Love's Call

by Jala Summers

  “Nuh-uh. I ain’t got none of what you have,” Lloyd said, and placed his drink down on the bar. “As a matter of fact, I see a new lady over there in need of some attention.” Lloyd left and walked toward the woman he’d noticed sitting alone at a table a few feet away.

  Kyle turned to look over again at Liana’s table and noticed that the man had left. He breathed a sigh of relief, but then saw her glancing toward the far end of the bar. He looked over to see the man ordering drinks. Kyle watched him return to Liana’s table with two drinks. Kyle raised a curious brow. I thought she didn’t drink. And he kept his eyes on them wondering what that was all about.

  Kyle watched Liana shake her head, and reach forward, pushing the drink away from her. Kyle leaned forward, watching the man’s next move.

  The man seemed visibly irritated, but seemed to calm back down and gulped down his own drink. He then reached for the other that he’d intended for Liana. Kyle didn’t like the way he was taking in so much, so quickly, and he didn’t like the body language from Liana as she looked at him with disgust on her face.

  He watched Liana rise to leave, and the man reach out to grab her arm, forcing her to sit back down.

  Kyle was up and headed toward the table.

  ***

  “Excuse me,” Kyle said. He stood beside the table, looming over James.

  “Yeah, what is it?”

  “Would you kindly take your hand off of the lady?”

  James looked up at him and stood on wobbly feet. He slurred out, “This ain’t any of your business.”

  “Well, when you put your hands on a woman like that, it becomes my business.”

  Kyle stood facing off with a bleary-eyed, inebriated and wobbly James. James pushed past him colliding into his shoulder and cursed as he walked away.

  Kyle took in a deep breath, calming the adrenaline rush that had begun to build. He looked down at Liana, still seated but shaken.

  He sat next to her in the seat that James had vacated. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. You didn’t have to do that. I could have handled him myself.”

  Kyle smiled. Stubborn to the end. “I know you could have.”

  “You know, I think I’m gonna head on back.” Liana rose from her chair and walked toward Alyssa on the dance floor.

  Alyssa, who had somehow ended up once again with Lloyd, was locked in a tight embrace as they slow danced to the music. Liana tapped her on the shoulder, interrupting their moment, and told Alyssa that she was going back to the room, and walked toward the exit.

  Kyle was waiting for her beside the exit door, and walked out with her. “I know you can handle yourself, but I just wanted to make sure you made it safely back to your room. I’d hate for that dude to follow you back.”

  Liana may have talked a good game, but she had to admit that even she had thought of that scenario and was a bit rattled by the thought that James may have followed her back. She was grateful for Kyle’s concern. And instead of protesting, she gave him a quiet, “Thank you.”

  Their walk back to her room was nearly silent, as she seemed preoccupied with her thoughts. And Kyle wanted desperately to ask her what she had seen in that clown back there, in the first place.

  Kyle could spot the guy’s instability a mile away, and he’d wondered why she would have let her guard down for the likes of him. She was becoming more and more confusing by the minute.

  At her door, Liana turned to him, “Thanks again, Kyle. I know I come off as hard, but...I appreciate your help tonight.”

  His heart softened at her confession. “You’re very welcome,” he told her. “And next time when the security guard needs a bodyguard, you can call on me again.”

  She giggled at his reference to his earlier statement about her being Alyssa’s security guard. “Goodnight, Kyle.” She entered the room, flashed him a genuine smile and closed the door behind her.

  Liana collapsed onto her bed, and lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling. She replayed the scene at the dance, and felt a shiver run through her. What if Kyle hadn’t been there? But she pushed the thoughts away. Of course, nothing would have happened, she told herself. She was in a room full of people. Surely, James wouldn’t have been bold enough to do anything too stupid.

  But she couldn’t help being grateful that he had been there. And she couldn’t stop wondering why he didn’t do what many would have done in that situation and tried to come onto her, outside her cabin door.

  He’d been a complete gentleman and had truly just wanted to see that she made it safely back. She was starting to wonder if he was really being truthful earlier that day at lunch, and if he really was just a nice guy who’d been dragged on this trip by his friends.

  She turned on her side, and closed her eyes, hoping to clear all of the thoughts of the day’s events away and get some much needed rest.

  ***

  Kyle lingered outside the door for a few minutes after Liana had closed it, but it felt like hours. He considered knocking on her door. He wanted to see her, to talk to her, but he knew she was too upset to think about much else at that moment.

  He finally turned away to return to his own room. He hated himself for not doing what he really wanted to do--which was steal a kiss from Liana’s full lips as they stood outside of her cabin door. It was times like this when he wished he was a little more like Lloyd and Duane and not so much of a damned gentleman.

  Chapter Nine

  “This better not be some nonsense that you’re dragging me to,” Liana told Alyssa as she walked behind her toward a conference room aboard the ship.

  “Liana, just come on. No fussing. You need it and so do I,” she replied. When they reached the open double doors of the room, Liana noticed a dry erase board on an easel just before the entrance. Letters written in red ink on the board read, Repairing your Past Dating Problems, Special Guest Speaker: Lisa Woods, Dating Coach and Matchmaker.

  Liana turned to give Alyssa a nasty look. “Are you kidding? You’re serious?”

  “Yes,” Alyssa said, and grabbed Liana’s arm. She knew her friend, and that she’d try to ditch her, so she pulled her into the room before she had a chance to run away. They took a seat in a couple of chairs in the middle of the room.

  Liana looked at the flier that she’d found on her chair before sitting down. It showed a picture of a smiling woman, dressed in a fitted sheath dress. Underneath her picture, in italic font it read Lisa Woods, Matchmaker and Renowned Dating Coach Expert.

  Liana sucked her teeth and waved it at Alyssa. “Dating coach? Matchmaker? Is she for real? I didn’t even know those were titles people used in the real world. I thought that was just a movie thing.”

  “No, I’ve heard of dating coaches before. We’re being open, remember?”

  “Yeah, but I already told you what happened last night when I was open with that crazy dude, James.”

  “That was a fluke, okay. So far, everyone else on the cruise has been decent.”

  “Yeah, as decent as Lloyd?” Liana asked. “You obviously don’t need a matchmaker, Ms. Lyssa, not even coming in until six this morning?”

  She shot a warning look at Liana, “Don’t go there, now.”

  Liana laughed. She enjoyed teasing her friend, especially since it was so easy to do.

  Moments later, a woman with a face identical to the image in the flier entered the room and walked down the center aisle to the front of the room. Her straight brown hair fell past her shoulders, and her flawless makeup complemented her rich cinnamon skin tone, perfectly. Lisa wore a red, cleavage-revealing blouse with a black pencil skirt that clung to her like a second skin.

  Liana had to give it to her. She sure knew how to work her assets, and really played up the sexy persona. Lisa smiled broadly and greeted the conference attendees.

  “I want to start off by saying that every single, here on this cruise, and elsewhere, is single because they want to be.”

  Mumbles of protest filled the room, and she s
miled, raising her hands to hush them. She looked as if she knew she’d get that response, and waited for the grumbling to simmer down.

  Liana gave Alyssa a look, and Alyssa shrugged in response. “Just wait,” Alyssa mouthed. Liana was ready to dart out of the conference room. She was pretty sure that she could find at least a dozen other more productive things to do with her time.

  “Now, that one usually gets everyone riled up, but let me finish. The reality of the situation is that if you find yourself repeating the same problems over and over, then you are married to the baggage of your past. You eventually get more satisfaction out of reliving the hurts of the past than you do in trying something new, better and different.”

  The room quieted down, as Lisa’s statement hit home with the attendees.

  “Women, what are the things that you keep doing, that turns a man off? Do you give off an annoyed vibe? Do you scowl and refuse to smile?”

  Liana sighed and just as Lisa stated, “Do you have a problem of rolling your eyes,” she caught herself mid eye-roll, and forced herself to stop. She grinned, amused that the dating coach seemed to have pinpointed her own habits. She looked around, and wondered if the other people in the seminar were as affected by Lisa’s message as she was. The other women and some men in the audience seemed intrigued and completely engaged in Lisa’s speech.

  She wanted to be angry at Alyssa for bringing her to this meeting, but at the same time knew that maybe she did need to be there.

  Lisa continued on, giving tips and pointers about the blunders and sins that many people committed in their relationships and interactions with love interests.

  Kyle sat in a chair in the very back of the room, closest to the door. He hadn’t intended to even attend the seminar, but the large, bold red lettering outside the door had sparked his curiosity and drawn him in.

  The dating coach’s statement about willingly repeating past mistakes because of being tied to old baggage had struck a chord.

  He knew that as long as he allowed himself to be attracted to women that were just like his ex, he’d most likely get the same result.

  When Lisa wrapped up the seminar, the class exploded into enthusiastic applause. Kyle rose from his chair and slipped out of the room.

  All he needed was Lloyd and Duane to stumble upon him there. And when scanning the room, he’d even noticed that Liana and Alyssa were there. Though he’d found the seminar enlightening, he preferred to keep his attendance there under wraps.

  Chapter Ten

  Alyssa must really be rubbing off on me, Liana thought, as she took a seat in a chair, waiting for the speed dating event to begin. This was the first time Liana had ever done this.

  Alyssa had used the lessons they’d learned from the seminar earlier that day as leverage, and told Liana that she had to at least give some of Lisa’s advice a try. Eventually Alyssa won, and convinced Liana to come along for the cruise’s Single, Grown Speed Dating event.

  And apparently, at least half of the ship was interested in attending as well, because the room was packed. The host of the event was forced to split the crowd up into three separate speed dating groups in order to accommodate everyone.

  Liana and Alyssa were members of the first group of daters. They filed in when the women from their group was called, and took seats next to each other. Moments later, the men entered and picked seats for their first date in the round of speed dates. Liana looked up just as Kyle slid into the chair opposite her and she looked over to see Lloyd take a seat in front of Alyssa.

  Alyssa smirked at them, “Really, guys?”

  “Hey, we’re here for the speed dating, just like you two are,” Lloyd answered, and his eyes sparkled as he winked at Alyssa.

  Liana gave Kyle a questioning look. He shrugged, “I figured if I’m going to find out more about you, this is my best shot.”

  Liana shook her head and just then the host rang a bell, indicating the start of the first speed dating session. The participants were given three minutes to converse with each speed dater, before their time was up and the men were required to change seats, moving onto the next woman in line.

  Kyle didn’t waste time and pulled out all of the basic questions that he’d been eager to ask Liana since they’d first met. Liana laughed, finding his interest quite amusing.

  Then, before either of them was ready, the bell rang, signaling that it was time to move on. Lloyd moved on to the next woman to his left, but instead of moving to his left to sit in front of Alyssa, Kyle motioned to the man on his right who was supposed to take his place in front of Liana. He whispered to the man, and the dater shot a quick glance at Liana. He smiled, nodded his head and skipped over Liana to sit in front of Alyssa. Alyssa exchanged glances with Liana and they laughed.

  Kyle continued his easy conversation with Liana, and felt as if he was finally getting to know more about her than he’d anticipated from the outset of the trip. She was like a different person now. She was chatty, happy, and completely patient with him and his endless questions.

  The bell rang again, and Kyle, spoke with the next participant, also convincing him to move on to the seat in front of Alyssa.

  Liana thought it could be considered a bit selfish, but she was flattered that Kyle would try so hard to keep her to himself. And truthfully, there wasn’t anyone else Liana was interested in meeting on that ship anyway. So she let him carry on with his efforts.

  Now, it was Liana’s turn to ask questions. She wanted to know more about him in order to feel out his story, and his history. She asked about his background, his family, if he’d ever had children. She was pleased with all of his answers, and found herself even more attracted to him.

  The dating session continued in the same manner, Kyle directing the men on down the line and each time, he picked up where his conversation had ended with Liana.

  At the session’s end, the host made an announcement over the microphone, “Alright, folks, if you just record on your cards your top date picks, and leave them here, we’ll look for matches and give you your date match’s contact information.”

  Kyle and Liana shared a knowing look, and grinning, they scribbled names onto their cards. Kyle leaned over, pretending to attempt to steal a glance at her card. She held it away, hiding it from his view.

  “Do we really need to do this? I think we’ve made our own match,” Kyle said.

  “I guess not,” she said, taking the card and tossing it in a wastebasket on their way out of the room.

  Kyle wrapped an arm around the small of her back, as he ushered out of the room, and Liana felt as if electric impulses emanated from his touch through the fabric. She looked up at his eyes and was shaken by the intensity there. She bit her lower lip, now nervous under his gaze. He asked her, “Do you want to have a seat on the deck?”

  “Sure,” Liana answered.

  They both walked out into the cool night air, and chose two vacant lounge chairs that overlooked the ocean around them. They sat quietly, relishing the usual noises from the passengers on the ship and the sloshing of the waves, feeling the breeze on their faces and the smell of the ocean invading their nostrils.

  He turned to Liana, “I really enjoyed tonight.”

  “Me too. Who knew speed dating could be so fun?” she teased.

  “I don’t think what we did was exactly the right way to do it, but that’s not what I was talking about. I’ve enjoyed getting to know you.”

  She looked at him. “Me too, Kyle.”

  They continued talking underneath the moonlight, carrying on as if they were old friends reacquainting themselves after a long period of separation. This was odd for Liana. It didn’t feel like impressing a man. It didn’t feel as if she had to try so hard. It was natural and easy.

  As the night wore on, as much as they would have both preferred to sit there until the sun rose in the morning, sleep had started to pull at Liana’s eyelids, and she was finding it hard to stay awake. She yawned, “I think I’m going to have to turn in fo
r the night, Kyle.”

  “Okay, yea, it’s getting late.”

  They rose from their seats and Kyle walked with her back to her room. Outside of her cabin, he asked, “What are you planning for tomorrow?”

  “I don’t know,” she said, “I wasn’t planning to do much. I’ll probably just lounge around the pool, maybe.”

  “Do you mind if I join you?”

  “Not at all.”

  They were quiet, and all that could be heard was a couple down the hall as they giggled, and practically ran into their cabin door, clearly intoxicated. Liana looked over to see them open the door and fall into the room.

  But Kyle’s attention wasn’t on them. His eyes had never left her face as he contemplated tasting her lips. He leaned forward until their lips touched, and he wasn’t surprised that they were as soft as he’d imagined.