Chapter 6
chapter six
Nate grabs our luggage and I stare at the massive boats in the distance. We’re not fully on the dock yet, but my heart’s been slowly going up in speed since I first saw the water. It glistens innocently in the summer sun, as if it couldn’t kill a human with ease.
It makes no sense. I’ve never even been in the ocean, but the thought of being over something that I could drown in makes me want to hightail it out of here.
“This’ll be fun,” I mutter.
“You okay?”
I go from staring at the water to staring at the boat. “It is in fact on water . What the fuck was I thinking when I agreed to this?”
“These are the questions I had.”
“There’s no way I can do this.” I shake my head. “You should go and I’ll fly home.”
“Maisie, nothing bad is going to happen on this cruise.”
“And how do you know that?” My gaze cuts to him. “So many things could go wrong. And I can’t even swim.”
“I’m lifeguard trained.”
I blink. “Since when? ”
“Since forever. The point is, if you somehow fall into water without a life jacket, which is a big if since I’m not planning on letting you get near a railing, I’ll be getting you back to safety.”
There’s something sincere about his words, and his tone feels alien to me. I’m tempted to sink into this moment forever with the version of my best friend who obviously cares so much for me, but he’s waiting for me to continue on with all the things that could go wrong.
“What if the boat sinks?”
“I’ve seen Titanic . We would both fit on that door and I would save your ass.”
“There’s no guarantee we could even get a life jacket.”
“I’ll fight anyone for a lifeboat and a paddle. And then I’ll drag you with me.”
Despite myself, I laugh. “You think you could survive in the ocean?”
“Hell yeah I can.”
“What if we get stuck on an island?”
“Well, I’ve watched a ton of survival shows. I could provide for you.”
It’s ridiculous to imagine, but I could see him doing it. When it comes down to things, Nate is fiercely protective of those around him. He’d do anything to keep me safe.
“That helps,” I say. “Thank you.”
“Once we’re on the boat, it won’t be so bad.”
I nod. “You’re right. Let’s just get this over with.”
We have to check in with security before we get on the boat. That’s on land, and waiting in line distracts me. Then we step onto the dock, something I don’t love, but it’s stable and I can barely see the water, so I survive.
Nate insists we have the porter take our bags, and then we’re on the boat.
It’s truly a marvel of man-made engineering. I can barely tell we’re on water at all. There are multiple hallways and decks to explore.
“When can we check into our room?” Nate asks, and I check the app.
“A few hours.”
“We should explore,” he offers. “And get food.”
Everyone seems to be heading to one of the lower decks. I can see a massive room ahead, something so huge that it shouldn’t even fit on a boat.
“Maybe not here,” I say. “Wanna find somewhere less busy?”
To get away from the crowds, we decide to see the ship from top to bottom.
There’s a running trail on the top of the boat. It goes through hallways and has a decent view of the pools. The second I see it, I’m already planning a run sooner rather than later. I desperately need it after forcing myself on this damn thing.
Below are pools and hot tubs. I stay far away from the water as Nate ventures close.
I pretend to take an interest in the bars and chairs, and for once, he lets me get away with it.
I’m feeling proud of myself for getting on the boat in the first place.
Getting too close to the pool will ruin all of that.
We also find a lounge and other shops. There are plenty of places to sit in the sun, and I know that’s most of what I’ll be doing on this level.
One more deck down, we find a rich offering of restaurants. Most of them are far slower than the first one we saw, and I immediately drag Nate toward tacos. It’s not as good as what I make at home, but it’s close enough.
I’m more patient after eating, and when we venture farther down, we find more and more people either eating or trying to find their rooms. We also find a bar and large venues for their shows.
The more I see, the more I’m amazed that we’re on a boat of all things.
Hell, there’s even a spa. The second I see it, I know I’ll be spending a lot of time there.
Nate wants to explore every corner, and we’re walking until late into the day. While I don’t like being near the deck of the ship, the rest is ... fine. Very fancy.
So fancy that I’m not sure how my parents afforded it on their meager salaries. I really owe them a thank-you.
“So, what do you think?” he asks. We’re in the elevator heading to the room that we’ve been assigned. I got the notification hours ago, but let Nate continue exploring.
“My parents went overboard.”
“Really? Maybe we should check on them.”
I roll my eyes and have to stop myself from laughing. “You know what I mean. This is very nice, and everything’s included. I’m honestly glad we’re using it. Something like this shouldn’t go to waste.”
“And this is just the beginning. We have islands to explore. Entire islands.”
“As long as I can survive the dock. You might have to go with me.”
“You’re capable of more than you think,” he reminds me. “And even if you can’t handle it, we can find something else for you to do.”
“I refuse to ruin this trip for you. If I can’t handle the dock, then?—”
“Then I’ll be with you. No questions asked.”
My heart skips a beat. I really don’t deserve this man.
As we walk down the hall to our room, I’m glad I brought him. He’s the right choice.
Our key card to the room is outside of the door. I’m still in a good mood when Nate bends down to grab it before using it.
I knew to expect one bed and a couch. What I didn’t expect, however, was for it to be this tiny. Not only is it smaller than I anticipated, it’s decked out in roses and champagne. On the bed is a massive pack of condoms.
“Wow,” Nate says. “So this is the honeymoon package. I expected it to be ... bigger.”
I shove away my horror. “Never expect a package to be bigger.”
At least he’s joking. At least I’m joking. It means I’m not suffocating in this tiny room.
“There’s a couch too. It’s basically the lap of luxury.”
I eye the thing. It’s a modern piece and looks like a pile of bricks with fabric over it. “That couch is a love seat at best.”
“I can scrunch.”
My eyes immediately narrow. “There’s no way you’re sleeping on that.”
“Well, there’s no way you are either.”
“I’m smaller than you. It won’t be comfortable, but it would work better.”
“Still, it’s a no from me.” He moves his bag to the couch, watching me every step of the way.
“We could just share the bed,” I offer.
“No.” He says it immediately and with more firmness than I expect. I blink at him, eyes wide. “I mean ... I wanna give you your space. I don’t need a bed.”
His light tone feels off, and I realize that he’d rather be uncomfortable for the whole trip than share a bed with me. This aversion to touching might become a big problem.
I move my bag near the bed. “Pardon me, but I think I need to use the little girls’ room.”
“There’s only one bathroom. But have fun anyway. Don’t fall in.”
I go to shut the door to have a moment to myself, but then I realize something truly horrific.
There is no door.
“Uh, what?”
“It’s a toilet,” Nate calls. “Shouldn’t be too different.”
“I’m not talking about the bathroom. Nate, there’s no door.” I don’t even have to raise my voice for him to hear me. “Nate, there’s no door .” I have to repeat it uselessly to make sense of the nightmare I just uncovered.
“No way.” I hear him walking toward me. “I bet it’s one of those pocket ones.”
He gets to the open doorway and reaches for the solid wood. He pauses when he realizes that there truly is no way for there to be a pocket door. His hands press flat against the surface as if there’s some magical way to make a door appear.
“What kind of place is this?” he asks.
I grab my phone to check the room type.
Apparently, this is a room with a special feature. It’s called the Peeking Suite: bathroom with an intimate view .
“Oh no.” I cover my mouth and show Nate the listing. “It’s supposed to not have one.”
“What are these people into?” he asks.
“Definitely not privacy.”
“Great,” he mutters. “And your parents picked this for you?”
“You know how open-minded Mom can be.”
“Still.” He runs his hand through his hair, messing up his waves.
“This is a—” He stops and looks at me. He knows I’ll pick up on his panic.
“This is fine.” He’s trying to be brave, but his voice shakes.
I know this isn’t ideal for either of us, but especially him, considering all the walls he’s seemingly put up over the years.
“They haven’t left the dock yet.” I need to offer it one more time. “I can leave and you can enjoy this yourself.”
Nate’s eyes cut to me. “Wait, a missing door is enough to scare you off?”
“No. Well, this is a pretty important missing door. But this whole thing. Maybe it really is better if you do this alone.”
“I meant what I said earlier. ”
“Nate, this room is not just small. It’s ... intimate. And it’s different now that we’re looking at it.”
“But ... it’s us. We can handle anything.”
I stare at him. Can we?
Because as much as I want to be completely supportive of his aversion to touching, it’s not going to be easy to accommodate here.
“I’m gonna go.” I shake my head and step back into the room to grab my suitcase. “This is a terrible idea.”
“Maisie, wait.”
“No, seriously. What were we thinking? I’m not mentally prepared to be here. And you deserve to have your own space. This is too much ... even for us.”