It was simple. I just needed to look at the situation differently.

August was a friend. A friend who paid the bills and happened to share a bed with me. Simple.

Without thinking too much about it, I put on my bikini, threw on a beach cover-up, applied sunscreen, packed my bag, and we headed to the beach.

It was paradise.

Crystal-clear water, pale blue waves, warm sunshine, and a perfectly cloudless sky.

The hotel provided private wooden lounge beds on an exclusive stretch of sand reser