The Bridesmaid

Chapters Five and Six

Chapter Five:

JANE

                I woke up to the sound of Cynthia rummaging through her bags in her room. She had left our adjoining doors open.

                “What’s wrong, Cynth?” I asked, as she searches more frantically. I sighed as I leaned against the doorway between our two rooms, still tired even after the long nap.

                “My camera,” she replies in a clipped tone that she uses whenever she is stressed. “I wanted to take some pictures out on the balcony when I woke up so I went in here to get my camera, but I can’t find it. I need that camera. I can’t be in Jamaica for two weeks and not document anything!!”

                “Cynthia, relax,” I said calmly. “You gave it to Grant before we got on the plane. You didn’t have enough room in your bag, remember? Now, why don’t you go and take a nice, hot bath before dinner and I’ll go and get the camera from Grant. How about that?” I offer.

                “Oh, Jane,” Cynthia sighs, “what would I do without you?”

                “Well, hopefully we’ll never have to find out. Now scoot! The tub is calling your name!” I said with a smile. Cynthia smiles back and walks into her bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Meanwhile, I grab my room key and head out into the deserted hallway. I walk until I find the old-fashioned lift. Grant was in his room, while a hotel employee was at the airport, picking up Finn. Grant and Finn were staying together in order to catch up. They had not seen each other in a while. Plus, Cynthia wanted to stay separately from Grant at the hotel before the wedding. She thought it was traditional and charming. Grant and Finn had rooms on the twelfth floor, the highest floor of the resort and a penthouse suite. They were sharing the suite. Only the best for those two, I thought with a smile and a shake of the head.

                “Good afternoon, madam,” the attendant asked. As I broke free from my stupor, I soon realized that we were not alone.  A man about my age was standing in the corner. He was very tall, about six feet and three inches, I estimated. He was also extremely attractive, causing me to admire his dark brown hair that had a messed-up quality to it that only certain kinds of people can pull off. His chiseled cheekbones and perfect bone structure resembled that of a model and his body was even further proof of his attractiveness.

                “What floor madam?” the attendant asked again.

                “Twelve, please,” I replied. At that, the attractive man looked up and gazed at me with a confused look on his face. The lift began to move upward. I noticed that the man did not get off at the eleventh floor, as I suspected he would. Instead, as the lift’s door opened at the twelfth-floor penthouse, he got out of the lift, as well.

                “Excuse me, but, who are you?” the man asked in a clipped British accent as we stood in front of the door to the suite. The lift now disappearing.

                “I could ask you the same thing,” I replied in the same tone.

                “I’m Finn Gray. This is my suite. Are you Cynthia?”

                “No, I’m Cynthia’s best friend, Jane Richards.”

                “Oh,” he replied thoughtfully.

                “Yeah,” I said, not knowing how to fill this awkward silence that had suddenly come upon us.

                “Well, I guess I should open the door,” Finn said as he pulled a room key out of the front pocket of his dark jeans. The green light on the door handle blinked twice and he opened the door, immediately walking in, letting the door quickly swing toward my body. It crashed against me with a thud and I suddenly felt a pain on my right side. I scoffed aloud. I was shocked by his obvious snub. Back home in L.A. I was used to men holding the door for me, vying for my attention. How could a guy as sweet as Grant be best friends with this pig?

                I walked into the suite and saw Grant and Finn shaking hand and hugging in the “guy-way.” Grant looked up, saw me, and smiled.

                “Jane! Hey! What’s up? Have you met Finn yet?” He asked innocently.

                “Oh, believe me, we’ve met,” I state with a glare in Finn’s direction. He responds with a dramatic eye-roll.  Grant, sensing the tension in the room, clears his throat and shifts his weight awkwardly from one foot to the other.

                “Well, is everything ok with Cynthia?” Grant asks, obviously wondering why I came to their room.

                “She’s fine. She just needs her camera. She was freaking out about it earlier.” I answered as he walks over to his bags, shuffling through them looking for the camera.

                “I know it’s here somewhere…” his voice trailed off.

                “Ahh! I found it!” Grant exclaimed. He hands the camera to me with a smile. “And what time are we having dinner?”

                “7:00. We’ll all meet in the lobby. Sound good?” I asked.

                “Yeah, great. Well, see you then. Bye, Jane,” Grant said while Finn chimed in with a fake and sickly sweet, “yeah, bye Jane!” I was disgusted. I didn’t know this Finn guy, but I could already tell that I didn’t like him. This was going to be a long two weeks…

Chapter Six:

GRANT

                “So…what was that back there, with Jane?” I asked Finn as he started to unpack in the other room.

                “Oh, that? Before I came in the room I asked who she was and she apparently didn’t like that. I let the door slam on her before we came in,” Finn replied with a smirk. This couldn’t be good, I thought with a grimace. If Jane ran off and told Cynthia he and Finn both would be in trouble. Jane was like family to Cynthia, and you didn’t mess with Cynthia’s family.

                “Why would you do that? Jane’s a nice girl,” I said thoughtfully. Jane was a nice girl. Cynthia couldn’t have made it this far in life without her. Jane was the backbone of their company and their friendship. Even I could see that.

                “What, her??! She looked like a stiff prude to me. That girl needs to have some fun before her spine explodes from standing up so straight.”

                “Be nice. You just got here. Don’t make enemies with her just yet,” I advised.

                “I think it’s a little too late for that,” Finn mused.

                I walked away to get ready for dinner. Boy, if Finn and Jane already hated each other after five minutes, how on earth were they going to survive two weeks together on this island??