Cheryl stood at the end of the ship's hilt, feeling the damp breeze caressing her skin, creating sparkling glints every time the sunlight shone on the jewels that were perfectly attached to her body.
Her red lips moved slowly, sipping the wine in her right hand while her left was busy playing with her cell phone.
"No signal!" She mumbled softly.
Behind her, a dance party was being held to enliven her brother—Mateo's reception with Veronica.
Instead of holding a lavish reception with thousands of invited guests in a hotel building, Mateo prefers to bring out his best collection of cruise ships to hold a family party in the middle of a calm sea. Enjoy time together without interruptions from cell phones and work.
But of course, Cheryl couldn't be as relaxed as they were. She is almost crazy because she couldn't post anything on her social media.
"How can they live without a cell phone?" Cheryl looked far behind her, watching Mateo laugh out loud along with Veronica while occasionally stealing kisses from his wife.
Unknowingly Cheryl also curled her lips, feeling happy because Mateo ended up with Veronica, her best friend.
Veronica looked beautiful, just like usual, standing with Mateo who was wearing a neat suit, complete with a bow tie that adorned his neck. They look good together, the type of husband and wife with perfect visuals. Cheryl can't wait for the birth of their child someday, she will show her niece's face very proudly because the child will inherit the best genes from both parents.
"Cheryl?" Someone interrupted her, blocking her gaze with a broad chest that looked seductive in a relaxed navy blue shirt.
Cheryl's eyes moved up, tracing the chest using her gaze before ending with a surprised glare when she found the face of the owner of the broad chest.
No more mistakes!
Even though it's been a year, Cheryl still clearly remembers who the chest owner is.
"Raphael?" Cheryl didn't smile, instead showing a surprised expression.
She was a little confused by the eccentric thoughts of her best friend, now her sister-in-law. How could she invite her ex-boyfriend to a private reception attended only by their closest family and friends? Even as Cherry remembers, only 100 invited guests attended this cruise, meaning that whoever was invited was the closest person to the bride and groom.
"It is true! You look a little different." His eyes darted as he traced Cheryl's body, which was wrapped in an ankle-length nude dress with a long tail at the back that seemed to flutter with the sea breeze.
"You came here?"
Stupid question! Of course, Rafael came. Otherwise, the man wouldn't be standing in front of her greeting her with an annoying glance.
Still the same. That man seemed to know what kind of gaze could break the rhythm of Cheryl's heartbeat.
"I got an invitation from Veronica, how about you?" He looked amused.
Cheryl almost scowled in annoyance, but she remembered that Rafael was a smug man who easily joked in any situation. Moreover, Cheryl had just asked a similar stupid question.
"Infiltrate, I didn't get an invitation."
"Interesting!" He said as he took a sip of a glass filled with maroon-colored liquid, red wine.
"But my fiancé got an invitation, so I came with him." Cheryl continued.
"Oh? Are you engaged?" Rafael removed his lips from the side of the glass and looked at him in surprise. Surprised look.
Of course!
"Do you think I'm a pathetic single woman?" she asked.
"At first, yes!" Rafael expressed his opinion. "Because you were just standing here alone."
Since then, huh? So how long had he been watching her?
Something tickled Cheryl's heart, awakening her naughty side, which had been hibernating for a while. "Would you be interested if I was who you thought I was?"
Rafael took another sip of his drink with a small smile on the corner of his lips. That man looked friendly and pleasant, making Cheryl couldn't help but smile.
"Mateo would have troubled me if he found out I was interested in his sister. But it doesn't matter. I like a challenge."
Cheryl almost burst out laughing. Rafael is a man who is fun to serve his jokes.
"So how?" Rafael gave his a teasing grin again.
"No, thank you." Cheryl raised her glass "I have a fiancé that I wouldn't trade for a man as handsome as Christian Grey." She continued with a proud smile. Her eyes searched behind Rafael's body, trying to find her fiancé among dozens of people who were having fun.
Oh, of course, Carlos won't be among those people. Her fiancée was too lazy to join in on unimportant conversations.
The problem is, where is that man now?
"You watched that movie, didn't you?" Now Rafael's naughty glance was replaced with an amused look.
"What?"
"Christian Grey," Rafael raised his glass and took a sip of his wine, "you watched that movie, didn't you?" The man looks seductive from the look and the way he talks.
"If you know him, that means you watched the movie too." Cheryl reversed the man's question.
"Interesting, but I don't really like it. What do you think? Do you like the way he making love?"
Cheryl felt like throwing a glass at the man's head when she heard the vulgar question he asked. How could they switch topics so quickly?
Oh, Cheryl herself brought Christian Gray into their conversation.
"I wonder why Mateo allowed you to come." Cheryl changed the subject in the blink of an eye.
"He almost pushed me when he saw me dancing with one of your cousins. Briala or Brieta—"
"Briana." Cheryl corrected patiently.
"Right!" Raphael looked pleased. "Fortunately, I have good self-defense, so Mateo didn't throw me into the sea."
Cheryl frowned, interested in the commotion that Rafael had just told.
How could she miss such an interesting incident? Had she been alone for too long?
"Don't play with Briana. She already has a husband," she said.
"You're also engaged, but I don't mind playing with you."
"Raphael!" Cheryl tapped that man's head with her cell phone.
"Okay, sorry." That man groaned and rubbed his head dramatically. "Where is your fiancé? I haven't seen him since I arrived."
Cheryl was thinking the same thing. She hadn't seen Carlos since they ate together in the center of the yacht before everyone rushed out to dance and enjoy the sea breeze.
Where's her fiancé?
"Probably working in his room." She answered simply.
"And just miss you?"
"Excuse me?" She had heard wrong.
"No, I was just joking." That man patted Cheryl's head, decorated with a beautiful diamond-eyed pin, a gift from Carlos for their 5th anniversary. "You're so cute with bulging eyes." Raphael was still patting his head.
Cheryl stepped back spontaneously because she wanted to avoid Rafael's surprising touch. Unfortunately, the high heels she was wearing actually stepped on the inside of her dress, hanging down.
For a moment, Cheryl imagined the pain in her buttocks and back if she fell, but it didn't…
There was no pain, and she didn't fall either. Because… Rafael's hand reached out to hold her waist, causing that man to bend slightly towards her to save her body which was about to limp.
In such a close distance, Cheryl could smell Rafael's intoxicating scent. A mixture of men's perfume, fabric softener, also the smell of his roaring breath brushing against the skin of Cheryl's exposed shoulders.
Oh my God, what kind of ordeal is this?!
***
"You are so crazy," Cheryl touched the tip of the glass to her lips and took a sip of the remaining wine.
"What?" Veronica asked casually, fixing her makeup and dabbing red lipstick on her lips.
Cheryl wanted to do the same thing, filling her lips with a new lipstick, but as soon as she saw her reflection in the mirror, Cheryl didn't want to. The lip tint still looks thick, unlike Veronica, who steals time to kiss her husband. Cheryl has been standing alone at the stern of the ship.
No wonder there was a man who approached her because he thought she was a single woman.
Oh please, where is Carlos now?
"You deliberately planned a mess at your wedding? How can you invite Rafael?"
Cheryl still remembers the incident a year ago, when Mateo came to Rafael's apartment and got into a fight with that man because he thought Veronica was having an affair with him. Mateo's anger subsided after he saw Cheryl come out of the apartment door and pull her brother's hand with all her might.
Veronica laughed softly and then closed her makeup kit. "I have to invite Rafael. He's an important person to me," she said.
Cheryl rolled her eyes. If she was not friendly with Veronica, she would definitely curse when she heard the ambiguous sentence coming from her sister-in-law's lips.
"You're married," Cheryl reminded.
"I know. Even my lips just tasted his kiss. How could I forget?" The woman giggled in amusement, causing Cheryl to display a disgusted expression.
"Don't look at me like you've never done it!" Veronica raised her index finger. "Mateo was so amazing. He made me look forward to the night."
"Why do you have to look forward to the night when you can do it now?" Cheryl rolled her eyes a second time.
"Good idea! You'll have to deal with the fussy guests later. How?" Veronica laughed.
Cheryl didn't laugh. She chose to take a glass of wine from the tray as if the waitress had just passed her.
"How long have you been here?" Veronica squinted, and seemed displeased when she saw Cherryl take another sip of wine which gave a burning sensation in her tongue and throat.
"Since earlier, since you two danced."
"It's been a long time!" Veronica screamed hysterically. "And how many glasses have you had?"
Cheryl shrugged, not remembering how many glasses of wine she had drunk.
"Carlos is too much. How can he leave you alone and choose to be busy with his work? I can't stop thinking about his behavior!" Veronica grumbled in a fast voice, like a rapper singing a verse of a song.
Cheryl flashed a short smile. "At least he's not cheating on me, unlike Mateo." She mocked Veronica openly.
"You don't think he's acting like a man who's having an affair right now? Why busy working at a time like this? He chose to ignore you and was more interested in the annoying paperwork." Veronica is showing her skills again, grumbling very quickly.
"Weren't we talking about Rafael?" She diverts the conversation, more accurately referred to as returning to the topic of conversation.
"Are you interested in him?" Veronica squinted.
Cheryl looked at that woman with a frown as if to say, "what the hell?!"
"I told you, Carlos is the best." She gives the affirmation sentence.
"Yes, yes! Up to you." Veronica
"What happened that Mateo allowed Rafael to come?"
As Cheryl remembers, Mateo is very anti-Raphael.
"Mateo can't refuse my request!" Veronica said with a smug smile.
Oh, right! Besides being a perfect match with visuals, Mateo and Veronica are also a ridiculous couple who deserve to be called love slaves.