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Zack
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I heard you for like the twentieth time,” I said to Bobby as we entered the central part of the ship.
“I know, but I can’t stop thinking that this is a great idea.”
“Every idea that you have, you think is great,” I responded as I slapped him on the back.
“You know,” Mark said, “He might be right this time. There are a lot of hot women who look like they are alone.”
“Yeah, I’ve seen a few too,” John added.
“I’m sure there are quite a few attractive women on the ship, but I’m not interested.”
“Hey, come on. Loosen up. Forget about home and have some fun. You know that what happens on a cruise ship stays on the cruise ship,” Bobby joked.
“Yeah, that means you can’t be posting stuff on your social media,” John reminded him.
I didn’t care what he posted. I wasn’t looking for trouble. I had enough to deal with at home.
We made our way to the elevator and took it up to the pool deck. We were all grinning as we stepped out and surveyed the fun. A ton of people were already in their bathing suits and enjoying the sun and water. What did they do, wear their suits under their clothes so that they were ready the minute they stepped onboard?
Bobby directed us to the bar, and we ordered our first drinks. This week was going to be one long hangover, I could tell. After a few toasts to friends and freedom, we finished our beers and headed toward the cabana to eat before checking out our cabins.
A couple of attractive women came out as we went in, and I gave the brunette a good once-over before I glanced at her blond companion and did a double take. No way!
“Holy crap! Was that Rainbow?” The door was closed now, but I could still see her through the glass. I was tempted to run out and check, but the guys were already heading toward the food.
“Rainbow who?” John asked.
“Um, a girl I knew in high school,” I replied, and Bobby turned to me.
“Rainbow? Wasn’t she that total nerd who was always in a freaking good mood? It was almost disgusting how she always smiled and wanted to be so helpful.”
“Hey, she was nice.”
He laughed. “Dude, nice in high school didnotget you laid.”
Mark snickered. “Yeah, but nice could help you with a good test score.”
I shook my head at them and glanced back toward the door again. It probably wasn’t her, but if it was, I’m sure I’d run into her again during the week. Maybe we’d be able to catch up. She had been kind, and she’d been pretty—in an awkward kind of way. If it was her, she had changed from awkward-pretty to drop-dead gorgeous.
I put thoughts of Rainbow out of my head as we ate and then found our cabins to drop off a few of our things. I checked my cellphone one last time and then sighed as I turned it off. I had promised myself I would put it away and not stress over things. I needed a few days without stress—I deserved it.
I changed into shorts and then headed next door to find John and Mark. They were sharing a room, whereas Bobby and I had our own.
The four of us returned to the upper deck and got another round of beers. We were hanging around on the pool deck, laughing at the people taking part in a game around the pool. As we did, a flash of pink grabbed my attention, and I followed the woman in the pink bikini top as she carried two drinks up the stairs to the top deck. Her slim hips shifted back and forth, making the floral wrap she wore around them swish playfully. Her brown hair was piled up on the back of her head now, with tendrils blowing in the breeze.
I followed her steps until she disappeared from view, and then I couldn’t help myself. I made an excuse that I was going to use the bathroom and slipped away from the group. I took a closer set of steps and scanned the deck as I came up, walking in the direction she’d gone.
I kept searching and found the girl with the pink bikini top near the bow. Beside her was the other woman, her shiny blond hair blowing in the wind. She wore a gauzy skirt and heeled sandals. Her blouse was cream and see-through. Under it, I could see the black lines of her bathing suit.
She turned to her friend, and they clinked their plastic glasses together and laughed about something. That smile—I knew that smile or I should say I remembered that smile.
I approached them, hanging back for a minute to be sure it was her. She laughed again, and the sound brought back memories of biology class when she’d get nervous and giggle. I grinned to myself. No one knew it, but I had secretly loved her giggle and the way her eyes had lit up.
I was only a few steps behind her when the horn of the ship went off, signally that we were pulling away from the shore. Her shoulders went up and then down as if she were resigned to something.
“Rainbow?” I said as I took another step closer.
