teetering

“I wouldn’t say that. We’re all different so we all react differently. Some people seem to feel at home here, others don’t, that’s how it works”. Hoping that the man would eventually be able to enjoy his stay, Nelson offered a smile. Although it wasn’t, he just considered it like a normal vacation and maybe that was the reason he was settling just fine. “An old friend sent me an invitation so I thought I’d check it out. What about you?”

Joel appreciated an attractive male face as much as a female one, and his new companion was definitely easy on the eyes. Genuine kindness seemed to radiate from his pores like sunshine. “I..uh...stumbled upon an ad online during a bout of 4am insomnia driven internet browsing,” he admitted.

“Harlowe.” Resting her elbows on the table and her chin on her hands, she watched him with an amused smile. For being on an island full of strangers, Harlowe found it to be rather relaxing. Maybe that was what made everything more exciting - when people don’t know who you are. “Tell me, how long have you been coming to Eden?”

“Beautiful name,” he answered with a slow, easy smile. At her query he gave a nervous chuckle. “Not long....three weeks...I’m still trying to get a handle on it all.” He could barely even remember booking the tickets to come here, his mind a warped blur of grief at the time. He’d wanted to be anyone but himself, to do something he’d never usually do, but now Joel’s senses were slowly coming back to him and he was wondering what he could possibly gain from a place like this. Not that he was exactly mad about sitting at this table with a pretty blonde. “What about you?”

“So you’re not suave, or inviting, or flirty?  Cool.”  Her lips twitched a bit as she teased him.  His reasoning seemed as good as any.  “You must have a lot of money to be able to just come stay here after quitting your job.”  But then again, it seemed all the guests here were very well off.  “I’m sorry about your girlfriend.  That sucks.”  Not being the emotional type, she left it at that, not wanting to get to into each other’s problems.

“Not on purpose,” Joel admitted with a low chuckle. He shrugged his shoulders at her money comment. “I’ll have to find another one eventually, but advertising with top tier companies definitely allowed me to save up a nice little emergency fund. Which I guess this is. An emergency. Or a midlife crisis. Do I get points for having that early?” Joel didn’t mind that her sympathy was curt and to the point, he didn’t want to be coddled. Perhaps he’d come here because he expected people to just give him the space he needed to sort himself out. “Your question makes me think you work here. Am I right? I guess I can ask you the same thing in a way. Out of all the places in the world you could be working, why here? Is the pay phenomenal, are the health benefits without competition?”

“I get you, don’t worry about you, being a meat lover myself, I don’t know if I would ever be able to live without meat,” he admitted, he tried not to think about the fact that he was eating animals, because if he did, he would be kind of down. He would be vegan if he could, he tried once, didn’t work. “Yeah, I have been working here for two years, so a while.”

“What do you do?” Joel was curious, he couldn’t say that he didn’t see the appeal of this resort. It was just that he was detached from himself and unsure how to dive in to it all. Or perhaps it was that diving in meant accepting that his old life was over. “So you like it here? Do you feel like you make genuine connections with people beyond just sexual?”

“You can always fake it ‘til you make it,” Surrey assured, returning the wink impishly. “As long as you brushed your teeth, I’m sure you’ll be fine.” She grinned, always one to appreciate and revel in humour despite what others might call blase or corny; everyone had their wits about them. “I’m not in any rush, so I could be swayed to stay.” After all, it wasn’t like she was in any rush to head home, she much preferred being around people - and if they just so happened to be attractive with an endearing charm about them, well that was just a bonus. “And for the record, there’s no such thing as a stupid question.”

“Teeth brushed, and breath mints just to make sure the job is done. I’m nothing if not thoughtful,” he answered with a laugh. Joel’s smile widened when the blonde suggested she could be swayed to stay. Did this mean he wasn’t completely broken when it came to flirting? His nerves were sparking like fireworks behind his eyes, but she seemed to be genuinely amused. “Hmm well I imagine nothing could ever sound stupid coming from your lips. Don’t know if the same can be said for me.”

“A week or so” he admitted “but I do like it here. There’s food, the beach, a swimming pool, a spa and I left my daily routine behind when I took the ferry. I really needed a vacation so I guess it shows. It’s not the first place I would have chosen but you know, I had a particularly good reason to come here”.

How embarrassing that Joel had been here longer and yet the other male seemed more comfortable. He felt his cheeks tinge just the tiniest bit of pink. “I guess it’s weird that i don’t feel settled yet, huh?” He hesitated, turning to eye his companion as he asked “What was it that gave you reason to come here....if you don’t mind me asking?”

A confident smile took its place on Shantel’s lips as Joel held the door open for her. “Charming,” she murmured smoothly his way before walking inside. The lounge had the same exotic character about it, as always. She wouldn’t miss a few of the neon lights if the owner decided to remove them, but it managed to truly make you feel like you were on an island. The brunette moved gracefully towards the bar whilst pulling her new company gently by the hand. She put her purse on the counter and signaled to the bartender. “I’ll have a Cosmo, and my handsome friend here will have…” Shantel turned to look at him expectedly before adding a mischievous question meant only for him to hear. “…something strong enough to loosen you up? Or will you leave this part on me?” 

It was the pulling by the hand that made him nervous, not in a bad way, but in a bittersweet sad way. The last person he’d held hands with was his ex, right before he’d found out she’d broken his trust in a way that was final and devastating for him. He was afraid, he was afraid to still want, to still need, he was afraid he was never going to find what he was looking for. But maybe this was what he needed, a strong personality to make him stop trying and just enjoy for a while. “You know, I’m gonna have a Cosmo too,” he answered with a grin. “I’m a man that likes a sweet cocktail now and then. This way the liquor does 40 percent of the work and I only leave you with 60.”

“Hopefully we’ll figure it out soon enough.” Harlowe glanced around a bit as he took the menus, but didn’t waste any time before she moved towards a table by the windows. “You don’t give yourself enough credit. Good company doesn’t always have to mean a good conversationalist.” She took a seat, glancing up at him through her eyelashes. “What’s your name, handsome? Let’s start there.”

He was nervous, like the first time he ever went out with a girl back in high school nervous. Only this time he knew better than to try and stick napkins under the collar of his shirt when she wasn’t looking. “Joel,” he answered, as smoothly as possible. “What’s yours, beautiful?”

As an escort, Shantel had learned not to show favor to one client over another; at least not in public. However, the truth was she had a soft spot for guys who combined manly, attractive features with just a little shyness. In her book, that made them truly irresistible. The man in front of her seemed to check those boxes. His adorable nervousness felt endearing and helped break the ice more than any of her previous lines—where she was concerned, at least. “Hi Joel. I’m Shantel,” she greeted in return whilst taking his open hand. She shook it smoothly, slowly, and let her thumb brush against the opposite of his palm. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” A wide, charming smirk took its place on her lips at his response as she didn’t let her hand drop from his just yet. “Oh, that’s an excellent choice. We should head inside. An eventful night isn’t gonna happen by itself, you know?”

Her hand lingered and he definitely didn’t hate it. What he did hate was how he felt like he was a nervous highschooler all over again. Was that just how it went with really bad break ups? Were you left feeling shattered and suspicious of every interaction you had afterwards for an undetermined amount of time. For months now everything he did had come seeped in sadness, in that dark feeling that the shoe was going to drop. And even though it had, even though the worst case scenario had been realizes, Joel still felt that tightened knot of anticipatory anxiety in the pit of his stomach. “You are so right,” he answered, grateful for the way she took the lead because he didn’t think he had it in him to do much more than follow along in the wake of her confidence. “Ladies first,” he mused, reaching to hold the door open for her.

“I was actually just wondering the same thing,” she said truthfully. Harlowe hadn’t been there long before she was leaving to find a menu or someone she could ask. “I came looking for a good lunch, but it looks like I’ve just found some good company.”

“Ah so it remains a mystery,” he joked, hands in his pockets and a smile flirted in the blonde’s direction. “Hell, I don’t know if I’m the best company but I would certainly attempt to be. We can find ourselves a menu and solve the mystery of this place’s name origins together.” He raised his brows in invitation, slyly stepping backwards till his form met with the hostess stand. He’d been to enough establishments to know menus were normally kept there. “This doesn’t look like a “wait to be seated” sort of place. Ladies choice,” he offered as he rejoined her with two menus in hand.

Winter smiled as she took the drink. “Thanks.” Her eyes scanned the pool area before landing back in Joel. “So you’re a guest, right? Can I ask you… you’re not a bad looking guy. What kind of shit are you into that you come here and pay for it?”

“I should probably attempt to insert some suave, invitingly flirtatious answer here, but honestly I’ve sucked an all of the above lately,” Joel answered, grimacing and taking a sip of his own drink.  “But the truth is I don’t really know what I’m doing here. This isn’t...I’ve never been to a place like this before. But I just broke up with the girl I thought I was going to marry so....I’ve been doing a lot of things that aren’t very me-like as of late. Quit my job, bought tickets here at like 3am one night when I couldn’t sleep. I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing.”

Ruth observed the interaction with the patron with a bit of amusement. She couldn’t tell if the man was making a terrible joke (Dad level, definitely), or if he was serious. Nevertheless, she let out a breath of a laugh, eyes averted until the patron had cleared, and then she made her way over, voice low, conspiratorial. “It’s not a vegetarian lounge, but if you’re into that kind of thing, I know a guy.”

He leaned in, playing along like he was taken in by her secretive offer. “Ah so I’ve finally met the girl with all the connections, eh?”Grinning from ear to ear he tried not to find himself overwhelmed by the fact that all the people on this resort were so absurdly attractive. “How much will it cost me, hmmm? Is the price per vegetable or do I get a package deal?” It was clear in his tone now that he was joking, drunk off his own absurd awkwardness and wishing he was drunk off vodka.

“Don’t think about that, just enjoy yourself. Make the most of it. We’re bound to find thing we like and things we don’t like but I think they’re doing everything to make us feel… almost like royalty”. He’d only been here for a few days and had not seen much but wasn’t disappointed so far. “How long have you been here?”

“Three weeks,” Joel answered, running a hand against the back of his neck. “Not usually into the idea of being treated like royalty.” Not usually into the idea of a place like this at all. It was an awful feeling, knowing you were overthinking everything but unable to stop the churn of your mind. “What about you? You seem a bit more....at home here.”

Surrey had made it her goal of sorts to familiarise herself with all that Eden had to offer, and now the lounge could be checked off her list. On her way out the door, she made a mental note to go back soon; it was quite a lovely place. Her leaving was short lived, however, as someone proceeded to talk to her when she had a foot out the door. “Hmm, maybe it is,” she mused playfully, making her way a few steps over to stand beside the man, turning and looking at the building with him. The name had certainly tickled her funny bone when she’d got there, too. “I mean, I didn’t get screened at the door or have to tick any boxes, but maybe they can sense vegetarian vibes so I just got a pass.” 

“Then maybe there’s hope I can fake it till I make it,” Joel answered with a wink. “Hopefully they don’t get a whiff of the sausage I had for breakfast.” He winced internally...it had been a dad joke when he started it and now he seemed stuck in some pathetic spiral. How was it that a bad breakup destroyed your ability to socialize in all capacities? “Sorry, didn’t mean to hit pause on your evening with such a stupid question. You looked like you were heading out.” Shame, she was pretty and playful, one of his favorite combinations.

To be honest, he didn’t blame the other for thinking that, the name really made it seem like it was a vegetarian lounge. “Definitely not, there are some things that have meat in it, otherwise I wouldn’t be here to eat,” he let out a small laugh, he didn’t have anything against vegetarians, but he wasn’t one, and he quite frankly loved meat. He tried not to think about the fact it used to be an animal though, because he would feel bad otherwise.

“Thank god” Joel laughed, dramatically clutching at his chest. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not the douche that calls anything green and healthy rabbit food, but I would not make it long without a piece of fried chicken or a burger.” He shot the other male a smile. “You sound like you’re familiar with the lounge. You been around long? Not just here obviously but the whole resort.”

“Duuuudeee,” Lee drawled out as he blinked rhythmically, feeling a bit of a hangover. “Dude, of course there are ducks around here. Outside. Somewhere near here. I very distinctly remember seeing one. Green. Blue. Mallard. Yeah, one of those.” Patting his non-existent pockets, a sense of panic overcame him. Where was his cell phone? Fuck. He quickly searched around himself. No such luck. The rubber ducks in the other man’s hands confused him momentarily before an invisible lightbulb appeared above his head. “Oooooooohhhh yeah, I remember now…” And he left it at that to answer the question. “What didn’t I drink? Tequila was involved, because duh, it’s tequila. A Mai Tai or two. Long Island Tea. Mimosas. Also, dude, tell me…” His expression turned serious, placing a hand on Joel’s shoulder for dramatic purposes. “Where the fuck is my car?” A pause before he realized what he said. “My cell phone. You seen it?”

“i was taught to never argue with a person’s hallucinations so okay, buddy, guess we passed a mallard or five on the way over here. But I assure you there are non in my room. Just....an army of rubber ducks that will be eventually leaving with you.” Joel lingered in the doorway of the bathroom, eyeing the male like he was a curious puzzle about five pieces short of being complete. “Shit man,” he mused after a low whistle. “I didn’t even have that level of alcohol tolerance when I was in high school. I don’t know how you made it through the night.” A low guttural chuckle exuded forth at the query about a car. “You know I’ve always wanted to play out an actual movie quote before...thanks for helping a dream come true. As for your cell phone. You kept trying to throw it out the window so I hid it for your sober self’s future convenience.” He finally moved, opening a cabinet in the kitchenette and pulling the phone from behind a box of cereal. “Here you go.”

Shantel was no stranger to receiving admiring looks wherever she went. Yet, she could never imagine being sick of it. The attention did wonders to her confidence when she’d first started working on the Isle as a sex worker, and every day since. “Mhm,” she hummed back teasingly at the guy who managed to become the person of her interest for the night. “Oh yeah? I would’ve never imagined it.” The smirk on her lips widened as she phrased the sly compliment. “Oh, you definitely should. And who knows? If you play your cards right, maybe you’ll end up having some good ole fun yourself.” 

He went fishy for a moment, lips closing and opening wordlessly has he floundered through a myriad of emotions in a matter of seconds. Of course she was attractive but lord she felt out of his league, waaaay out of his league, and he wasn’t sure he was capable of the kind of fun that she was suggesting. But hey...he’d come here to try and jump start himself, maybe he could fake it until it wasn’t fake anymore, maybe he could actually have a good time. “I’m Joel,” he finally greeted, holding his hand out towards the woman. “Consider me your studious companion for the night, prepared to follow your lead.”