Not So Hot Girls Summer

5

12:30pm and we were on a speedboat, all of us, including Mike (I knew it wouldn't be long before he came running back. Not even a night). It was a slight change of events to a beach club, but we were thankfully out the villa and I was here for it.

Gili T. Oh Gili T. It was like love at first sight. Here was the place my soul belonged. The place where I belonged. The place I would long for as soon as I left.
Beach bodies, parties, music, bars, neon streetlights that illuminated like stars.

Small wooden shacks lined the pavements as barely dressed bodies spilled from the large openings with their beer bottles onto the street. Through the crowd, tooted tuk-tuks that teetered precariously on their small wheels, beeping through the commotion with handsome cargo on board. A part of me came alive as soon as I watched this ecosystem thrive around me. It was like an eruption of serotonin that coursed through my small-boned body. And what was even better was that Jordan had chosen to come here. Maybe we were more on the same wavelength than I thought. Maybe this was him showing me he knew what I liked; that he had been paying attention.

We manoeuvred through the crowds linked hand in hand with Jordan leading the way. I couldn't help but watch his confidence. I hadn't seen it before, and I liked it. With Amelie walking beside me, it was the right opportunity to ask what the deal was with him and her.
''So, what's going on there?'' I asked. "I didn't think he was your type.''
''Nothing at all. We just share the bed, that's all. Pillow barrier included,'' she awkwardly laughed.
''Oh, I'd be too tempted,'' I smiled sarcastically.
''I did think you was into Jordan back in London.''
''I was. But then Caleb came along, and well, he is just an all-rounder really.''
I was lying. I was so into Jordan. He was everything I fancied. 100% my type on paper. And in reality. But if he was going to play hard to get, then so was I.
I turned back to Caleb, ensuring that he hadn't heard any of our conversation, before casually jumping in with his and Mads. He appeared to be oblivious which meant I was in the clear.

Through the duration of the snorkelling excursion that Jordan had arranged, the group began to drift apart. Even when back on land, whilst Amelie, Jordan and James headed for the bar, the remainder of us wandered along the white sands to the famous Gili swings. Why Josh followed us, I did not know, all I could guess was he was still clinging onto the possibility of 'us' after our massive mistake of a one-night stand, but in doing so, he was appearing to look like a sad lost puppy.
The swing was a beautiful photo opportunity that would have been perfect for a full group photo, but even if they wanted to pass on capturing the memory, I wasn't going to; memories fade with age, photos do not, anyway, how else was I going to make everyone at home jealous of us being away? Therefore, whilst it may have been close to an hour wait to actually get a photo on the bloody thing, I was willing to stand around, for there was no harm waiting in the sun whilst lounging on the sands with friends. Even if it was only half of us.

As soon as we had captured a few photos over the turquoise waters, we navigated our way to the bar that Jordan had chosen. It wasn't any further than a fifteen-minute walk but took us directly back to the jetty that the speedboat dropped us off at when we arrived here. That only meant one thing, they were eager to get home.

When we arrived, Caleb put it on himself to get a round of shots. Rightly so, we were lacking on the alcohol front and we needed to get onto Jordan's level, not that he looked overly drunk.
''Want to see the pictures?'' I asked Amelie, creating a reason for us to engage in a proper conversation for the first time this holiday.
She showed little interest, but I forced the pictures on her anyway to prove that whilst she may not have believed the wait to have been worth it, the view, even from the queue, was worth every minute itself.

On noticing me and Amelie sat together, Mads joined the conversation a few minutes in. It was the first time all three of us had properly sat down together, but I must have got too excited too quick as it lasted only for a brief two minutes as Amelie got bored and refocused her attention elsewhere. I say elsewhere- back to Jordan.
Mads and I looked at each other in disbelief.
''What's going on with her?'' I said to Mads under a quiet breath.
She shrugged her shoulders with a lack of care. Like myself, she appeared to have given up with Amelie's lack of interest in us, so we cheersed each other's company before downing another shot.

''Guys, I'm going to shoot off,'' Amelie announced 30 minutes later.
Shock.
''Why? Stop being so boring,'' Mads replied, now venting the frustration I sensed earlier.
This was meant to be Hot Girls Summer. So far, there had been nothing hot, except the weather, about it. We were getting fed up with her disappearing act, we were meant to be partying together.
''I was up at 7 and have been drinking for the last 7 hours. It's only day 2!'' she pathetically replied.
''But you're on holiday. Seriously liven up Amelie,'' Maddie said once again with a harsher tone of voice. ''It's your choice to get up early.''
My girl always had a comeback. Go on Mads.
Amelie began to get defensive. She clearly didn't understand that we just wanted to spend time with her and instead started getting angry. Recognising this, Mads encouraged her departure prompting her to leave the bar.
Jordan disappointingly followed.
''I knew it. I knew something was going on. It's the bloody Jordan and Amelie show,'' I shouted after them.
I couldn't help it. I was pretty angry as well, not that her leaving would have ruined my evening or holiday for that matter, nothing would have. But I was annoyed that she didn't have any time for us, and even more annoyed that something was clearly going on with her and Jordan. What did she have that I didn't? According to most men, nothing, so what was it with him?

We let them leave, as did the rest of the group, leaving us all sat in a moment of awkwardness wondering what the hell had just happened. I was over it, in fact I was over Amelie, as was Mads, so I took it upon myself to quickly change the mood and introduce a new topic of conversation followed by another round of shots. There was now only one way this night was going, and that was either on the dancefloor, or in the toilets chucking up.