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When you eventually arrive in Magaluf, a driver is waiting for you at arrivals, holding up a sign with your names on it. The car takes you both through the darkened streets of Magaluf, still awake with life, despite the late hour. As you get closer to the coast, you see glimpses of the glistening ocean, winking at you under the moonlight and, even in your exhaustion from the long journey, you are glad you decided to take Heather’s advice. Some time away from Hawkins is just what you need. 

When you pull up outside of the hotel, the driver unloads your cases for you. You both thank him then push your way through the doors into the reception. A welcoming, air-conditioned breeze washes over you as soon as you step inside. 

There’s a large desk directly opposite the entrance, where a young woman, who you assume is around the same age as you and Heather, maybe slightly older, leans against the marble top. She slowly pushes herself up to standing and welcomes you as you enter. She’s wearing a hot pink polo shirt and has dark skin and long, dark brown hair which cascades down her back in hundreds of thinly plaited braids. 

“Hi, I’m Heather, this is Y/N,” Heather announces, as you both sluggishly wheel your suitcases over to the desk. “We’re repping here over the summer, Brynn said to ask for him when we arrived.” 

“Oh, hi, great to meet you. I’m Jasmine,” the girl behind the counter replies in an English accent, offering you both a warm, beautiful, smile. Her eyes linger on Heather, who returns Jasmine’s smile with one of her own. “Brynn’s not here at the moment, he had to pop out to deal with something. He said to just let you guys get some sleep after your long flight. He’ll meet you down here at 10 tomorrow morning, for your induction.” She reaches under the desk and pulls out two lanyards with laminated passes attached, as well as two pink polo shirts each and a white lifeguard’s vest for Heather. “Here are your staff IDs and uniforms.” 

You both take them from her and you slide your staff ID into the pocket of your jeans. 

“Your room is on the first floor,” she says, glancing down at the number on your key cards, handing them over as well, “You’re right next to me, actually,” she says with another smile, her eyes going back to Heather. “Stairs and elevators are that way,” she points round a corner just past the front desk, “and the dining hall, pool and gym are that way,” she says, pointing down the corridor behind you, next to the main entrance. 

“Great, thank you,” Heather says brightly, despite the jetlag. 

There’s a beat of silence, then Jasmine adds, “Oh, by the way, staff get to use the pool and gym areas an hour before guests, so from 7am. And, if you have a day off, you can use all the amenities as much as you want.” 

Your ears perk up at that. 

“Really? That’s great,” you say with excitement. 

Jasmine leans forwards on the counter top again, as if she’s about to let you both in on a secret. “If I were you, I’d make the most of it now. Novelty wears off real quick,” she says with a laugh. 

“Not for Y/N, it won’t,” Heather replies fondly, “She loves swimming, don’t you, Y/N/N? Used to do it all the time at Hawkins pool.” 

“Yeah,” you wistfully agree, a smile tugging at the corner of your lips as you remember the summers spent there. 

“Hawkins?” Jasmine asks with polite curiosity. 

“Oh, yeah, it’s where we’re from. It’s a small town in Indiana, America,” Heather explains, tucking some loose strands of hair back behind her ear. 

“Never heard of it,” comes Jasmine’s earnest reply. 

Without even missing a beat, you and Heather both simultaneously say “No one has,” making yourselves and Jasmine laugh. 

“Well, I won’t keep you guys any longer,” she says, tapping the desk with one hand. “It was really great to meet you,” she adds, giving you both another brilliant smile. “I’ll definitely see you around.” Her eyes meet Heather’s and you get the distinct impression that that last part was directed more at your friend, whose cheeks, coincidentally, now look a little rosier than they had before, as she smiles back. 

You both say goodbye to Jasmine, then wheel your luggage in the direction of the elevators she had pointed to earlier. 

“She seems nice,” you offer, once you’re sure you’re no longer in earshot of the front desk.

“Yeah,” Heather responds with a thoughtful smile, glancing back over her shoulder in the direction of the entrance, as you make your way to your room. 

------ 

The next morning, you wake early and, taking Jasmine’s advice from the previous night, you put on your swimsuit. After sliding a pair of shorts on over-top and grabbing a towel, you fight with the jeans that you had discarded on the floor yesterday, searching the pockets for your staff ID and key card. 

Heather stirs as you open the door to your room, rolling over in her bed to squint at you, bleary eyed. 

“You’re up early,” she says, her voice thick with sleep. 

“Gonna hit the pool for a bit,” you say, gesturing with the rolled up towel you’re holding. 

She smiles gently, her eyes already closed again. 

“That sounds nice,” she mumbles. 

You would ask if she wants to join you, but her features have already gone slack and her breathing evened out again, indicating she’s already fallen back asleep. 

You chuckle fondly as she gives a small snore, and leave the room. 

It’s a little after 7am when you reach the pool. It’s pleasantly warm outside already, the morning sun climbing up the side of the hotel to bid you a good day. You sigh happily to yourself, wondering if Jasmine was right and if the novelty truly will wear off. 

There’s already a few white plastic sun loungers set up along the side of the pool, so you place your towel on one of them and remove your shorts and sandals, then saunter over to the small row of open shower cubicles off to the side. You quickly rinse yourself off, wetting your hair and rubbing down your arms and legs to try and get yourself used to the coldness of the water. You then wade down the wide mosaic steps leading into the pool, submerging yourself up to your shoulders then push off from the edge, gliding easily through the water to the other side. Your whole body sighs with relief as the water flows around you. The last time you went swimming would have been at the end of last summer, with Nate. He didn’t like you going to the pool alone. 

You push the thought of him from your mind and try to focus on the feel of the water instead, swimming a few laps. When you return to the edge of the pool for a breather, a movement catches your eye. A guy dressed in a white vest with red trim around the arms and neck, and a pair of red shorts, is walking over to the pool area, carrying a stack of three sun loungers in his muscular arms, as if they weigh nothing. 

You watch him with intrigue, keeping low in the water, so he doesn’t see you hidden behind the lip of the pool. He is tanned, with shoulder-length dark blonde hair, which sits in messy curls around his broad shoulders, and a whistle hanging around his neck. You assume he must be the resort lifeguard Heather had been telling you about. 

He carries the loungers around a bed of tall landscaped bushes, into another section of the sunbathing area, out of view. 

You resume swimming laps of the pool. After a short while your muscles begin to ache again, so you decide to lay on your back instead and float peacefully on the water. You’ll have to build your stamina back up again. 

After a moment of staring up at the cloudless blue sky, you slowly close your eyes and just let the water hold you. 

After a little while of floating silently, you hear a shrill noise, which prompts you to open your eyes, tilting your chin awkwardly to look around for the source.  

You see the lifeguard from before, standing nearer the pool, with a new stack of sun loungers abandoned at his feet, lowering his whistle from his lips. 

“Oh shit,” you mutter as you right yourself quickly. You can see his lips are moving, but you can’t hear what he’s saying with all the water that’s still in your ears. You shake your head to try and clear them and swim over to the pool’s edge, an apology already on your lips. He probably thinks you’re just another holiday maker who can’t read the sign with the pool opening times on it. He walks around the discarded loungers and starts heading in your direction. 

“Sorry, what did you say?” you ask, staring bashfully up at him through your wet eyelashes, as you cling to the tiled edge of the pool. 

He lowers his dark sunglasses to get a better look at you, smirking as he does. 

“Was just checking you were alive,” he says, amused, “You okay?” 

“Oh. Er, yeah, I’m fine,” you reply, feeling silly. “Didn’t mean to alarm you.” 

“I was ready to give you mouth to mouth,” he jokes. Licks his lips as he stares over the top of his glasses at you. “I haven’t seen you around before. It’s not every day I get to meet a fellow American around here, you just arrived?” 

He crouches down next to the pool. 

Now that you’re seeing him up close, you notice that he has a thin moustache on his upper lip. It’s also impossible not to notice how attractive he is, with his defined jaw and penetrating ocean blue eyes. 

“Yeah, I got here last night,” you say, urging yourself not to stare at him. You focus your eyes on the palm tree behind him in the distance instead. 

“You got a name, sugar?” he asks smoothly, chewing on the wad of gum in his mouth. His boldness catches you off guard and you blink at him for a moment before answering with your name. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Y/N. I’m Billy,” he takes off his sunglasses and offers you a tanned hand, which you take, reaching up over the edge of the pool. His grip is firm, but not overpowering, as he clasps your hand in both of his. He holds your gaze a second longer than what feels comfortable, and you look away, biting shyly on your bottom lip as you withdraw your hand. 

“And how long are you here for?” he asks. 

“The whole summer, actually. I’m one of the new reps,” you explain, tucking a stray strand of wet hair back behind your ear. 

“Really?” he comments, interestedly. “Well, I look forward to working very closely with you.” He gives you a lazy kind of grin. 

You wonder what Nate would think about you talking with Billy. 

You notice a movement behind him, back by the entrance to the pool area, as a man appears and calls Billy over to him.  

The lifeguard glances over his shoulder at the sound, then turns back to you with a sigh. 

“Duty calls,” he says, standing up straight. “I’ll catch you later,” he adds with a wink, then pops his sunglasses back on and turns to walk with a leisurely pace towards the other man. 

As he leaves, you let out an amused huff of air. 

‘Is he for real?’ You think to yourself. 

You can’t help but peer curiously over the edge of the pool after him, as he makes his way inside. 

After swimming another few laps, you decide it’s time to head back to your room to get ready for your induction and make sure Heather is awake. 

------ 

Once you’re showered and both dressed in your new bright pink polo shirts, you and Heather make your way to the reception area, to meet Brynn and the other new reps. 

“Hello and welcome to Magaluf!” a man, probably in his late twenties, greets the group. You recognise him as the same man who had called Billy away earlier this morning. He has a round, friendly face and manicured dark hair that’s been meticulously spiked with gel. He’s wearing a bright pink polo shirt, to match the rest of you, and dark blue cargo shorts. “As most of you will know, I’m the Head Rep, Brynn,” he says enthusiastically, in his thick Welsh accent. 

He gets each of you to introduce yourselves to the group by saying your name and a few facts about yourselves, like where you’re from and what your hobbies are. There are four new reps in total: you, Heather, a petite blonde from England called Jess, who announces that she loves dogs, and a tall asian guy, also from England, named Craig, whose passions include working out and writing music. 

“Hi, I’m Heather,” she introduces herself with a small wave, “I’m from a small town in Indiana, that’s in America, and I love the colour pink!” she laughs, gesturing to her uniform. Brynn makes a joke about them choosing the colour especially for her. 

When it’s your turn, you face the rest of the group and tell them that you’re from the same town as Heather, and that you’re best friends. You also add that you only accepted the job just over a week ago and you’re excited to see what the Summer brings. 

“Well, we’re very glad to have you on board,” Brynn remarks, smiling warmly at you. 

He then gives you all a tour of the resort, pointing out fire exits and going over the ‘house rules,’ as he calls them: 

1- No sleeping with guests. 

2- No guests can go back to staff rooms. 

3- When on nights out with guests, you can drink, but not excessively. 

4- Any poor behaviour will result in a drinking ban and restriction to resort-only activities. 

It seems weird to you that there’s a specific rule about not sleeping with the guests; as if anyone would need to tell you not to do that. It also surprises you that they would allow drinking alcohol at all whilst you’re on duty, but then again you would be spending a lot of time in the clubs so you suppose it would make sense. 

As your little group passes the pool, you glance over to see Billy manning the lifeguard’s chair. He lowers his tinted sunglasses a fraction, to watch as you walk past, his expression stoic. 

Brynn then gives you all training on how to check guests in and explains that they get a complimentary drink on arrival, which is taken to their room, along with their itinerary for the duration of their stay. 

When it reaches the end of your first day of training, Brynn gathers you all in the foyer again. 

“Heather,” he addresses her, “I’d like you to start at 7am tomorrow, please. Billy will meet you by the pool to show you lifeguard duties and you’ll finish at 3pm. Everyone else,” he says, turning to the rest of you, ”if you could please meet me in the bar at 10am where we’ll be going over the different drinks we offer and how to make them. And tomorrow night,” he continues, enthusiastically, “I figured we could all go out and see the clubs you’ll be taking the guests to. Maybe have some drinks and get to know each other a bit better.” 

“It’s not compulsory,” he adds, seeing the concerned look on your face, “but it would definitely be beneficial for you all to be there.” 

After you’re dismissed, you and Heather make your way to the dining hall for some dinner, then turn in early. 

--------- 

The next morning, Heather reluctantly gets up and ready in time to head to the pool for 7am. You tag along, dressed in your swimming costume and jean shorts, hoping Billy won’t mind you using the pool again. 

When you arrive, he’s already outside, a cigarette pursed between his lips. He stubs it out when he spots you both and fishes a pack of gum out of his pocket, popping a strip into his mouth. 

“Mornin’ ladies,” he greets you. 

Heather responds with a grunt, adjusting her sunglasses to better protect from the bright morning sun. “Yeah, I’m Heather,” she says curtly, not awake enough for pleasantries yet, then gestures to you “and this is-” 

“Y/N,” he cuts her off. “We’ve already met.” He gives you a cocky smile. 

“Really?” Heather raises an eyebrow at you, because you hadn’t mentioned him to her.  

“Yeah, yesterday morning,” you say offhandedly. “I’m going to get some juice, you guys want anything?” you add, changing the subject. 

“Iced coffee! Please,” Heather all but begs you. 

“Got it.” You glance at Billy, “You want anything?” 

He chews on his gum for a second, surveying you with a smirk, then replies, “I’m good.”  

You turn around and head back inside to grab the drinks from the dining hall. It’s pretty quiet in there, just a few holiday makers and some staff members having their breakfast. Brynn explained yesterday that the busy season hadn’t properly started yet, and that it wouldn’t be packed out for a couple of weeks. You make polite small talk with one of the wait staff as you grab the drinks, flashing your staff pass, then head back out to the pool. 

Heather is lugging sun loungers out onto the paving area one by one, already working up a sweat. You motion at her, showing where you placed her drink, then mosey over to the edge of the pool. You deposit your towel and drink, then climb out of your shorts and shower down, just like you had yesterday. 

Billy walks by carrying a stack of sun loungers. His eyes are hidden by his tinted sunglasses, but you can feel him watching you as you carefully descend the steps of the pool. 

You swim laps for a little while with Billy walking back and forth, placing sun loungers around you. Heather, you notice, is busy taking her loungers to the area past the tall landscaped bushes, stopping every now and then to have a sip of her coffee and to blow her sweaty fringe out of her eyes. 

When you take a moment to rest at the edge of the water, Billy finishes up with his latest stack and sits down on one of the loungers closest to you. 

“I guess I’ll see you at the staff drinks tonight?” he asks, chewing on his gum and reclining on the lounger. 

“Yeah, maybe,” you respond, noncommittally, shielding your eyes with a hand above your brow, as you squint up at him. 

“Maybe?” he repeats, his tone surprised. “You got some place else to be?” He asks with a smirk. 

You huff a quiet laugh, “No, I just… I’m not really into the whole ‘party scene’,” you say, leaning back against the wall of the pool and kicking your legs leisurely through the water in front of you. 

“I hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but you’re in the wrong job,” he laughs. 

“Yeah…,” you agree, amusedly. There’s a beat of silence, as you gaze off into the distance. You can see the beach from here. 

“So how come you took a repping job in the party capital of the world?” he asks. It catches you off guard. 

You open your mouth and close it again, frowning. 

“It’s… complicated,” you say, for lack of a better answer. 

“Ooh, mysterious.” His response makes you chuckle, despite yourself. 

At the same moment, Heather rounds the corner, holding her iced coffee to her forehead in an attempt to cool herself down. 

“All done, Billy,” she says, then stops, seeing you still laughing at Billy’s remark. She slowly lowers the glass from her head. “Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt,” she says, fixing you with a smirk. 

“You’re not interrupting,” you respond quickly, giving your head a little shake. “I was just distracting Billy from his work,” you add, starting to move away from the edge of the pool. “I’ll let you get back to it,” you throw them an apologetic smile then push off the wall with your feet and glide through the water, to the other side of the pool. 

You continue swimming laps as Billy stands and leads Heather over to the Lifeguard’s station. He glances back at you as they pass by, licking his lower lip in thought, but you keep your gaze focused straight ahead. 

After a little while, you decide it’s time to head back inside and get ready for your second day of training. Exiting the pool, you pad over to your belongings, dripping a trail of water onto the sun-warmed tiles beneath your feet. You wrap your towel around yourself and secure it at the top, then make your way over to the Lifeguard’s station, taking slow, refreshing sips of your drink. 

Billy and Heather both look up as you approach. 

“I’m gonna head back up to the room,” you tell them, gesturing over your shoulder to the building. Billy looks at you over the top of his sunglasses, his eyes tracing the length of your bare collarbone. You pretend not to notice the way his gaze makes your stomach flip just a little. 

“Ok, I’ll see you later,” Heather replies. 

“Have a good day,” you add, giving them a small wave before turning and making your way inside. 

Once back in your room you have a shower and dress in your uniform, then head to the dining hall for some breakfast. You take a seat at a table with Jess and Craig, the other two new reps who you met yesterday, chatting casually about how training is going, whilst you eat and drink coffee. Glancing out of the wall of windows that looks out onto the pool area, you see Heather and Billy manning the Lifeguard’s station, watching over the handful of guests who are already in the water. 

—---- 

When you return to your room after your shift finishes, you find Heather laying on her bed reading a book, already changed out of her work uniform. 

“Hey,” she greets you, slotting her bookmark between the pages and placing the book down on her bedside table. “How was training?” 

“Ugh, long! I don’t know how I’ll ever remember all the different drinks,” you complain, slipping out of your shoes. 

“I’m sure you’ll get it with some practice,” she reassures you, “Luckily, we shouldn’t have to cover the bar that often anyway.” 

You hum in agreement, making your way over to your chest of drawers to find a fresh top to wear. 

“Hey, so guess who was asking after you today?” 

You glance over your shoulder at her. You already know the answer. 

“Billy,” she says excitedly. 

“Heather,” you warn her, rummaging through your T-shirts, “It’s not going to happen.” 

She scoffs loudly at you and you shoot her a pointed look. 

“What?” she asks, feigning innocence. 

You turn around to face her properly. 

“You know what. I’m not ready for anything right now, it’s too soon.” 

“For God’s sake, Y/N/N,” she says exasperatedly, rolling her eyes at you, “It’s not like I said he’s thinking of marriage! He was showing an interest is all. You know, could be fun,” She smirks, pumping her eyebrows suggestively. 

You scoff and shake your head disbelievingly at her, turning back to grab a clean t-shirt out of the drawer. 

“Ok, well, whilst you’re living in Fantasy Land,” you say, taking off your work polo, and pulling your t-shirt on over your head, “I’ll be in the dining hall, having dinner.” 

Heather rolls her eyes at you again, but thankfully drops the subject. 

—---- 

Later that evening, you come out of yours and Heather’s shared bathroom after having a shower, wearing sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt. 

“You should hurry up and get changed,” Heather says, glancing at you in the reflection of the mirror as she fixes her hair. The bedroom smells of perfume and hairspray. 

“I actually think I’m going to sta-” you begin. 

“Oh no you don’t,” Heather cuts you off, pointing at you sternly in the mirror. “We came here to have fun,” she says, emphasising the last word. “Please, try to remember what that feels like.”

You scoff at her. 

“I know how to have fun, thank you very much. I, just…” you trail off, shrugging. 

Heather turns sharply to face you, curling iron still in hand. 

“Brynn did say it wasn’t compulsory,” you offer up as a weak defence. 

“Look, I am not leaving you here, to sulk alone, in a hotel room. So, Go. Get. Dressed,” she orders, ushering you towards the closet with each word. “And make it sexy,” she adds, winking playfully at you from across the room. You shake your head, laughing at her boldness, and turn to select an outfit. 

--------- 

Chapter Two: Coming soon...

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