Page 2 of Baby for the Bratva

I check my phone as I move up a spot in line. No texts. He doesn’t know that I’m going on a cruise. He thinks I’m having a moment, and that I’m going to snap out of the no-contact phase once I get lonely and come running back to him.

But that’s not possible on a cruise ship. I’ll be out in the middle of the ocean most of the time, and when I’m not, I’ll be sipping rum in a bikini somewhere hot. Really fucking hot. And I’ll be really fucking hot.

And then he’ll realize how badly he fucked up, and maybe he’ll be the one trying to run back to me.

While the fantasy of him begging on his knees is alluring, I know it’s just another way for me to mentally let him back into my life. If I were really over him, I wouldn’t even be thinking about him right now. I’d be thinking about how many crab legs I could eat before passing out in my bedroom and sleeping for twelve hours straight.

Or I’d be thinking about how many glasses of wine it would take to flirt with the handsome man behind me in line.

Probably half a glass, knowing myself. I’ve always been a cheap date, but my saving grace is the fact that I get too nervous to ever have sex on the first date. It takes at least a few weeks until I’m willing to commit to a man like that, and we have to be actually dating.

No hookups. That’s been a rule my entire life, and I doubt I’d break it for anyone.

The couple ahead of me moves past the security counter, and I realize it’s my turn to show my boarding pass… The one I still haven’t found.

“Oh, it’s somewhere here,” I say with a nervous smile, shuffling through my purse again as I step up to a woman wearing a white blouse and a bored expression.

I thumb through a few wads of cash and some receipts for all the new skincare makeup I bought to look pretty on the cruise. All of that is going to be a terrible waste if I can’t even get on board the ship.

My shoulders drop and I release a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding when my fingers walk over a thick glossy paper. I pull it out, handing the boarding pass to the woman at the security counter along with my passport.

She barely even looks at it before handing it back to me, nodding for me to move along.

My shoulders come down another few inches as I breeze past her with my polka dot suitcase rattling behind me. One of the wheels is wobbly from when I threw it too hard into the trunk of my car. The rage from Tyler’s betrayal hasn’t left me, and it’s going to take more than a few outbursts to get it all out of my system.

I take a deep breath, letting it out slowly as I walk briskly past a couple of greeters at the entrance to the cruise ship. I’ve never been on a cruise before, but after watching dozens of videos to prepare myself for the experience, I feel confident that I won’t screw anything up.

Thank goodness for the internet!

The inside of the ship looks more like an enormous shopping mall than a boat, with flashing signs, wide-eyed customers, and that echo you only find in places that feel like you’re outside when you’re safely sheltered by a fogged glass roof.

Excitement creeps through me as I make my way past a few souvenir shops and arrive in a quieter area. I’m almost tempted to go on a shopping spree, but it’d be better to get my bags in my room and take a quick shower first.

Then, I can venture out without burdens. I might even be able to leave my thoughts of Tyler in my bedroom as well.

I walk further, checking my boarding pass for my room number. I already collected my keycard before boarding, so all I have to do is get to my room.

But the number isn’t that straight forward.

B675.

I assume it’s on the second floor because of the B, but it could also be on the sixth… But then what’s the B for?

I look around, trying to figure out where I am. There aren’t any rooms here, but people are bustling past me with suitcases, so I know I’m going in the right direction. I continue down the hallway, squeezing past people as I begin seeing rooms.

There’s an F-something, and then there’s an E-something, and then I realize I’m approaching the end of the hallway without a clue where I need to go. I should ask someone, but there’s nobody left. Everyone has found their room, and I’m suddenly very alone.

I run my fingers through my hair and then come away damp with sweat. Why the hell is it so hot in here? I thought I was indoors.

I turn around, going back down the hallway when I realize that A, B, and C aren’t anywhere here. I’m probably on the wrong side of the boat, too caught up in taking in the views to realize I’m supposed to be reading the signs.

I’m sure it’ll be obvious when I get back into the main shopping area.

The red carpet leads me back to where I came from, and I follow it closely to make sure I don’t get lost again. This place is a maze, and I can only imagine how it’s going to feel when I’m drunk.

Maybe I should hold back on the drinking until I know the way back to my room by heart. I might end up in someone else’s bed.

My phone buzzes, and I immediately snatch it out of my purse. I’m secretly hoping that it’s Tyler while simultaneously dreading the idea of confronting him before the ship departs. I don’t want him talking me out of this.

---