Sammie and Ben had handed the camera crew the cameras they had been given and their towels. Sammie had just taken off her sarong when Ben grabbed her and ran with her into the sea.
“Put me down!” she shrieked, giggling.
“Okay then” he said. The water came up to his waist. Ben belly-flopped into the water, pushing Sammie in. She resurfaced and slapped him playfully.
“Pig!”
“Oink oink!”
“I’ll get you back for that you know”
“Sure you will, my shrimp”
She splashed him; He looked surprised, and splashed her back. Soon they were having a water fight, giggling like crazy. After one huge splash, Sammie looked around, but she couldn’t see Ben anywhere.
“Ben? Ben?” She called. The water around her was calm apart from the waves lapping towards the shore. “Ben? BEN?” She called louder. She started shivering from the wetness. She still couldn’t see him anywhere. “BEEEN!!!” She shouted more urgently. Something grabbed her from behind and pulled her back, down into the water. She screamed.
“Whoa, calm down, it’s only me” Ben whispered in her ear, rubbing her arms to reassure her that everything was all right. She wriggled out of his grip and turned to stare at him defiantly. Ben realised how upset she was. He looked down.
“I’m sorry Sammie,” he mumbled.
“Sorry? Why the hell did you do that? I thought you had drowned! How the hell did you think that would be funny?” she shouted at him, sounding scarily like her mum.
“I’m sorry, look, I was just playing”
“Whatever, Ben. It. Wasn’t. Funny” She turned again and made her way to the beach, still mad at him for scaring her like that. He watched her go, kicking himself for acting like such a jerk.

* * *

Sammie had just gotten changed back into her normal clothes, and flopped onto the bed. Mentally, she was calling Ben every name under the sun for being so immature and scaring her like that, and was so busy cursing him that she didn’t notice the first tear sliding down her cheek. All too soon, however, she was sobbing uncontrollably, her body shaking with the effort. She realised why she had been single for four years-guys were such jerks, and always seemed to forget other people’s feelings. She though back to her last boyfriend, Tom. He’d been a year older than her and very popular. Every girl in school had been jealous of her. But he’d played around with Sammie’s head, being late for dates, cancelling just as Sammie was walking out of the door, making up dates they hadn’t arranged, flirting with every other girl he met. She found out just before they broke up that he was two-timing her too.
And then she thought of Ben. He’d been messing with her mind a lot too, being sweet or funny one moment, and then changing the next. What was it with guys? She remembered when she tried to kiss him back on the plane, he’d practically run to the economy seats, but turned around today and it was almost as though they were actually going out. Until he acted like a typical guy anyway. And there were still three days of the date left. She sighed through her tears.
Her mobile started ringing, and she tried to ignore it-she was crying far too much to be able to answer it. It soon switched to voicemail, and she waited for it to beep before picking it up and listening.
“Sammie, it’s Kaz. I need to talk to you, get your tongue out of Bens mouth and call me back”
Sammie put the phone down and lay back on the bed, sobbing and thinking even more than before.

* * *

Ben was also in his hotel room, thinking, or more accurately, mentally scolding himself. He thought of phoning Paul-it had always cheered him up before-but three times in one day was pushing it a bit. And then he remembered the time difference. Chances were, Paul was busy, out in London chatting up some random, defenceless girl. He was alone on this one, so he decided to talk to himself the way Paul would.
‘Okay Ben, what’s up?’ he asked himself.
‘I’m being a total jerk to Sammie for no reason’ he answered, feeling as though he was stating the obvious.
‘There has to be a reason, there’s always a reason. You just don’t like the reason’ Yep, that sounded like Paul being logical.
’Well, what could the reason be?’ Why did he always feel helpless in the face of Paul logic?
‘Let’s look at it properly. Have you kissed her?’
‘A couple of times’
‘Did you like it?’
‘Yeah, of course’
‘Have you slept with her?’
‘No and I doubt that’ll happen on this trip’
‘Why?’
‘I dunno’
‘What about after?
‘After?’
‘After the trip’
‘I wouldn’t see her again, would I?’
‘Do you want that?’
‘Do I usually?’
‘Answer my question Ben, it’ll help more’
‘I think I do’
‘Why?’
‘I dunno’
‘Ben!’

‘She’s different. Every other girl lasts what, five seconds? I get their phone number and we never speak again. Sammie . . . she cares too much for me to do that to’
Ben stopped the conversation in his head, and smiled. He phoned the hotel restaurant, had a long talk with the maitre d’, got changed and went to find Sammie.