I woke up the next morning to a knock on the adjoining door. Groaning, I rolled over and peeked my head out of my comforters, seeing Ariana on the other bed doing the same. "Come in," she mumbled.

Sebastian slid inside the room, balancing a tray of food on his left hand. The scent of bacon and eggs wafted through the air. "Breakfast in bed?" he offered.

Ariana sat straight up, oblivious to the fact that her hair was standing in every which direction and her tank top was halfway rolled up her stomach. "I don't believe you're real," she told him, eyeing him suspiciously.

I grinned a little bit and Sebastian chuckled, looking embarrassed. He was wearing a black pair of sweats and a tank and for the first time, I realized just how buff he was. Where Bennett was more on the slender side, Sebastian was broader. His biceps were huge. He could probably break Ariana in half.

"I have to prove how amazing of a host I am, don't I?" Sebastian said, placing the tray on the foot of Ariana's bed. He kept his eyes on the floor the entire time and I realized he was trying to be modest.

"Thank you," we chimed together.

He waved us off. "No need for thanks. It was delivered to our door anyway. I just ordered it."

"Did you already eat? Where's Bennett?" I asked.

"I'm here," a new voice spoke up and I turned back to the door, where Bennett was propped against the frame, hands in the pocket of his sweatpants. Yep, he was wearing sweatpants too. Instead of a tank though, he was wearing a V-neck tee. It was weird to see him so dressed down, but he definitely could work it. He looked sexy. More attainable. "He didn't make that, by that way," he added, lessening the charm.

I rolled my eyes.

Sebastian clapped him on the shoulder, shaking his head. "Ben, let's give them some privacy."

"I brought some more brochures for you two," Bennett said, coming over to my bed and handing me a couple of colorful pamphlets. "I suggest a trip to the Mandara Spa or maybe learning to do stand-up paddleboarding. Sebastian will help you find your way around."

"You're not coming?" Ariana asked, beating me to it.

He gave a slight shake of his head. "No. I have a meeting to attend in a short while. I'm not sure how long it'll take so I'd rather not make you guys wait up for me."

I stared at him questioningly. He wasn't hanging out with us? Hadn't he said he'd be spending time with me today? Just the two of us? Was that not happening anymore? Maybe it was better that way. Maybe he'd realized he'd made a mistake the night before by saying that.

"Henley, make sure you have your phone. I will call you when I become available," he added, making my melodramatic thoughts come to a stop.

So our plans were still on. Why did he have to say it like that? Was I supposed to be waiting on him all day? I gave him a polite smile. "Sure. Once you let me know your availability I'll let you know mine."

He didn't blink. "I already know your availability."

"How could you know that?"

"Sebastian has reservations at five o'clock with Miss Kinsley. For two. You will either be with me at that point or back here."

I glared at Ariana accusingly. In her defense though, she looked confused. "What reservations?" she asked.

Sebastian gave us both a meek look. "Dinner? Bennett made me— I mean I, ha ha, I know of a good place."

Bennett seemed satisfied with Sebastian's response and nodded his head. "Now that this is all cleared up, I have to shower and dress. Enjoy yourselves today."

After he left I pursed my lips at Sebastian. "Dinner reservations for just the two of you, huh?"

"I personally would've liked to get dinner all together, but Bennett was insistent on having dinner alone with you so he set up the reservations for Ariana and me." He paused. "Not that I'm against having dinner alone with you, Ariana."

Ariana pretended to scratch her chin. "Hmm. Is this some kind of set up? Do you want my hot bod?"

A cute blush spread across Sebastian's face. "No!"

I laughed, feeling a little nervous. I could trust Sebastian to watch over Ariana tonight, but I wasn't sure how I'd fare alone with Bennett. Alone on a date with Bennett. Was it even a real date? Or was it him just playing the part of a boyfriend? I hadn't asked and I didn't want to think about it. Both answers to that question didn't mean anything good.

"I'll leave you two to get ready. I'm up for anything, so you can decide what we do today," Sebastian told us before exiting the room.

Ariana and I looked at each other. "I could marry that man," she commented thoughtfully.

I rolled my eyes. "You can't marry someone just because they give you food."

"You're dating a guy just because he gave you money."

My mouth fell open. She smirked. "I will eat all that food," I warned her.

She quickly pulled it closer to her, shoving three pieces of bread into her mouth. "Never!"

"Hurry and eat. I'm ninety-nine percent sure what we do today is going to be billed on Bennett, so let's do as much as we can."

She took some of the bread out of her mouth. "It's typically supposed to be that you don't want to spend any of his money."

I shrugged. "Don't look a gift horse in its mouth, right?"

"Right," she agreed, shoving a forkful of scrambled eggs into her mouth.

Since we didn't have the whole day to play around together, Ariana and I narrowed our plans to hitting up the spa, the shops, and learning to stand up paddleboard. Sebastian told us about the history of Hawaii and pointed out some of the mountains, making plans to hike up them someday with us. He knew a lot about Hawaii because his family owned the resort there. I'd never really thought that he would know so much. I'd just assumed they'd build a hotel and that was that. It was starting to make more sense why Bennett knew all these weird and random facts. He probably learned a bunch of stuff every day.

I was learning a lot about Hawaii myself. It felt like peace. Everyone was so friendly and so relaxed. The air was warm and relaxing, with just a hint of the taste salt from the ocean. It felt like I was in an alternate universe, where time had slowed down. With so much going on in my life, I'd forgotten what it felt like to be stress-free and carefree.

On our way back from paddle boarding, a passerby handed me a pretty white hibiscus flower. I smiled and put it in my hair while Sebastian said, "Mahalo."

The young man winked before walking off. I stared up at the trees around us, in awe at their vibrancy. In fact, the whole island was vibrant. All day, I'd been having trouble taking in just how beautiful this place was.

"I got water in my ear," Ariana complained as she tilted her head to the side and shook it.

"That's what you get for falling so many times," I teased.

"What did you get then?" Sebastian asked. "You fell more than her."

I narrowed my eyes at him. It was hard not to get distracted by his surprisingly muscled chest. He was tan and glorious. How had I fallen for Bennett, again? "Whose side are you on?"

He shrugged. His hair wasn't even wet, that's how good of a paddleboarder he was. He hadn't fallen once. "Thirty minutes isn't that bad to get it right. I guess," he said.

"Look at this. I'm seeing a new side to you."

"Well, I figure I owe you this since you show me a new side to Bennett every so often," he responded.

I raised an eyebrow, trying my best to keep eye contact with him as I wrung out my wet hair. "I do?"

"I never thought I'd see the day he'd volunteer to go on a business trip, but I know he did it so you could come along and relax. He knows the stress you're going through. It makes me proud to see him being compassionate."

"Is that really why he brought me?" I'd figured it had to do with something about our contract. It made me kind of embarrassed. "What about Ariana?"

"He invited her so you wouldn't feel alone and you'd have more fun," Sebastian told me.

Ariana grinned. "Hey. I'm all for that. Free trip to Hawaii? I'd have even come along to be her personal assistant."

I stared out at the ocean for a moment, biting my lip. I wasn't used to Bennett being so... human. Where had this come from? Since when had he been so in tune with what I was feeling? Had he found out I liked him? Is that why he invited me on the date? To tell me it couldn't happen...

I ground my teeth together. No, Henley. Why did I have to be so negative all the time? I couldn't read Bennett's mind. There was no use speculating. I'd just have to wait. Maybe he just wanted to spend some time together since he hadn't really got to enjoy anything yet.

After we left the beach, we headed back to our suite so we could rinse the salt off our bodies. I decided to be cute and wear the white and red hibiscus-patterned sundress I'd purchased earlier to match the white flower in my hair. Hopefully where we'd be going wouldn't have a strict dress code. Knowing Bennett, he would find something about my dress to complain about.

"Are you nervous?" Ariana asked as she studied herself in the mirror, trying to get a good look at her backside. She'd opted for forest green sundress and it complimented her beautifully.

"I feel like I'm always nervous around Bennett."

"But you're going on a date!" she all but yelled. "Are you happy? Are you excited? I'm all excited for you."

I couldn't help but smile at her. "What about you? You get to go out with Seb."

Ariana grinned. "He's cute. But I still think your brother is more my type."

"Gross."

There was a knock at our door. "Bennett's outside," Sebastian called, keeping it closed.

I felt my heart jump into my throat and I gave Ariana a panicked look. She giggled and shoved me at the door playfully. Wiping my sweaty palms off on my dress, I slipped through the door. Sebastian smiled at me warmly. "Have fun."

"Thanks."

He reached out for my hand and gave it a squeeze. "No matter what you think the future might hold, we'll all be there with you through it."

I found my mouth dry up. Did Sebastian know what I was afraid of? How was he so perceptive? "Thanks," I said again, feeling an overwhelming emotion of admiration for the sandy-haired man. "You better treat Ariana nicely," I added because it was the best friend thing to do.

"You better treat Bennett nicely," he countered. Then paused. "Well actually, he deserves some sass from you."

I grinned, feeling like a weight lifted off of me. He waved me off and I headed outside, the wind from the ocean ruffling the bottom of my dress and disheveling my hair. As I pushed it back behind my ear, I noticed Bennett standing at the bottom of the deck, staring up at me. He kept his eyes on me as I descended the stairs and I felt like he was scrutinizing my outfit. Per usual, he was in a button-up and a pair of nice jeans. I had been expecting "what are you wearing?" to come from his mouth.

"That dress suits you nicely," is what he said instead.

For a moment I didn't know how to respond. He was actually complimenting me? This dress? This twenty-dollar dress?

His gaze zeroed in on the flower in my hair. "Where did you get that?"

"Uh, some guy gave it to me earlier."

He muttered something and reached out, taking the flower from my hair. Just as I was about to protest, he put it back in on the other side of my head. "Wear it on the left side."

"Why?" I asked.

He didn't grace me with a response. "Are you hungry? Where would you like to eat?"

"I get to decide?"

"I always make you go along with my agenda. Today we will do what you want," he told me.

I eyed him for a moment, feeling a little weirded out. Who was this and where was Bennett? "Whatever is fine."

"What do you want to eat?"

"Anything."

He flattened his mouth. "Just tell me what you want, Henley."

"...Sushi?"

The look that crossed his face told me that he absolutely did not want to eat sushi. But once again, the words that came out of his mouth surprised me. "Sushi it is."

"Do you even like sushi or are you just agreeing?"

"I've never had it," he responded, beginning to walk away from me, toward an idling car I hadn't noticed before.

I followed behind him. He slowed so I could walk beside him. Then he opened the door for me.

The ride was a silent one. I didn't really mind though, I enjoyed looking out the window at the gorgeous scenery. By the time we pulled up to the restaurant, I felt relaxed again. Bennett once again opened my door for me and even helped me out. The building was black and sleek and there was a sign that read Morimoto. We entered and immediately delicious scents wafted over us.

"For two," Bennett told the hostess. "Outside please."

She led the way and I barely managed to keep up, too preoccupied with how gorgeous the interior décor was. It was spacious and modern and very elegant. The restaurant was crowded and I wondered how we'd made it in without reservations.

Our table was indeed outside. And the view was incredible. There, laid out before us, was the oceanfront. Merely hundreds of feet away. Our table was on a wooden platform, surrounded by a small trough of water.

"This is fancy," I said to Bennett. Now I was a little scared to look at the prices on the menu.

Bennett shrugged one shoulder. "It's showy."

I raised my eyebrows. "Really? It seems like you've come here before, though. You didn't even look up sushi restaurants in the area."

He hesitated a moment before saying, "My brother really liked this place, actually. He liked sushi."

Had I heard him right? Was he really talking about Lee? So easily?

"Lee is actually the one who decided to build the resort here," he went on, looking out over the ocean. "My mom wanted to abandon it after... the accident. But I said no. It was what Lee wanted. He always did everything for me. I had to do something for him in return. I know it's too late though."

I kept silent, not wanting to pry.

He seemed to notice what he said and he turned to me, face paling. "Sorry. Being here just makes me think about him. I didn't mean to reflect."

"It's okay!" I said quickly. "I don't mind. I'd like to hear more about your brother."

Bennett's shoulder hunched, guarded. "You don't need to be concerned."

I scowled. "Fine."

"I just don't want to ruin our time together with unpleasant thoughts."

"You mean our date?"

"Yes."

"Is it a part-of-our-contract date?"

He shook his head.

I fidgeted with the napkin on my lap. "Then what is it supposed to mean?"

"What do you want it to mean?" he asked me, green eyes smoldering into mine as if challenging me.

Our waiter showed up just then, saving me from having to answer. I didn't even know how I would answer. What was Bennett trying to get at? My skin felt clammy and I picked up the menu, flipping to where the sushi was, trying to distract myself.

"We'll take the chef's choice," Bennett said, not even opening the menu.

The waiter nodded and Bennett took my menu from me, handing it back to him. I frowned. "I didn't even get to look."

"The chef's choice is a multi-course entrée. This way you'll get to try a bit of everything," he explained.

It made sense, but I still wanted to look at the menu. But since he'd been here before, I figured I could trust him. And it would also keep me from cringing at the prices.

"Did you settle the issue you came here for?" I asked him as a distraction, sipping at the wine our waiter had dropped off for us. It was sweet and smooth.

It worked. His expression grew weary and he nodded. "Yes. We have the green light again. The construction should start within a week. My mother won't be happy though."

"Why not?"

"Our budget went up."

I sincerely doubted they couldn't afford it, but I kept my opinion to myself. Bennett then went into talking about what the resort would have and what the best selling points would be. Most of the business jargon made no sense to me, but his eyes were lit up in excitement, so I tried to keep up. For someone who complained about his work, it did seem he enjoyed some aspects of it. It was cute. And I was once again stunned by just how smart he was.

Our food started to arrive, putting a halt to Bennett's monologue. First up were some delicious oysters. Bennett looked like a finicky child, taking the tiniest bite to decide whether he would like it or not. I bit my lip to keep from smiling at him.

After the final course was finished and the bill was paid, I was stuffed. The sun was just beginning to set and I was glad we were outside to catch it. Shades of gold were stretching across the sky, reflecting off the ocean. I looked up at Bennett and caught him staring at me. Well, not really caught. It seemed like he was always staring at me these days.

"Why are you always staring at me?"

"I'm curious."

"About what?"

"Why you are so attractive to me," he answered simply, his eyebrows furrowing the slightest bit.

For a second, I thought I'd die. I couldn't feel my heartbeat at all. Then it kicked in full force and I felt heat rise up the back of my neck. How could he say that with such a straight face? My mind was buzzing as I tried to comprehend it. Was it because of the wine? Was it because of his words?

"You're nothing I expected to want," he continued, completely ruining the atmosphere.

I glowered at him. "What is that supposed to mean? I'm not rich and as tan as an onion ring from Burger King?"

That look of horror that spread along his face was almost enough reason to excuse his ignorant insult. Almost.

"That's not what I meant," he spoke quickly.

"Want to take a walk on the beach?" I asked because I could not sit here face-to-face with him for this conversation.

He nodded, standing up from the table and moving to pull my chair out for me. I did it myself before he could. Then I bee-lined for the beach, not even bothering to think about whether it was private or not. I took off my sandals so I could walk better in the sand and noticed Bennett doing the same.

"Why are you walking so fast?" he called to me.

So I don't have to face you. "Sorry," I said instead, allowing him time to catch up with me.

"Do I make you uncomfortable?" he asked slowly, as if afraid of my answer.

I paused, turning to face him. The sun shone on his skin, creating a golden hue that contrasted well with his dark hair. "Why did you ask me out today?" I blurted out.

Idiot, I berated myself.

But I didn't stop there.

"Was it for the contract? Or was it something else?"

A hint of irritation crossed his features. "Do you think everything is for the contract?"

"No," I said honestly. "I don't know anymore."

"Did you want today to be a date?" he questioned. "Forget about the contract. A real date. Between you and I."

Yes! My mind shouted.

It's not right.

We don't suit each other.

Say no, Henley.

"I..." I didn't know what to say. My mind was in turmoil. Rationality vs. irrationality. Reality vs. Daydream.