Ryan bursts out laughing and shuts off the screen. “Isn’t badonkasnonk what Hudson and his friends used to call you?” he asks me.
“Yes,” I reply, squeezing my eyes shut. “I thought it would be good payback.”
Hudson laughs so loud it echoes across the room. I jerk my eyes open and stare at him. He’s obviously not mad in the least. Ryan laughs along with him. “Guess this means you’ll be spending the rest of the vacation with a shirt on.”
Hudson shakes his head. “Not at all. It’s my payback and I’ll pay my dues. If this is what Allie wants, she’ll get it. I deserve it.”
Ryan focuses back on the camera. “Well, this should be an interesting couple of weeks. Stay tuned because I’ll be right back with Makayla and Jake.”
The cameras shut off and Ryan shakes Hudson’s hand. “Nice job, you two. I have a feeling you’re going to be the favorite couple.” He shakes my hand and Erin escorts us out.
“Want me to walk you to your room?” Hudson asks.
I nod but Erin holds up a hand. “I just need one minute with her first.”
Hudson steps away and Erin moves closer to me. “I pitched a new idea to the crew this morning. We’re going to switch things up tomorrow night.”
“What do you mean?” I whisper.
“I’m giving you the chance for an out. That is, if Hudson takes it. If not, you’ll be stuck with him.” She hugs me quickly. “I have to get the next couple. We’ll talk tomorrow.” She hurries off and I walk over to Hudson.
“The first thing I’m going to do is go to my room and take off my shirt. I need to see my new tattoo.” We walk down the hall to the elevator.
Giggling, I slap a hand over my face. “I thought for sure you’d wake up.”
He bumps me with his arm and when I look up at him, he has a big smile on his face. “I’m impressed. You sure you won’t be embarrassed to be seen with me?”
I shake my head. “Nope. You’re the one everyone will be laughing at.”
We take the elevator to our floor and he walks me to my door. Crossing his arms over his chest, he leans against the wall. “We still need to finish our conversation. We only got through two truths.”
“I’m sure we can continue it tomorrow,” I reply.
He smiles once more and backs up down the hall toward his room. “Goodnight, Allie. I had a good time tonight.”
So did I, but I keep the thought to myself. I didn’t want to have a good time with him, but it was hard not to. In a way, I look forward to more time with him, but Erin’s comment is in the back of my mind. What did she mean by switching things up? She’s giving me a chance for an out, but it’s up to Hudson to take it.
As I watch him walk away, I don’t know if I want him to.
7
Hudson
There is nothing like waking up with a smile on your face and knowing you’re about to spend the day with one of the most beautiful women in the world. I showered and dressed quickly, well as fast as I could after I spent a considerable amount of time admiring the handy artwork on my back courtesy of Allie. If it wasn’t such a stupid word, I’d think about getting her handwriting tattooed somewhere on my body. Maybe an outline of Aruba and her name. Sounds like a bad idea after a night of drinking but I’m clear headed. I want to remember this trip for the rest of my life. Sure, my future wife may not appreciate another woman’s name on my body unless that woman is Allie . . . whoa! Did I really just think Allie could be my wife?
Yeah, I really did.
As I walk toward her room, I look down at my left hand and imagine a ring there. Being a firefighter, I never really thought about wearing one. The hazards they pose while at work are great but when I’m at home or off duty, I’d want everyone to know I’m married.
Wait, what?
My thoughts are foggy, muddled with the romantic vibe of the island and the show. I’ve never thought about marriage before and after one full day with Allie, despite her being my high school crush, there is no way I’m at the level of commitment needed.
Thank God the camera can’t hear my thoughts.
I’m poised and ready to knock on Allie’s door when another cast member tells me she saw Allie head for the elevator. I thank her and hope the look on my face doesn’t show disappointment. I wanted to walk with her to breakfast and should’ve mentioned it last night, but I sort of figured she would wait for me. Although, I’m not sure why she would. We never discussed it and yesterday we met downstairs.
With my head held high, I go to the elevator and wait for the car to arrive. Jean, my camera guy doesn’t say much, which is fine. Or it’s not. I feel awkward standing here by myself even though Jean is behind me. Every so often, he moves from my right to my left, backs up and comes forward, and even drops the camera low. I’m sure he knows what he’s doing, probably trained by the best to know which angles to shoot every scene with. I’m tempted to stick my tongue out at him, but that’s childish and expected of me. I’m trying to turn over a new leaf or page, whatever the hell it is.
After the
