Page 14 of This or That
He did.
But I’ll keep that to myself for now. Instead, I share the nitty-gritty of how round two started and he eventually initiated our kiss. Every detail but one: how my heart lurched at his tightly shut eyes. I don’t voice my concern, pretending that his earlier behavior is to blame. “How can you be so carefree about a guy who behaved so poorly?” My clammy hand grabs the glass of Diet Dr. Pepper from the small table. With each sip, nostalgia worms its way into my soul; I should book a ticket to Texas! I swallow the lump in my throat, focusing on the caramel taste instead.
“Oh, come on, Troy. Get over it, already! He was hammered and you taught him a lesson. I don’t get this guy, though. It sounds like he didn’t fight you much this time either. Of course, appearances can be deceiving, but from what I saw, I think he’s straight… Groping me and all. And he didn’t strike me as the type of guy who’d secure a ticket on a cruise for single people.”
“Because you know him so well…” I trail off, finding her certainty about a complete stranger unnerving.
Ignoring my snarky remark, she asks, “Unless he’s attracted to you, why would he give you a second chance to manhandle him?”
Did I bully him? I freeze at that, and when my half-asleep brain registers the other part of her assumption, my pulse accelerates. My attraction to him overrules logic, and it makes my stomach queasy.Who am I to him?The lingering question’s repeated like a broken record since I saw him last. Almost a week ago.
“What happened next?” Curiosity colors her soft voice.
I take a deep breath, stroking the top of my wayward dark hair and thinking that I should probably make an appointment at the barbershop. “Well, you tell me.” Then, I shrug, ignoring the fact that this isn’t a video call.
“Huh?” She sounds like I knocked the wind out of her. My heart swells at how invested she is in my story.
“The guy vanished from the ship,” I joke, fumbling with my phone to raise the volume.
“It’s a giant ship. You can’t run into him all the time!”
“Or he’s avoiding me?” At the prospect of that, a crease forms between my brows. “Or maybe it was payback and he doesn’t give a flying fuck about me.” The unpleasant assumption hits me like a ton of bricks, and my throat constricts.
Can’t be. I felt him melt into my embrace.
“Holy shit!” My hand tightens around the phone, and I bolt out of my lounge chair and snatch my T-shirt and towel, knocking over my Dr. Pepper in the process. My eyes pop out of their sockets and my mouth forms an O as the liquid splashes my quiet neighbor. “God dammit!” I berate myself aloud, instantly relieved that the cup won’t cause too much damage since it’s made of plastic.
With my hands full, I’m about to use my towel to wipe the excess off of her sunburnt body. Her shades are off. Her eyes are glaring. Her breathing is exasperated. She vehemently shakes her head and steals the towel from me while I repeat my apology—for my cursing, clumsiness, and sheer stupidity.My people skills suck.Picking up the empty cup, I plunk it on the table and get back to my friend who’s bombarding me with questions. “Listen, I’ll have to call you back,” I stammer.
“Wait, what’s—”
I cut her off, although proper sentences are a challenge. “How can… he… I.” I growl, zooming in on my prey. “I’m so fucking blind!” My throat is parched and my voice comes out raspy. I sigh; I owe her an explanation, right? “Speak of the devil… I just spotted him… on the other side of the pool. I’ll call you back.”
“Run Forrest…” Ha-ha! “Oops, figure of speech. Watch your step is more like it! Go hunt, big boy.” She ends the call and my playlist resumes.
I hate that she’s right. Hunter’s back, full-throttle, but what’s the point in sprinting around the pool, apart from making a fool of myself?
Pace yourself, moron.
I increase the volume to calm my frayed nerves and assess the situation. Grinning at my good fortune, I take him in. My shoulders loosen when I register the irony of the new song: Eric Church spyingThrough My Ray-Bans… Sounds like me!
My eyes follow him from afar. My mouth waters at the sight of him. My fingers itch to touch his impressive physique. Absentmindedly, I lick my lips, gathering my thoughts as I make my way towards him.
Am I ridiculous to chase after him when I was the one to ditch him both times?
My heart tightens. What do I have to lose? Worse comes to worst, he’ll send me packing and we’ll both ignore each other for a few more days, then go our own separate ways. Yeah, not much of a difference! Despite the weather, I quiver at the mere thought of how needy the bastard makes me. In the blink of an eye, my manhood hardens.
Shut up, buddy! Behave… for the time being.
Dwelling on what to do next, my feet have a mind of their own once he wraps up his conversation with his friends and leaves the premises. Like a moth to a flame, I’m overwhelmed by the pull that dwarfs common sense whenever he’s near.
And guess what? Like the creeper I am, I follow him while keeping a reasonable distance.
I really am all over the place!
As usual, I inhale deeply and eventually tame my unruly emotions. Reaching my arms over my head, I manage to slip into my T-shirt while awkwardly carrying my stuff and following him to the lowest deck, which basically resembles the Wonderland Maze. This ship is massive, full of twists, turns, themed restaurants, and entertainment venues at every corner—besides strip clubs—and so many decks.
Shortly after, he pauses and I wait at the corner of a narrower hallway to the right. A couple of doors from where I stand, he swipes his keycard, hand on the handle, about to open the door. A pang of disappointment washes over me, and I berate myself. I’m such a fucking coward!
