The combination of the shock of seeing Lucy and the fact that I had got so used to lounging around naked over the past few days meant that it took me a few seconds to realise that I was now standing in front of my best friend wearing nothing but sun block! Embarrassed, and much to Lucy's amusement, I awkwardly struggled into a T-shirt and my bikini bottoms while she sniggered childishly and pretended to look the other way.
I was genuinely pleased to see Lucy though and after a few more shrill hellos and hugs I showed her to one of the empty bedrooms and then prepared some lunch while she unpacked and freshened up. I laid out some bread, olive oil and Serrano ham, a large bowl of fresh fruit and a pot of coffee on a table in a shady spot by the pool. Lucy emerged soon after looking gorgeous in a white bikini and a wide brimmed straw hat. She sat down and produced a large bottle of expensive looking red wine from a duty free shopping bag and placed it on the table in front of me and said "Happy Birthday Jo!" I stared at her blankly for a few seconds before she reminded me that we had cancelled my birthday plans a few weeks ago after my breakup with Gary.
We Skipped the coffee and opened the wine instead and picked at the food as I recounted the details of the past few days to Lucy. Everything that had happened was totally out of character for me and hearing it all out loud sounded more than a little surreal, maybe it was the wine or maybe I had spent too long in the sun, but as I recounted the events of the past few days they felt distant, like it had all happened fifteen years ago or something.
Lucy sat and listened, her face agog. I don't think I have ever known her to be this quiet for any length of time. We have always been close and shared the intimate details of our lives with each other, but this was on a whole new level. I finished my story and Lucy sat in stunned silence, just staring at me in disbelief for a few seconds as she tried to digest it all. I looked at her, patiently waiting for a reaction but all she could say was "So, does this Paulo guy have a Brother?"
We laughed and talked into the afternoon and It began to feel as though I was finally putting my old life behind me and beginning a new chapter. As the day wore on we lost the shade in our little spot by the pool and I was starting to feel a little uncomfortable in the afternoon heat. I looked at Lucy as she drained the last of the wine from her glass and as though reading my mind she said that she simply couldn't resist the pool any longer. I agreed and without hesitation I quickly pulled my T-shirt up over my head and discarded and stepped out of my bikini bottoms as I walked over to the side of the pool and dived in.
Despite her earlier reaction to my nudity, Lucy stripped out of her bikini too and joined me in the pool and we spent the rest of the afternoon swimming and sunbathing and we didn't dress again until the evening. Paulo didn't show up at all that day, I guess he saw Lucy's hire car outside the villa and realised I had company. I was partly disappointed and partly relieved because it had given me some time to tell Lucy all about him. I just hope he doesn't think I have another man here and keep his distance.
I slept late into the morning the following day, Lucy and I had stayed up late and had seen off another bottle of wine. I had slipped into bed around two AM and drifted into a deep sleep.
I was awoken the next morning by sounds from the kitchen and assumed that Lucy was up and making breakfast, so I pulled on a T-shirt and ventured out in search of coffee. When I got to the kitchen I was thrilled to find Paulo there, unpacking a huge tote bag full of fresh towels and bedding. He looked a little pensive when he saw me walk into the room but before he could even speak I threw my arms around him and pressed my lips to his.
As we broke off our kiss I suddenly realised that we were not alone. "Jo, this is my cousin, David." Said Paulo, gesturing towards the young man sitting at the opposite side of the table from where we stood. I looked around to see a very handsome young man sitting there, the family resemblance to Paulo was clear. David was a very muscular and it was clear that he spent a lot of time working outdoors. "David helps me with repairs and odd jobs at my properties." Paulo said. I suddenly felt very exposed, the T-shirt I had grabbed barely covered my modesty and I self consciously pulled the shirt down at the front as I shook his hand and squeaked a nervous hello, but I just made matters worse by pulling the thin fabric tighter across my breasts.
I was just about to make my excuses and go and find some clothes to put on when Lucy walked into the kitchen, she was just out of the shower and wearing nothing but a towel. "All this noise had better be the sound of you making coffee or there will be trou..." She stopped dead when she saw Paulo and David. Now I have known Lucy so long that I can almost almost read her mind and as I introduced her to them I could tell from the expression on her flushed face and the way she bit her bottom lip that she really liked David. "Lovely to meet you both, Jo has told me all about you Paulo, and David is your Cousin you say, well that's close enough for me." she said. Lucy turned on her heel and disappeared off to get dressed, leaving the two guys looking very puzzled in her wake. I took this as my cue to go and throw some clothes on too and left Paulo to make us some coffee.
I showered and pulled on my shorts and bikini top and returned to the kitchen to find Lucy already there, sitting in her white bikini and flirting with David. He spoke excellent English and he and Lucy seemed to have really hit it off, she sat playing with her hair and seemed to be hanging on his every word, laughing in a slightly exaggerated way at everything he said.
Paulo handed me a cup of coffee and planted a lingering kiss on my lips. "I will be done with work just after lunch, if you like I will take you both for a picnic to a nice quiet beach with no tourists." Paulo said.
Before I could even answer Lucy said "That's very kind of you Paulo, but I actually have plans for this afternoon, but you and Jo go on without me." My first thought was that Lucy just wanted to give Paulo and me some time alone together, but then I caught that subtle, sly look on her face and the mischievous glint in her eye that told me that she really did have a plan.
They left soon after with a promise from Paulo to return in a couple of hours. We both headed out to the pool where I stripped off and lay in the sun reading while Lucy swam. I noticed that she kept her bikini on this time but guessed that the prospect of Paulo returning soon had maybe made her feel a little self conscious.
I had spent a blissful hour stretched out in the sun and completely lost in my book when Lucy pulled herself up and out of the pool and sat on the side just in front of my sun lounger. "Errr Jo, I think there might be something wrong with the pool filter." She Said. "It just made a really strange noise and then stopped completely." I looked up from my book and noticed that she had now shed her bikini top. "Do you think you had better get Paulo to drop David off here when you two go to the beach, so he can take a look at it?" She said innocently, biting her bottom lip and barely suppressing a smile.
I rolled my eyes at her and shaking my head, I reached for my phone to call Paulo.
Paulo arrived at the villa in his Jeep an hour later and dropped David off (much to Lucy's delight) and I climbed into the passenger seat in his place. I waved to them both as we pulled away and before long we had turned off the main road and were headed down a winding, dusty track to the beach. The Jeep bounced its way along the unsurfaced road and I could hear the clink of wine bottles from behind me every time we hit a pothole. I had skipped lunch in anticipation of the picnic and I was very hungry, the combination of the sea air and the smell of the food behind me caused my stomach to rumble and growl. I caught occasional glimpses of the ocean through gaps in the trees, it looked so inviting, azure blue and glinting in the afternoon sun as though it had been sprinkled with diamonds.