Alia exchanged a curious glance with Mr. Henderson. The knock came again, louder this time. He blinked when there was a third insistent knock. Another fresh breeze shook the curtains, and in that moment, in silence, she and Mr. Henderson waited.
"Open the goddamn door, Colin!"
Was she hearing things, or that was... No, it can't be. He grinned, but her heart skipped a beat and her palms became sweaty almost instantly. Mr. Henderson rushed to the door, before the male voice could call again.
"Maybe we should let them alone for a minute, darling," a sweet female voice murmured right before Mr. Henderson turn the knob. "Colin, my dear. Are we interrupting?"
Alia froze when William Sagger and Zelda Miller stepped in the bedroom.
He was wearing a white polo T-shirt with the famous WSZM letters embroidered on the chest and light summer pants. Sagger's dark blond hair was meticulously combed in the slicked back manner, making him look like Leonardo DiCaprio in a way.
"So you really came, you son of a bitch." Sagger smiled, holding Mr. Henderson by the shoulders. "This party's gonna be... interesting."
Zelda smiled, rolling her slanted eyes to the ceiling. She was wearing a white linen dress, incredible nudge heels – the heart of that season, from what Alia had heard –, an elegant light blue shawl and, to complete the amazing look, Zelda was holding a white fan.
A fan. How cool was that?
"Don't worry, Colin. You know how William loves gossip. How are things, dear?" Zelda laughed, resting a hand on her husband's arm.
Alia couldn't think straight. Zelda Miller and William Sagger were in her room, and she was there, just... looking at them, hearing their laughs and voices from afar. Like they were the cool kids in school, the ones you would love to hang out with at lunch time.
They must have said something because when Alia came back to Earth, the three were gazing at her, expecting an answer. Her ears became red in a blink of an eye.
"I'm sorry, I was..."
"So you are the girl from the photograph." Sagger laughed and reached out a hand. Alia greeted him, knowing how cold a sweaty her fingers were. "We still can't believe you've decided to sacrifice yourself pretending to be Colin's girlfriend just to meet us. You're brave, girl."
Mr. Henderson shook his head, chuckling.
"Don't mind Will, honey. Sometimes he likes to joke around." Zelda laughed one more time and greeted Alia, who felt her jasmine perfume as she came closer. She opened her fan, still resting a hand on Sagger's arm. "Colin told us you have some creations. Dresses, is that right? I'm pretty excited to—"
"Hey, Zel," Mr. Henderson said, crossing his arms. "We can do this later, the whole fashion thing. We signed a contract, and she'll have a meetup to discuss these... matters after we break up."
"Our little Colin, always a businessman." Sagger rolled his eyes, making Zelda laugh. He turned to Alia. "How's the relationship going so far? Horrible? Painful? Excruciating?"
"Thank you, Sagger. You're an incredible friend." Mr. Henderson smiled.
"Well, he looked like a robot in front of Jane's family," Alia said when she found her voice. A playful smile grew on her face when Zelda chuckled. "But I guess we're... OK."
"Ah, it wouldn't be Colin if he didn't act like a robot, my doll," Sagger joked. He held Zelda's hand and tilted his head. "Well, we just wanted to pay a visit and meet you. Our hotel has an incredible room service, and I'd really like to lie in bed and eat cake all day."
"And that's my husband, the greatest fashion designer of all the world."
"Said the greatest fashion designer of all the world," Sagger shrugged, rolling his eyes.
"Well, you're the greatest fashion designer who'd love to lie in bed and eat cake."
"If you'd like, we can lie in bed and do other things, my love," he murmured in her ear.
Mr. Henderson blushed, and Alia laughed, finding strangely easy to relax around them. William Sagger and Zelda Miller, the fashion geniuses, were a funny, real couple. She was still a little bit nervous, the words stumbling inside her head. Alia had so many questions and things to say that she didn't know where to start.
When Zelda and Sagger were saying their goodbyes – ugh, we'll have to come back later and pretend we're having fun in this stupid wedding –, another knock on the door made a silence grew in the room. It was her.
"Since Zelda and Will are here," Jane's limpid voice came across the door. "What do you guys think about going to the beach?"
Sagger rolled his eyes and Zelda shrugged, squeezing her husband's arm.
Mr. Henderson turned pale, like he was about to vomit. Alia sighed.
Here we go again.
▬▬▬▬
Alia grabbed the towel and took a deep breath when her toes touched the sand.
The beach was empty because of the low season and because, according to Sagger, Jane bought this stupid house just to have a private beach so she can reign like the queen she thinks she is. Alia had laughed at the mischievous tone Sagger had imprinted on his words, but thought that, come on, how bad could a private beach be?
Well, she didn't take long to find out.
Alia was never a big fan of sand, sea and sun, but when she went to Puerto Plata with her parents in Dominican Republic, she used to see people bathing in the sun, swimming, laughing and even trying to dance to bachata. Happiness. She used to see and feel happiness.
On Jane's beach there was nothing to see or hear, except for a large beach gazebo, her own thoughts and the calm sound of the gentle waves and slightly annoying seagulls. Sagger and Zelda stood by her side, admiring the view, and when Alia turned her head, she saw Jane and Mr. Henderson winning the few steps that separated the house from the beach. Jane was smiling, wearing a gray bikini and one of those dark blue sun hats. Mr. Henderson was at her side, hands behind his back, wearing a white T-shirt, shorts and a nervous expression.
They're perfect for each other, a little voice inside her head whispered. Alia looked away right before the couple stepped on the gazebo where she was with Sagger and Zelda. Jane took off her hat and sunglasses, smiling to Mr. Henderson.
"I asked Lena to bring us some snacks." The model sat beside Zelda, and Alia thanked Mr. Henderson, who pulled a chair to her. Jane's eyes sparked for a quick moment before getting back to normal. "How was the trip, Sag?"
"Splendid, my darling," he said, tapping his fingers on the table top. "Zelda and I are staying at The Humberts. And where's Edward, by the way?"
"Oh, he's in Monaco," she said and smirked to Zelda, ignoring Mr. Henderson fidgeting on his chair. "The season's going great so far, but he'll be here soon."
"So I've heard," Zelda agreed in a polite voice, opening her fan with a bored attitude. The fashion designer turned her slanted black eyes to Alia and smiled. "And you, darling? Colin told us this is your first time in the Hamptons."
"Oh, yes. It's very... very pretty," Alia agreed, smiling to Mr. Henderson. He didn't raise his eyes. Nervously, she patted the back of his hand, trying to get his attention. Jane's gray eyes dashed towards their hands. "Colin... told me the water temperature is amazing by this time of the year."
Colin. It was awkward to use her boss' first name, but she smiled. Mr. Henderson's neck was red, his jaw clenched. Sagger and Zelda exchanged a concerned look, and Jane laughed.
"Are you sure we're talking about the same Colin? This one has always hated the sea," she chuckled, and Alia swallowed dry, her hand still on Mr. Henderson's. Jane shook her beautiful head, glancing at her ex and finally turning to Alia. "One time we went to Mykonos, and Colin stayed in the hotel the whole time because, according to him, the sun was very hot."
Shit, Mr. Henderson. Can you help me here? Alia smirked. Sagger and Zelda kept quiet, shifting their eyes between Jane and her, like in a ping-pong match.
"Oh, really?" Alia raised her brow to Mr. Henderson and pressed his hand. "Because we went to Puerto Plata last month and we barely left the beach. Colin is a great swimmer, actually."
Silence grew between them. Jane's smirk vanished during the crashing of a wave.
"Why don't you give us a demonstration, then?" Sagger suggested, tilting his head and imprinting a daring tone in every word. Zelda snickered and waved her fan. "Swim with your girl, Colin. There aren't many waves, so the water must be great."
Alia's heart skipped a beat when Mr. Henderson raised his eyes, a bemused expression on his face.
"Sure," she said quickly, squeezing his fingers. "Let's go, cariño?"
▬▬▬▬
"So, you really called me... cariño?"
Alia's eyes met Mr. Henderson's.
They were inside the warm blue-ish water, far away from Jane's ears and words, though Alia could still see the rest of the group relaxing under the white gazebo on the sands. Alia's arms were wrapped around Mr. Henderson's neck, the sun was shining above their heads, and even there he smelled like Hugo Boss' last fragrance and mint tea.
"It's how my mom calls my dad," she said and chuckled.
Mr. Henderson's hands were placed on her waist, and she tried to ignore the fact her boss was wearing nothing but shorts and hugging her in the middle of the sea. While she was wearing only that damn old blue bikini.
"It's... cute," he said, looking away. They were close, facing each other and feeling the heat of the sun in the water. Seagulls squawked while Mr. Henderson was choosing his words. "You're from... Colombia, is that right?"
"No. I'm from Jersey, actually." She smiled, the breeze making her messy bun move a bit. "My dad's from Dominican Republic, and my mom's from Puerto Rico, but she's been in the U.S. since she was five, in fact."
"That's very... interesting," he said after a brief silence. Some gentle waves crashed against them before Mr. Henderson could speak again. "I know I'm screwing up everything."
She didn't know what to say. The seagulls squawked again and Alia sighed. "You're not looking exactly... relaxed. That's the problem. Use our strategy and everything will be fine."
"It's hard to act around her," he confessed in a low voice. "She knows me well enough, and I... sometimes I think this was a huge mistake. People don't change. I'll always be a businessman who hates sea, sand and sun."
Alia looked over his shoulder, to the white fancy gazebo on the sand, and caught Jane's eyes gazing at them. Alia took a deep breath and gripped Mr. Henderson's neck tighter between her arms.
"Listen, I have an idea," she said, her mouth dry when she glanced again at Jane. "She's gazing at us. Let's show her how you've changed."
Mr. Henderson tried to turn around to see her, but Alia didn't let him. Her heart was beating fast when he frowned, waiting for an answer. More waves crashed against them.
"I'll push your head under water and swim away," she said, looking into his brown eyes. "And you'll run after me, like we're... boyfriend and girlfriend playing a chasing game."
"You don't need to do this," he said after a silence, his hands gripping her waist tightly. "We signed a contract, and this isn't—"
"Trust me, Mr. Henderson," she told him and pushed his neck. Jane was still looking, her refined nose slightly raised. Mr. Henderson nodded, gulping. "What do you need to do?"
"Chase after you."
"And smile. Laugh out loud, if you can," Alia whispered the last part and took a deep breath. "Hold your breath," she said. "It's show time."
She pushed his head under water, and they followed the script.
Alia tried to be loud, screaming his name and laughing, teasing him. When her toes touched the sand, she knew they had the group's attention. Sagger and Zelda cheered for Mr. Henderson, who was completely soaked, running behind her and laughing, but Jane wasn't even smiling. We got you.
But it was Mr. Henderson who had gotten her.
While she was looking at Jane, admiring that little victory, he hugged Alia from behind, tackling her distracted body. They rolled on the warm sands of the beach, laughing while the seagulls squawked. When they stopped, with Mr. Henderson on top of her, flushed face and wet body, they were fighting for breath.
"Like... that?" Mr. Henderson asked with a chuckle.
"Like... that," she agreed and gave him two pats on the face. A small silence grew between them, and even with the sun, her wet body shivered under Mr. Henderson's. "That's what I was saying. You need to relax and... get in character."
"I can be a funny businessman if I want to. I told you, Ms. Nazario."
She smiled at that. Yes, you can. Who knew? Suddenly, Mr. Henderson blushed, possibly because he was wearing nothing but a bathing suit on top of his secretary. He got up, completely uncomfortable, and lent her a hand.
As soon as Alia got on her feet, Mr. Henderson pulled her to a hug.
"Thank you," he murmured, before she could even think of something to say. They remained like that, holding each other and hearing the seagulls squawking in the air. Mr. Henderson smiled, his face covered in sand, and offered her a hand. "Let's go back, cariño?"
She smiled, grabbing his hand with a victorious smile.
"Let's go."