Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
Foster
“Now for this next move, we’re going to have the follower roll across the back of the leading partner.”
Lian squeals almost imperceptibly next to me. “Oh em gee.”
His enthusiasm is infectious, and several of the other swing dance partners nearby smile as my partner does an excited shimmy. The dance instructors demonstrate the move for us, assuring us it’s beginner level but reiterating anyone can sit it out if they’d like.
Lian bounces on his toes. “We’re going to try it, right? Unless you don’t want to. But you want to, right?”
I huff a laugh, ridiculously endeared by Lian’s happy, beaming face and those chocolate eyes looking at me with nothing but trust. “Yeah, we’ll try it. Which position do you want?”
Lian bites his lip, and I realize how that sounded. “Um,” he coughs out, a flush rising on his cheeks. “You lead this one. If that’s okay?”
“Yep.”
“Not that I’m not happy to lead!” he rushes out. “I like leading quite a lot, if you know what I mean. Not that we’re talking about…that. Holy crisper, what were we talking about?”
“The dance move,” I remind him as Lian fans his face.
He nods vigorously. “Right. Where I’ll be behind you. On your back. Rolling over your back.”
“Now, who’s ready?” our instructor asks.
Lian shoots his hand in the air, leaning close to whisper, “Were you paying attention at all?”
I snort a laugh as we take up positions in the center of the room, other duos who want to learn the move surrounding us on all sides.
“Just hook my elbow with yours,” I tell him, “and I’ll do the rest.”
“Erm.”
Even though it’s obvious Lian wasn’t paying attention, I’m able to walk him through the move. It takes a good few tries, but, finally, Lian rolls over my back as slow as a snail. He whoops once he makes it over, proceeding to trip on his own foot and nearly faceplanting.
He shoots me a smile when I catch him. “You’re good at that.”
“Preventing you from sustaining injury?”
“No, just…being there to catch me.”
Well, shit.
I clear my throat as Lian gets into place again. “Let’s try it faster this time.”
We do get through it quicker and smoother the second time, my right elbow hooking Lian’s left as he starts the roll over my bent back, my left elbow snagging his right to pull him the rest of the way across.
I’ve never done swing dance before, but the instructors are making this half-day course fun, teaching us simple moves instead of an entire routine we’re expected to memorize and repeat.
I have a feeling I wouldn’t be as good at that.
Lian, though, for all his bumbling, is a natural. He doesn’t let his clumsy feet get the better of him, and something about that sort of unwavering confidence makes me appreciate my companion even more.
Frankly, there’s a lot about Lian to appreciate. I’d be lying if I claimed otherwise.
Before our lessons come to a close, the instructors put on music and tell us to have some fun. We dance around for a bit, making a decent mess of things, but Lian’s smile has my own grin holding fast. When Lian twirls out away from me, I tug him back in before dipping him low.
Lian makes a noise of surprise at the move we weren’t taught, but he follows my lead, arching back before I lift him up again. He bumps into my chest with an oof, his hands landing on my pecs.
Neither of us is dancing now. My heart is beating fast beneath his palm, my eyes flicking down to Lian’s mouth as he catches his breath.
The end of the music has both of us stepping apart with a jerk.
“Wonderful,” one of the instructors says, addressing the group. “I hope you’ve had fun learning swing dance. Give yourselves a round of applause for being such great students.”
We all clap, Lian the loudest, which is no surprise. He grabs hold of my hand before shooting me an apologetic smile and shifting his grip to my wrist. Then we’re heading out the door.
I’ve gotten used to the sway of the ship in the past five days we’ve been on it. Most of the time, I don’t even notice it anymore. Until I close my eyes and it feels as if I’m rocking back and forth, which I am. But unless I’m trying to fall asleep, the movement is easily forgotten.
We stop off for lunch before heading back to our cabin to change into our swimsuits. It’s a bit chilly to enjoy the outdoor pool, but there’s a smaller indoor pool room we want to check out. As Lian is inside the bathroom getting ready, my phone rings. It’s my brother.
I step out into the hall, leaving the door cracked so Lian will know where to find me, and then I answer the call.
“Afternoon,” I say to Troy.
“Well, well. He lives. I take it things are going well aboard the mighty deathtrap?”
My lips twitch at my brother’s attempt at levity, albeit dark. He knows exactly how difficult this is for me, despite how readily I jumped at the chance. Actually convincing myself to meet Lian at the port? That was far more daunting.
“Everything is fine,” I tell my brother. “Not easy, but… I’ve stayed distracted.”
His tone turns curious. “Oh, really? And what, exactly, has been distracting you?”
“There’s lots to do,” I answer, well aware I’m skirting the real answer.
Troy hums. “And Liam? The guy you’re with? What’s he like?”
“It’s Lian,” I correct. “And he’s…great. Ava would love him, actually. He just has this way about him. Everything is bubbly when he’s around.”
Troy is quiet for a beat. “You like him.”
My heart skips at his assessment. “What? I barely know him.”
“Yeah, but your voice got all soft,” he accuses. “You like the super-cute guy you’re cruising with!”
“First, you’ve never seen him. You don’t know that he’s super cute.”
“Well, is he?” Troy asks.
“Not the point. And second…”
When I fail to come up with any other defense, my brother laughs.
“It’s okay to like him,” Troy says. “Assuming he likes you back… I mean, it doesn’t have to be serious. You’re not going to stumble on better circumstances for a quick fling.”
“Is that why you packed the shortest sailor’s outfit in existence in my bag? Where did you even find that?”
Troy cackles. “Make use of it! Have a little fun if your Lian is up for it.”
“You’re making a lot of assumptions right now,” I inform him, rubbing the back of my neck.
“If he were straight, you would have mentioned it first thing to get me off your back,” he points out.
He’s not wrong. The thing is—I don’t know if Lian is even interested in me like that. I mean, he did offer to stab me if I asked for it. And I’ve caught him looking at me in a way that leaves little room for doubt.
But would it make a difference in the end? I didn’t answer Lian’s ad thinking I’d find someone to fool around with or date. This is Lian’s dream vacation. I shouldn’t mess with that, right?
I groan, my head thunking back against the wall.
“Just tell him how you feel,” my brother says, voice gentler than before. More serious. “What would be the worst that could happen?”
Considering how accident-prone Lian is, quite a lot, I’m guessing.
I don’t have time to answer my brother before the door to my cabin swings wildly open, Lian, dressed in only his swim trunks, looking around with frantic eyes. He exhales heavily when he spots me, his hand going to his chest.
“For cripe’s sake, there you are! What are you doing wandering outside our room all alone? Do I need to get you a leash?”
My brother chokes.
“I, uh…” I manage before Lian barrels on.
“I promised I wouldn’t let you fall overboard, Foster. How am I possibly supposed to uphold my promise if you’re going to recklessly gallivant around so close to the ship’s edge?”
A beat of silence passes in which I look up and down the fully walled hallway we’re in. I’m about to make a joke when I realize just how spooked Lian truly is.
“Hey, I’m fine,” I assure him, holding out my hand.
Lian grabs on with a whooshing breath, stepping closer.
“I won’t go off on my own again without telling you, okay?” I promise him. “I just stepped out of our room to take a call.”
He nods several times. “Yeah, okay. Sorry for freaking out. It’s just… You’re my responsibility, you know? And I wouldn’t ever be able to forgive myself if something happened to you on my watch.”
“Shit,” Troy says, his voice quiet in my ear. “He likes you, Foster.”
“I gotta go,” I tell my brother, quickly ending the call. To Lian, I offer a reassuring smile. “Promise, I’m fine. Are you ready to go swimming?”
With a squeeze of his hand around mine, Lian nods. I slip back inside to change quickly, and then the two of us head down to the ship’s indoor pool. There are several people inside the room, the walls of windows letting in warmth from the sun but keeping out the bitter wind.
I didn’t have a chance to notice the long line of Lian’s torso when he first stormed out of our cabin, too caught up in his worry.
But now, with the man wearing nothing but trunks as he lowers himself into the pool, I can’t stop my eyes from taking him in.
Lian doesn’t seem to notice my appraisal, a smile on his face.
“It’s heated,” he tells me, sighing happily before dipping below the water. When his head pops above the surface again, his hair is slicked back, the usually unruly dark tendrils framing his face in a way I find immensely distracting. “Coming in?”
I find my voice at last. “Yep.”
The pool is a perfect temperature as I drop over the side and join Lian.
My brother’s words ring in my head. “Just tell him how you feel.” I could tell Lian I’d very much like to kiss him if that’s something he wants, too.
I could ask if he’d want my lips on his skin.
If he’d let me touch him and make him come and find out what he sounds like lost in bliss.
I could, but should I?
If Lian says no, it could make the remainder of this trip rather awkward. Is it fair of me to risk that?
Lian and I swim for some time as a kid in the shallow end of the pool dives for sinking rings their parent keeps tossing in. It’s late afternoon when we finally climb out, using our towels to dry off.
“We have a bit of time before dinner,” Lian says. “What do you want to—”
His words cut off when I grab his arm, my gaze caught out the window. “Come on.”
Lian doesn’t question me, following as I gently haul him out of the pool room toward the deck of the ship. He looks over at me in concern when he realizes where we’re going.
“Foster?”
“Just trust me,” I tell him.
He nods, brow pinched, his hand grabbing my own off his arm so he can grasp me with a proper death grip. I’m not worried about falling, but I don’t consider asking Lian to let go.
When we get out onto the nearest deck, the wind smacks us both in the face. It’s cold this time of year, especially in the Pacific just off Alaska’s coast. But I don’t want Lian to miss this.
The moment we stop near the railing, I point. “There.”
Lian makes a noise of surprise. “Are those…”
“Seals,” I confirm.
The seals, four of them, are resting on icy floes between us and the shore.
They pay the cruise ship no mind, but I can see others on a deck below us watching them, as well.
Lian lets out a breath that sounds like wonderment, his eyes glued to the seals.
They appear to be a family, two larger and two smaller, all lying in the sun above the frigid water.
“They’re amazing,” Lian practically whispers.
I find my gaze trailing to him. Goosebumps cover his shoulders and arms, but he doesn’t seem to care.
Even so, I swing my towel over his back, and he shoots me a grateful smile before doing the exact same thing to me.
I huff a small laugh, the both of us pulling the damp towels more firmly around our shoulders as we watch the seals get smaller on our way past. Lian’s hand remains locked with my own, his skin warm.
“Thank you, Foster,” he says once the seals are only specks. “I won’t forget this vacation for as long as I live.”
My eyes return to the side of Lian’s face, his brown eyes bright.
I don’t think I’ll forget it, either.