Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
Foster
Lian keeps a tight grip on my wrist as we find our cabin.
I’m tempted to tell him there’s no way I could fall overboard while inside a hallway with walls on all sides, but I have a feeling it wouldn’t matter.
The man is like a tiny bomb of energy and sweet concern.
Scattered and organized in one, muttering to himself about having to watch out for tripping hazards as he himself stumbles over a snag on the carpet, barely even noticing or letting it impede his momentum.
He scans the room numbers quickly, checking his phone again before stopping suddenly.
“Here we are,” he says, letting me go to unlock the door. He grabs my wrist again to tug me inside.
And then he stops still.
The bed, the single bed, is covered in bright red rose petals in the shape of a heart.
Lian’s hand squeezes reflexively around my wrist, the man wincing. “You’re not allergic to roses, are you?”
“No,” I say, amused as Lian lets me go to sweep the rose petals into his arms. He takes a step toward the window before realizing it doesn’t open and diverting into the bathroom. The toilet flushes a moment later, and Lian comes back looking triumphant.
“This is nice,” he says, stepping over to the large window and looking outside. “Wow. That view.”
I glance through the glass, keeping my distance, seeing nothing but the harbor. Looks like Seattle to me, but Lian’s enthusiasm has a smile tugging at my cheek.
He steps back before long, tossing his sun hat onto the bed. His chocolate-colored hair is mussed, the strands poofing from his head at odd angles he does nothing to try to tame. His eyes are the same color, a rich milk chocolate equal parts guileless and joyful.
He grins at me. “Should we unpack? Sail time is in twenty minutes. I figure we could look around a bit after that?”
“Sure,” I say, happy to go along with whatever Lian wants. This is his vacation, after all. I’m just hitching a ride. “Thanks again for letting me join you. I really do appreciate it.”
“Are you kidding?” he says, unzipping his suitcase as I do the same. “Thanks for coming. I know I could’ve come alone, but there were two tickets, and it seemed like such a waste to only use one. Plus, I have a feeling we’ll get along just fine, don’t you…”
Lian’s voice peters out as I pull a skimpy sailor’s outfit from my bag, comprised of striped booty shorts and a cropped top of similar style.
“I swear I didn’t pack this,” I say quickly, staring at it in horror. Goddamn Troy.
“Your brother?” Lian asks in a choked voice.
I nod, throwing the outfit into a drawer. “I promise, I told him this trip wasn’t…like that.”
The smile Lian tosses me is genuine. “I get it. It’s kinda nice, if you think about it. He just wants you to be happy.”
Sure, happy.
Lian makes a sudden noise of despair as he rifles through his own clothes. “Gosh darn it all,” he mutters, holding up hands coated in pearly white. “My shampoo exploded.”
I cringe.
“Really?” he goes on, pulling pair after pair of briefs from his suitcase, all covered in the stuff. “Why only my underwear? Are you kidding me with this?”
The question, as far as I can tell, is directed at the universe, Lian’s eyes aimed upwards as he pulls in a breath. Huffing, he turns and brings the underwear into the bathroom, presumably to wash out the shampoo.
“I bet we can find some on board?” I suggest.
He grumbles words I don’t catch.
“I have extra shampoo,” I add.
Lian’s voice comes strained. “All my underwear, Foster! What even is that?”
I bark out a laugh, quickly clearing my throat to cover it and praying Lian didn’t hear. “I, uh, think I saw a perfectly good pair of sailor’s shorts somewhere around here if you want them.”
Lian’s head pops slowly into view. “I know you don’t know me very well. But you should be aware I wouldn’t be at all embarrassed to walk around in those shorts. Stripes are my thing. So think very carefully about whether or not you want to extend that offer.”
I cough. And cough again.
Lian is back in the bathroom, the sink running.
Jesus.
I think I might have gotten more than I bargained for when I answered Lian’s ad.
The cruise ship is spacious, multi-level with entertainment and dining on nearly every floor. We stop at a gift shop selling clothes, but they don’t have any underwear. Only a selection of t-shirts, sweatshirts, pants, and flip-flops.
“Want to visit the deck?” Lian asks. “Or we can stay inside. That’s fine, too.”
“No, let’s check it out,” I answer. “That’s kind of the point of this, right? For me to get used to being around so much water.”
Lian nods, but there’s concern in his eyes. He doesn’t ask me if I’m sure, though, only takes hold of my wrist again—like he’s prepared to bodily pull me back from the edge of the ship should I get too close—and leads me out of the gift shop toward one of the cruise decks.
Plenty of people are outside, some wearing windbreakers or hoodies to combat the chill of the quick-moving air.
Lian’s hair blows around his head like a hurricane, the man grinning as we stop a good bit away from a railing.
We’re not even directly overlooking the water, the pool deck situated below us, but he’s still being cautious for my sake.
I twist my wrist gently so I can grab his hand, giving him a squeeze as I walk the distance forward to reach the railing.
I can feel Lian watching me, likely making sure I’m not about to panic.
It makes me incredibly uneasy to be surrounded by so much water on all sides, but I focus on other things, knowing it’ll only get worse once we reach the Pacific.
“I think it’s brave of you to do this,” Lian says, his voice quiet amongst the breeze.
I give him a brief smile. “Took me a long time to get here.”
“Still. How many people can say they’ve faced their fears head-on?”
“I think you’re giving me too much credit for going on a free cruise.”
“Don’t sell yourself short,” Lian insists, turning to face me. “You saw an opportunity for growth, and you took it. Just say yes, Lian, you’re right, and I’m very, very brave.”
I blow out a slow breath as Lian waits. “You’re right,” I say. “Thank you.”
He beams at me. “You missed a few parts, but that’s okay. We’ll work on it.”
As Lian turns back to the railing, someone calls, “Watch out!”
Lian ducks his head without even looking as a shade umbrella comes hurdling our way. I manage to snag it from the air before it can hit him, and he exhales in relief.
I flounder for a second, but Lian simply plucks the umbrella from my hand and runs it back to the woman who lost it.
The moment he returns, I ask, “What was that?”
“What?”
“That,” I repeat, waving a hand to him and then toward the woman with the umbrella. “You ducked like you knew it was going to hit you.”
He shrugs. “That’s just how it works. But hey, you stopped it! Thanks for that.”
I gape at him.
“You hungry?” he asks, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “I could go for some lunch. How allergic are you to seafood? Can you breathe the same air?”
“Um… Yeah, that’s fine. I just can’t ingest it.”
Lian is nodding, his head bobbing happily as we make our way back toward the interior of the cruise ship. After checking a map, we head off toward a buffet Lian wants to try, and I let the incident with the shade umbrella go.
“Do we have anything scheduled for this afternoon?” I ask as we grab ourselves plates.
“We do! It’s the couples massage. I thought it’d be nice to start the vacation off with relaxation, you know? Of course, at the time, it was supposed to be me and Kevin. But he turned out to be an inconsiderate prick, to put it lightly, so here we are.”
I blink at the side of Lian’s face, the man smiling as he uses tongs to put marinated zucchini on his plate. He adds a piece of lemon pepper salmon next, followed by a single crab leg and then, after what appears to be careful consideration, a second.
“Um,” I say. “So Kevin was the guy you were…”
“Dating,” Lian fills in. “This trip is on him, by the way. Although I planned everything, rose petals included. Kevin didn’t really care.”
“That was really thoughtful of you,” I put in. “Even if it didn’t turn out how you wanted, I think it’s nice that you tried.”
“It was, wasn’t it?” he agrees, looking at me with big eyes. “Thank you for saying that.”
I clear my throat, moving with Lian down the line of food. He adds a biscuit and some sort of strawberry dessert to his plate as I make up a burger.
“You’re not worried about cross-contamination?” he asks me.
I shake my head. “No, I already checked with the cruise line. They said if there’s any seafood components, it’ll be on the label. Like…there.”
I point to a rice dish that includes a curled shrimp beside the name, as well as a gluten-free marker.
“Handy,” Lian says, waiting as I grab myself a dessert. “Oh, you’re a chocolate guy?”
“Kind of my weakness,” I admit, Lian’s all-too-watchful brown eyes making me dart my gaze away. “After you.”
Lian picks a table near a floor-to-ceiling window, his gaze wistful as he watches the scenery pass. “I’m excited to see glaciers.”
“Yeah? Have you ever been to Alaska before?”
“Nope. You?”
“My first time,” I tell him.
His eyes light. “We’re both virgins!” Lian seems oblivious to the people next to us who look over. “This is so exciting. Ooh, hopefully we can experience humpbacks together. Wouldn’t that be neat? It’s supposed to be a transcendent experience. Kinda like the tantric breathing, I’m guessing.”
I thump my chest.
“You didn’t ingest seafood, did you?” Lian asks, eyes widening.
I quickly shake my head. “No. Nope. This, uh…food is great.”
“It is,” he agrees around a sigh. “Such a perfect vacation, and it’s only the first day.”
Despite the fact that I’m floating over my greatest nightmare and surrounded by food that could kill me, I can’t quite help but agree with him.
Lian and I finish our late lunch before retreating to our cabin to get changed.
We opt for loose, casual clothing that neither of us would mind getting massage oils on, and then head to the spa on the floor below.
Lian holds my wrist the entire way there, looking askance at a woman who tries to edge between us.
She’s forced to go around, Lian shaking his head all the while.
“Dangerous,” he mutters.
I bite the inside of my cheek.
The spa is dimly lit, an employee dressed in white ready to greet us. With a reservation in place, we’re led right back to a room, two slim massage tables set up side by side within.
“You can disrobe to your comfort,” the employee tells us. “Face down. Your massage therapists will be in shortly to start your session.”
Lian nods, kicking off his shoes as the door shuts. Soft music is piping through the room, the lights in here just as dim as elsewhere.
I’m about to ask what Lian’s comfort level is when it comes to undressing, but the man turning around and unceremoniously shoving down his pants and underwear in one go answers my question real fast. I whip my gaze away, heart pounding as Lian removes his shirt and shuffles under the sheet on one of the tables.
“Ahh,” he breathes out, his voice muffled through the face rest. “I’m already feeling relaxed.”
“Great,” I croak, my eyes trailing over the swell of Lian’s ass—his bare ass under that sheet—before I get myself in gear.
I carefully take off my shirt and pants, setting each item on a chair at the side of the room.
I pick Lian’s clothes up and toss them there, as well, before letting out a breath and tugging off my boxer briefs.
A couples massage. With a man I officially met mere hours ago. Whom I’m accompanying on a fourteen-day romantic cruise.
Nope. Nothing at all unusual about any of this.