Whatwasit about her that was so irritating to watch?
I left to “go to the bathroom” not once or twice, but three separate times, though really I was just popping out to the ship’s deck to gaze out at the ocean and wonder what I was doing with my life.
The last time was just before the slow-dance contest, and Finn was already on the stage waiting for me by the time I made it back. Ashley emceed at the mic, explaining that this was the grand finale of the evening, a slow-dance contest that would be judged by a panel of experts. Contestants would be evaluated on their moves, their musicality, and their ability to embody romantic essence.
“Teams,” Ashley said, gesturing at the stage like we were at the Indy 500. “Start your engines.”
“I don’t understand what we’re supposed to do,” Finn said as I stood in front of him.
I was looking around for Cooper and Bridesmaid Two. And—yep: Ashley was making them do this one together, too. “We’re supposed to slow dance,” I answered, likeWeren’t you listening?
“But—that’s it?” Finn said. “We just sway like we’re in seventh grade?”
And then I got it. Finn wanted to win.
He wanted to win this like he wanted to win everything—but he wasn’t clear onhow. Plus, he didn’t know it was rigged.
“She just gave us the criteria,” I said, trying to sound helpful. “Moves, musicality, and romantic essence.”
Finn put his arms around my waist—a little stiffly, if I’m honest—as he thought about it.
And then Ashley fired up the music—the Ed Sheeran classic “Thinking Out Loud.” And it was time to do this. I reached my arms up around Finn’s neck as we started to sway back and forth.
“How is this a contest?” Finn kept complaining. “There’s nothing to do.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said.
But I’ll tell you something. It’s a good thing this contest was rigged—because as much as I knew I should look up into Finn’s face and gaze at him, just oozing romantic essence, instead, my gaze just kept wandering over to settle on Cooper and Bridesmaid Two.
God, she was justattachedto him like Velcro.
Were they gazing into each other’s eyes?
As Finn and I rocked stiffly back and forth with plenty of air between our bodies, I felt overtaken by an appalling idea. Could Cooper have actually become interested in Bridesmaid Two?
Impossible.
But then, as I watched her tug his shoulders down a little closer to her mouth so she could whisper something in his ear, and as I watchedthe way his forearms were draped over her hips, it seemed… less impossible.
And I felt myself wanting to march right over and cut in. And then spend the rest of the dance trying to talk Cooper out of falling for Bridesmaid Two in exactly the same way he’d just tried to talk me out of falling for Finn.
I wouldn’t do it, of course. I’d stick to the plan. Like always.
I was just recommitting, in fact, to sticking to the plan when I felt something buzz under my forearm. And it turned out to be Finn’s cell phone—in his breast pocket.
“Sorry,” he said, fully stopping moving to reach in and pull it out.
I watched him read the screen.
“Do you need to check that right now?” I asked.
“It’s for work,” Finn said, continuing to check it.
“Could it wait five minutes?” I asked.
But Finn wasn’t listening. “I’m sorry,” he said next. “I have to take this.”
And then, with that, hewalked off the stagewith his phone andleft me standing there.
