26. Nina
26
NINA
Maia, Vanessa, and Jace probably can’t see that Wesley is more attentive than ever.
At the start of summer, his indifference was infuriating. He’s more present and talkative when it’s just the two of us, but he’s largely withdrawn. Now he’s more brazen—asking if I want french fries delivered to the boat, pointing out cute dogs we pass. I would love it if it wasn’t coming the day after my attack. I question the authenticity of it, and that alone leaves a pit weighing my stomach down.
Four bodyguards trail behind us as we head down the dock. Suddenly, Roman pops up on the upper deck of the boat, his arms spread wide. I shield the sun and my disappointment with my hand.
“Your Majesties have finally arrived!”
“Oh, Roman is joining,” Maia says, trying and failing to sound upbeat.
“I know he was a bit over-the-top when you first met him, but he will be on his best behavior,” Jace assures. “I promise he’s a lot of fun when you get to know him.”
A man around sixty years old steps off the boat. He opens his arms for a hug from Vanessa. “Vanessa! Jason! It’s good to see you again.”
“Captain Thomas!” she exclaims.
He pecks her on each cheek and I wince at the kissing sound. He’s around my height with skin wrinkled from years of sun exposure. Greasy hair snakes out from beneath his sailor’s hat.
“This is Nina and Maia. They’ll be joining us,” Jace explains and gestures to the two of us.
Captain Thomas gently shakes Maia’s hand. When he turns his attention to me, his interest visibly piques. “Look at how beautiful,” he says. Instead of shaking my hand, he caresses and traps it with the other. He looks at me as he adds, “It is a pleasure to meet you both. I look forward to exploring the waters with you.”
I stiffen as he starts to bring my hand to his lips. Wesley steps closer behind me and I don’t have to pull away from Captain Thomas; the look my bodyguard gives him is enough.
“I, uh—follow me,” Captain Thomas says awkwardly to the group. He walks toward the boat without waiting. I wipe my hand on my dress. Wesley’s intimidation was subtle, but Maia and my cousins noticed. Vanessa’s smothered chuckle comes out in a comical snort, making my sister laugh, too.
My cheeks warm at the thought of them reading into Wesley’s defense, so I hurry onto the boat. Maia gets attention from Roman, and I get attention from a greasy sixty-year-old. I don’t want either, but one would make me less disgusted than the other. I hold back mortified tears. Vanessa and Jace put this trip together to help me feel better. It will be best for everyone if I packed away these childish insecurities.
The boat is the size of the house I grew up in. An array of fruits, vegetables, and other snacks lay in wait for us near the lounge area under the shade. The bodyguards disappear up into the room where the captain works, which I notice has its own lounge, too.
“Let’s get this party started,” Roman says, and I wish I had enough time to take a picture of Maia’s reaction when he turns on techno music. My sister immediately protests this music taste, surprising him and my cousins.
“You don’t like this?” Vanessa asks as she clips her short brown hair behind her. She tugs down a few pieces to frame the bangs across her forehead. “It’s popular here.”
“ Techno ?”
“EDM!”
“ED-no.” She outstretches her hand for whatever phone is playing the music. “I’ll show you some better stuff.”
Roman laughs and hands her his phone. “Play what you like. I want to hear your music taste.”
The slick attempt to include his interest in her makes my sister roll her eyes. She types and scrolls until Iced Tea by Joyce Wrice thumps through the speakers. The R I spent far too long covering the bruise around my neck to sweat it off.
We float past dozens of mansions perched along the coast, flanked by pillars of cypress trees. None of the houses has a dock because of the hundred-feet-tall rocks between the surface and sea. Vanessa eventually puts traditional Maldanian music on, the guitar and accordion melodies drifting throughout the boat.
In spite of Roman consistently invading Maia’s personal space, she maintains an upbeat personality, and I know that it’s for my sake. Roman is the type to keep his advances subtle—a brush of his hand or shoulder against hers, asking her every opinion. It would make her look dramatic if she were to ask him to stop.
As we sit around the table playing a game of UNO, a longing pang for Wesley hits me. I don’t like it when he’s not at my side. Vanessa starts to deal out another round, and Roman steals a card to gather the white powder he dumps on the surface. He sets up two lines and snorts up one while Jace snorts up the other. Coke? I glance around to see if anyone is as uncomfortable as I am.
“Is that—?” I ask.
Roman holds up another little baggie of white powder. “You want some?”
“No, I, uh—I need to use the bathroom,” I stutter, jumping from my seat and heading around the corner. I disappear from the main deck, grateful for the temporary moments to gather myself.
“Neen?”
I whirl toward Maia. “They’re snorting coke ?”
She sighs. “I know, I know, but that’s their choice. We don’t have to. I’ll ask them not to do it anymore.” She turns me toward the view of Maldana’s mountainous landscape across the stretch of blue sea in front of us. “We’re here to relax. Look at where we are! It’s insanely beautiful here. Why don’t you go ask Mason and Beck to come relax with us?”
I look at her over my shoulder, eyes wide in question.
“Roman’s getting a little too close,” she admits. “This is the one time I want him to run interference.”
I choke out a laugh and head upstairs to search for the two bodyguards in question. In truth, it will calm me with Wesley in sight. Part of me panics at the chance that Maia knows this, which is why she suggested they join.
“Wes!” I perk at the familiar figure walking down the exterior hallway. I hold onto the railing to my right. We might be in water, but this is still too high for comfort. “Maia and I want to invite you and Mason to come relax with us,” I explain when Wesley faces me. “Like we did at the café in Milagro.”
He hesitates. “No, we’re fine up here.”
“Really? I know the others are all about business, but you and Mason are different.”
“I understand. I don’t—like to be around people much.”
He’s antisocial. This much I know. But it still stings. I want to show Maia and Vanessa the side of him that I love being around. How he’s smart and thoughtful. How he gives me subtle reassurances and knows what I need before I know myself. Maybe I’ll keep the second part close to the vest.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
Disappointment fills me, and I try to keep it out of my voice. “Okay,” I quip. “Um—well… Maia wanted to invite Mason because Roman keeps getting too close to her. Can you let him know?”
Wesley nods and continues down the hallway. When I return to the main deck, the group falls silent. I suppress a huff. They could at least attempt to be normal.
“Let’s go swimming!” Vanessa exclaims, getting up and pulling three donut floats from a closet. Jace and Roman rip off their shirts before launching themselves over the edge without warning. I can’t help but laugh at the funny sounds they make while sailing through the air.
I shed my cover-up, still stuck with my one-piece that I regret bringing more and more. I put on my jumbo black sunglasses and climb onto the air-filled donut. Maia flips the music back to R it doesn’t mean I don’t feel slightly rejected. And I hate that feeling and I hate how much I crave him.
Letting myself fall for Wesley will only complicate things. I’m his job—one he takes seriously. Sleeping with me wouldn’t look good on his resume; he would get in trouble with Jack; the Higher Court would never look at me the same. With Queen Ophelia as my mother, they expect me to have some natural streak of regality.
I live for the ease of my family. I missed school dances because Dad was drunk and throwing up and Maia was lost on the proper way to take care of him. Until I was fourteen, Dad would try to drive, leave, or wander when drunk. Maia went out. I stayed. I never resented her for it—it was my job.
Do I want to risk the way my family and the Higher Court view me over some lustful thoughts about my bodyguard?
I blink myself out of my reverie, glancing around to spot the mountainous lands hundreds of miles across the sea. Yes . A distraction. I point toward them. “Are those part of Maldana?”
“Yup!” Vanessa exclaims, flailing her arms to twist the float toward me.
“Do people live there?”
“No, they aren’t livable. Something about the environment.”
The island view takes my breath away, but it’s not the one I crave. The real view is sitting on the second floor of the yacht in front of me.