Triangles

by Kimberly Ann Miller

  Blinding sunlight glowed in the window above my bed and woke me. I squinted against the brightness, confused and disoriented. Jessica was sleeping on the couch, her bare legs peeking out from under the floral blanket. Hot pink toenails pointed at me.

  Oh, right. The cruise. Marcus. Joey. Images of both guys flooded my disoriented brain.

  I stretched and yawned, then glanced out the window. The sun sparkled like crushed diamonds on the deep blue ocean. The sky held no clouds. No other ships shared the vast ocean expanse with us as we steamed toward Bermuda.

  I tiptoed around Jessica, threw on some jeans shorts and a pink tank top, and left to explore the ship.

  The minute I got to the walking track, I saw Joey and his grandparents.

  They all had on jogging suits and baseball hats with the ship’s logo. How cute. Matching outfits.

  Gag.

  I was turning to disappear when he called out to me. “Autumn. Hey, Autumn! Great ship, isn’t it?” He was breathless from jogging.

  I pulled a cat hair off my shirt and watched it float away in the breeze. “I guess. I miss my cat.”

  He looked down at his feet. “You should try to have some fun. You’ve been through so much.”

  I rolled my eyes. Just what I wanted to avoid. Poor Autumn, right in my face, first thing in the morning. I didn’t want his pity. I wanted his absence. “Joey, please. I don’t want to think about all I’ve been through, all right? I just want to relax.”

  He looked at me with compassion in his eyes. “Well, have a nice morning, Autumn. I’m heading to the auditorium. They’re having a lecture by the ship’s doctor about tropical diseases. It starts in half an hour if you’re interested. I could save you a seat.”

  I put my hands up. “No thanks. I don’t want to have to worry about picking up some rash I’ve never heard of.” Though if they had slides, the pictures might be interesting. “Besides, I wanted to spend some time by myself. But, um, thanks anyway for the offer.”

  He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “No problem. You know, there’s no reason to be alone out here on the open ocean. It’s supposed to be magical.”

  “Yeah. Black magic,” I mumbled. “Anyway, I have to go meet Jessica. She’s waiting for me.” I turned and walked away. “Bye, Joey. Have fun.”

  I continued with my exploration, wandering through each massive deck of the ship from top to bottom. I checked out the pools, the theaters, the restaurants, the photo gallery, the bars, and the library again. On my way back to my room, I passed Marcus on the pool deck. His cheeks already looked sun-kissed.

  “Hey there,” he said, a bright smile lighting up his handsome face. “Having fun?”

  I shook my head. “I already ran into my shadow once this morning, and it’s not even ten.”

  He chuckled. “Can I convince you to join me at the pool in an hour? They’re having a guys-against-girls tug of war in the water. What do you say?”

  I turned away with a sultry smile. “I say girls rule. No contest.”

  “Want to put your money where your mouth is?” he called as I retreated.

  I stopped and turned back to see his dazzling smile beckoning me to play. When he saw me hesitate, he approached. “Change your mind already? Most girls simply can’t resist my charm.” His confident posture told me he wasn’t lying.

  I grinned, unsure of what I wanted at this point. “Hmm. Maybe. I’ll be at the pool later. If you aren’t busy with all those other girls, stop by.” I raised an eyebrow and tilted my head just a bit.

  I turned and left before he had the chance to respond. When I got back to the room, Jessica was braiding her long hair in front of the large mirror. “Hey Autumn, can you do me a favor and leave me a note or something when you leave the room? I didn’t know where you were.”

  I let out an exaggerated sigh. “Really, Jessica, we’re on a ship in the middle of the open ocean. You would have found me sooner or later. Joey has no trouble sniffing me out.”

  She finished her braid and started bathing in suntan lotion. “Fine, whatever. I don’t want to argue. Today is our day at sea. I’m going to hang out by the pool all day. If you want, I’ll save a chair for you.” She grabbed a beach bag that overflowed with paperback books. “I’ve got towels, suntan lotion, bottled water, and snacks in here. If you come, bring a book or something to do. See ya.” She shoved her pink toes into flip-flops and slipped out the door.

  I pulled on my black bikini, tied the strings nice and tight, and checked myself out in the mirror. Thank God for good genes. I ate what I wanted and still looked good in this little swimsuit.

  I hoped Marcus would get to check me out. And Joey wouldn’t.

  I threw my clothes back on, grabbed the books and my iPod, and went to the pool deck. Jessica had saved me a chair next to her, so I put my stuff down on the tiny glass table that sat between our chairs and lathered up with sunscreen. She had her head back with her sunglasses and headphones on. Her suntan lotion and magazines sat neatly arranged next to my stuff. I settled into the chair and pulled out a book about serial killers. True crime fascinated me. How any human could do what these people did to other humans boggled my mind. Didn’t they ever feel guilt or remorse?

  I felt both by the bucketload.

  The bright sun on my pages forced my eyes into a squint as I flipped through the black and white crime scene photographs. My sunlight turned to shade as someone stopped at the end of my chair. I snapped my head up to see Joey standing in front of me in cutoff jeans and no shirt. I had never realized how muscular he was, especially in the chest. His hands were already in his pockets.

  “Hey, Autumn! Glad to see you out having fun. I saw on the daily report that they’re having an ice carving demonstration at noon. Those things can be pretty cool.” He sat down at the edge of my chair.

  “That sounds like fun.” Jessica sat up and started straightening up the books I’d put on the little table. I’d thought she was sleeping next to me with her music on. Guess not.

  “Ugh, Jessica, leave the table alone. It’s neat enough.” She needed medication for her OCD. “Why don’t you guys go to the demonstration and I’ll watch our stuff? I’m just going to relax today.”

  And avoid contact with Joey if at all possible.

  I could feel Joey’s eyes boring into me. “The demonstration is right over there.” He motioned toward a covered stage next to the pool. “You can watch it from here if you don’t want to get up.”

  “Well, I’m not interested in that, but I really could use a cold drink right—”

  “Say no more.” Joey ran toward the bar, tripping over someone’s bright green towel and righting himself at the last minute.

  “You’re so mean, Autumn. How can you take advantage of him like that when you know he worships the ground you walk on? He’s got a rough life.” Jessica watched him at the bar, sadness etched across her face.

  I shrugged. “I figured, as long as he’s going to be my shadow, I may as well get something out of it, right?” I scanned the bar and found him leaning against a stool, drumming his fingers on the counter. “Besides, I really just wanted to get rid of him for a little while. He’s up my ass like those things you use at work.”

  She glanced at me. “A suppository?”

  I chuckled. “Yup, that’s it. That’s what Joey reminds me of.”

  Jessica shook her head and closed her eyes. “That’s not nice, Autumn.”

  I laughed. Maybe it wasn’t, but hey, he got under my skin.

  “Hey there.”

  The voice came from behind me. I craned my neck to look back over my seat. Marcus stood over me in a pair of green Bermuda shorts and nothing else.

  He walked around to the front of the chair and sat where Joey had been moments earlier. He took a long look at Jessica. Over the years I’d learned that her ability to attract stares exceeded mine. Must be the blonde hair. I rolled my eyes.

  When I thought about it, though, I’d never noticed Joey checking her out. Hmm. May
be something was wrong with him.

  What was I saying? There was definitely something wrong with him. I knew that.

  “Hey, Marcus. You remember my sister, Jessica?”

  “Hi,” they said at the same time. Thankfully, neither of them seemed uncomfortable around the other.

  He turned back to me and smiled. “Want to go for a swim with me? There’s a rule around here that you can’t be by the pool without getting wet.”

  “No there isn’t,” I said.

  He winked. “There should be, don’t you think? Come on.”

  His smile was so inviting, I had to say yes. “Sure, why not?” He reached for my hand.

  Joey came back juggling three cups of iced tea as my hand sat in Marcus’s. He looked at our hands, then at Marcus. His face visibly darkened. “I was sitting there.”

  Marcus turned to him. “Not a problem. Autumn and I were just heading to the pool.”

  I tried to pull my hand from his. “Marcus, this is—” I started to interrupt.

  “Come on. The pool is getting crowded.” Marcus stood and tugged on my hand. I got up and he released his grip. He slapped Joey on the back as he walked past him toward the pool.

  Joey stared at me as I pulled off my tee and shorts. He practically had to wipe the drool off the corner of his mouth. He still held the drinks in his trembling hands, so I reached up to take them. “Give me those before they spill. Thanks for the tea.” I set the drinks on the table. Sweat dripped onto my borrowed book. I took a sip and wiped the water off the book.

  “Autumn, how can you be interested in him? He’s a spoiled jerk.” Joey took his drink and shook his head. “He thinks he can buy whatever he wants—including girls. He’s going to try to wow you with his money.”

  “Us Taylor girls don’t fall for that, Joey. I’ve been there,” Jessica said.

  “How do you know he’s a jerk?” I asked, ignoring Jessica. Sure, I’d just met him at the dock. Sure, he’d lied to Jessica. But he seemed decent enough otherwise. And what guy didn’t occasionally lie about his age or reputation?

  I looked toward the pool. Marcus was standing in the shallow end with his arms spread out on either side of him. His wet hair glittered in the sunlight. With his face turned toward the sun and his eyes closed, he reminded me of an underwear model.

  “Because I know him. He treats me like I’m dirt.”

  Marcus opened his eyes and saw us talking. He waved me over and winked.

  “Sorry he’s mean to you, Joey. Maybe it’s because you slammed the door in his face at Tony’s. He’s been nothing but nice to me. I’ll see you later.”

  He looked down at my bare midriff. “Um, I, uh, want to taste you.” The minute the words came out of his mouth, his face burst into redness. “I mean…” His voice grew with volume and urgency. “I want to race you. In the pool.” He continued to stare at my body, now so flustered he was mumbling.

  I wrapped my arms around my stomach. “Gross, Joey. I so did not want to hear that. Maybe later. Right now I’m going to hang out with him.”

  “Thank you for saying maybe. It’s way better than no.” He glanced at my stomach again, and the redness increased. “Anyway.” He changed the subject of my near-naked body and found his voice again. “Marcus is not like us, Autumn. He’s a spoiled rich kid. He doesn’t know anything about having sick parents like we do or—”

  I’d never heard Joey sound so serious before. Maybe he was just jealous that I was giving Marcus more attention than I gave him. “Rephrasing, Joey—you have no claim on me. Butt out.”

  I left him sitting next to Jessica and walked over to Marcus. I caught him staring at my body as I walked, so I added a little sway to my hips and a little bounce to my boobs, flaunting what I had. He reached up and helped me lower myself into the pool next to him.

  “Hey there. Glad you could break away from your boyfriend for a while.” He playfully splashed warm water at me.

  I chuckled. “He’s the shadow I mentioned. I already told you, he isn’t my boyfriend.”

  He scoffed at my comment. “Well he wants to be. It’s so obvious. You work with him, right?”

  “Yup. We work together at Shore Auto. He’s one of the mechanics there, and I work the register.”

  Joey watched us as we spoke. I felt self-conscious standing next to a hot guy in my bikini while Joey sat nearby. Kind of like I was cheating on him, even though we weren’t going out. Every time I caught his gaze, he looked away and blushed.

  “He’s been after me for a while. I only found out he was coming on this cruise a few days before we left.” I laughed. “I almost canceled. He seems to pop up everywhere I go.”

  Marcus flexed bulky biceps under his tanned skin. “I can take care of that for you. Just say the word.”

  I shook my head. “No thanks. I can handle myself.” Joey’s gaze slipped from annoyed to abandoned-cat-in-the-pet-store. I hated the guilt that look brought out in me. I turned in the water so my back was to Joey.

  “Tell me about yourself, Autumn. I like your name.”

  “You can call me Rayne,” I said. “It’s my middle name, and I prefer it, but no one ever calls me that.” I never told people why, but it matched my mood better than Autumn. When I thought of autumn leaves falling, I thought of magic. When I thought of Rayne, I thought of tears.

  “How long have you been working at the auto store?”

  “Since January. It’s okay. My best friend works with me, which makes it a bit more tolerable.”

  “Is she the girl in the funky clothes? The one you sit with at Tony’s?”

  “Yeah. She’s, um, original, I guess you could say. Personally, I think she just likes to piss her parents off. Her mom’s one of those traditional women from India who still believes in arranged marriages.” I played with the water in front of me. I had almost forgotten we were in a pool on a cruise ship high above the ocean. “So, you noticed her, huh?”

  He grinned and leaned toward me. “I noticed you. A beautiful girl like you is hard to miss, Rayne.” He reached for my hand under the water. “I can see why what’s-his-name is after you.”

  “It’s Joey, Marcus,” Joey said from behind me. “Your brother.”

  Six

  I jumped at Joey’s voice. When I turned to face him, my mouth hung open. “Your what?” I glanced at Marcus, then back at Joey crouching next to us on the concrete. They looked nothing alike except for the dark hair. Joey’s brown eyes and olive skin didn’t match Marcus’s gray eyes and light skin at all. And Joey was tall and slender while Marcus was short and built. How could these two opposites be related?

  Joey had a wild look in his eyes, but Marcus kept his cool. “Half-brother, Joey. Half. And do you mind? I’m a little busy here with Rayne.” Marcus stepped closer to me and put his arm around my waist.

  Joey looked at me like he had just found out I was an alien from the planet WTF. “Autumn, what are you—”

  I held my hand up to stop him. “You told me to have some fun. I’m doing that. Can I talk to you later? Please? Why don’t you go sit with Jessica for a while or something? She looks lonely.”

  Joey’s shoulders slumped. His gaze shifted between Marcus and me. He opened his mouth like he had something to say, then sighed. “Later, Autumn.” His eyes shot a death glare at Marcus. He stood and left.

  A mischievous gleam entered Marcus’s eyes. I unwrapped his hand from my waist and crossed my arms over my chest.

  Marcus shrugged. “I didn’t bother telling you because we aren’t close. We’ve never even lived together. He’s nothing to me, really.” He snaked his arm around my waist again. “Don’t let him ruin your fun. Doesn’t he do that to you enough already?”

  Marcus was right. I wasn’t going to let Joey ruin my trip or my fun. I figured I would question Joey later, but for now I enjoyed the sinful feeling creeping into my soul. I leaned into his arm. “You realize this changes things?”

  “Oh?”

  I splashed the refreshing water on my a
rms and watched the sun glisten on my skin. “Yeah. If you really did notice me, why didn’t you ask him about me? If he’s your half-brother, you might have asked him to introduce us.”

  “I told you, we aren’t close. At all. I barely know him, in fact. There’s no way I could have known he wasn’t your boyfriend. And if he ever found out I liked you, he’d try to make my life a living hell for it—like right now.” He motioned toward Joey with his chin. Joey sat next to Jessica, arms crossed tight over his chest, glaring at us. “In case you hadn’t noticed, he’s a little strange.”

  Yeah, I’d have to agree with that. I cleared the thought and stroked his arm, enjoying the whirls going on in my stomach. “Fair enough. Where were we?” I glanced at Joey again. He was talking to Jessica but still held that guarded pose. “Oh yeah, Tony’s. Did you really think he was my boyfriend?” I patted some water on my burning cheeks. “Did I seem like his type?”

  Marcus grinned. He looked over at Joey, then back at me. His eyes swept over my body again before he answered. “What do you think? A beautiful girl like you is everyone’s type. What concerns me more is, am I your type?”

  I didn’t really have a type. After Trystan, I pushed all guys from my mind and decided not to get involved with anyone till I moved away. I smiled, refusing to answer. Besides, how could I tell him what I liked in a guy if even I didn’t know?

  “So, what do you do at the bank?” I asked.

  He sprinkled water on my shoulder. “Avoiding my question?”

  I shrugged. “Avoiding mine?” Two could play at this game.

  “I’m the assistant manager. But I have a secret for ya.” He motioned for me to move closer with his finger.

  I leaned in till my ear was close to his mouth. His lips brushed my ear as he spoke. “My dad owns the bank.”

  I moved away and looked at him. “So, are you Daddy’s little boy?” I asked, splashing him with warm water. “Rich and spoiled rotten?”

  “To the core.” He grabbed my hand and held it. His light gray eyes darkened. “Kidding. I do actually work, despite what Joey might tell you about me later. I don’t have it as easy as you’d think.”