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When Chad woke up on the couch, it was night. He had been sleeping several hours, and he was well aware of this because the room was pitch black. There was also no sign of Rachel nor was there any sign of their lunch, which caused Chad to wonder if her visit had been nothing more than a dream he had while sleeping on the couch. Yet there was a note that on the door that confirmed it wasn’t a dream at all. Chad got up of the couch and walked up to the note that was taped to the back of the main door leading out to the hallway, which read:

Chad,

Had fun watching movies but chose to let you sleep things off. Please meet me in the lobby tomorrow morning at nine sharp. I’ve made plans and would like you to join me on a little adventure.

Sincerely,

Rachel

Chad looked at the letter and read it a few times. He knew that it was dangerous for him not to take Rachel up on her offer, but the tone of the letter suggested that she wanted to spend more time with him after having fun today. What kind of adventure did she want to take him on? He had no clue, but the last thing he wanted to do was make her angry. Very much like the incredible Hulk, Chad didn’t like to see Rachel mad, and he wasn’t eager to give her a reason to attack him again. Chad took a deep breath, put the note down on the table beside the door and checked his watch. It was too late for dinner, so he chose to go order room service again. This time out he ordered a chicken Caesar salad with extra dressing, a few bottles of alcoholic apple cider, and a piece of cheesecake for dessert. While he was waiting for his food to arrive, he turned on the television and turned over to the national news to see what the top stories were. A few moments after he tuned into the news, the video he didn’t want to see came flashing up in front of him. The video of Chad tossing Rachel into the pool had gone so viral that it was now being covered on television. Chad was pretty sure Peters wasn’t liking this one bit, but there was nothing either of them could do about it. Chad knew from experience that trying to quell something after it goes viral always has the opposite reaction, with more attention rather than less. Chad rewound the video a few times and watched is again, impressed with his fireman’s carry and the body slam into the pool. The report also happened to mention that Rachel was in training for her next title defence, which was going to be in less than two months. The news anchor was speaking to the league’s CEO on a video feed, asking him what Rachel was doing in paradise while she should have been training for her big fight. The owner of the company did his best to do damage control.

“Rachel takes her training very seriously,” the CEO replied, “But she’s not a machine. Sometimes you need to take a break and recharge. When she gets back from her vacation, Rachel is going to hit the gym and be ready to defend her title.”

Chad decided to record the program, thinking Rachel might want to see that the next time she popped over. Once his meal arrived, Chad surfed to other channels to see what was going on in the world. Once his salad was gone, so was his interest as Chad turned the television off. As he stood up to grab something, he felt a slight pain in his foot. Chad looked down and realized he hadn’t been following doctor’s orders as much as he should have been. He left the Presidential Suite to head back down to the lobby and the infirmary, just to check his foot and make sure it was all right. The nurse didn’t even ask what he needed as she instructed him to hop up and show her the foot. She looked impressed as she started to clean the bite up again like she had so many times before that week.

“It’s looking much better,” she told him, “but I’d still recommend coming in at least once a day to get it cleaned properly, alright?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Chad said, as he was eager to keep his foot.

As he strolled out of the infirmary, he was greeted by the manager who seemed eager to speak with him.

“I don’t mean to interrupt, Mr. Barrington.” The manager started, “Just a moment of your time.”

“Sure, what’s up?” Chad asked.

“I was curious to what was going to happen to your suit?” the manager asked, hoping he wasn’t overstepping boundaries.

“It’s a lost cause,” Chad informed him, “I hate to toss it but...”

“If I may,” the manager interrupted, “I have a young nephew that has a special occasion coming up.”

“How old is this nephew?” Chad asked.

“About eight,” the manager answered.

Chad nodded to see where this was going. “You want to use what’s left to try to make out a small suit for the little guy, right?”

“Precisely,” the manager replied, “maybe just a vest if possible.”

“That would be fine,” Chad said, as he liked the idea of is being used for something else rather than just tossing away. “I’ll drop what’s left of it off in the morning before breakfast.”

“Thank you, Mr. Barrington.” The manger happily said, smiling.

“Thank you,” Chad told him, “These last few days could have been a lot worse without your kind and unwavering support."

With that Chad went back up to his suite and crashed again for the night, this time in his own bed for a change. For the first time since he got there, he slept through the night without his bladder telling him to hit the can. Perhaps he took too many shots to the kidneys in his tussle with Rachel, to the point where even that part of his body was still trying to recover. His cell phone woke Chad up around seven thirty in the morning, and he was quick to hop out of bed, jump into the shower, and then shave his face to prepare for his big day. Since the only suit he had brought with him was ruined, Chad decided to go a little more casual as he sported jeans, sandals and dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Nothing too fancy but not too simple either. He went down the elevator at exactly eight forty-five and was in the lobby to meet Rachel with more than ten minutes to spare. To his surprise Rachel was already there waiting for him on the same couch in the lobby Chad was sitting in the day he met Frankie Junior. She was also wearing something simple that actually complimented his attire. Rachel was wearing a sundress, with a nice sized hat and sunglasses. Chad assumed that was her way of hiding her face, so she wasn’t easily recognized, which was something he also thought of as he was wearing sunglasses and his favorite New York Mets baseball cap.

She looked at him as he approached, “The Mets? Really?”

“I like a good underdog,” Chad replied, “I also have season tickets.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Of course, you do,” Rachel said, “Ready for the big day?”

“Where exactly are we going?” Chad asked, curiosity getting to him.

“The bus is outside,” Rachel informed him, “I got two tickets.”

“A bus tour?” Chad said, cringing at the thought of it.

“Well, you were bitten in the foot,” Rachel reminded him, “I thought you might appreciate something that didn’t put any stress on it.”

“Oh, thank you.” Chad said, touched she took his bite into consideration.

“Come on,” Rachel said taking his hand, “The boogie bus is waiting.”

“The boogie bus?” Chad repeated as he walked with her.

Despite his worst fears, the bus didn’t look as exotic as he had first thought. It had a weird shape, but Chad didn’t have much time to think on it as Rachel dragged him onboard the bus that had two levels. You could sit inside like a regular bus or on the roof which provided a far better view of the tour.

“Can we sit on the roof?” Rachel asked.

“Sure,” Chad said, “Just make sure you don’t lose your hat.”

“Good point,” Rachel replied, taking her hat off as they climbed the stairs to the bus’s roof.

Once they were up there, they took up one side of a row since the seats were only two by two. Once they were seated, Chad could tell they had made the right choice as the roof of the bus gave them all a great view, which would make it easier to look at the sites as they drove past them. The seats seemed a little cramped, so Chad put his arm around Rachel’s shoulders which made the space between the a little better. To his surprise, Rachel liked having his arm around her as she cuddled into him for the second time in two days. Chad was also taken aback by how comfortable he was around her despite their few violent tumbles.

When the bus was filled up, it started to pull away and drive at a very leisurely pace which allowed for the tour guide to speak to the passengers and point out the sites they were all passing by. It was a lot more fun that Chad had given it credit and sharing it with Rachel made it that much more exciting. They even made breaks at various stations, such as gift shops that paid their way in to be a hot spot for the bus’s tourists. It was at one of these stops where Rachel jumped off not to go shopping but to hit the little girl’s room. It was during this brief absence when something familiar happened.

“Excuse me,” a voice called out, “but is that seat taken?”

Chad turned around and to his surprise it was Harrison, the same bloke from the plane who also happened to check his foot after the bite.

“Harrison,” Chad called back, “Pleasure to see you again.”

“May I?” Harrison asked, gesturing to the seat beside Chad. “I really don’t want to sit down there again.”

“I’m afraid not,” Chad replied, “this spot is actually taken.”

“You mean like the seat on the plane?” Harrison asked, “Did you buy two tickets this time out too?”

“No, I didn’t.” Chad answered, “To be honest, I didn’t even buy my ticket.”

“Is that so?” Harrison asked, “They who did?”

“The lady I’m here with,” Chad replied, “She went to the bathroom.”

“Councillor Douche Bag has a date?” Harrison said, chuckling. “That’s rich.”

“I swear this is her seat.” Chad insisted. “I may be a douche, but have I lied a single time since we met?”

Harrison paused for a moment, “You haven’t actually.”

“No, and I’m not now.” Chad implored with him, “This seat is taken.”

“He’s right,” Rachel called out as she climbed back up the stairs to the top of the boogie bus.

Chad hopped out of his set and let Rachel slip past him to occupy the seat that he had been protecting for her.

Harrison looked at her in stunned silence. “I apologize for the trouble.”

“No trouble at all.” Chad said, as he watched the big man rumble back into the inner part of the bus on the deck below.

“What the hell?” Rachel said, “I was gone less than a few minutes.”

“Just dumb luck,” Chad replied, “That was also the big guy who tried to steal my extra seat on the plane too.”

“Unbelievable.” Rachel cussed, folding her arms aggressively.

Chad put his arm around her and started to smooth her back. “Take it easy, he honestly didn’t know that I was with someone, but he does now.”

The boogie bus the roared back to life and started to roll on with its tour once everyone had returned to their seats. The tour guide was back at work, pointing out cool things and making jokes to keep everyone in a good mood. Chad was calm and going with the flow until the bus started getting closer to the beach. He had assumed the bus was going to turn but instead it rolled right onto the sand and showed no signs of stopping as the water got closer and closer.

“Rachel,” Chad tried to say as calm as possible, “Why is this bus heading for the ocean?”

Before she could answer, the bus went right into the water at top speed, and Chad stood up from his seat while white knuckling the bar in front him. He was looking around to see any signs of the bus starting to sink, but he couldn’t find any.

“Calm down,” Rachel said, placing a hand on his, “This is a bus and boat tour. This thing travels on water too.”

Chad sat back down and took a deep breath. “I don’t like boats.”

“I kind of noticed that,” Rachel said, almost enjoying his fear. “This boat has done numerous tours without incident. I’m a fantastic swimmer so if anything happens I will bring you to shore, okay?”

Chad took another deep breath. “Alright, I’m calm.”

“Not really,” Rachel observed, “But thank goodness we’re not below.”

“Yeah, that wouldn’t work either.” Chad confessed. “I also hate closed spaces.”

“That would explain the extra seat on the plane,” Rachel noted.

“Yes, that kind of does.” Chad said trying to get comfortable again. “I also just didn’t want big sweaty guys like Harrison sitting beside me. Ewww...”

“I get it,” Rachel said, cuddling his arm. “You’re very picky about who you allow into your space.”

“I am,” Chad confirmed.

“So, what’s that say about us, right now?” Rachel asked.

It wasn’t something Chad was ready to comment on, but he smiled back. “The jury is still out on this one.”

“Fair enough,” Rachel said, grinning. “Nice metaphor.”

“Seemed appropriate,” Chad confessed. “The boat part is a little easier to handle if the company is good.”

The two of them cuddled up again and while Chad was nervous being out on the water, Rachel held him and that was enough to make it back to dry land as the boogie bus came back onto land and drove right back onto the road. Where they stopped at a local spot to give the tourists a chance to shop and eat.

There were stores, shops and even some interesting looking food trucks that made Rachel giggle with excitement. She dragged Chad over to a food truck that appeared to serve Mexican food, which was Rachel’s favorite apparently. Chad ordered half a dozen tacos, nachos and something cold to wash it down. When the found a picnic table somewhere between the trucks and the bus, they sat down to enjoy their meal, which was not as classy as their first date. Chad didn’t seem to mind as the food before them was just as tasty and a lot less expensive.

“I love tacos,” Rachel said, acting like she just had sex. “So good.”

“I can tell,” Chad observed, “You’re on your second already.”

“My trainer is going to kill me if I gain any weight here.” Rachel said, “But I will have no problem trimming it down in training.”

“Yeah, I saw a report on the news about that.” Chad told her, “You’ve got a big one coming up in two months.”

“I do,” Rachel confirmed.

“So shouldn’t you be eating more salads?” Chad inquired.

“There’s lettuce in here,” Rachel pointed out, smiling.

“Touche,” Chad said, taking his second taco.

“I’m on vacation,” Rachel reminded him, “And I’m in a weight class where it’s impossible to fall out or go above unless you really, really try.”

“Fair enough,” Chad said, “As long as you’re not worried, neither am I.”

“Good,” Rachel replied, “Cause I’m stealing one of your tacos.”

“Go right ahead,” Chad said, laughing.

Once lunch was finished, they hit the gift shop to browse for some souvenirs, and Chad was happy to put the few items Rachel found on his card. He also bought something cool for Frankie Junior, who was probably being driven mad by his parents. It wasn’t anything huge, but something he knew the little guy would appreciate. Once back on the bus, it took less than an hour for the boogie bus to finish its grand tour and them return to the resort, dropping them all back off at the lagoon exactly three hours after they had departed. It was at this point after they had departed the bus that Rachel leaned in and gave Chad an unexpected kiss on the lips.

“What was that for?” Chad asked.

“For not being a douche bag today,” Rachel answered, “I knew that must have required a lot of will power.”

“Ha ha,” Chad said, “Thanks for dragging me out there. I had fun.”

“I’ll see you around Counselor,” she said, blowing him a kiss.

He stood there and watched her walk away, stepping into a taxi to take her back to her own hotel. Chad was tempted to ask her to stay and hang out, but he didn’t want to push his luck. Things had gone well that day, and he wanted it to end that well. He went back to his room to nap, thinking of maybe resting by the pool that afternoon. Chad couldn’t believe he was actually enjoying himself, something he never dreamed of doing on a vacation that was forced on him. It was just good luck things turned out that way for him.