I think I must glide back to the Emporio on a cloud of love. Luke’s hand is firmly in mine and any doubts I ever had are left behind at that amazing little town in the mountains.
As we enter the hotel, the first person I see is Elvis and I realise that in all my happiness, I completely forgot about Marcus.
Feeling the anxiety rushing back, I drag Luke over to the little desk that Elvis calls home. He smiles as he sees us coming and I feel hopeful that Marcus has been found.
“Hello Becca, Luke.” He smiles happily and I breathe a sigh of relief.
“Hey, Elvis. Has Marcus returned?”
He nods happily.
“Yes, he came to see me after breakfast. He was fine and just stayed with his friend for the night. He is outside by the pool if you want to find him.”
Smiling at Elvis, I drag Luke behind me purposefully. Marcus better have a good reason for going MIA and I can’t wait to hear all the juicy details.
We find him lying next to Rachel, who I notice has Mark on her other side. My heart sinks once again and I look at Luke with worry. He shakes his head and whispers. “Don’t jump to conclusions. I’m sure they are just friends. Mark knows she is married.”
Shaking my head, I wonder if Luke is slightly mad. I can see very plainly that they are most certainly not and probably never have been - friends! I know this for a fact because I know my friend. She is wearing her sexiest bikini and I see the way her eyes sparkle as she laughs at something he says. They are facing each other and if looks could rival the intensity of the sun, the one he is shooting her would win. I just hope that the only thing on their menu is a mild dose of flirting because one things for sure, Lorenzo is as far away from Rachel’s thoughts as he is physically. This is not good.
We move over and I stand at the foot of Marcus’s sunbed and clear my throat. He groans.
“You’re in my sun and I need it to recharge my energy.”
Rachel looks up and grins.
“Hi, guys. Did you have a good day?”
I shake my head and say harshly. “Never mind about that. What about you, Marcus? Did you not think to tell someone you were having a sleepover? The police were informed, and you were officially a missing person. We thought you may have been raped or murdered or had been shipped off as someone’s sex slave.”
His face lights up. “Ooh, if only.”
I look at him with a hard expression.
“Come on, I want to hear your explanation.”
He rolls his eyes and grins.
“You sound just like my mother. Anyway, it was nothing. As you know I was in Los Romanticos with Elvis. We were on a high after the officer’s party and not ready to call it a night. Well, you would never believe it but a face that I recognised came into the club in the early hours.”
I sit down on his sunbed and look interested.
“Who was it? Do I know him?”
Shaking his head, Marcus looks wistful.
“Not unless you are a paid-up member of the Purple Coconut.”
I look at Luke in confusion as Rachel giggles. Shaking my head, I say, “What’s the Purple Coconut when it’s at home?”
Marcus laughs. “It’s a gay club in Brighton. One of the best and membership is hard to get hold of. Well, B.A. Bobby is one of its regulars and one of the craziest guys around. Everyone wants to be his friend and more because this guy is seriously hot.”
I share a look with Rachel and she giggles. “B.A. Bobby is short for British Airways Bobby. He works for the national airline - apparently and is something of a legend.”
Marcus smiles dreamily.
“I couldn’t believe my luck when he recognised me. Ooh, I’ve wanted a piece of that action for as long as I can remember. Well, all my dreams came true because he zeroed in on me like a Hawk on a mouse, and latched himself onto me ready to blow my world.”
Luke nudges me as I try to shake the image of B.A. Bobby blowing Marcus’s world.
He leans back on his sunbed with a smug look.
“So, you see, I wasn’t going to leave the best thing that has ever happened to me just to tell you all where I was. Bobby wasn’t here for long, just minimum rest, you know what British Airways are like. Unlike Jet Air they squeeze every last working hour from their crew due to their impressive route options. So, there you have it. I found my dream in Acapulco and my life will never be the same again.”
I smile at him, glad that he too has found happiness. Wow, Acapulco is like Cupid’s home. He must be staying here too because the number of arrows he’s flinging about makes me think he has a holiday home here.
I look at Marcus with excitement.
“So, are you seeing him when you return?”
Shaking his head, he looks a little wistful.
“I’m not sure. The trouble is, B.A. Bobby is something of a celebrity in Brighton and Hove and all surrounding areas. He won’t be tied down and needs to be free to flit around like a butterfly. I may see him from time to time in the Purple Coconut but I’m realistic. This was my moment and I may never get another one. I expect it will just be a memory to share with my jealous friends when I return. And what a memory it is.”
He sighs and I feel a little unsettled. Despite everything, we have all lived the dream this week. Marcus is the most realistic of us all though. He knows that you wake up from dreams and is fine with it. Jo will be fine, she has her ‘happy ever after’ assured. Jenny, Rachel and I do not. We have a testing time ahead of us and when the plane lands at Gatwick, everything may change.