by Rye Hart
“Whatever you say, Tommy,” I said.
“Don’t worry, Rhett. You aren’t losing your wingman that easily.”
“Trust me. That was the least of my worries,” I said. “The last time you wingmanned for me, you took the woman home yourself.”
“And I saved you a lot of heartache. That was a freaky bitch. Wanted me to slap her and shit. She would’ve spiraled your PTSD.”
“I don’t have PTSD,” I said.
“Then she spiraled mine, and I didn’t even know I had it.”
I laughed as Tommy emerged from the bathroom. He was dressed in a very nice outfit, way nicer than any of the ones he had worn all week. He was looking at himself in the mirror and smoothing his hands down his shirt like he was going on his first fucking date or something.
“My little boy’s all grown up,” I said.
“You’re a cock and a hypocrite,” Tommy said.
“A hypocrite? For what?” I asked.
“I see you with Chanel. You wanna tease me about Ana, but the two of you are getting cozy. It’s like flashbacks every time I see you two together. What gives?”
“Like you, we’re having fun,” I said.
“Uh-huh. And what’s gonna happen to that fun after this cruise is over?” he asked.
“The same thing that happens with all types of fun. It’ll go away, and we’ll be back in the real world.”
“Do you want that to happen?”
“I’m not sure I have a choice if you’re seriously asking. I can’t really get a read on her, and with all this shit that went down with Luke, it’s got to be the furthest thing from her mind.”
“Yeah, so let me get this straight. Some geeky boy from high school went psycho on her, wrote her some bullshit notes, followed her around, and then attacked her in a bathroom?” he asked.
“Yep. And I beat the shit out of him,” I said.
“Fucking good on you. Men like that are disgusting. What is this shrine she mentioned, though? Was it like one of those Criminal Minds things? With her picture made of gum and shit?”
“What the hell do you watch for entertainment?” I asked. “It was only pictures of her. A lot of them. Of her walking around the ship and standing on the balcony with me. Her high school picture was there, blown up with candles surrounding it. At least, that’s how she described it to me.”
“That’s some fucked up shit. I hope that crazy asshole rots in prison. Oh, shit! I’m late.”
“What? Late? What are you late for?” I asked.
“I told Ana I’d knock on her door at seven. It’s fifteen past.”
“Don’t worry. She’s probably hiking those tits up for you,” I said.
“Oh, don’t tease me. My heart can’t take it.”
I watched as Tommy strolled out of the cabin and headed for the girls’ room. I didn’t want to tease him anymore about it because I knew this could be good for him. I’d never seen Tommy like this. With anyone. Picking women up for dates? He didn’t do that shit. He always met them somewhere and had him follow them. In his mind, it was easier to kick them out afterward if they were terrible in bed. If they weren’t, he’d keep them around, fuck them for breakfast, and then he’d kick them out.
But he never went back.
That was a rule of his. Until now, at least.
If I identified all the ways he was changing for Ana, it might scare him. Even though Tommy was confident in himself, deep down he was a commitment-phobe, scared he would end up like his father. Back in high school, his father was into some deep shit. Gambling. Drinking. The works. He saw the toll it had taken on his mother, both emotionally and financially. Tommy had to take two jobs while going through school to help his mom make ends meet. I knew the reason he never dated or settled down was that he’d watched his family spiral like that. I knew he feared turning into his dad and leaving behind a legacy that was shit. He was a perfectionist with a narcissistic streak, but he used those personality traits to leave behind a legacy he thought was worth something.
Being a ladies’ man.
He treated the women he was with wonderfully. He wasn’t mean or abusive. Gave into their every whim and paid for their shit, but he always kept boundaries he never crossed. He never wanted to give them the idea things could become anything more than a one-night stand. He wouldn’t pick them up, he wouldn’t cook them breakfast, and they wouldn’t stay more than one night. Other than that, he was a gentleman, an intentional one, like his father hadn’t been.
But he was throwing all that shit out the window for Ana.
Pointing that stuff out to win an argument would scare him, so I kept it to myself.
I walked out of the room as Chanel was coming out of hers. She smiled at me and my chest flooded with warmth. I watched Ana and Tommy walk down the hallway, arm in arm as the two of them talked about whatever the hell it was that entertained them.
“You look nice,” Chanel said.
“I look moldy compared to you,” I said.
“Moldy?” she asked.
“You know, like moldy bread?”
“Never heard anyone say that,” she said with a giggle.
I offered her my arm and she took it, her eyes twinkling up at me.
“Ready for dinner?” I asked.
“Oh yes. I’ve been hungry for an hour now.”
“Then let’s get the beautiful woman some food,” I said.
CHAPTER 25
CHANEL
Dinner was fabulous, as always. Connie Thomas had more things planned, like the band coming up to play again and another slideshow for us to reminisce over. Only this time, the slideshow had multiple pictures from our senior class trip. There was a picture of Tommy holding up a root beer like he was a hotshot, and Rhett was there, belly flopping into the ocean. There were several pictures from the bonfire that had happened on the beach. There were pictures of many people exploring the seaside town and walking around with ice cream cones. High school girls in their brightly-colored bikinis posing for the camera like they were awesome human beings. I smiled as the slideshow flipped through picture after picture, drawing memories from the banks of my mind I had long since forgotten.
After the festivities, the four of us went to get a late-night drink. We dipped into the piano bar and sat down, ordering drinks that had become signature to us. The boys ordered whiskeys neat while I settled for a glass of wine, and Ana stayed with her brightly-colored cocktails that came in glasses way too big for anyone to be drinking all at once. The piano music was soothing, and we talked amongst ourselves, trying not to disturb the pianist turning on the podium she was playing on.
But then, those same security guards from the prior evening walked in and beckoned to me.
“What the hell?” Ana asked.
“What’s all that about?” Tommy asked.
“I don’t know,” I said.
“Do you want me to go with you?” Rhett asked.
“No, no. I’ve got it. It can’t be that bad. Luke’s not on the ship, and we haven’t docked to pick him up yet,” I said.
“Are you sure? Because I’ll go with you,” Rhett said.
I looked up at him before I stood. I set my drink down on the small table in front of me before I smoothed out my dress. I drew in a deep breath as I looked toward Ana, and she nodded her head like she was transferring some of her strength to me.
“I’ll be right back, guys,” I said.
I walked toward the security guards, and they led me out of the bar. We walked down the hallway and came to a locked door that one of the guys opened for me. There was an office behind it, a pretty big one. It shocked me to see it as they led me in, and one of the guards ushered me to sit down.
“Miss Mathews,” the guard began. “My name’s Officer Melendez. We wanted to update you privately on what’s happening with your case.”
“Okay,” I said. “Is something wrong? Has something happened?” I asked.
“We didn’t want to alarm you when we talked befo
re, but now that things are settled down, we can walk you through what happened.”
“I don’t understand,” I said. “What are you talking about?”
“When it was brought to us that Mr. Thomas had not gotten back onto the ship, our first thought was to check his room. When we spotted the shrine, we were worried for your safety. But my partner here didn’t want me to become biased in the situation, so we were working this from two angles. One angle was that this man was on board to get to you somehow, and the other angle was that you had done something to him on the island that caused him not to board.”
“Because he had a creepy shrine of me in his room,” I said.
“We had to keep all options open. When we came to you with the shrine, we were hoping you would give us more information before we talked you through things. And you did. When you told us about the encounter you had with Mr. Thomas in the bathroom, we routed the information to the Curaçao police.”
“But you have him in custody, right? That … that’s a thing that’s happening, right?” I asked.
“We do,” Melendez said. “The Curaçao police found him stumbling around a medic tent on the other side of the island. His wounds match up with the sounds you told us you heard in the bathroom once your friend came to get you.”
“What happens now?” I asked.
“He’s been in a holding tank there until we can get him back to Miami. I brought you in here because I wanted to let you know we’re docking back at Curaçao tomorrow to pick him up.”
“There’s no way for you to get him to Miami without putting him back on this ship?” I asked.
“No, ma’am. Mr. Thomas is a well-off man, and he’s been battling us at every turn. The only way to get him into Miami P.D. custody is to get him on this ship and hold him here.”
“And, um, when are we getting him?” I asked.
“We dock tomorrow morning around seven. He will be escorted in handcuffs to a holding tank we’ve prepared for him below the deck of the ship.”
“And he’ll be guarded, right? So, he doesn’t escape or anything?” I asked.
“Oh, yes. I have my entire team on this ship taking rotations, so no one gets tired or loses focus on his job.”
“I’m not so sure about this,” I said.
“Miss Mathews, I know you’re worried, but I told you we would update you with details once we had them, and now we do. Tomorrow, we will dock and get him and then make our way to the Miami port. He will be the first one escorted off this ship, so the two of you will have no contact whatsoever. Miami P.D. will be there to take him into custody, and from there, he will be processed and held until further notice.”
I was shaking. Tomorrow? He was going to be back on this ship tomorrow? It made my stomach churn with fear. The idea of having to sleep one night on this ship with him on it was enough to freeze the blood in my veins. I thanked the guards for their time and then made my way back to the piano bar. Rhett jumped to his feet and strode over to me, his arms wrapping around me as I melted against him.
I had always felt safe in his arms, but this time it was different. This time, I felt defended.
And I enjoyed the feeling.
“What did they say?” Ana asked. “Come here. Sit down and talk to us.”
“That shithead do something else?” Tommy asked.
“Chanel.”
Rhett’s voice caught my attention as I sat down. He took my hand in his and held my gaze, waiting for me to come back to reality. He always knew what I needed. How did he do that? How could he study me in such a short amount of time and know exactly how he needed to react?
I could blame it on his SEAL training, but that wasn’t enough. He had always been that way. It was one of the reasons I had fallen in love with him all those years ago.
“There wasn’t much new information. They just walked me through how all the events unfolded and how they were handling the rest of it,” I said.
“There’s gotta be something new,” Ana said. “They wouldn’t have pulled you away for nothing.”
“They wanted to update me and tell me we were docking in Curaçao in the morning. Early. At, like, seven,” I said.
“What?” Tommy asked.
“Luke’s fighting them at every turn, and the only way they can get him back to the Miami port is via this ship. The guards told me they have a holding tank cleared out for him below deck and that the guards on staff will be rotating around the clock to watch him and make sure he doesn’t do anything dumb,” I said.
“And when he hits Miami, then what?” Ana asked.
“The guards said Miami P.D. has been notified of everything and will be waiting. He’ll be the first one off the ship before anyone else is allowed off, he’ll be read his rights again, and then the police there will take him into custody and process him.”
“What happens then?” Tommy asked.
“I— I don’t know. A trial, maybe? I don’t know what happens from here,” I said.
“All of this sounds like a good thing, Chanel,” Rhett said. “This is really good. It means they’re taking everything that’s happening very seriously.”
“I’ve ruined someone’s life, Rhett.”
“No, you haven’t. That asshole tried to ruin yours,” Ana said.
“No fucking joke,” Tommy said.
“Chanel, look at me.”
I slowly lifted my gaze to Rhett as his hand cupped my cheek.
“I’ve always loved that about you, your caring nature and your desire to see the best in everyone. But this guy is scum. He stalked you. He shrined you. He left you notes threatening your life, and then he tried to force himself on you in a bathroom stall. He deserves to be put away. You’re doing the right thing.”
“What if they want me to testify?” I asked breathlessly. “I don’t know if I could look him in the face ever again.”
“I don’t know. I don’t know what happens from here, but if you want me to be, I’ll be with you every step of the way,” he said.
“I don’t know what to do.”
“Do you want another drink? Yours got knocked over because Rhett over there couldn’t stop jiggling his nervous leg,” Ana said.
I saw Rhett shoot her a look, and it made me giggle.
“I think I want to go back to my room,” I said.
“Do you want me to go with you?” Rhett asked.
“I’ve got this. Best friend coming through. Come on, sweet cheeks. Sounds like another night of Vin Diesel and buffalo wings,” Ana said.
“Hey, that sounds like a good night. Minus gawking at dudes. Not my thing,” Tommy said.
“Girl’s night only,” Ana said as she pulled me from the couch. “Sorry to spoil the night.”
“But that dress. And those shoes. I was going to make you keep those shoes on tonight,” Tommy said.
“Could you be any more insensitive?” Rhett asked.
“I’m simply impressed he can make Ana do something,” I said.
“All right. Joke’s over. See you boys in the morning, and don’t forget to get ready for our re-prom!”
“Re-prom?” My mind stuck on that idea with more than a little interest.
“Yep. Our fun little activity for tomorrow is a do-over for prom,” Tommy said.
Rhett’s eyebrows rose. “Are you serious?”
I looked down at Rhett, locking eyes playfully with his. “I don’t know. A do-over for prom could be fun.”
Then, Ana and I walked away, leaving Tommy and Rhett staring after our swaying hips as we rounded the corner.
CHAPTER 26
RHETT
I couldn't get Chanel's words out of my head all night. “A do-over could be fun.” That was a blatant response to how terrible our prom night had been before. The cheeky look in her eyes stayed with me all night long, haunting me as questions rolled through my mind. Even though Tommy had dragged me around the ship, looking at women and dipping into other bars to get drunk, I could still hear her voice ringing in m
y head. Did she want a second chance at prom? Was that her way of forgiving me for what happened? Was that really how she felt or was she just trying to find humor in the moment?
I wasn't sure, but I was willing to find out.
When Tommy and I woke up that morning, the girls met us out in the hall for breakfast. Tommy hugged Ana closely, and Ana closed her eyes, breathing Tommy in the way I did with Chanel. A grin crossed my cheeks as I looked down at Chanel, ready for her to make some smart comment about the moment.
But she was gazing off down the hallway, her body in a trance and her eyes clouded over.
The four of us went to get breakfast, and Chanel didn't seem as happy as I thought she would be. She was calm but distant. Her answers were short and clipped whenever I tried to talk to her. I figured it was probably the Luke thing, but I still couldn’t be sure. I knew I was up early enough to feel the boat dock in Curaçao. I knew what was happening. Luke was boarding the ship and being transferred to one of the levels below the deck.
And if I knew Chanel well enough, she had probably been awake early to feel the boat dock as well.
Everything inside of me wanted to ask her how she was doing. As we sat and talked over breakfast about how stupid this do-over prom thing was, I wanted to take her hand. I wanted to bring it to my lips and kiss the softness of her skin. I wanted the warmth of my body to calm her like I knew it would. I wanted her to melt against me like she had in the ocean yesterday. I wanted her to know she was safe and know that even though Luke fucking Thomas was back on the ship, it didn’t mean she was in danger.
She had me, and that meant she was protected.
“I think it’s stupid,” Tommy said.
“Oh, come on. We can go, dance a bit, and then get drunk,” Ana said.
“Sounds like Tommy’s prom anyway,” Chanel said.
“I’d come back with a snarky little comment if I knew what you were talking about,” Tommy said.