Gorgeous Guy

Sade

“Who’s coming?” Julia asked.

“Him,” I whispered, glancing up to see if he’d changed course.

He hadn’t. He was weaving around tables and shaking hands with guests as he made his way toward our table. I noticed he had a slight limp but didn’t get the chance to think much more about it. He stopped behind Julia and Khloe, a hand on the backs of each of their chairs and his eyes on me.

I was melting. I was absolutely melting into a mushy pile of goo under the gaze of the prettiest eyes I had ever seen. He smiled, and the perfectly straight white teeth practically blinded me, looking whiter against his tanned skin.

“Good afternoon, ladies,” he said in a voice as smooth as honey.

Yep. Died. Melted and died.

I couldn’t speak. I could only stare. I felt so ridiculous, but my brain and mouth had a total disconnect, and words failed me.

“Hi,” Julia said in her typical upbeat voice. She really worked the blonde thing and was almost always perky.

“Hello,” he said, his eyes still on mine.

“Hi,” I said, managing to form the word and push it out on a breath.

“I’m Trent Gilroy. I own the hotel. How’s everything so far?” He finally looked away from me and cast his gaze upon Khloe.

Everyone loved to look at Khloe. She was a beautiful woman—like supermodel gorgeous—but she was humble. We’d been roommates for years. I loved her like a sister and wasn’t jealous of her beauty at all. Well, not all the time. I was jealous in an envious, admiring kind of way.

I watched Trent look at her and felt the familiar disappointment. It was hard hanging out with two of the most beautiful women on campus.

“We’ve only just got here, but it’s been great thus far,” Julia said. “We plan on enjoying every minute of our stay.”

“We’ve got towels, chairs, and umbrellas for you to borrow if you want to spend some time on the beach,” he said in a friendly tone. “We’ve also got bottled water for you to grab.” 

“Thank you, we’ll definitely be taking advantage of that,” Khloe replied.

“How long are you ladies staying with us?” he asked, looking at me.

“A week, not nearly long enough,” Khloe answered when I had suddenly gone mute and couldn’t form words.

He nodded, still looking at me with such intensity I actually squirmed in my seat. “Make the most of your time. Are you here on vacation?” 

“Kind of,” Julia said with a laugh. “We’re celebrating our freedom from school.” 

“School?” he asked, his demeanor changing.

“College,” I quickly clarified.

He smiled and nodded. “I see. Well, congratulations, and if you need anything, don’t hesitate to reach out to any one of our staff. We want our guests to be happy and will make sure all your needs are met.”

The way he said it while looking at me made me blush. “Thank you,” I said, trying to sound totally cool and nonchalant but having a feeling I was failing miserably.

He nodded and walked away, moving to another table and going through the same spiel. I stared at his backside, appreciating the way his tailored pants showed off his fine physique. Okay, his fine ass. He had a fine ass, what was visible of it under the suit jacket. I sighed, taking a sip of my drink and turning to face Julia and Khloe. They were both staring at me and grinning.

“What?” I asked.

“Someone has a crush,” Julia said in a sing-song voice.

I offered a dainty shrug. “He’s gorgeous. Don’t tell me you didn’t see how good looking he was.”

Khloe was still smiling. “Oh, we saw all right.”

“He was making some serious eyes at you,” Julia teased.

I rolled my eyes. “As if. He was probably wondering what the plump girl was doing hanging out with the two models.” 

“You’re not plump,” Julia said. “You know you’re beautiful. Sofia Vergara could be your sister.” 

Khloe slapped her arm. “More like Sophia Loren.”

“Yes!” Julia exclaimed. “Maybe you’re distant relatives.” 

They were always trying to make me feel better about myself. I appreciated it and loved them for it, but it was hard to be a size-eight girl in a size-four world. “Thanks.”

“I think if all the men in Tahoe look like him, I’m moving here,” Julia announced.

“I’ll come with,” Khloe said wistfully. “We can all be roommates and chase around the hot guys all day.”

I pointed my finger at Khloe. “You’re going to be in LA where all the beautiful people live.”

“And me?” Julia asked.

I shrugged. “You’ll see lots of beautiful men, but I’m just not sure you’re on the right team for them.” I winked.

She giggled. “That is so cliché. Not everyone is gay in San Francisco.”

“But you have better odds of falling in love with a very handsome man who wants nothing to do with what you’re packing,” I teased.

We all burst into laughter. I was going to miss them, but I knew there would be lots of texting and skyping. We would never be more than a phone call away.

“Let’s finish eating,” Julia said. “I want to get my bikini on and lounge by that pool.” 

I smiled, dreading the wearing of the bikini but looking forward to some serious relaxing next to the pool with a cold drink in my hand. I had been dreaming of this vacation for months. It was the only thing that had gotten me through finals week.

I kept telling myself it would all be worth it, and I would be sitting on a sunny beach, and the stressful weeks would all be a distant memory.

It was the first day of the rest of my life.