*Shelby*
I woke up the next morning refreshed and excited about my first day on the ocean. Sometime during the early morning hours, someone had slipped an itinerary under my door. I couldn’t help the pang of dread I felt reading that Lauren planned the whole day out for me and that I would be spending all day with Todd.
At least I had a few hours before I was expected at the poolside brunch starting at 10:00. So I called down for coffee to be sent to my room, and as I waited, I went to the sliding door to the balcony and opened it to let the sound of the waves take over my room.
I got dressed in a pair of jean shorts and my favorite forest green tank top. Before I had time to finish my makeup, there was a knock at my door announcing my coffee had arrived.
“Good morning, Miss Shelby,” said the pool boy Lauren had snapped at the day before. He was carrying a coffee tray holding a glass coffee decanter, cream and sugar, and a plate full of fruit. I loved that each time I’d called down for something simple, the staff would add something extra.
“Good morning; I don’t think I caught your name yesterday,” I said.
“It is Derek, Miss Shelby. Where would you like me to put this?”
“If you could put it on the balcony for me, I would really appreciate it. It looks amazing.”
“Of course,” Derek said as he made his way onto the balcony. I don’t know if I would ever get used to this level of service.
“Thank you so much, Derek,” I said, and he responded with a smile. I don’t think the staff is used to Lauren’s guests calling them by name.
I quickly finished getting ready for the day and made my way to the small breakfast table before my coffee got too cold. In the light of the morning, I could see the ocean rather than just hear it like the night before.
I watched the water closely as I took my time sipping my coffee and enjoying the sweetest fruits I had ever tasted.
I hoped, at some point on the trip, I would be able to catch a glimpse of a dolphin. I had always thought they were beautiful creatures.
Five minutes before 10:00, I accepted my fate, slipped on my sandals, and made my way out to the pool deck. Smaller tables were set up around the pool, each only allowing two to four occupants. I sat at an empty table, happy that I didn’t have to make small talk.
I placed my order with a waiter and sat in silence, watching the rest of the group. Many of them were clearly very hung over from the night before.
The blond, Hudson, had his head resting on the table, not responding to Megan, who was talking to him nonstop. A girl with short black hair sat next to them, carefully working on an omelet, shooting dirty looks at Megan, who must have been talking too loudly.
The group must have stayed at the dinner party drinking until the early hours of the morning. I was happy I was able to slip away. Even though I had that awkward run-in with Mr. Astor, my night ended up a lot better once I was alone in my room.
As soon as my mango mimosa was set on the table, the chair next to me was pulled out. I looked up and was surprised to see Todd sitting next to me.
“So Shelby, Lauren tells me that you two lived together at NYU. What did you study there?” Todd said, continuing his game.
I looked around for Lauren and shot a glare at Todd when I noticed she wasn’t on the deck yet. “You know exactly what I studied, Todd.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said with a wicked glint in his eyes. Why had I never seen past his fake smile before now?
Todd leaned over and whispered, “You look good, Shelbs. Green has always been your color.”
I could have slapped him, and I might have if Lauren hadn’t walked up right at that moment and sat on the other side of Todd. She looked flawless, like always, in a perfectly fitted sundress.
“Shelby! You really missed out on a great party last night. Adrian nearly fell into the pool in her dress,” Lauren said.
“Wow, it really does sound like I missed out. I had a headache, so I snuck out early, but I won’t miss a thing today,” I said and took a big sip of my drink.
“Daddy, come sit with us!” Lauren squealed. I nearly choked on my drink, but luckily I had time to compose myself as Mr. Astor made his way to our table.
“This is my old roommate, Shelby from NYU. Unfortunately, you didn’t get to meet her last night.”
“Nice to meet you, Shelby,” Mr. Astor said with a smirk sneaking onto his lips. He raised one eyebrow playfully. “I hope everything and everyone on the ship has been to your liking.”
“Everything has been wonderful, thank you,” I said. I wished I could hide under the table instead. I knew my cheeks were probably turning an unbecoming shade of pink.
“Mr. Astor, what do you think of the new design of aircraft that AmeriAir just revealed?” Todd said, breaking Mr. Astor’s eye contact with me. I looked over at Todd and realized that he had witnessed the strange moment between us.
“It seems like it will be a great little plane. I’m interested to see how it does in this market,” Mr. Astor said, and the conversation steered towards his new airline.
Of course, I knew that Mr. Astor was wealthy, but as breakfast continued, I quickly realized that his kind of wealth was more than I could even imagine.
I tried not to look impressed as Mr. Astor talked because I kept catching the look Todd was giving me out of the corner of my eye. Even in front of Lauren, he couldn’t control himself.
It was hard not to look impressed by Lauren’s father. Not only was he wealthy, but he was extremely attractive. I could have watched the way his lips moved all morning.
Lauren would catch me making googly eyes at her father if I didn’t get myself out of there. I scanned the deck for an escape route when I noticed Reggie sitting alone at one of the tables.
I slid my chair back and stood as casually as I could manage while saying excuse me to the table. I quickly took a seat next to him, and he looked up from his breakfast.
“Hey, Reggie. Can I ask you for a huge favor?”
“Of course. What do you need?” he asked.
“Is there somewhere quiet the rest of the guests don’t know about?”
“I know the perfect place,” Reggie smiled and quickly gave me directions. I stood, ready to go to this secret spot before anyone noticed I was gone.
“Shelby?”
I turned to find Lauren walking over to me. “We're all heading to the sauna.”
“That sounds great, Lauren. I’ll just head back to my room and change into my bikini. Meet you there.” It was the perfect excuse to break away from the group for long enough to disappear.
Lauren smiled and linked arms with me. “I’m headed that way too. When you’re done, the Sauna is on B deck towards the front of the ship.”
I went into my room and changed into a navy blue bikini. I threw my shorts back on over the bottoms and grabbed a book out of my luggage. I made my way quickly out of my room to be sure I didn't run into Lauren.
I was careful to avoid the sauna, and I made my way to the very back of the ship. Just as Reggie said, I went into the dining room and out onto the balcony. The balcony wrapped around to a hidden deck with two lounge chairs. On the table, between the two chairs was a pitcher full of lemonade and a couple of glasses.
Reggie must have had someone bring it there for me.
I made myself comfortable and tried to read the book I‘d brought with me, but at the back of the boat, the sound of the waves was so much louder. I had a hard time keeping my eyes open, so I set the book down on my chest and let the sun warm my face.
Just as I was drifting to sleep, a shadow blocked the sun from my face.
“It looks like you found my hiding place. You must have had the same idea, " a deep voice said, and I opened my eyes.
“Mr. Astor!” I sat up, fully awake.
He sat down on the lounge chair next to me, laid back, and put his hands behind his head.
“Shelby, you can call me Michael.”