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I'd love to be able to enjoy my trip without the influence of alcohol, but at this point, I don't know that Jake is going to let that happen. He seems hell bent on ruining my good time as if that’ll get him in my good graces and persuade me to take him back. Ha. I need a distraction, to have fun, to remember how it feels to be happy, because joy is in short supply lately and it’s driving me nuts.
The bartender places my drink before me with a wink and slight click of her tongue and I smile, glad that my awkwardness didn’t ruin her polite attitude.
And then I see him.
A handsome stranger with the most piercing blue eyes I've ever seen in my life. He walks into the restaurant with a confident stride, wearing a dark suit and tie that make him stand out from the multitude of people I’ve seen on board. With his dark brown hair, incredible blue eyes, and chiseled jawline, he looks like he stepped out of a magazine or movie.
Yes, I know. I'm staring at him. He's the most gorgeous man I've ever seen - of course, I'm staring. He walks right over and sits next to me with a seat between us.
“Whiskey on the rocks,” he says to the bartender as I pull my drink close and begin sipping, watching his handsome profile all the while.
She nods, her gaze sliding from him to me as a slight smile crosses her lips. Obviously, she noticed that I'm staring, but he doesn't seem to have. No, he's too busy with the phone he pulled out of his pocket when he sat down. He's staring at the screen and seems to be quickly responding to messages or emails with a huff of a sigh and a set to his shoulders that warns me he’s busy and frustrated.
This guy's got warning signs and I'm trying to decide if I'm going to ignore them. I'm on vacation on a cruise. I'm never going to see any of these people again, so what's the harm in flirting with him? The worst that'll happen is he won't be interested, I'll feel a little silly, and then we'll probably never see each other again. But what if the best happens?
Of course, I have no idea what the best-case scenario would be. I guess maybe having a hot date with a movie-star attractive guy? I'm so fresh out of a breakup, I'm not even sure what best-case scenarios look like anymore. Just someone that doesn't break my heart and sleep with his secretary seems like such a low bar to set.
The bartender puts his drink in front of him and then glances at me, tilts her head toward him, and lifts her eyebrows in his direction as if telling me to go for it. I like that. That's exactly what the world needs, more women that build each other up and give each other courage to try things, rather than women that sleep with other women's boyfriends like one example I can think of.
But I can’t stop staring. This man is so different from Jake - my ex was lazy, sloppy, boring...
The stranger downs his drink and continues on his phone as the bartender takes and refills his glass, still silently encouraging me to say something to him. I take several deep gulps of my drink, bringing it below half, as I try to decide how to approach this man. I almost hate to interrupt. He seems so busy and important, like he has a lot of things to do and people to talk to. He hasn't even noticed me at all, Which I think I'm grateful for. I have a feeling that if he had noticed me, I wouldn't be able to breathe right now.
I can't help but wonder what he does for a living, where he comes from, and why he's here. I mean, obviously, he's probably here for vacation, but for some reason, my mind seems to think someone like this would go for something a little more glitzy or glamorous for vacation, some remote private island or something... I don’t know what rich people do, but he sure looks like one.
I quickly lose my nerve and look down at my phone, realizing that Jake is still sending me messages. But I'm done with him. I already know that there's nothing he can say to fix this, and everything he says just makes me more upset. So maybe it's time to block his number and move on.
With trembling fingers, I quickly write up a social media post about what he did so that everyone in our lives can know the truth. I'm not embarrassed. I don't feel responsible for the bad choice he made, and I sure as heck don't ascribe to the ideology that if I had just kept him happy, he wouldn't have cheated on me. He made a choice, and he can live with the consequences of everyone he knows finding out about what he did.
The second I hit send, I block him, then turn my phone off and sit back, a slight smile on my face as my attention strays back to the handsome stranger. Ah, what the heck - I deserve to be happy. Why not make a move? I already know that the worst that could happen is that he could not be interested in me. And that's fine - there's plenty of other fish in the sea; we're on a freaking boat in the ocean, after all.
I can only hope and pray that I am one hundred percent less awkward with him than I had been with the bartender. I decide I'm going to take a chance and talk to him. Maybe he'll be interested in me. Maybe he'll make me forget about Jake for a while. Heck, maybe this will just be an enjoyable way to pass the time.
“Excuse me,” I say to him.
He hesitates, as if he can't believe that someone is speaking to him before looking up from his phone to meet my gaze. Everything about him is intense and captivating, and he raises his eyebrows slightly.
“Yes?” he asks. His deep voice is rich and velvety, and I feel fluttering in my belly as I clear my throat, trying to remember what it was I was going to say.
Unable to remember what witty remark I was going to make, I glance at his drink, my pulse thundering in my ears and say the first thing that comes to mind. “Don't you think it's a little early to be drinking?”
I see the bartender plant her elbow on the bar and put her head in her hand.
The stranger glances slowly at my drink before his gaze slides back to me. The corners of his lips tilt ever-so-slightly upward as his brows rise another inch. “I could ask you the same thing.”
I'm so stupid. How could I forget that I'm sitting here drinking first thing in the morning before breakfast too? What kind of dumb comment did I make? How stupid must he think I am right now? How stupid am I?
I can't hold back an awkward, nervous laugh. “I guess you got me there.” I take a long drink of my mimosa, nearly finishing the beverage while trying not to feel stupid.
But the guy seems interested now and rotates his stool, leaning back against the bar, his eyes on me. “What brings you here?” he asks.
“To the boat or the bar?” This seems like a loaded question through no fault of his own.
He chuckles softly, leaning in closer to me as he lowers his already-gravelly voice. “Both.”
My cheeks begin to warm up under his stare. “An ex has me drinking this early, and I'm on vacation.” I lift my new drink in his direction and his face lights up with a smile.
“I’m on vacation too.”
