Unintentionally Wet Vacation Pt. 04

"It's OK... I can stay longer, he's asleep"

"Please... go"

Zoe lay on her back staring at the ceiling as Jason gathered his clothing from the floor in the dark. Before leaving, he bent over and gave her a kiss, which she allowed but didn't return wholeheartedly.

"Good night Zoe," he said as he left her bedside.

****

Zoe cringed, a sinking feeling returning to her stomach. She, and Jason, could both be in deep trouble now. She felt bad about having kicked him out last night, but didn't regret it. She had needed the time to herself. She extricated herself from the tangled sheets and quickly dressed herself in the middle of the room.

Stepping into the cool morning air, she saw people from the school gathered around some picnic tables eating a light breakfast. She grabbed a bowl and some cereal and walked over to join Amber and Jason at one of the tables.

The bravery that had propelled her headfirst through the events of the previous night had fled with the darkness, and her thoughts churned as she walked over to the table. She had always been nervous around Jason, but now the situation had changed. Before, she could simply have ignored him, but no longer.

Upon arriving at the table, Zoe selected a seat next to Amber and across from Jason; close enough to show she wanted to sit near him, but far enough away to avoid raising eyebrows. After a perfunctory round of "Good Mornings," Zoe settled down to eat her breakfast in silence, with only occasional glances in Jason's direction; he appeared to be doing much the same.

Amber, however, refused to leave Zoe to her thoughts.

"You're pretty quiet this morning Zoe, didn't sleep well?"

Zoe gave a shallow laugh and shook her head, trying to use her eyes to convey to Amber that the matter should be left alone. She couldn't bring it up in public, for Jason's sake if nothing else.

"No, give me a break, I'm still waking up... I slept fine last night."

But Amber refused to take the hint. She raised her eyebrows playfully and continued to tease, "Ah lucky you, the wildlife kept me up for a while, didn't you hear them?"

Jason sat looking very uncomfortable, but Zoe refused to play along, "No guess not, I was too busy, uh, sleeping to notice I guess."

Dave's loud voice interrupted Amber's attempt to continue the charade.

"Listen up everyone, we've only got 45 minutes before the boat leaves to take us snorkeling, finish up your food, get dressed and meet us down at the water in 30."

When Dave finished, Jason stood up and began clearing his place. As he prepared to leave the table, he leaned over towards Zoe and spoke quietly.

"I'm not gonna be going with you guys today, I'm heading into town to pick up some things, let's talk at your cabin when you guys get back."

"Oh, alright," Zoe replied, unsure whether to be relieved or dismayed.

"Have fun," he called out as he walked off towards his cabin.

Chapter 14

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The sun sat low in the sky when the group finally got back from snorkeling. The tropical fish had been intriguing, but Zoe's mind had been elsewhere for most of the day. She and Amber trudged through the sand - still scorching hot from the afternoon sun - and into the cooler shade of the trees surrounding their cabin.

Zoe had just finished changing out of her suit, and Amber was still changing in the bathroom, when a knock sounded at the door. Jason motioned Zoe out when she opened the door.

"So, I went into the town today. I couldn't find any Plan B," he started.

Zoe drew a sharp breath and a chill ran down her spine.

He quickly continued, "don't worry, I got some leads on another place I can check tomorrow morning."

"Will that be soon enough?" she asked with concern.

"Yeah, don't worry, it should be fine."

Zoe wrapped her arms around him and held tight while Jason gently returned her embrace. She was still worried, but Jason had protected her before and she believed he would again.