"Cheers!"
came the deep voices of the men in the cockpit lounge of the catamaran boat.
It was late at night, and the crescent moon in the dark, grey sky casted its fluorescent rays of light onto the vast sea below. The boat had drifted away from the dock of the five-star hotel, venturing far into the offshore zone while still remaining within the sight of the hotel in case of an emergency.
It was the grand opening of the "Hotel Royale," the first five-star hotel situated by the beach. To commemorate the occasion, the hotel owner had organized an all-night celebration, attracting numerous celebrities and renowned officials from around the world. Because of this, the hotel was now bustling with unfamiliar faces.
Aiden Clein, the only son of the hotel owner, felt agitated as he had to force a smile and engaged in friendly conversations with these strange individuals due to his familial connection to the owner.
Seeking silence and peace from the crowded building, he had managed to slip away from the hotel to one of the boats on the hotel's deck. Because it was by the beach, boats were provided for patrons who wished to go out to sea.
Aiden was accompanied by a selected group of his acquaintances from his college he had invited personally. Even though they spend most of their time together, Aiden merely enjoyed the attention since he never liked being alone and never really considered considered them his friends.
When everyone had boarded the boat, Aiden untied the rope securing it to the dock and activated the auto-sailing feature.
Carrying a crate of alcohol from the cooler in the lounge, he placed it on the table, and each person grabbed a bottle, raising them in a cheer.
"Wowww! Dude, this is the life!" exclaimed one of the boys with dyed red hair, taking a gulp from the Johnny walker in his hand.
"You know what would make this even better? Girls." chimed in another boy with brown hair, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Too bad... we're stuck with these two completely unsexy individuals," the red-haired boy said playfully, pointing to the two girls seated on the couch across them.
The brown-haired boy burst into laughter and the blonde girl from the other duo spoke up,
"And what is that supposed to mean?"
The room filled with laughter, except for Aiden who just wore an amused smile, obviously pleased with his jovial choice of company.
One of the girls with short black hair stood up and strode over to where Aiden sat with his legs crossed and arms spread across the backrest of the sofa and took a seat next to him.
"I'll have you know that we are here for Aiden, so you two shouldn't get too cocky," the black-haired girl retorted, prompting chuckles from the two boys.
"Oh, please, Aiden wouldn't even spare you a second look. Even Maddie is on his tail," the red-haired boy added, and the brunette boy nodded in agreement.
"You should be the one not getting too cocky around him. He might break your heart if you get too attached," the brown-haired boy continued.
"I know I don't stand a chance with him, so stop reminding me," the black-haired girl whined, pulling away from Aiden.
The other three laughed at this, and soon their laughter gradually subsided.
"This would be the perfect time for a scary story, don't you guys think?" the blonde girl suggested with a wide smile on her face.
"What do you think this is, a campfire? Hell no," retorted the red-haired boy, earning a scoff from the blonde girl.
"Pssh, you're just scared."
"Say that again." The red head fumed
"Then how about we go fishing?" the black haired girl proposed and the lounge fell into silence before erupting in laughter from the silly suggestion they had just heard.
"What the heck are you thinking? Fishing so late at night?" The red head exclaimed amidst the laughter.
"That actually sounds like a good idea," Aiden interjected, and the room fell silent once again as all four of them stared at him in disbelief... did he really just say that?!
Aiden tilted his head, causing his hair to fall over his face, still wearing a smile. "What? Come on. I saw a fishing net in the galley," he said.
He stood up and made his way to the salon, heading straight for the galley to retrieve the fishing net.
"Hey Aiden, don't you think it's too late? I feel like this is a bad idea. What if we catch a shark or some sea monster?" the red-head asked, worry creasing his brow.
Aiden glanced back with his smile intact, teasingly saying, "Don't tell me you're scared, Mitch." Mitch opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted,
"Don't worry, there wont be any sharks or sea monsters." He said.
With that, he waved off the matter and headed out to the fore deck of the boat with the fishing net in his hand and the four friends following behind him.
As they stepped outside into the boat's exterior, they were greeted by the cool night breeze gently caressing their skin and the calm waters beneath.
The five of them glanced up at the night sky, admiring the twinkle of distant stars.
"It's so beautiful and peaceful," remarked the girl with short black hair.
Aiden looked down at the net in his hand, his expression filled with confusion, before turning back to the four behind him.
"So, who actually knows how to use a fishing net?" he asked, stunning everyone before they burst into laughter.
"You talked about fishing, and you don't even know how to use a fishing net?" Mitch teasted.
He strode to where Aiden stood and took the net from his hand. Gripping the edges of the net, he skillfully threw it into the water.
"So, there's a cute side to Aiden after all," the blonde girl remarked with a smile.
The brunette boy joined Mitch and assisted him in holding the other end of the net to make it easier to pull out if they were to catch anything.
"I've never been fishing before, okay? That's why I wanted to give it a try," Aiden admitted.
It was true; he had never even set foot in a kitchen, let alone gone fishing for fun. Why would he?
"Awwwnn!" the two girls chimed in, their voices filled with a sing-song tone. This overly girly act caused the three boys to roll their eyes.
"You really are adorable!" the blonde girl exclaimed, clinging onto Aiden's left arm. Mitch was about to say something when he felt the net in his hands shift, as if something had been caught in it.
Their attention was quickly drawn to the net in the water.
"Seems like we've really caught something," he said, his eyes focused on the moving net.
Gripping the net tightly, he tried pulling it up, but whatever was caught inside the net fought back with remarkable strength.
The force was so intense that it nearly pulled Mitch and the brunette boy off balance, threatening to send them overboard.
"What the heck are you guys doing? Come on, help us out!" the brunette boy yelled.
Reacting swiftly, the two girls rushed to their aid, holding onto the net and summoning every ounce of their strength to pull it in.
Aiden stared blankly at the four with a bored expression as they struggled to hoist the net.
"Come on, Aiden!" Mitch called out.
Aiden let out a deep sigh, he was the one who put them up to this task so the least he could do was help.
"After this I'm gonna eat a whole lot of grilled fish!" Mitch said with agitation.
Aiden joined them at the railings and held onto the net, adding his strength to their efforts to pull the fish.
With their combined force, they gradually hoisted the catch out of the water. Since it was no longer in the water, it made it easier to pull it up onto the deck since the fish had no means of struggling.
Once they pulled it over the railings, they dropped it on the wooden floor of the deck with a dull thud and all heaved a sigh of relief.
They stretched their waist and caught their breath after such hard work.
"Fishing is not at all easy... I wonder how people do this for a living." The brunette boy commented as they gathered around the net, eagerly anticipating to see what type of fish it was.
"Let's see what we've caught," Mitch said.
"Hopefully it's not a muskie." Replied the blond girl.
"I don't think so... look at the color of its tail. It's really pretty."
The group huddled around the fish trapped in the net.
With the darkness of the night and the dim lighting on the boat, their view was limited. All they could make out was the mesmerizing glimmer of the fish's tail, bathed in a radiant blue hue under the gentle glow of the crescent moon.
♪♪♪
A sudden shift in the atmosphere shattered the silence of the night.
A soft, sweet, and meticulous humming sound filled the air, captivating their attention.
Aiden's previously indifferent eyes moved to the net, his curiosity heightened by the enchanting melody. Could this lovely sound be coming from there?
His heart raced within his chest as he watched the net stir... he felt anxious, waiting to see what produced such beautiful melody.
As the creature sat up, the four who were once close now stepped away from the net warily as they stared in disbelief at what was in front of their eyes.