal battle.
"Of course. Are you hungry?" I force a smile which she returns and we head out of the pool to unpack the cooler.
*****
Anya
"Ready?" Tom asks with a smile as I walk out of my bedroom. The guys are all sat watching television and I can't help but scoff at the fact that they're inside on a beautiful evening like this. They could watch TV at home!
"I certainly am." I smile and link my arm through Tom's. I'm excited to be spending the evening with him. He's been a good friend and it's been a long time since we've seen each other. "Bye guys." They all shout goodbye and Devan catches my eye and smiles.
We had such an amazing day together. I can't believe how thoughtful he was to take me to those places. After the awkward moment in the pool things went back to normal and we ate then swam and laid in the sun for a while. We talked all afternoon and it just felt...right. I felt so comfortable talking to him. It's not the first time that's happened but I can't get my head around it. I don't usually talk about things like my family to anyone, but with him...
"We're here." Tom says, interrupting my thoughts as he pulls up to a restaurant. Wow, I can hardly remember leaving the suite let alone getting here.
We walk inside and get seated on a beautiful decking area overlooking the mountains. There's a slight breeze out so I'm glad I brought my little blue cardigan with me to go over my yellow dress. I shrug it on and take a sip of water.
"So what's wrong?" Tom asks with a huge smile on his face.
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't play that card with me, I know somethings wrong with you." He waits patiently but I give him nothing.
"Okay, I'll guess." He continues. "First, they obviously don't know about you do they?" He raises an eyebrow and I shake my head. He sighs. "I get that, I really do, but you are obviously close with them all if they invited you here. They've never invited anyone else except you." I guessed as much and I do feel bad for keeping secrets but I'm not ready to share them.
"Okay, so you've kept a secret. Big deal." He says, brushing it away like it's nothing. "And don't worry, I won't say a word." He says with a smile as he sips his beer. "But that's not what's bothering you and I want to know what is."
"Urgh, Tom, why are you pushing this?" I put my face in my hands and lean my elbows on the table. He pats my head affectionately, which makes me feel like a pet and I scowl playfully at him.
"Because you're my friend." He says with a matter-of-fact manner. "Which one?"
"Huh?" I look up at him, confused.
"Which one of them are you in love with?" He doesn't break eye contact and my heart starts racing. How does he know? "Please don't say Josh, because I would find that weird." He laughs and I laugh with him, shaking my head. "So who?"
I take a deep breath. Am I in love with him? Can I tell Tom about it? Admitting it answers my greatest fears, or at least accepting it does, so it's no wonder I'm struggling.
"Don't be scared, just tell me. I won't judge you. But you already know that." I see the worry and concern in his eyes, but also the love. He really is my friend and I know I can trust him. But I'm not afraid of admitting it to him. I'm afraid of admitting it to myself.
"It's Devan." I whisper and for a second he's so quiet I don't think he heard me.
"Devan?" He looks shocked and...is that worried? Oh God. "Devan Anderson?" I nod gently. "Woah." Longest pause in history! "So what are you going to do about it?"
"Nothing!" I almost shout and he raises his eyebrows at me. "Nothing." I repeat at a more civilised level.
"Why not?"
"Because it doesn't matter." He makes a 'pfft' noise at me, which I ignore. "Tom, you know I can't get involved with anyone. Especially not someone like Devan Anderson."
"Why especially not him?"
"Because he'll not only break my heart but he'll rip me to pieces in the process."
"Not if he loves you too."
"Irrelevant."
"How?"
How can I explain to him when I can barely explain to myself? "Because that only makes it worse. For both of us. I can't hurt him, Tom, and I won't survive if he hurts me."
He looks lost, desperately searching for something to say to me, but comes up blank. Instead he takes my hand and smiles warmly at me.
"I just want you to be happy, gorgeous."
I place my other hand over his and return his smile. "I'm working on it."
What do you guys think of Anya and Devan's day together and Anya's confessions to Tom? I'd love to know your thoughts.