17. FALLON

I woke to Sterling's alarm. He was wrapped around me, cuddling me tight. I didn't want him to let go or wake up, but his alarm was all the way on the other nightstand and I couldn't turn it off without disturbing him.

"It's ok," he said, giving me a sleepy kiss on my back. "I think we can snooze it for fifteen."

Music to my ears, almost like he knew what to tell me. "But you have work," I whispered.

"I realized something," he said in his raspy voice. "The resort runs itself, and if it doesn't, then my bad." I turned my head, his eyes were still closed.

A tickle ran up my toes like butterflies, it was a restless excitement. I wanted to kick my feet from the way he didn't immediately jump up out of bed. He would really rather spend more time with me in bed than go to work. It made me feel special.

There was no way I was snoozing now. Sterling in his best Daddy comfort had kept me in bed past his alarm. Maybe he did actually like me, and maybe he would see what this could become. once I left.

My mind travelled all over the place, thinking about what a long distance relationship with him might look like. I knew it would have its teething issues, but at the end of it all, he would want to be with me.

When the alarm went off again, he tugged me tighter in his arms. I was hoping he'd want to snooze the alarm again, but this time he really did need to get up. I didn't want to let him go, but I also didn't want to get dressed and skulk all tired with him into work.

"I'll see you later," he said, kissing me on the head. "Be a good boy."

"I'm always a good boy," I said, not wanting to move from the comfort of the bed.

The air con unit was on max. My body probably wouldn't believe the temperature outside. But I was always known for running the AC high and staying cooler. You can always add layers when you were cold, but when you were hot, you couldn't step out of your skin.

I managed to slept for a little longer, not much longer as Henry was banging on my bedroom door talking about breakfast. He double checked to make sure whether or not Sterling was in the room before barging in, but I think he was a little disappointed to find out he'd left earlier.

"We need to figure out some more stuff to do," he said, standing in the doorway, his hand cocked on a hip. "And since our friends have left, we'll probably have to do this all ourselves."

Through a groan, I turned over in the bed and felt for the spot Sterling had slept in. His smell lingered, it was delicious. "Can we have a lazy day?"

"I thought we were supposed to be getting as much in as possible," he said.

"That was your idea," I said.

"And you agreed with me."

"Yeah, but like," I turned back to him, sighing. "What if I don't have the energy to do anything?"

"You sound hungover, I'll get you some water and an aspirin," he said.

Those things would probably help, but that wasn't why I had a lack of energy. I knew we didn't have long left of our vacation, and every minute seemed like a minute I was wasting.

I was up, my legs hanging over the side of the bed when he arrived with cold water and a pill bottle. "Ok," he said. "I think we'll get breakfast, make sure it's all very greasy, and then we can come back, spend time on the beach, make sure we work on our tans, and then tonight we can just see what happens."

The idea was nice, but the only thing I wanted to happen tonight was spending it in bed beside Sterling, or even on top of him. "Ok, and what type of things could happen tonight?"

He shrugged. "We'll ask the concierge."

We really hadn't planned on doing much. When we first spoke about this and coming out here for a week and a half, we didn't realize we'd want to do so much. I suppose that was for the best because my budget didn't permit for much, and I lived most of my life going with the flow, which seemed to be how we were spending our vacation now.

Once I was hydrated and medicated, I got dressed. A nice, striped t-shirt, and a pair of jean shorts. I couldn't go wrong with it.

"Maybe we should have a pool day," I said, noticing the pair of damp shorts in a towel. "We can play mermen!"

"Yes! I love that idea."

The best ideas came quickly, they didn't need so much planning.

"Did you bring an extra pair of swimming shorts?"

"Obviously," I said. I knew we would be on the beach, and that meant near water. I'd brought a couple pairs. "I guess the day is looking up after all."

"You really thought I was going to let you just stay in bed all day until lover boy came back?"

He didn't have to call me out like that. "Um. No."

"Good, because I wasn't."

"But do you think he would've come back?" I asked. "Because he's working late."

"You've got it bad," he teased. "You're gonna be insufferable when we go home, aren't you?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm trying not to think about it."

"Yeah. It's best not to think about it, to be honest. I wouldn't."

"Then stop mentioning it. I'm putting it to the back of my mind. I'm telling myself that we might make it long distance," I said, even though that topic hadn't come up yet, and I didn't know if Sterling was even in the same frame of mind as me.

We went up to the resort for breakfast, taking it at one of the tables by the pool. There were several pool, even a whirlpool and a jacuzzi. It surprised me this was the first time we were talking about going into it considering we sat beside one most mornings for breakfast.

Henry sat with the sun in his face. He slipped his shades over his face and continued to bask in the morning glow. "I can't believe we drank so much last night," he said. "I'm gonna need a large coffee, like, a supreme coffee."

"Triple shot espresso then?"

"Quadruple!" he laughed.

"Five-ple, or whatever."

"Quintuple," he said. Of course, Henry knew that.

The server came over, already guessing our order from previous mornings. We didn't mix it up much, except ordering most of the cooked meats from the breakfast menu, and getting double the coffees we'd usually order. It was easier that way than using fancy words like quadruple and quintuple .

I was on Sterling watch, hoping he'd cross near a window somewhere and catch my eye. I was more desperate for his attention now than I was when I was just checking him out. We were far too cozy with each other, I just wanted him to acknowledge me, and maybe even give my shoulder a brush with a hand in the vicinity of other guests. I didn't ask for much.

As breakfast arrived, so did Sterling. He was beaming, and it completely picked my spirit up.

"When I saw Maria carrying four cups of coffee with two plates of food, I figured they could only be for you two," he said, and there he went with his hand on my shoulder, gently pressing his thumbs into me in a small massage. "You two drank a lot last night."

Henry grunted, whacking three sachet sticks of sugar to his palm. "I wasn't so bad, but since I sat down and stopped moving, it's gone through me again."

"And so many sausages," he noted.

"I was more sad that you left bed this morning," I admitted to him, and quickly realized other people might've been around listening. Perhaps I'd done it on purpose because of that.

"I didn't want to," he said, his magic hands performing a miracle on my shoulders. "In fact, I told you to come with me, if you remember."

"But I didn't want to be all skulky following you like a lost pup."

Henry looked at me over his sunglasses. "You didn't tell me that."

It had been a passing moment before Sterling left, and I didn't think it was worth noting at the time when I was talking to Henry. I shrugged and stuck a fork into a sausage. I was better off occupying my mouth than sticking my foot in it.

"So, how's things with that guy?" Sterling asked, engaging in conversation with Henry.

"Oh, that was a little fling," he said, pouring all three sugar packets into one cup of coffee. "He didn't really get me. It was fun in bed, but I was looking for something more."

"You didn't tell me that," I said, mouth full of food. Although I hadn't asked him about his fling from the club.

Sterling squeezed my shoulders. "Don't speak with your mouth full," he said.

I immediately closed my eyes and finished chewing. His words sent a thrill through me. I didn't like being told off, but I did like having him control me on a Daddy level like that. It was one more reason why leaving this place was going to be hard. I didn't want to leave him behind.

"What do you have planned for today?" Sterling asked.

Henry sipped his coffee and let out a moan. "That hit the spot."

I needed that reaction to coffee. "After breakfast, we're going to prepare to go for a swim."

"You know you've got to wait an hour after eating before you can get in the pool," he said. "I don't want you getting cramp or becoming sick."

"We won't," I said. I turned my head and looked at him. "We're going to play mermen and pretend me have tails," I said in an almost whisper. "But if you're around, maybe you want to come and see."

"It should be fun," Henry said, sounding like his regular self now. "Better if you joined."

"Oh no," he chuckled. "I don't get in the water here. I think it ruins the illusion for guests that we're humans instead of here to serve their every need."

"What if our need is to have you in the pool?"

"Oh wow, look at the time," he said, taking his hands off me. "I'll see you later." He gave me a wink.

Now that Sterling was gone after paying me the attention I feel like I'd manifested, I grabbed a couple sugar packets and poured them into one of the coffees. I needed the caffeine hit like Henry had.

"You two are cute together," Henry said. "Would you think about staying out here?"

"And not come back with you?"

"Yeah," he said. "It's an option, right?"

"I don't think so, my bank account is already running on fumes."

"That's true."

"And I don't know where I'd stay. Like, with him? I don't know if that would mean we'd have to define the relationship, which as we both know, is a vacationship," I went on. I couldn't tell him I'd thought about it already and been through all the reasons I couldn't. In a perfect world, I wouldn't be wracked with stress about it, and I could just stay a little while longer or he would be coming back to the States with us, but he was a part of this place, and I wasn't going to be the reason he left.

We ate the rest of our breakfast in near silence. We'd both clearly put a lot of thought into my situation. I knew I wasn't going to give it up, but I wasn't ready to have that conversation with Sterling just yet.