Page 17 of The Cruise Back to You

“I was looking for you,” Colter says.

“I was looking for you too.”

“I want to talk.”

“So do I.”

We stare at each other. The elevator dings impatiently.

“I know a quiet spot,” I say. “There’s an area with private pods and couches on deck five.”

“Lead the way.”

We ride the elevator in silence, standing close enough that our shoulders brush. My heart is pounding so loud I’m sure he can hear it.

The quiet area is tucked away behind the library. It’s designed for relaxation, with curved pod chairs that swivel, plush couches with ocean views, soft ambient music playing from hidden speakers. This early in the morning, it should be empty.

It’s not.

As we round the corner, I spot a familiar pair of sandals poking out from one of the pods. Brown leather, slightly scuffed. I’d recognize them anywhere.

Jules.

I stop walking. Colter stops beside me.

The pod is rotating slowly, pushed by a lazy foot against the floor. As it turns, the occupants come into view.

Jules is sitting inside. Marc is on his lap, and they’re kissing.

Jules is cupping the back of Marc’s head while Marc’s fingers are twisted in Jules’s shirt. This is the kiss of two people who know each other. Who have been doing this for a while.

They stop kissing, and that’s when Jules opens his eyes and sees us.

His whole body goes rigid. Marc pulls back, confused, and follows Jules’s gaze. When he spots us, his face drains of color.

Nobody speaks.

I cross my arms. Beside me, Colter does the same.

Jules scrambles to push Marc off his lap, but the pod wobbles dangerously and Marc grabs onto Jules’s shoulders to steady himself, which only makes them look more tangled together.

“Robin,” Jules starts. “This isn’t— We were just⁠—”

“We were going to tell you,” Marc blurts out.

“We were waiting for the right time,” Jules adds.

“It just happened.”

“Well, not just happened. It’s been⁠—”

“—a few months,” Marc says. “Since just after you and Colter broke up.”

“But it wasn’t planned!”

“We ran into each other at Murphy’s.”

“We were both sad about you two splitting up.”