Page 16 of The Cruise Back to You

I wake up with a decision already made.

I’m going to tell Colter the truth.

No more casual. No more uncomplicated. No more pretending that what happened last night was just two ex-boyfriends scratching an itch. I’m going to find him, rip off the Band-Aid, and tell him that I’m still in love with him. That I never stopped being in love with him.

The worst that can happen is he doesn’t feel the same way. And honestly? At least then I’ll know. At least then I can stop wondering.

I shower quickly and drag Jules to the buffet for breakfast, where I scan the crowd for blond hair and broad shoulders. But Colter isn’t here. Neither is Marc.

“Looking for Colter?” Jules asks, loading his plate with scrambled eggs.

“No,” I lie. “Just people watching.”

We find a table by the window, and I eat without really tasting anything. Where is Colter? Is he avoiding me? Did last night freak him out?

I’m spiraling. I know I’m spiraling. But I can’t stop.

“Hey,” I say, pushing my half-eaten eggs around my plate. “Do you want to hang out by the pool today? I just realized that between the first day and yesterday, we haven’t actually spent any time together. Wasn’t that the whole point of this trip?”

Jules doesn’t respond.

“Jules?”

He’s staring at his phone, thumbs moving rapidly across the screen. There’s a small smile on his face, the kind of smile I haven’t seen from him in a while.

“Jules.”

He looks up, blinking. “What? Sorry, I was just— What did you say?”

“Pool. You and me. Hanging out like we’re supposed to.”

“Oh.” Jules glances back at his phone, then shoves it into his pocket. “Actually, I have this thing I need to do first. Can I meet you there later? Like, an hour?”

“A thing?”

“Yeah, just … ship stuff. You know.”

I don’t know. I have no idea what “ship stuff” means. But Jules is already standing, gathering his plate.

“I’ll text you,” he says, and then he’s gone, weaving through the tables toward the exit.

I stare after him, frowning.

What is Jules hiding?

But then my thoughts drift back to Colter’s hands, his mouth, the way he looked at me last night, and I forget about Jules entirely. I need to find Colter. Everything else can wait.

I head for the elevator, mentally mapping out the ship. Maybe he’s at the gym, or I could try his cabin. Maybe⁠—

The elevator doors open, and Colter is standing inside.

We freeze.

“Hi,” I say.

“Hi,” he says.

The doors start to close. Colter sticks his arm out to stop them, and I step inside. We stand there for a moment, neither of us pressing a button.