Just Go With It

The bartender quickly brought two shot glasses forward for them. Becky gave a naughty look before expertly downing hers, slamming the glass back onto the bar. "Your turn," she said expectantly. Josh hesitated for several seconds, debating in his head as he frequently did.

Don't do it dude, you know you can't hold hard liquor!

But she's hot, and she wants to dance! With ME!

And what if you puke all over her?

Well... I've had food, and the Corona went down smooth. I think I'll be alright.

Your funeral dude...

Fuck it. Just go with it.

Sighing, Josh took the shot in hand and slowly put his lips to the cup. He at first made the mistake of trying to go slow, instantly tasting the foul sensation of straight tequila. Throwing his head back, he sent the rest down his throat without any of it hitting his tongue, his eyes bulging as he slammed the shot glass back down on the bar.

"Whew..." he said, coughing slightly. "That's strong."

"When in Mexico," Becky replied slyly. "Now, come on hot stuff."

"Wait... what?"

Before Josh could even think of protesting, Becky had her hands on his arm, pulling him from his stool and out towards the area in front of the Derek Brooks Band. Josh tried to slip away once, but Becky merely used the attempt as leverage to take his hands in hers, turning him right back around to face her once more. For all of his hesitations, she was not letting him out of this one. After the first song, Josh began to feel a bit more comfortable, distracting himself by concentrating on not stepping on or running into Becky. It was immediately clear to him how much fun she was having, as every sway of her hips was accompanied by a fun, flirty grin, followed by the occasional hair flip. Through it all, her eyes never left his.

Soon, however, the moment Josh had been dreading appeared. Derek's band slowed their groove to a soft ballad, perfect for slow dancing. As Becky moved in closer, Josh began to sweat and pant, feeling another anxiety attack coming on. Yet, when she began running her hands up his arms, Josh found that he was strangely able to suppress his fear in that moment. Smiling at him, Becky leaned in close and whispered into his ear.

"You're not gettin' away that easy."

As Josh's mouth started to go dry, he felt Becky moving his arms around her, his hands now at her back. Though he was a tall 6'3", her 5'10" frame was nearly equal to him with the heels of her shoes. Soon, Becky had wrapped her arms around his neck, her face mere inches from his. Strangely, Josh began to feel a spark of courage within him, one that might well have been the Cuervo, and he began to softly run his fingers on the exposed portion of her back. To his amazement, she didn't recoil or balk in any way, simply smiling right back at him and running her fingers through the back of his hair. He could feel her breathing intensify, and saw her soft lips hanging ever so slightly open.

Does she... want me to kiss her?

Only if you want to get slapped, dude.

If she was gonna slap me, she'd have done it already.

You've managed to avoid embarrassing yourself so far. Don't chance it.

Fuck it. Just go with it.

Drawing on his liquid courage, Josh decided he might as well give it a shot; he was on vacation, after all. He kept his gaze directly on hers, looking into her brown eyes as she stared straight back into his. After a moment, she blushed slightly at his attentions, but still refused to look away. Taking a deep breath, Josh began to slowly move his face, closing the gap between them, preparing to taste her supple lips for the first time.

"Mamasita! Where have you been all my life?" a voice suddenly called out.

A tall, muscular Hispanic man had suddenly grabbed one of Becky's hands and twirled her around, removing her from Josh's arms. Josh was very confused, his mind still gearing up for the now-interrupted kiss.

"E-excuse me?" she asked, trying to back away from the man.

"I've been coming to this bar for years, but never have I seen such an incredible beauty. Carlos Herrera," he said, pulling her close once more. "What say the two of us find somewhere private? These tourist areas can get so crowded with annoying Americans."

Backing up once more and ripping her hand away from his grip, she replied, "I'm American, you jackass!"

Laughing, he shot back, "Maybe for now. But once you experience Carlos, you'll never wanna go back!"

"Ow! What the fuck? Let me go!"

"Now, now, don't be a tease. I'm gonna make this a night you'll never forget. You'll thank me when it's over, even if you don't now."

As Carlos grabbed her wrist roughly, Josh suddenly felt his anger begin to boil inside of him once more. Normally, a strong, athletic guy like this would completely scare him off, but Josh saw the look of hunger in his eyes, and the look of fear in Becky's. He knew he'd lose if it came to blows, but he also knew what would happen to Becky if it didn't. Josh hated fighting; he simply was not a confrontational person. Still, he knew there was no other way. Collecting his courage, he stepped between the pair to face Carlos.

"Back off, dude."

With a slight laugh, Carlos replied, "Very funny." He tried moving Josh aside gently, but Josh was having none of it, and moved right back to where he was.

"I said. Back. Off."

Staring him down, Carlos shot back, "And just what do you think you're gonna do about it, you fatass gringo?"

"Just move on, dude. There're plenty of hot girls here, and this one's clearly not interested in you. Stop wasting your time."

Nonchalantly, Carlos said, "Ok. Be it never said that you didn't ask for it."

Faster than he could react, Josh was suddenly struck in the stomach by Carlos' fist. The blow wasn't excruciating, but definitely knocked the wind out of him, dropping him down to one knee. Carlos then drew back to strike at Josh's face, though his punch was partially deflected by a desperate swipe from Josh. All the while, Becky begged Carlos to stop, slapping his shoulder as hard as she was able, but to no avail. For all of his scrappy flailing, Josh was clearly outmatched by the stronger and more tenacious Carlos.

"Josh! Hang on, man!"

With the commotion on the floor, Derek's band had stopped playing for the moment, and Derek himself immediately jumped down to help his friend. After first pushing Carlos from the side, getting him out of Josh's face, Derek quickly helped his friend to his feet. Not a moment later, Carlos had recovered and charged the pair, targeting Derek with a haymaker. Though not as muscular as the Hispanic man, Derek was in decent physical shape, and managed to dodge his first few attempts. Unfortunately, Carlos soon switched to a grapple, wrapping Derek in a bear hug and attempting to body slam him. As Derek desperately punched at Carlos' head to try and break free, Josh courageously jumped on Carlos' back from behind, holding on for dear life as he tried to break the man's grip on his friend.

This technique proved more successful than any would have guessed, as Josh's heftier body quickly threw Carlos off balance, forcing him to release Derek and turn his attention back to Josh. With Derek struggling to get to his feet, Josh was now one-on-one, defending against Carlos' enraged onslaught. He desperately tried to protect his midsection and face, but was soon becoming overwhelmed by Carlos' punches. The last thing he remembered before blacking out was Carlos grabbing the back of his neck and slamming his forehead into the edge of a table.

*****

Uh... huh? Where... am I?

Josh awoke in a comfortable, Queen-sized bed, the room dim but with sunlight peaking in through the window blinds. This definitely looked like an actual bedroom, rather than a hotel, but he couldn't be absolutely sure. Slowly sitting up, he began to get his bearings and immediately felt a throbbing pain in his head, jogging his memories of the night before. Everything had gone so crazy, with the cab ride, meeting Derek in the bar, and easily the most incredibly smart and beautiful woman he had ever met dragging him onto the dance floor. That is, until some asshole had tried to drag her away, resulting in a bar fight between Josh, Derek, and this mysterious loser.

Well... at least I survived... not like I'll ever see her again.

Throwing off the white bed sheets, Josh stood beside the bed, finding he had been stripped down to his boxers. Still unsure of what was going on, he looked around the room and found a note on his suitcase, now open and empty.

Josh, sorry but your clothes got drenched by a few flying drinks in the chaos last night, so I'm washing them for you. There's a robe in the closet; feel free to use it.

Inspecting the nearby closet, Josh found a large, black robe, very soft and comfortable to the touch. Slipping it on and tying the knot, Josh still wondered just where he was. Perhaps this was where Derek's band was staying? No, that couldn't be it. He had mentioned they were all crammed into a single hotel room together. Running out of potential answers, he sighed and made his way out into the hallway. There, his nose immediately caught the pleasant aroma of bacon being cooked, drawing him towards the kitchen. As he finally arrived into the open, modern living area, the incredible sight before him stunned him speechless. An exceptionally beautiful brunette, wearing nothing but a black spaghetti strap tank top and a pink pair of panties, stood at the stove, dancing to Arianna Grande from her iPhone as she cooked the bacon.

"Becky?!"

She quickly turned, flashing the huge grin on her face.

"Morning, sleepy! How you feelin'?"

"Um... ok, I think. Just... very confused," Josh replied.

"Not surprising," she said with a cute giggle. "I'm just glad you're ok."

After she had finished plating the last of the bacon, Becky then grabbed a bowl of biscuits from the oven, bringing the food to the table.

"Have a seat! Breakfast is served!"

"Ok." Josh sat and cut his biscuit in half, beginning to butter it. "Um, what exactly happened last night?"

"Well, you remember the fight with Carlos, I assume." Josh nodded in reply. "After he knocked you out, Derek and Manuel, the bartender, finally managed to restrain him and kick him out. Manuel's apparently had problems with this guy in the past, because he gave his picture to his security staff afterward. Anyhow, you were out cold, but your pulse was totally normal and your eyes dilated just fine, so you didn't have a concussion. Truthfully, I don't think Carlos hit you hard enough to do any real damage, but you should still see a doc when you get back to America, just to be sure."

"So, you didn't take me to the ER?"

Becky shook her head no. "I may not be a native, but I know enough to know that, even in a tourist area, you do not want to go to a Mexican emergency room unless absolutely necessary. Too risky. So, once we had determined you just needed to rest, I volunteered to bring you back to my place. Derek's band didn't have any room in their hotel, and neither of us knew where you had reservations. He's a really good friend, by the way. Didn't trust me at first; I mean, after all, his buddy was knocked unconscious in a foreign country, and a woman he didn't know was volunteering to take him home. Derek helped me get you into a cab and rode with us to my place, just to make sure I wasn't lying. We got you inside and into bed, and the rest is history."

Josh was completely dumbfounded by her kindness. "Why would you do that for me? I'm a fat, American loser who got trashed in a bar fight. That's not the sort of guy women want to go home with."

Becky blushed slightly, saying, "Josh, you stood up to a stronger person than yourself just to get him off of me. It doesn't matter to me who won the fight; I only care that you were selfless enough to get beaten up so Carlos wouldn't be able to do the same to me." Her eyes turned quite serious as she continued, "Besides, you know just as well as I do what Carlos would have ultimately done to me if you hadn't stepped in."

"I'm... trying not to think about it."

"I know, me either. Still, both you and Carlos showed your true colors last night, and based on all of that, I would genuinely and honestly choose you each and every time," she said with a gorgeous smile.

"Huh." Josh couldn't believe what he was hearing; this beauty was actually into him, and only him. Nothing that asshole last night could have done would have made Becky choose him over Josh.

"So, umm... I saw your note about my clothes."

"Oh yeah! Really sorry, but in their struggle to restrain Carlos, Derek and Manuel accidentally spilled some drinks, first onto you, then one of your suitcases. Your clothes are drying now, though."

"It's cool. Nothing you did to them," Josh replied. "But... I did notice I woke up in just my boxers, though. Did you..."

"I didn't peek. Promise!" Becky said, holding her hand up like she was in court. "Not that I wasn't tempted, of course," she admitted, flashing a mischievous grin.

She was tempted?! Is she serious?!

Becky sauntered off momentarily to check the laundry, while Josh shook off his confusion and began taking the dishes into the kitchen, loading up the dishwasher. He figured he could at least clean up, since she was kind enough to cook breakfast for him. She returned a moment later and plopped down on the leather sofa in the large living room just off the kitchen.

"About twenty minutes left on your clothes. Come sit with me! How's your head?" she asked.

"Still kinda hurts, but not awful, I guess."

"Thought that might be the case. Here, I brought some Tylenol," she said, handing Josh the bottle as he sat on the other end of the sofa from her. "Rest up, and we'll go out to the beach once your clothes are done."

"We?" he asked.

Giggling, Becky replied, "Of course, silly. What does anyone come to Cancún for? Gorgeous beaches filled with half-naked people." She slid across the sofa to sit closer to him. "And this girl want you to get half-naked and take her to the beach."

Becky playfully ran her fingers up his arms and leaned in closer, intending to give Josh the prime opportunity to kiss her. For some reason, however, he instantly got a look of fear and completely recoiled from her touch.

Holy shit... this is too real, too fast...

Dude, you're still hung up on her?!

It's too soon... this is too much...

You need this, dude. More than you realize.

I can't. Not yet...

Fuck it. Just go with-

"Josh? You ok?" Becky asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine," Josh said, his inner debate interrupted.

Becky was not convinced. "Listen, I know we only just met, and I don't want to pry too much, but the look on your face was not someone who was ok. It was a look of... terror. What's wrong?"

"It... it's nothing. Nothing to bore you with. Just something I have to deal with."

Seeing him begin to shut her out, she decided to try a different tactic. "Can I tell you something really personal?"

Unsure of where she was going, Josh simply nodded in reply.

"With my fun, outgoing, and flirty personality, most people peg me as a player and a heartbreaker. Unfortunately, it's kind of true. I'm always the one to break up with someone else, and now that I'm a bit older, I feel really awful about how many good guys I've hurt over the years."

"Well yeah, but you recognize it now. That's the important thing, right?"

"I wish that were enough. Problem is, I've never forgiven myself for what I did to my last boyfriend, Luke. He was a great guy, genuine and honest, just like you. He was totally in love with me, and I was with him. Problem was, I could never bring myself to admit it. I was too afraid of becoming vulnerable and having my heart broken. When he proposed to me... I said no."

"Why?" Josh inquired.

"Because I was so focused on self-preservation. I played defense with my heart so much that I completely missed a chance for real love and happiness. I had always thought that if I guarded against heartbreak, I'd never be unhappy. Turns out, I just proved myself wrong..."

"What... what happened to him?"

Sitting back with her head held low, Becky replied, "I don't know all of the details, but apparently his life began to spin completely out of control. Lost his job, tried to pawn his car title to make ends meet, and ended up completely in debt. Then, I saw a post on Facebook... it was his mom posting on his profile. He ended up taking his own life." Choking back a tear, she continued, "That was over a year ago. Since then, I've blamed myself for his death. My refusal to open up, be vulnerable and admit my true feelings for him; all of it contributed to his passing. That's why... I almost didn't approach you last night. I've tried to change how I live and love, but I was still petrified that I might end up hurting you, too. Sorry for throwing all of that on you, but I've had the weight of my 'shields' on my mind for such a long time."

Sighing, Josh decided there was no going back. "Trust me, having your shields down is no picnic either."

"How so?" Becky asked, feeling him open up a bit more.

"This vacation... was supposed to be my honeymoon."

Becky blinked twice, taking in what she had heard. "Come again?"

"Her name was Jenny Hanson. We were an item for two years before she agreed to marry me. I tell ya, I couldn't have been more in love. I mean, head over heels for her. Problem is I was so in love with her, or maybe the idea of her, that I was completely blind to the fact that she was a horrible person. Derek saw it the whole time; he always told me she only loved me for the lifestyle I could provide her."

"So what happened?"

"About a month ago, she had her bachelorette party. Derek's band happened to be playing at a bar across the street from the male strip club she and her girlfriends had gone to. Normally no big deal, except that between sets, he took a break out on the street and caught her fucking one of the strippers in the back of her car. Later found out that wasn't the first time she had cheated on me."

"That's awful!"

Josh nodded in agreement. "Everything I knew was shattered after that. I've always had issues with anxiety, but it's gotten way worse since then. Honestly, I can't believe I'm not hyperventilating right now. Oh shit, my pill!" Realizing he hadn't taken a pill this morning, he looked down the hallway towards his room, but was stopped by Becky's gentle touch.

"That's good that you forgot about it, Josh. Don't psych yourself into needing your pill."

Feeling strangely at ease, Josh decided to try and at least finish the conversation with Becky before leaving. "So I found out it was too late to get a refund on the plane tickets and decided to take the vacation myself. Someone might as well enjoy it..."

Oh God... his life is unraveling. Just like Luke... no. I may have failed Luke, but I won't fail Josh. I can do this, and he needs me to.

Watching his face turn sad, Becky rubbed his strong hand gently. "Josh, I'm so sorry. Nobody should have to go through what you're going through." Sitting up and looking directly into his eyes, she continued, "You've been told enough lies already, so I'm going to do something I never thought I do: wear my emotions on my sleeve. You deserve nothing less than complete honesty, so here's the honest truth. I like you. I like you a lot, and I could see this potentially going somewhere. So from here on, I promise to be completely open with you and to not let my emotional shields get in the way of us, if you promise to be the same genuine, honest guy I know you are."