Everyone’s bags were packed and on the deck of the boat, but no one seemed to be in any hurry to leave. Technically, from what Elladine said, they had a few hours before they had to depart.

“Why don’t we go for a walk on the beach?” Nicky suggested.

AJ flung an arm around Ciaran and Tai. “I tell you what I’m going to do. I’m totally coming back here with my girlfriend. She’d love it.”

Tai grinned, “Yea, I bet she would… Wait! You have a girlfriend.”

“Yeah…” AJ blushed lightly, “One of my teammates.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Reine asked.

“I didn’t want to get ahead of myself,” AJ admitted. “It’s still the early days.”

As they walked, Reine listened to the surrounding conversations. Lily and Camilo were teasing Nicky about acting like an old man. Bill was jokingly calling out Elladine for mothering Yasmin. Reine smiled, even though each of them was dealing with something life-changing. They came together and enjoyed a nice vacation.

Ciaran fell into step with her. “Hey,”

“Hey,” Reine said, giving him a curious glance.

“I just want you to know I’m OK with you and Rafi.” He said. “I’m taking some time to re-evaluate and work on me.”

Reine nodded. “That’s what I did when you left.”

“I get it now,” Ciaran looked a bit scared, “I’m sorry. I realize now I shouldn’t just use those words to avoid a problem. I should use those words to let the person I’ve wronged know that I’ve made a mistake and will do better next time.”

“I understand,” Reine said. She reached over to pull him into a one-armed hug. “Go find your happiness.”

Ciaran gave a small smile. “I hope you found yours.” He walked away in the other direction as Rafi stepped up to her.

“Everything alright?” Rafi asked.

Reine nodding, entwining her fingers with his. He gently squeezed her fingers before pressing a kiss to her knuckles.

“I have an idea,” Rafi said nervously. “I don’t have to be back in London for filming for a couple more weeks. Would you like company while you travel?”

“What about your family obligations?” Reine asked.

“Well, I know I say yes to them more than I should,” he replied wryly, “After seeing what happened between you and Ciaran. I could see it becoming an issue between us, and I wanted to make sure that it didn’t. Besides, when I made plans before, I didn’t have a girlfriend. I need to balance it.”

“If you want to travel with me,” Reine smiled. “I’d love to.”

Rafi’s fist pumped. “Yeah!” Reine chuckled at his antics. “I was afraid it might be too soon to ask something like that.”

“I feel the same. Even if it seems like a whirlwind.” She said.

Rafi turned to her and cupped her cheek. “That’s good to know.” He pressed his lips to hers, and the world melted away.

Until Elladine’s voice rang out, “come on, you lot, it’s time to go.”

“We should get going.” Rafi sighed.

“You could always stay with me,” Reine said hesitantly. “I got a large suite.”

Rafi smiled. “You’re the sweetest.”

“Not too soon?”

“Nope.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Let’s go.”