A Bond Never Broken

Chapter 3

We pulled up to the Boardwalk Beach Resort. I was really resenting being here. I hopped out of the truck and went around to the tailgate to get our luggage. Three days in Panama City. Sounds fun, right? Not exactly.

As I was pulling the luggage and setting it down, someone pulled up next to me and honked.

"Hey, babe," Chris said, giving me a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey, I see you made it! I'm glad you could." I gave a half smile.

"Me too. I couldn't miss out on partying and having fun in the sun with you."

I laughed.

"Caroline, cheer up. It's the one time we have a few days off from the hospital. Lighten up would ya? Just because we're both thirty-five doesn't mean we can't have a few drinks and party with these college kids."

That would be my best friend, Brooke. The all around great gal who loves to party. Sometimes too much for her own good. But I got to love her.

We both work at Vanderbilt as Labor and Delivery Nurses. We had miraculously gotten four days off of work. I was thinking it would be a nice relaxing vacation. But oh no. Ms. Brooke had other things in mind. Those things included coming to Panama City. The place where hundreds of thousands of college students gather on the beach to watch someone play two free shows. And that someone is Luke Bryan.

Luke Bryan. The man I was in love with 19 years ago. The man I set free to run after his dreams. I let him go no matter how much it killed me to.

Now I get to watch him live out his dreams to the fullest. He just finished his leg of the tour over seas and I was baffled. He's also a two time Entertainer of The Year.

You may be thinking 'If you used to love him so much why did you make him go? Why didn't you go with him?' and 'Why do you keep up on all of the latest about him?'.

Well lets just say I'm still in love with him.

Yes I have a boyfriend. Chris is great and all, but he isn't Luke. Luke is the one who stole my heart and hasn't returned it yet.

"Caroline, hurry up!" Brooke yelled, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I looked up to see Chris taking our luggage into the hotel. I walked up to Brooke and motioned towards Chris.

Brooke put her sunglasses on. "He said to go along and have some fun."

"Ah okay. Wanna go down to the beach first? I have some place to show you. I want to explain why I really didn't want to come."

"Sure. I've been wondering why you didn't. That's not like you. You usually love the beach."

I sighed. "I know. It's just that this beach holds a lot of memories."

Brooke and I started walking down to the beach. Swarms of college kids were drinking and having a hell of a good time. Some were in the ocean and others on the sand. Guys were drinking whilst their girls tanned.

"What kind of memories?" Brooke pressed on.

I stopped and took off my flip flops and caught back up to Brooke.

"I'll explain it all to you when we get to what I want to show you."

"Where are we going exactly?"

I laughed. "Brooke, you ask too many damn questions!"

"Don't go giving me hell. I can't help that I'm a naturally curious person. Besides, last time I checked, when it was your birthday and I took you to Vegas, you wouldn't shut up." Brooke laughed popping to p in up. "The whole way to the casino you kept saying 'I swear Brooke Vega Caselto, if you take me somewhere that involves male strippers, I'll whoop your ass. Are you somewhere with strippers? Oh no wait. I know. Is it a fancy restaurant? Or a magic show? You know those get on my nerves!' Chris and I just laughed the whole way there."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever, Brooke. Come on, lets hurry up."

"Are there lots of people where you're taking me?"

I kept quiet. Brooke was definitely trying to get on my last nerve today.

She slapped my butt. "I'm just messing with ya."

"Well would you quit!" My voice raised a little too high. I knew she was taken back.

"Woah sorry Caroline. I'm just messing."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped. It's just that this is a very sensitive subject. By the way, none of it is going to make any sense to you when I explain it. You probably won't believe me either."

Brooke stopped me and put her hand on my arm. Her eyes got wide.

"You're shaking Caroline. Oh my gosh. Caroline this is making you freak. Caroline I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault. Whenever I think about this I shake."

"Oh good. Er- not good. I'm just glad I didn't do anything."

I looked out at the Gulf and sighed.

"Let me start with where we are going."

We continued walking along the beach, weaving in and out of people.

"Do you know that old, wood, weathered, structure in Luke Bryan's music video 'Roller Coaster'?"

"Of course I do."

"Well that's where we're going."

A/N: So sorry for the short chapter. I'm going to make the next one short also. It just tues into the story.

So Caroline was dragged to Panama- where Luke is. Will Luke find her there and vice versa? Will Caroline avoid him again? Will Brooke believe and accept the facts about the stuff Caroline is about to tell her? And uhoh, Caroline has a boyfriend. What if Luke finds that out too?