Honeymoon Suiteness

It was only noon, and Bryan didn't know what they'd do for the next four hours. His apartment was on the way, and he wondered if that's what Bridget meant.

"We can stop by my place for a bit and have some lunch," Bryan said.

"I'd love that," Bridget replied. "And do you think I could grab a shower while we're there? I'm feeling super gross after all that flying."

"Absolutely," Bryan said without even thinking about it.

"And then," Bridget continued, "can we talk? You know, about Meghan?"

"Yeah, sure." Bryan didn't really want to talk about his ex-fiancé, but he knew he would have to eventually. "I think that's a good idea."

Bridget called him out. "No you don't."

"No," Bryan conceded, "but it's the right thing to do. You came all the way back for me, and you deserve to know why. I'll tell you all about it, I promise."

The siblings arrived at Bryan's apartment a half-hour later. Bryan carried in his sister's suitcase, and Bridget had her smaller carry-on items. Bryan left the maroon behemoth by the door and headed to the kitchen.

"Want anything to drink? Or maybe a snack?" Bryan offered.

"No thanks," Bridget said, dropping her carry-ons next to the sofa. She glanced over at the Jameson on the counter. "I'm sure that helped eased the pain a bit, at least."

Bryan just now realized he'd left it out. "Actually, that's kind of what got me into trouble in the first place," he said, heading over to finally close the bottle and put it away. "Do you need a towel or anything?"

"Nope. Got everything I need," Bridget said, fumbling through her suitcase at the apartment's entrance. She pulled out a pair of jeans and a deep blue halter top. Bryan knew it would make her eyes jump right out of her face. Bridget then weeded out a light blue bra and some panties, causing Bryan some unexpected discomfort. Or was it excitement? He reflexively looked away, but then slowly turned his head back to view his sister's underwear as she unfolded a fluffy white bath towel. Bryan's mind took him to a vision of Bridget only in the blue bra and white panties lying near his front door. He snapped out of it as his sister turned to head toward his bedroom where the bathroom was located.

After the shower turned on, Bryan started to recount the story to himself so that he knew what to tell Bridget. From there, Bryan's mind meandered from one place to another. He began to contemplate his next course of action after what should have been his wedding. He wasn't going to be ready to get into the dating scene again for a while. He figured the best thing to do would be to just head to Cancun, enjoy himself on vacation, and then see how he was feeling. He briefly considered the possibility of a fling or two in Mexico, but somehow he knew that wasn't what he wanted. Not even on the rebound.

He could decide not to go to Cancun altogether, though it would be a tremendous waste of money. He'd already booked the Honeymoon Suite, as well as two round-trip plane tickets. If anything, it would make sense for him to find some girl quickly to bring on vacation. He only had another month before the trip was scheduled.

Bryan heard the shower stop, and the bathroom door open up a minute later. Sooner than Bryan expected, his bedroom door opened, and out stepped his sister, wearing nothing but a towel.

"Well, I'm dumb," she said, walking briskly toward the sofa. "Forgot this."

Bridget picked up the bra that neither she nor Bryan noticed she had left on the couch, and she headed back into Bryan's bedroom. As she walked away, Bryan took in the smooth skin on his sister's back, and her long legs, which were mostly exposed. In a flash, the solution to Bryan's vacation problem appeared. Who would be comfortable enough with Bryan - and have a free enough schedule - to go on a two-week vacation with him to another country? There was only one person like that. He didn't know where he'd put his sister, since the room he'd booked only had one colossal bed, but they'd figure it out. He knew she'd do this for him. In fact, she'd probably be thrilled to take another trip. She didn't have a job or school to take priority, and she just lost out on most of her trip to Ireland.

Bridget stepped out of her brother's bedroom in a new change of clothes, and the sight of her stunned Bryan for a moment. Her bright blue eyes blazed at him, her smooth fair skin visible on her arms and upper chest where the halter top allowed. She smiled at him and asked, "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," Bryan said. "Nothing at all. I'm just glad you're back."

Bridget blushed, clearly knowing that not only did her brother miss his sister's company, but also her appearance. "Me too," she managed to get out. "So can we talk now?"

"Yeah, absolutely," Bryan said. The two of them sat down on the sofa. "You know all those times I came to you after Meghan and I fought?" Bridget nodded, and Bryan continued, "Well, that really wasn't easy on her, either." Bryan went into detail about Meghan's distress, and the problems they'd been having in almost every aspect of their lives. He concluded with the night that he started drinking, and the following morning when Meghan ended things.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't there, Bryan." Bridget said softly, with a look of horror on her face. "It's my fault. If I'd been there, you never would have reached for the booze, and maybe all of this..."

"No," Bryan interrupted. "Don't do that. Meghan and I had issues. If anything, the problem was that I would go to you, and you'd ask me if she made me happy, and I would lie to you and myself. I don't think I was happy in that relationship except for the first few months."

A few tears ran down Bridget's face as she touched Bryan's knee and held her hand there. "Well then I'm just sorry this all happened to you. I really care about you, and I do want you to be happy..."

"I know," Bryan said. "To be honest, I enjoyed my time with you more than I did with Meghan. In fact, sometimes I think she was jealous of the amount of time I spent with you."

Bridget's face contorted into an expression of incredulity, but relaxed into a satisfied smile, like this was welcome news. "Well, maybe if she cared more about her marriage than about her wedding, none of this would have happened."

Bryan realized that not only was Bridget right, but that she'd identified the heart of the problem. Meghan was more concerned about aesthetics and perceptions than about her real relationship with Bryan. Bryan and Bridget talked for another hour about anything and everything - Meghan, Ireland, Bridget's graduation from Ohio State, their love of Dayton and simultaneous desire to see other places.

"So while we're on the topic of traveling to other places," Bryan said faux-casually, "I have a honeymoon that I still have booked. Meghan suggested I still go. I think I'm going to follow through with it."

"To that tourist trap Cancun?" Bridget asked. "I'm sure it's nice, but can you really call that traveling? Everything I read about it suggests it's just a tropical American resort."

"Well, I suppose that answers my question, then," Bryan said.

"What question?"

"Well," Bryan said, keeping up his fake casual tone, "I have an extra spot, now that I won't have a wife going with me, and I was going to ask my dear sweet sister if she was interested in accompanying me..."

Bridget lit up, her eyes as big and bright as she'd ever seen them.

"But nah," Bryan said, teasing his sister to death. "I wouldn't want to drag her to some silly American tourist trap like that. Better to leave you in Dayton, Ohio than bring you to dumb ol' Cancun."

"I'LL GO, I'LL GO, I'LL GO!!" Bridget squealed. She leapt out of her seat, and then jumped onto her brother's lap, embracing him hard. Then she backed off a little. "Wait," she said. "That was supposed to be your wife going on that trip. I'm your sister." Bridget looked saddened by the prospect of trying to replace a honeymoon. "You really want to do that? Don't you think you'll just be wishing Meghan was there with you?"

"Not a chance," Bryan said. He actually thought it was more likely that if he went with Meghan after the wedding, he'd spend the whole time wishing Bridget were there. That wasn't something he wanted to say out loud. He was already making himself uncomfortable with just how attached he had become to his own sister. He didn't need to make her uncomfortable, too. Nevertheless, he had invited her to come with him to an all-inclusive resort in Cancun. It was designed as a romantic getaway, and he was determined to take Bridget with him. How uncomfortable could he really be with his recent feelings?

Bridget kissed him on the cheek and said, "We have time to watch a short movie before we have to go over to mom's place. What do you say?"

Bryan agreed, and he put in a movie they both liked. Bridget curled up into her brother's embrace like she had a few weeks ago, and all was right in Bryan's world for just a few hours.

"Hi kids!" shouted Patricia Shaughnessy, as Bryan and Bridget stepped into the house they grew up in. Their mother threw her arms around Bryan. "I'm so sorry, Honey. I wish things worked out for you two, but right now I'm here to do whatever it takes to get you through this."

"Thanks mom," he said He looked into his mother's eyes, the bright blue eyes she'd given to her daughter, and saw true sympathy. Mom then welcomed Bridget back, and thanked her for coming back to see Bryan. Bryan could smell the roasted chicken dinner his mother had prepared for the family. He looked around in the foyer, and wandered toward his parents' wedding photo. Bryan figured he must enjoy pain, standing there looking at the one photograph that would remind him of losing both his father and his fiancé.

The happy couple beamed with excitement on their wedding day. His father's jet black hair was cut short and straight, allowing his green eyes to stand out a little more. For Bryan, it was like looking into a mirror. His mother, on the other hand, had long, flowing blonde hair that didn't get passed on to her children. But it was her eyes that dominated the photograph, as did generations of mothers before her. A colorized photo of Bryan's great-grandmother was nearly thrown away and re-done when the photography professionals saw her eyes. They were such a bright blue color that the team thought they had made a mistake. That is, until Patricia Shaughnessy walked back in to get the photograph, and the team caught a glimpse of her irises.

The family eventually sat down for dinner, said their prayers, and began eating. Most of the dinner conversation was pointless chatter, with the understanding that Bryan would share some things after the meal. They finished up, did a few dishes, and brought some wine into the living room, where Bryan re-told the story of his and Meghan's inevitable end.

"Well, this might be for the best," his mother said as he finished recounting his last phone call with Meghan. "It sounds like you just weren't all that happy together."

Everyone could see it in hindsight. How could Bryan have been so blind to that fact when he and Meghan were together? Bryan fidgeted a little through the subsequent silence. The three of them sipped their wine before Bridget spoke up.

"So guess what, mom?" Bridget sat straight up in her chair. "I'm going with Bryan to Cancun!"

"That's right!" Bryan transitioned back to the brighter side of the story. "I still have all the reservations in place, and I figured I should still take someone with me."

Their mom looked skeptical. "Is that a good idea, Bridget? Wouldn't there only be one bed?"

"Oh, come on, mom," Bridget insisted. "I'm sure we can work something out to get a small bed in there. And besides, do you think now is a good time for Bryan to be alone?" Their mother conceded the point with a head tilt and a shrug. Bridget continued, "So who better to go than his sister?"

Still obviously unconvinced, Patricia Shaughnessy relented and changed the topic to Bridget's school situation.

On the morning of their departure, Bryan went to his old house to pick up his sister and say a short goodbye to his mother. He took Bridget's maroon suitcase from her and packed it into the car. Bridget hugged her mother and hopped into the sedan with her carry-ons, and Bryan followed suit.

"Be careful, and have fun," his mother told him. "But not too much fun. And don't let your sister talk you into doing anything stupid." He knew she was joking, but her face showed true concern. What was she worried about? Bryan shook it off and attributed her worry to typical mom stuff.

"And maybe for once in your life, go to Church on purpose," his mother said, knowing it was probably a futile effort. "It might just help."

Bryan rolled his eyes, but Bridget chimed in, "We will, mom." She might not have been lying. Of all the places Bryan wanted to go, a church was not one of them, but Bridget usually made a point to find one on Sundays, even on vacation. Old habits...

"Call me when you get to your room, please?" His mother worried when she didn't hear from her children.

"Sure," Bryan said. "But in case I forget, we're in room 158." Bryan handed his mother a spare business card he had from when the resort sent him an information package after he booked the suite.

Bryan hopped in the car, started it up, and off they went. When they reached Dayton airport, Bryan dropped his sister off at the concourse to print out the tickets, while he parked the car. He took their luggage onto a shuttle to the concourse, and met up with Bridget at baggage check. The wait in line was relatively short. Bridget's suitcase got checked, along with Bryan's smaller black bag, and the two of them headed to security.

"I'm so excited, you have no idea!" Bridget exclaimed. She had dressed casually for the flight, a simple green t-shirt with her necklace tucked in, and a pair of yellow gym shorts that Bryan was pretty sure belonged to him. She grabbed his hand and held it for much of the walk. Now more than ever, Bryan was finding himself intoxicated with his sister's presence.

"I'm excited, too, actually." Bryan put his hand around Bridget's waist when they reached the back of the line for security, and pulled her in more closely. He gave the far side of her waist a few gentle rubs before picking up the carry-on bags again and moving along with the line. Bryan realized that ignorant bystanders probably assumed the two of them were a couple, if they didn't notice how much they looked alike. He didn't mind; in fact, he relished the thought that he could so much as be mistaken for Bridget's boyfriend. While he considered himself fortunate to have been with a woman as beautiful as Meghan, Bryan had long held the belief that his future brother-in-law would be the luckiest man in the world.

Bryan snapped out of his daydreaming when he and Bridget reached the front of the line for security. They took off their shoes, and proceeded through without incident. When they reached their terminal, they only had a ten-minute wait before boarding. They loaded onto the plane, and found their seats. Bridget volunteered for a middle seat, while Bryan took the aisle.

"Thanks again for coming, Bridge," Bryan told his sister. "I know it's just another trip for you, but for me, it means the world that you're keeping me company."

"It's not just another trip for me either, baby." There it was again. Baby. Bridget put her hand on Bryan's knee again. Bryan knew it should have felt weird, but it didn't. His sister gave a half smile and raised her eyebrows, producing another sympathetic stare. "I know you need this, and I think I need this, too. We spent so much time apart when I was at school. I loved every minute we had together this summer, but we were always preoccupied with something else. Or someone else."

Bridget's bright blue eyes pierced into Bryan's mind, and cut apart his memories of Meghan. This vacation wasn't about his ex-fiancé. It was about him and Bridget.

"We're family," she said, emphasizing the word that Bryan didn't particularly care to think about at the moment. "I would do anything for you."

"I know," Bryan said, completely transfixed. "Me too."

Bridget began to lean closer in. At first, Bryan thought she was going to rest against his shoulder, but she was going straight on toward his face. He thought he knew what was happening, but that seemed impossible. Still, he found himself unable to resist the concept of a slightly deeper intimacy with the woman next to him. It must be his imagination, Bryan thought. Bridget cared about him deeply, and that's all this was. So he fought his urges, and kept a level head and looked back toward the aisle.

A voice over the speaker system interrupted the moment, and the brother and sister sat back in their seats, coming to the realization that they were in a public place. The pilot explained over the speakers that the weather was clear, and that the flight to Dallas would likely be incident-free. After that, Bryan knew, they'd connect in Texas to their flight bound for Cancun. He glanced back over to Bridget, who fidgeted nervously in her seat. Her wide-open eyes stared straight into the seat in front of her, into nothingness. She looked terrified.

"What's wrong, Bridge?" Bryan asked, confounded by the scene that had just taken place.

"I'm just... umm... afraid of flying," she stammered. That didn't make sense to Bryan.

"But you fly all the time," Bryan said. "You're always visiting this place or that."

"Yeah, but I just..." Bridget couldn't find the words. "I need to think... about something else right now." Her eyes began to well up, and Bryan tried to comfort his sister by putting his hand on her thigh. That seemed to only make her even more emotional, so Bryan took away his hand and reached for a book he brought with him. After take-off, the plane had leveled at about 30,000 feet, and Bridget was beginning to calm down.

"You doing better?" Bryan asked. "We're in cruise-control for a while now."

"Yeah," she said, wiping away the last few remaining tears. She looked embarrassed. "I just... didn't think that I would get so upset about that."

"Well, lots of people struggle with flying, Honey," Bryan replied.

Bridget rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know." She shook her head, and Bryan remembered that Bridget, like every other woman he'd ever known, was sometimes incomprehensible to him.

They landed in Cancun at 7:00 that evening. They had eaten a quick dinner in the Dallas airport before skipping over to Mexico. Somehow, Bridget did much better on the second flight than the first, and Bryan again began to doubt the validity of Bridget's fear-of-flying claim. Something else must have upset her.

Their shuttle bus from the airport parked right in front of their resort, a sprawling palace of grassy fields, fountains, brown and tan hotel buildings, and ocean views. Bryan and Bridget unloaded their luggage and stood outside the entrance to the resort. Bryan looked toward his sister, whose gaze once again nearly paralyzed him. He took both of her hands.

"Hey, I don't know what happened on the airplane," Bryan began, and Bridget cut him off.

"I know you don't, and that's okay," she said with a wry smile.

"But I get the sense that I upset you somehow, and if I did, I'm truly sorry," Bryan finished.

"I know you are," she said. "Don't worry about it. You just weren't ready for that quite yet."

"Ready for what?" Bryan asked, but Bridget refused the question.

"Come on," she said. "It's time to see the grand Honeymoon Suite you booked for us."

For us? Bryan hadn't booked it for her, but he should have. This should have been the plan the whole time, Bryan thought. He thanked God that it worked out the way it did.