Lily's POV - 5

Present day…

Everytime I looked up into the eyes of a customer, a dull pain started in my head. It wasn't up to noon yet, and I had already taken two doses of Ibuprofen. It was a miracle my stomach hadn't started to disturb me yet, even though I ate before leaving the house. Not that my mom would have let me do that.

It started the morning after the party, and I was stuck between wondering whether it was from the alcohol we drank there, or the water I took later on. Either way, Catherine wasn't feeling bad at all. Infact, it was one of her best nights considering she ended up making out with her school classmate.

Ten points to me for being right, and a smile crossed my lips. "Ow!" I moaned, as another guest came to me.

"We had quite a splendid time here, thanks to you," she said, and I slowly nodded this time as she handed me the tour card while I waved her goodbye. After two weeks, the current guests were leaving while the new one arrived in about… I checked my wristwatch. Two hours. The thought that the elder guests, who were mostly judgemental, were leaving but instead it filled me with dread.

What if the new ones were worse? I hadn't officially been told yet, but it was already time for my leave and I expected my boss to fill me in before the week ran out. Catherine and I had already lined our half a month leaves together and were planning on exploring the islands outside the Bahamas. Though I hadn't told my mom yet.

I was seriously considering just packing up and not saying a thing, but she would probably have a heart attack. I sighed and shook my head, feeling the dull pain again. This time, it felt like a hammer was being knocked on my head and a sudden thought passed. What if it was from hitting that guy...Matthew?

A blush filled my cheeks and I hid my certainly red face between the collars of my t-shirt. Thinking about his hands on my body still made me tinge with excitement, and everytime something touched my neck, I could almost feel his kisses. And god, his scent. I spent thirty minutes in the bathroom after the party touching all the places his lips kissed and even now, three days, later, I could still smell his shampoo.

"It feels weird," I told Catherine yesterday on our way home. "How can I still remember every detail about him so well?"

She laughed. "Lily, that shows the sex was good. Enjoy the memory."

"Yeah I know, but still. I didn't remember Steve that much."

Her face twisted into a frown and she stopped walking suddenly. "And I'm beyond glad you didn't. That scumbag didn't deserve your love and commitment, let alone your thoughts."

If anyone hated my ex more that me, it was Catherine. His two-timing didn't go well with her, and with a smile, I remembered how she used a permanent marker on his car and wrote all sorts of things. We all denied it, and since there was no evidence, he had to sell it off eventually.

I tapped my second and asked him to take over for five minutes, while I caught my breath and pressed cold water to my head. Thinking about William sent me into a daydream again, and I couldn't afford that at work. Still, I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if I dropped my number after our time together.

Would he have called, or was it a one night event for him as well? I wasn't an expert at things like this, but according to Catherine, it was just for the fun if it. "Just see it like you're exploring a town for one day. Somewhere you may never go back to or hear about again, but it's in your record card. I've been there, done that."

Well, done and dusted I suppose, but still, my body reacted to the thoughts in my head again. These were the issues with what ifs, you could never really know. With a sigh, I leaned on one of the washbasins and stared at myself in the wall length mirror.

My slowly reddening eyes stuck out at me, and I was tempted to draw some eyeliner to make it better but I stopped myself. I didn't need to impress anyone, and besides, my shift was almost over. My red hair stuck out at the ends, untreated for two weeks and counting. I was saving up for a re-do just before our girls' trip, which meant extra minutes brushing the tips every morning.

"Maybe that is what's causing the headache." I shook my head at my frugality, and pressed the ice pack deeper. It was almost amusing how my way of dealing with things was to neglect my appearance.

"Lily!" My second called out, and I slowly stepped out of the bathroom. I don't know how I looked to him, but his eyes widened slightly and he touched my neck. "Are you all right? Your eyes are red."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just feeling a slight headache. What's up?"

"The new guests are here, and they're quite a handful." He shook his head and peeped outside. "Snooby rich adults."

"Oh goodness," I groaned and hesistantly dropped the icebag back into the fridge. "From bad to worse, I guess. Come on, let's go hand over their plans."

As we walked out of the mini-office, he handed me a register filled with fifteen names and I absently scanned through them. None rang a bell, although the surnames felt familiar. Old money, new money, what did it matter?

They were all dispersed across the hotel lobby, and I had to get myself into the centre of them somehow. "Welcome to the Bahamas. I'm Lily, and this is Ateg, and we'll be your tour guides during the time of your stay." There was no need to tell them I would be off soon, so I forced a smile and continued even as my head pounded.

"If everything is to your taste, we'll start tomorrow but I have to give you tour cards first which identifies you as one of us." Like always, the murmurs started. Did we think they were frauds or little kids? Internally, I crossed my hands and counted to five seconds, hoping no one would ask a question.

Thankfully, they stayed quiet and I continued. "So we'll start now." I scanned through the list and began to call their names with a smile. Few feet away, Ateg reminded them to inform the hotel in the event of a problem.

Mid way, I froze as my nose picked up a scent. It was distinct, a mixture of dark wood and flame shampoo. My heart skipped a beat, and I instantly bent my head. How could it be? The scent overpowered my nostrils, and for a moment, it was just me versus the smell. In real life though, whoever it was just walked up to me and extended a hand.

"Can I get my tour card, Miss...Lily?" The voice swam in my mind, and I felt like shrinking into the ground. The world really was that wicked.

Oh, shit. "Yes, of course." His brown eyes struck me again, and I could only watch as he took my face in and widened. His features morphed from confusion, to recognition, and then curiousity. "Welcome to the Bahamas."