AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her brows draw down. “Did I see anyone in the bathroom?”
“Yes.”
“I wasn’t exactly looking to see anyone.”
I release a hum under my breath.
She seems to be growing annoyed with me. “How much have you had to drink today?”
“What? I’m fine. I’m not drunk. That’s not what this is.”
“Well then, who were you expecting me to see?”
“No one. I was just asking.”
She stops walking, staring at me incredulously. “You’re acting really strange today. Are you sure you aren’t feeling sick?”
She’s being so casual, and I realize and understand now what a mistake I’ve made. This is Mae I’m talking about. She doesn’t have some deep, dark secret. The man across the restaurant was just a man. She’s not lying. I’m the one who’s acting out of character. “No,” I promise. “I’m fine. Let’s get back and order dessert.”
With that, I take her hand and lead her back to our table.
We finish the rest of our meal without interruption, and I don’t obsess over the stranger.
At least, I try not to.
CHAPTERSIX
MAE
I expected this trip—being on the ship, staring around without any land in sight— to make me nervous, but it doesn’t.
Before dinner last night, we joined the rest of the guests and crew on the deck for the Sail Away party, at which point I texted my parents in our group chat a final time to let them know we were leaving and I would check in when I could. Now that Dad’s had time to process everything, he’s much calmer about me going. He made sure I had plenty of sunscreen and reminded me not to get in strange cabs while abroad, while Mom assured him I was a big girl and I’d be fine.
Most people might be annoyed about their parents being so overprotective, especially at my age, but in truth, it’s just our dynamic. It’s all I’ve ever known. Actually, I might be more overprotective than they are. I remind them to take their medicine before bed and call Mom to make sure she’s up for her doctor’s appointments. At the end of the day, we worry about each other because we know how quickly everything can change. How easy it is to lose someone.
Most people don’t get it, and I wouldn’t wish for them to. I wouldn’t wish for anyone to understand this pain, this fear. Though we all will eventually, won’t we?
Still, now that I know they’re supportive of this trip, I feel myself relaxing into the vacation more than ever. Earlier, Florence and I screamed along with the blaring music on the lido deck and then we all went for a dip in the adults-onlypool.
Today is our first full day at sea, so we’re checking things off our growing list of activities we want to do while we’re here. After swimming, Florence and I sunbathe and drink by the pool while the guys play virtual golf on an upper deck. We have a quick lunch at the burrito shack, then we play trivia and lose by three points. I blame it on how much we’ve all drank today—two glasses of wine myself, which is unusual for me. In the afternoon, we watch the band Florence talked about while we wait for dinnertime to roll around, then have another sunset dinner before the comedy show Blake earmarked on the itinerary.
When it’s over, Florence suggests we go get more drinks and sit on the top deck. “It will probably be empty, and I think it’ll be neat to see all the stars from out there.”
“That sounds fun,” I say, though when I look at Blake, he doesn’t seem to agree.
He stifles a yawn. “I don’t know. It’s pretty late. I don’t think I can make it through another round of drinks. Can we rain check?”
“Yeah,” Patton agrees. “Maybe tomorrow night? We got up so early to see the sunrise. I’m exhausted. Plus, I need to send a few emails before bed and with the Wi-Fi here, it’ll take two hours to do that.”
Florence scowls. “What? You guys! Seriously? We’re on vacation! No work! No going to bed early!”
“I’m sorry,” Blake says. “I’m beat. You guys are welcome to stay out if you want.”
Florence looks at me with a pouting bottom lip. “What do you say, Mae? Should we make it a girls’ night?” I’m as exhausted as the men, and she seems to sense my impending refusal because she quickly adds, “Come on. Tomorrow we’ll be in Cozumel, so you know we’ll all be exhausted when we get back, and then Costa Maya the next day. And the final night should be all of us. It could be our only chance to have a girls’ night.”
I sigh. “You’re right. Okay, fine.”
“Yes?” She beams.
