by Berri Fox
As I look closer at the women around the table as we chat, I do notice some strange things. There are longing looks and glances when they think we won’t notice.
We’re not just trying to keep up with the Joneses. We are the Joneses.
I’m taken aback as it all sinks in. I’ve never been in this situation before. Then again, I’ve never been on a ship like this pretending to be a rich woman’s girlfriend either.
It makes sense that they would notice Ashley. She’s rich and gorgeous. I know she has a bit of a reputation of acting out, but she’s been nothing but wonderful this whole trip.
As the other women look at Ashley, I can’t help but feel myself get a little jealous. I feel a prickle of defensiveness as they look at her.
I want to jump up onto the table and yell to the whole room that she’s mine. I freak myself out with the thought. Where did that come from?
She’s not even really my girlfriend. I don’t know why I’m all of a sudden concerned about this. I shake my head in an attempt to get the thoughts loose.
I don’t even know what I’m really jealous of. Maybe I’m just method acting. Can you accidentally method act?
If these girls knew the real situation, they would be acting differently. I try to focus on that in an attempt to reason with myself.
They wouldn’t be stealing jealous glances at me. They wouldn’t even notice me. Or, worse, there would be a hint of disdain or pity in their look.
But Ashley they would look at the same. They would still admire her and look her up and down in a mixture of wanting her and wanting to be her.
I can’t help but give her the same look. She’s really pretty. I can’t help but notice it moment after moment.
I’m lucky. Even if this isn’t real, I’m still lucky to be on her arm.
The ship’s entertainer, Natalie Reese, walks into the room in a glittering red dress that catches the light in every movement she makes. She has bright pink hair and big brown eyes. She starts to sway gracefully, keeping her balance even as the boat shifts in the water. She begins to sing.
Her voice is sweet and just a touch raspy. She’s perfect for this sort of dining room entertainment. Her talent is undeniable, but she would be out of place at a rock concert or music festival.
She sweeps through the room, never missing a note. Eventually, she lands at the captain’s table.
Natalie keeps singing, moving around the table. I wrap my arms around Jess and lean on her as we listen to the music. This is the perfect time to play the adoring couple.
She leans her head on top of mine, and I feel myself smile. I hardly have to act for this.
For the rest of the performance, we keep up our own little charade. There’s plenty of touching and smiles. Nothing is inappropriate of course, but I can’t help but notice how nice it feels.
Natalie makes her way over to us. She’s now singing a love song. It’s like she planned this.
She winks at us as she makes her way around the table, microphone in hand. She finishes her song on a long held note with plenty of vibrato. Polite applause breaks out through the room.
She smiles at her audience and looks at us.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I must admit, I had two beautiful muses that I was using as inspiration for my last song.”
She has a twinkle in her eye as she talks. I feel a blush creep across my cheeks.
She walks over to us. “Don’t they make a cute couple?”
There are some laughs and scattered applause in agreement. Ashley and I giggle from embarrassment and flattery.
Natalie picks up my glass and knife. She gently taps the knife against the side of my glass. “You know what to do, ladies and gentlemen,” she says with a wink.
I’ve seen this tradition before at weddings. To get a couple to kiss, you make a small ruckus with your glasses until they give in.
Except Ashley and I aren’t a couple.
I’m worried for a moment, but then I look at her. She really does look beautiful tonight. She gives me a smile and a very subtle nod. I go in for the kiss.
It isn’t a particularly special kiss. Just a peck, really, but I swear I feel fireworks.
When her lips meet mine, the whole world fades away. The clinking of glasses fades to nothing. I almost feel like time has stopped.
When we pull away, everything comes rushing back to me. Natalie smiles at us and gives us another wink before moving on with her act.
I feel completely breathless. I look into her eyes and feel the tension between us rise rapidly. I worry that the others at the table can feel it as well. Hopefully they’ll just think we’re really, really in love.
I want to immediately do it again, but that feels like it would be too obvious. I don’t want to blow our cover or embarrass her.
Still, with sparks like that, I know she felt them too. Who would have thought we would actually have this much chemistry together.
I take her hand and squeeze it. She squeezes back and gives me a little smile. I see her chest rise and fall more rapidly than if she was breathing normally.
As if on cue, Alex starts getting fussy.
“I’m tired!” he protests, grumpily. I immediately take his hand and stand up.
“Okay. We’ve made you wait here long enough. Let’s go to bed.” I say.
The others at the table look at me strangely. I guess it’s more normal to let kids complain for a while, but I want to get out of here for more than one reason.
Ashley stands up too. “I’m getting a bit tired too,” she says. “It was lovely having dinner with all of you.
We say our goodbyes and head out the door back to our suite. We keep a friendly distance between one another as we walk, but I’m so aware of how close she is to me anyway.
I want her to be even closer.
When we get back to our suite, I get Alex into bed and settled. He falls asleep quickly after the big meal he had.
I head out of his room and sigh to myself, thinking about Ashley. I don’t know how I’m going to get through the next two weeks. I feel like I’m already about to combust.
I guess I’ll just have to take it one day at a time.
Thirteen
Ashley
My numbered days aboard this ship are slipping by faster than I could have ever imagined, and it’s a bitter sweet feeling. When I first decided to take my brother’s place on this vacation, I never imagined that I would be picking up a fake girlfriend and a feeling of excitement that I’ve never felt before. Yet, the fun makes time fly, and I sigh as I realized it will come to an end soon.
I decide to enjoy the time I have left with Jess and her bubbly nephew Alex. Since I don’t often mingle with genuine, down to earth people, these two are truly a breath of fresh air. Jess may be my fake girlfriend, and she may want to part ways after this and pretend she never met me, but I have to think of something that will make her think otherwise.
As I pace the lavishly carpeted floor of the hallway, I come up with the perfect plan. A while back, I remember hearing that Robin was going to propose and that there was some gigantic plot being arranged involving the ship staff. Proposing to Jess may seem insane, but I simply see it as the perfect way to fully commit to my role as Robyn.
With a smile of anticipation gracing my face, I hurry to the recreation room to find the two perfect people to pull off the proposal. Luckily, two of our new friends, Mandy and Natalie are still lounging in the chairs as they said they would be. When I approach them quickly, a twinkle in my eye, they look at each other in confusion.
“Wow Ashley, if I didn’t get to know you so well on this cruise, I’d say you were planning something crazy involving Natalie and me. Hopefully I’m wrong!” She laughs as she stands from her chair to greet me with a hug.
“You know me too well already.” I grin. “Trust me, you both will enjoy this plan.”
Mandy nods her head, matching our excitement on her own face. “Ok then, stop wasting time now. Tell us what we can he
lp you with.”
Before I divulge my ideas, I look around the mostly empty recreation room. When I’m confident that nobody important is within earshot, I lean in and whisper to them that I’m planning to propose.
“WHAT?” Natalie shrieks, suddenly placing a hand over her mouth in embarrassment after her sudden outburst. “That’s amazing, I’d love to help!”
“It’s the perfect atmosphere, this cruise is very romantic.” Mandy agrees.
Their shared excitement makes me glad that they’ve become two of our closest friends aboard the ship. Perhaps with their help, all of us including Jess can remain in close contact after the vacation comes to an end. “I need more than a romantic atmosphere to pull this off, so I was hoping you both can turn this into a giant production.”
“Absolutely! Tell us what you have in mind.” Natalie grabs a discarded piece of paper and a pencil from one of the tables beside her and begins creating a list.
We spend something close to an hour inventing things that will impress Jess. She doesn’t have to marry me in the end, but I just want her to know how much she and her nephew mean to me. Finally, after Natalie runs out of paper and Sandy runs out of ideas, we read over the final product.
It’s a huge production alright, just as promised. The three of us even pitched in to create some meaningful lyrics and a few choreographed moves. If nothing else, Jess will be surprised that I enlisted our friends to put such a large and fabulous undertaking together.
After we all make our small edits and agree on the final plan, I reach out to shake hands with the other two ladies.
“No need to be so formal! We deserve a group hug for all this great work.” Natalie wraps her arms around Sandy and me for said group hug, something I’ve never personally engaged in before but let slide for the time being.
Mandy puts her hands on her hips and lets out a long sigh. “I think we deserve a group trip to the bar for all this great work.” That’s more my style, and we all agree to head over together.
The next day, I can’t stop thinking about the proposal plan. Every time I imagine Jess witnessing the production in total awe and surprise, I beam from ear to ear. It’s happening now, and I don’t even try to fight the smile from my face.
“What’s got you so excited?” Jess asks me as we walk arm in arm across the deck of the ship. We’ve recently gotten into the habit of taking walks together while Alex naps his room, mostly so I can strut around with her on my arm and show her off.
I tighten my grip on her arm, suddenly conscious of the time flying faster and faster. I never want this to end. “Hm? Nothing, just feeling glad that it’s such a nice day.”
“It is, isn’t it?” She agrees, unsuspecting. “It’s too bad this has to come to an end soon.”
Jess’ words echo my thoughts, and while I feel a pang of longing inside for our time to continue, it just ensures me that the proposal will be well received.
Not everyone seems to think the same way as we do, and as we pass the notorious gold diggers, the women shoot us poisonous glares. I do my best to steer our walking path around them so Jess doesn’t see. It doesn’t affect me, but I want to do all I can to protect her.
We fall into a trivial conversation about the weather and our plans for dinner tonight. Though we’re having fun, it seems that someone else is there at every turn to antagonize us with dirty looks. Jess is so wrapped up in our talk that she doesn’t notice me weaving us in and out of other people’s way so often.
De Haverland and Ms. Peterson almost seem like they want to say something nasty to us as we pass by, but I make sure to swiftly turn Jess in the other direction and disguise my move as a spontaneous dance. She laughs, running into the direction I guided her in, thankfully unaware of that pesky editor that dislikes her for no reason.
Later on at dinner, we sit close to the Captain’s table. Alex and Jess chat happily about the decorative silverware, and it amazes me how awed they both are over every small luxury. It makes me realize how much I take those things for granted every day, but only highlights how sweet and innocent Alex and Jess are.
Just as the main course comes out, literally on a silver platter, my phone rings within my pocket. “Just a second.” I say, excusing myself from the table.
Jess nods, busy trying to keep Alex from playing with the artfully plated food. She places a folded napkin on his lap but he quickly shrugs it off and wipes his fingers on the tablecloth instead. Although Jess flushes with embarrassment, I find it endearing.
Taking even a bit of time away from them to answer calls irks me, and as I realize that it’s Robin on the other line it makes me even more irritated. I do the same thing I’ve done for the whole trip and send the call straight to voicemail.
Right before I can return to the table, I see De Haverland cross a few paces in front of me to step away from his own table. After making sure that Jess isn’t looking over in my direction, I decide to follow him and see what he’s up to. I know he’s plotting something too, and it isn’t a proposal.
I hide behind a column, peering out around it to focus on his movements. He’s talking to someone in hushed tones, but I can’t see who it is or make out what they’re discussing. When I make the decision to move forward just a little bit more, someone taps me on the shoulder and derails my train of thought.
“Excuse me, ma’am. Would you like to purchase a rose tonight?” It’s an employee from the cruise ship, and by the looks of it, he doesn’t seem too happy to be going around selling roses from guest to guest.
I decide to help him out and buy a surprise for Jess at the same time. “I’ll take them all.” I say, and his smile grows as he realizes he’s free to stop his tedious task.
“Thank you, ma’am. Here you are!” He exclaims as I slip him a roll of bills.
Unfortunately by the time he leaves, De Haverland is also gone. I curse quietly, putting on a happy face to go back to the table and present my gift to Jess.
Her eyes go wide at the gesture, and I tell her it was no big deal. “It’s a thank you, for being such fun company on this trip.”
Alex is too busy shoveling fancy food into his mouth to notice, but Jess gives me a swift peck on the cheek in thanks. I’m almost as red as the roses.
This trip really has been the most fun I’ve had in my life. From our daily walks, to hearing Alex’s new boat facts, to hiding in the closet with Jess from the twins who are obsessed with finding my brother on this ship, I’ve really come to think of Jess and Alex as family. I just hope that after this proposal stunt, Jess will feel the same way.
Fourteen
Jess
I’ve never had such an amazing vacation.
Truthfully, I’ve never gotten a chance to have a vacation like this. It feels like a dream. Everything is so vivid and warm. I want to keep pinching myself even though I know I’m awake.
Even though I was freaking out when this ship set sail, I’m so happy I got the opportunity to be here. Alex is having as much, if not more fun than me.
The views from the deck are amazingly beautiful. It’s like something you would see in a movie. Unlike a movie, I can feel the ocean breeze on my face. I love to just close my eyes and take in all of the sensations.
I thought vacations like this were only for the wealthy. In a way, I guess I’m right.
For people who don’t have to worry about money, they know the best relaxation methods. If I had as much money as some of the people on this boat, I would never need to relax because I wouldn’t be stressed.
But the pampering is divine, and I plan to take full advantage of it while I have the opportunity.
Every day I get picture after picture of beautiful scenery and smiling faces. I make sure to take plenty of Alex. I don’t want him to ever forget how happy he is right here and now.
I’m starting to bond with Natalie, the ship’s entertainer. I thought I would be annoyed with her after her kissing stunt. If it were anyone else I had to kiss, I might be.
; The kiss was too good to regret. It helps that Natalie is really fun to be around. She and I have been bonding over the past few days on the ship.
Pretending to be in love with Ashley has been great too. I enjoy every moment I’m with her.
It’s easy to pretend to be in love with someone so beautiful and charming. I’ve hardly had to act. She makes me laugh so hard that tears stream down my cheeks. When I’m with her, I smile until my face hurts.
It’s been fun having a rich, sophisticated girlfriend too. I have to say, I don’t mind that she’s so willing to pick up the check. I hate taking handouts, but a bit of fun costs her practically nothing and me practically everything.
At first it felt strange. I wanted to go half way on everything, but I didn’t want to bring attention to us. It would be strange for us to squabble over the check.
So I had to get used to it. I figure this is all part of her plan anyway.
I have Ashley’s arm locked with mine. We are taking a walk around the ship’s deck. It’s a beautiful evening.
And, of course, it’s about to be ruined by the group of gossipy rich girls we keep running in to. Every time I see them, I worry that they’re on to us. They seem determined to trip us up.
Gail flips her long, blonde hair when she’s sees us. She’s lounging in one of the deck chairs, looking out onto the water. She’s wearing a swimsuit even though it’s far too late to be catching a tan. I think she’s trying to catch a man instead.
She lowers her sunglasses at us, taking us in. “Oh, just look at you two,” she says. “You’re just best of friends, aren’t you?”
“Friends?” I ask. “Would a friend do this?” I dip Ashley down and give her a long kiss on the lips.
I don’t even care what Gail and Sarah’s reaction is. I’m just happy I get to do that.
When I pull her back up, Ashley looks breathless and has a big grin on her face.
Gail rolls her eyes and lays back in the chair once again. Ashley and I walk away, satisfied that we’ve won.