When Cristiana awoke, the top deck was completely empty. The wind blew through her hair violently.
Standing, she moved to the railing and glanced down.
The water sloshed past the ship at a brisk pace. They were moving.
Cristiana grabbed her head, which pulsed with pain. When had they departed? How long had she been asleep?
Liam. She needed to find him.
Starting down the steps, Cristiana made her way to the elevator.
A worker rushed past her, carrying a stack of towels.
"Um, excuse me, sir?" Cristiana called out.
The worker stopped dead in his tracks. Slowly he turned around. His eyes fixed on her, and he bowed. "Madam."
"Yeah, what time is it right now?" She asked.
"Time?"
"Yes, what time?"
"Ah, of course. It is 5:30 PM, madam. Have a good evening." With that, he spun around and ran off down a hallway.
Cristiana frowned. "That was weird."
She pressed the down button for the elevator, and the doors opened immediately. Cristiana entered and pressed the button for her floor.
"Level 9," an abrupt robotic voice said, making Cristiana jump.
The doors slid open, and she began making her way down the hallway to her room.
944.
Sliding her card into the slot, she pushed the door open. "Liam?"
The lights were off, but she could see a shadowy figure moving from the bed.
"Cristiana," Liam said, turning on a lamp, which illuminated the room with a faint light. "Where have you been?"
"Where have I been?" Cristiana asked sarcastically. "At the top of the cruise ship, where you left me."
"Left you?" Liam said, looking confused. "I left? No, you left me. In the dining room. You ran off, saying your stomach hurt. Are you telling me that was all just a lie?"
Cristiana was stumped. "What are you talking about? I never said any of that."
"Great, and I'm supposed to be fine with an excuse as stupid as that? Cris…come on."
"Whatever, Liam," Cristiana said. "I'm going to eat. We're already late for our scheduled time."
"Yeah, let's go eat," Liam said with a sigh.
Together, they entered the hallway, following the colorful carpet until they reached the lobby. Quiet music played overhead as they walked:
"Our first summer night. The night she betrayed me. That one little fight. A fight that made me see."
Liam glanced at Cristiana nervously while she stared at the ground, avoiding his gaze.
Together, they entered the dining room and sat at the same table they'd eaten at during lunch.
Gerard was there at a moment's notice. "Good evening, my friends. Madam, your menu," he said, placing the thick paper in front of her. He crossed over to Liam. "And here, for you sir."
Suddenly, Milly appeared, a wide smile on her face. "Hellooo. What may I get you to drink?"
"A daiquiri would be nice," Cristiana said. "Thanks."
"A beer. Just an ale for now," Liam said carelessly, his eyes scanning the menu.
"Of…of course," Milly said. "Be back in a moment."
But Cristiana barely heard the words. She was distracted and mad. How could Liam accuse her of such things when he had been the one to leave her? It didn't make sense.
"I really don't understand," Cristiana said as Milly brought their drinks.
Liam looked up. "What?"
"I don't know where I went wrong," she said, taking a sip of her daiquiri. "Liam, I really thought you were with me. I thought we would go look out at the water together."
"Cris-" Liam started.
"I don't want to fight with you, Liam. I hate fighting, especially over stupid stuff," Cristiana said.
Liam smiled. "You're right. Let's not fight. Tomorrow's our anniversary after all."
The rest of the meal went smoothly. Cristiana had ordered lobster tail, steak, and potatoes, topping it off with ice cream for dessert.
Gerard grabbed the last of their plates. "I hope you enjoyed the food. Please, come back tomorrow morning for breakfast. Tonight's entertainment is in the theater, which is on the sixth, seventh, and eighth floors. Please attend, you won't regret it." Slightly bowing, Gerard took his exit.
As they walked out, Cristiana spotted Milly. She gave her a wave goodbye.
Milly frowned and gave her a slight nod, spinning away quickly to attend to a different table.
"So, do you wanna go see that show?" Liam asked.
Cristiana nodded. "Yeah, let's do it. I wonder what it's about."
They made their way to the eighth floor.
Two copper doors welcomed them into the theater, which was bustling with activity. Obviously, many of the other passengers had also been told about the show.
Instrumental music played loudly from speakers all around the room.
Cristiana looked around in awe. "This is the biggest theater I've ever seen."
Liam nodded.
There were at least two thousand seats, across three floors. The bottom floor was filled with five columns, each with at least twenty rows of seats. The upper two floors wrapped around above them, forming an oval.
Liam grabbed her hand. "Shall we?"
"Let's do it," Cristiana said, and they moved to find a couple of seats.
As they sat, a server walked up to them. "Drinks anyone?"
Liam raised his hand politely. "Yeah, can I get five shots of whiskey here?"
"And a daiquiri for me," Cristiana said.
The server nodded and rushed off to complete the order.
The background music stopped. The lights began to dim.
A spotlight appeared and a fast-paced, playful theme began. A man in a suit stepped out, a microphone in his hands. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Let the show begin!"