Chapter Seven
Austin
Austin walked up to his secluded bungalow at the end of the path. He looked over to the right and saw the long path in between the rooms. His friends were already on the prowl, which meant there would be a lot noises coming from their rooms later on that evening. Austin’s room, however, would be dead silent.
Austin pushed open the door and was surprised at how big the bungalow actually was from the inside. To the right of the door was a small kitchenette complete with a mini fridge and a small stove. There was a cutout in the wall of the kitchen so he could look through and see the living room. Austin walked further into the suite, and saw a small dining table and an open living room space with a large, fluffy couch and flat-screen TV mounted on the wall. Austin turned to the right and walked into the bedroom, which had a large king-size bed and another flat-screen TV. In the bedroom there was a large window that opened up to a private balcony. Austin walked over and opened up the door and stepped outside. The bungalow suites weren’t high up off the water, so there was a small ladder attached that Austin could see that led him right to the ocean.
Austin walked back inside the room and smiled. This place isn’t half bad, he thought. Now if he could just figure out how to relax on his own, without having to participate in anything, he would be golden. Austin flopped down on the bed and pulled his arms up underneath his head. He closed his eyes and took in the sounds of the ocean breeze outside. He started to drift off to sleep when a loud knock on his door jolted him up.
“Come on, Austin,” Logan said as he banged on the door again. “We are all going to head down to the lobby to get some drinks.” Austin reluctantly pulled his body off the comfortable bed and opened the door.
“I don’t know, man,” Austin said. “I think I might just stay here and take a nap. That was a hell of a long trip to get here.”
Logan gave Austin a pointed look, and Austin knew Logan wasn’t going to just let him stay in his room the whole week. Logan grabbed Austin’s arm and pulled him outside.
“No excuses,” Logan said. “You are coming along. Plus you have to show up to some of the events. Call this one of them and you might be able to get a few days to yourself.” Austin rolled his eyes and followed Logan down the path.
***
Austin and the rest of his friends walked into the lobby. As they did, Austin could feel all eyes on them, and he hated it. He felt as though their eyes could read into his soul and see how truly broken he was. Austin straightened his body and threw his walls up around his heart tighter. A small voice inside his head told him to not shut everyone out, but he swiftly ignored it.
The guys made their way to the bar in the back of the restaurant that overlooked the ocean, and walked up to the long marble bar top. The bar, like the rest of the hotel, had Polynesian décor. The wood embellishments around the bar had intricate designs carved out of dark wood, and beautiful tropical flowers were set on every table. Austin sat down on the bar stool and started to look at the liquor on the shelf. Logan sat down next to Austin and leaned over to him.
“Not as bad as you thought, right?” Logan asked.
“We’ll see about that,” Austin said. He turned around from the bar and noticed all of the women sitting at the tables near them. Some were trying to be coy as they checked them out, while others were blatantly staring, hoping to get their attention.
“I feel like a piece of meat sitting up here with all of them staring at us like that,” Austin said as he turned back around. Logan let out a loud laugh.
“Don’t mind them,” Logan said as he put his arm around Austin’s broad shoulders. “Like I told you, man, you don’t need to do anything. Just try and enjoy things.” Austin let out a loud laugh.
“I’m not sure how much of these,” Austin motioned around the bar, “‘things’ I will enjoy, but I will be happy to get some drinks and relax.”
Logan smiled and patted his back. “Baby steps, man. We will get you back in the saddle one of these days.”
The bartender approached Austin and Logan. She was a very petite brunette. She had big brown eyes and full lips. Austin laughed lightly to himself. Logan is going to love this girl, he thought. Sure enough, when Austin turned towards Logan, he had on his thousand-megawatt smile.
“What can I get you guys?” the bartender smiled.
“I’ll take whatever beer you have on draft,” Logan said. The bartender smiled and looked over at Austin.
“I’ll take Maker’s Mark, neat.” She nodded and went to get their drinks. Austin turned to face the open area of the bar and slowly shook his head when he saw women already surrounded a few of his friends already. Well, he thought, at least they are happy.
“Here you go,” the bartender said as she placed their drinks in front of them. Austin passed Logan’s beer to him, but two women already distracted him. Of course, Austin thought. He grabbed his glass and took a slow sip of his drink. Whiskey and Scotch had always been his liquors of choice. They always had a warm bite going down.
“Who’s your friend?” one of the women seductively asked Logan. Logan turned to Austin and put his arm lightly around his shoulder.
“This is Austin,” Logan said. Austin caught both women sharing an excited glance between them while he fought the urge to roll his eyes. Logan shook Austin’s shoulder lightly as a signal for him to respond. Austin forced a smile on his face.
“Nice to meet you,” Austin said.
“So when did you guys get in?” the brunette asked. Austin took another long sip of his whiskey, finishing off the glass sooner than he had wished. He looked down the bar and motioned for the bartender.
“A couple of hours agao,” Austin said. The brunette smiled and batted her eyelashes at him. Austin turned back to the bar and tried to occupy himself with getting the bartender’s attention. Luckily, the bar was packed, which meant she was running back and forth behind the bar, so Austin was able to ignore the rest of the questions.
“Need another one?” the bartender asked as she walked up to him.
“Make it a double,” Austin said. The woman behind him tried to place her hand on his shoulder as she tried to get his attention back on her. Austin’s reaction was instant. He squeezed his fingers into a fist as anger surged through his body. He stifled a groan in his chest and pushed down the urge to want to break something. He didn’t want to Ellae the girl, but he sure as hell didn’t want her touching him, either. Logan luckily noticed his reaction and quickly distracted her while Austin tried to gain his composure. This is why Logan was his best friend. He knew Austin well enough to react when he needed to. The bartender placed a glass in front of him. Austin gave her a tight nod and took another sip of his whiskey as he regained his composure. Fuck, he thought. It was going to be a long night.
The women attempted bringing Austin back into the conversation. However, despite getting a hold of his temper, he couldn’t keep himself interested in what they had to say. They seemed like your typical full-of-themselves ex-sorority girls. The kind that Austin always saw taking selfies of themselves with that stupid duck face that wasn’t attractive on anyone. After Austin ignored several of their questions, Logan led them away to meet some of their friends.
Austin was finally left alone, and he finished off his drink and ordered another.