I ran to catch up with Codey, trying not to seem too ecstatic.

“So, where are you taking me exactly?” I asked him.

“To the gift shop,” he responded. “They sell plenty of sunglasses and other stuff there.”

“Okay, cool,” I replied, not sure what else to say.

We continued walking side by side in total silence for a good minute, Codey leading the way to the shop. I wanted to spark a conversation but didn’t know what to say. I figured Codey must be pretty outgoing considering the fact that he is an actor, but he wasn’t saying anything. I wondered why.

“How long have you been staying here?” I asked, trying to break the awkward silence.

“Not too long. This is my fourth day here. And you?”

“I just got here this morning. We’re staying for four days, and then visiting my cousins in Florida after.”

“Oh, that’s cool. You have cousins in Florida?”

“Yeah, they live near Miami. We visit at least once every year. It’s pretty fun.” I attempted to make myself sound interesting, but it wasn’t really working.

“Awesome,” he replied, although I had a feeling he was just saying that to sound nice. “Here we are,” Codey announced when we finally reached the gift shop. He held the door open, letting me walk in first, and I politely thanked him. Codey followed behind me and I immediately spotted the sunglasses on the far wall. I walked straight over to them and started trying on each pair. I first pair I put on was a pair of oversized, round shades. I turned to look at Codey and I could see he was trying his hardest not to laugh.

“What?” I asked with a sense of attitude, putting one hand on my hip. I was attempting to be cute and failing at it. I then looked in the mirror on the wall, and realized why he found it so funny. “It’s okay, you can laugh, I know, I look like a bug.”

“No, they look great on you!” he lied, still holding back a burst of laughter. I then slapped him playfully on the shoulder. “Hey, what was that for?” he asked.

“That’s for you being a jerk!” I said, trying to sound flirty. I put the bug glasses back and tried on a pair of dark aviators with a silver rim. “What do you think of these?”

“Those are actually nice. But here, try this pair on.” He proceeded by removing the aviators from my eyes and putting the new pair on my face. I was blushing at the fact that he touched me, but I tried my best to keep my cool, still pretending like I didn’t know he was famous. I looked in the mirror to see the new glasses he had picked out for me.

“Ew, no! These are worst than the first pair!” I exclaimed to him. “I like the aviators the best. I’ll get those.”

“Alright fine, but I thought the first pair was pretty hot,” he jokingly teased. I smiled and then went to the cash register to pay.

“What are you doing?” he asked me. “I said I would pay for the glasses. Anyways, it’s my fault your other pair broke.”

“That’s really not necessary. I can just charge them to my room. My parents will pay.”

“No, I insist, it’s my treat,” he replied.

“Fine, but I will get you back later.” Codey paid for my new sunglasses and I proudly put them on. Wait until my friends here about this, I thought to myself. They are going to be so jealous!

We left the gift shop and stood outside for a minute, chatting.

“Hey, Dylan, have you eaten lunch yet?” Codey asked me.

“No, I’m actually kind of hungry.”

“Well do you want to grab something to eat with me? I know it’s late for lunch but we can sit by the pool and order some food. They have tables over there.”

“Sounds good,” I replied.

We started walking the opposite way we came, and arrived at one of the resort’s three pools. Codey showed me the way to a table and we took our seats.

“It’s a really beautiful day out,” I told him, realizing how lame I sounded talking about the weather. That was the know topic people bring up when there is nothing to discuss, but Codey didn’t seem to mind.

“Yeah, it is. The only thing is every night around five o’clock it rains.”

“A lot?”

“Well, it usually sprinkles, then there is about ten minutes of downpour, then it lightens up again.”

“Oh, well I love the rain,” I gushed.

“You do? Why?”

“I don’t really know. It’s just so peaceful. It’s cleansing. I could sit in my room, and stare out the window for hours on a stormy day,” I explained. Codey smiled at me, seemingly interested in what I was saying. He leaned back in his chair and looked up at the clear sky.

“Codey? Are you Codey Sky?” asked a tween who approached our table. She appeared to be around twelve or thirteen years old. The girl was very cute with blonde, bouncy curls and was wearing a pink tankini. Codey looked down at her in surprise.

“Ugh, yes, yes, I am,” he hesitantly replied as he glanced over at me.

“Can I please get your autograph?” she shyly asked.

“Yeah sure,” he answered, forcing a sincere smile on his face. The little girl handed him her towel and a marker.

“It’s the only thing I have on me.”

“That’s okay. I’ve signed much stranger things,” Codey informed her as he took the towel and marker from the girl and signed. “What’s your name?”

“Francesca,” she excitedly replied.

“To Francesca, from, Codey,” he said aloud as he signed the towel. “Here you go.”

“Thank you so much!” she responded and then giggled as she scurried away.

“Sorry about that,” Codey said.

“Oh, it’s no problem,” I assured him, “you probably just made her day.”

“So I guess you know who I am?”

“Yeah, I know who you are, but it’s no big deal,” I lied. Codey looked relieved. He sat back in his chair just as the server came and handed us two menus.

“So what’s good here?” I asked Codey, scanning the menu.

“I must say, they make awesome quesadillas.”

“Hmm…okay. I think I’ll take your word for it and try the quesadillas too.” Minutes later the waitress returned and took our orders. When the meals arrived, we dug right in. I was self conscience about getting messy from the quesadillas but figured not to worry about it. Codey was right, the quesadillas were amazing. After we finished eating I was stuffed.

“Wow, that’s impressive,” Codey said.

“What?” I questioned.

“You finished the entire plate!”

“Yes, and what are you trying to say?”

“Oh, nothing! I’ve never seen a girl with an appetite as big as me. I like a girl that can eat!” I chuckled and smiled at him. “Here, you’ve got something on your face,” he told me.

“That’s embarrassing. Where?”

“It’s okay, I’ve got it.” Codey leaned in and with his delicate finger wiped the bit of guacamole off my rosy lip.

“Thanks,” I replied, uncomfortably wiping my mouth with a napkin once he was done. “What time is it?”

“Four o’clock.”

“Oh crap!” I exclaimed.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, I just have to go back to my hotel room. My parents are probably wondering where I am.” I pushed back out of my chair and stood up. “Well, thanks for a great afternoon! I’ll see you around!” I began walking away, and hoped that Codey would stop me to ask to see me again.

“Dylan! Wait!” he shouted. Score, I thought.

“Want to meet me later? I’d love to see you again.”

“Sure, when?”

“How about tonight? We can meet at Dolphin Cove.”

“Dolphin Cove?”

“Yeah, right over there. It’s where you can swim with dolphins. Of course, we won’t be swimming with them, but is that an okay meeting place?”

“It’s perfect,” I replied. “See you then!” I turned around and slowly walked away, hoping he was watching me as I left.