ISLAND LOVE

Wait...

Is this how I die?

On a fucking cruise ship in the middle of nowhere?

How is that fair?

I was slowly approaching the water, waiting for the big splash.

Just them, Arms. Strong. Cold. Wrapping around my wrist.

"Hold tight..." he yelled.

I looked down at the dark sea, with my legs dangling in the air.

"Do not look down, look at me." He shouted again," Give me your other hand"

I'm very certain my body was an empty shell right now, my brain wasn't functioning properly. All I could see was my death approaching me. How I would fall into the dark water, and probably drown to my death before help comes.

"Mayaaaaa," that was the first time he mentioned my name. Maybe that was what jolted me to my senses.

"Please don't let go," I said out loud.

"I won't, give me your hand."

I nodded, looking up at him, the fear in his eyes caught me off guard. Grabbing his second hand with my left hand, he pulled me up over the broken railing.

I landed hard against his chest, coughing, gasping, my heart pounding in my ears.

He held me tight, his breath shallow. "What the hell were you thinking? All you had to do was grab my hands, but of all the times, you had to let your thoughts wander."

"The better question is," I choked, "why the hell is the railing on a luxury cruise ship falling apart?"

His grip on me tightened for a beat before he pulled back. I became conscious of how close we were as well and pulled back, wrapping my arms around my chest as the cold breeze hit me. The warmth from his arms was long gone.

"Someone must have tampered with it, I'll talk to the technical staff" he muttered.

"What?" I asked, trembling.

He looked at me, jaw clenched. "Go to your room. And don't come up here alone again."

"I wasn't planning on it," I said, walking away as fast as my legs could allow, my heart still throbbing hard.

The moment I got to my room, I slammed the door, pacing back and forth in my tiny room.

Replaying everything that just happened in my head. I COULD HAVE DIED.

What if he wasn't there?

Nobody would have even heard me scream, and I probably would be long dead before anyone would notice I was missing.

I ran my hands through my hair, trying to calm my racing heart.

I spent the night replaying everything in my head.

The wind. The lurch of the ship. The cold metal under my palms, the dark sea...

If his hands hadn't grabbed mine... if he'd hesitated for a second... I would've been gone. Swept under the ocean like some discarded trash. Just a missing person report and a half-hearted search.

Why did he save me?

He hates me. He's made that clear from day one. So why the hell was I still breathing?

I don't know how long it was, but soon I fell asleep, with so many WHY'S and WHAT IF'S in my mind.

When morning came, I dragged myself to the kitchen, my body still running on adrenaline and confusion. I didn't say a word to anyone. What was I supposed to say? Oh hey, by the way, the cruise ship railing gave out last night and I almost died. No biggie.

I wasn't even supposed to be serving him today. But Liam, in his usual boss-from-hell energy, made sure I was the one carrying the tray of overpriced breakfast into the private dining hall.

If there were a 'B' in my name, I'm almost certain it'd signify BADLUCK.

The door was slightly open. I was about to knock when I heard his voice inside.

"I swear, I barely touched the railing, just leaned on it, and the thing snapped." He said so fast like he was trying to convince them he wasn't crazy. 

There was a pause, then someone laughed.

"Liam, how much did you drink last night?" 

"I wasn't drunk," Liam snapped. "I know what I saw, I was there. I didn't hallucinate or dream about it. The thing gave way. Someone could have died."

"Well, I walked past there this morning," another guy added. "Totally fine, the railing was intact, not even a scratch."

"You sure you didn't dream it?" Another voice teased.

"I wasn't alone," Liam said angrily.

I froze.

"Who were you with?"

There was a beat of silence. Without thinking, I pushed the door open. 

Everyone's attention turned towards me, but Liam's gaze was more lingering, like he knew I was there all along.

I pressed my lips together, face burning, and looked away.

He looked away from me, back at his friends," No one." He said, "Just me. I was alone. But I saw it break. I even went back this morning. It's like it never happened."

Another round of dismissive laughter followed, "Maybe you're losing it, man. You really do need to get laid, a woman warming up your bed will keep every hallucination away." Paul joked.

They all laughed, brushing it off like he was some rich idiot inventing drama.

I continued serving, pretending I hadn't heard a thing. His conversation with his friends has nothing to do with me. As long as MAYA wasn't mentioned. 

Liam stared at me, both in anger and confusion.

But what can I say? I'm as confused as he is. You don't imagine or hallucinate that kind of thing.

So either we are in a haunted ship, or someone is playing games.

*******************************************

Work dragged on. Everyone minding their own fucken business, and I felt like a ghost floating through someone else's life.

Later that day, I was walking through the hall with a couple of the other staff when we spotted Liam coming from the opposite direction.

As usual, everyone stopped.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Liam," we all chorused.

I tried to melt into the crowd and keep walking, but of course, he'd probably drop dead if he let me be.

"MAYA," he called out.

I stopped cold.

"Yes, Sir?" I asked, trying to be as professional as possible.

"I need you to fix something in my suite." He said, both hands behind his back, in a boss-like manner.

"Should I get someone else to come along?" I asked pointing to the other staff member with me.

Liam and no one around isn't a good combination.

"No," he cut in. "It's a one-person job." He said with a straight face.

Right. Of course it is.

The other staff exchanged glances but said nothing. I followed behind him, giving as much space as possible. My heart was pounding in my chest like it had last night.

I didn't trust him. Not even a little.

His room was spotless and absurdly large. Marble, glass, huge bed, roof to roof-to-ground mirror. Screaming money.

I stood waiting for him to instruct me, or better still, tell me why he needed me in his room.

"You didn't even thank me." He put both hands in the pockets of his shorts. The wind blowing his summer-flowered shirt and his hair.

I turned, arms crossed. "For what?"

"Saving your life." He said it like it was the most obvious thing.

"Well," I snapped, "maybe my life wouldn't have needed saving if your fancy ass cruise ship wasn't falling apart."

"So now it's my fault you almost died?" He asked, arching his brows.

"Is your ship... if it isn't your fault, whose fault is it?"

He tilted his head," You know," he started. "I just don't get it. We both saw it. The railing was broken. You almost fell. Everything was as clear as day. But this morning..." he shook his head. "Nothing. There was no scratch. It was like it never happened. How is that possible?" He asked running his hand through his hair in frustration.

"Maybe the ship repairs itself overnight," I said nonchalantly. 

He didn't smile. He looked frustrated. Confused. Angry, but not just at me.

"I went to the tech crew. Told them what happened. They said there was no damage, and that no one reported anything. Like I had imagined the whole thing.

I stayed silent. He moved closer.

"You didn't imagine it," I said quietly.

I'm not used to the confused and frustrated Liam, the only version of him I'm used to is the annoying and jerk version. But right now, I totally understand how he felt. Cause I feel the same way. I almost died, and there seemed to be no explanation or evidence for what happened.

He looked at me then, really looked. Like he was trying to figure me out.

"So why didn't you back me up there?"

"Well, because I don't feel like becoming the gossip of the day," I said. "You were with a maid. At midnight. On the top deck. With no one else around. You really want that rumor flying around?" I said arching my brows.

"I don't care what people think," he snapped.

"Yes, you do. Otherwise, you'd have said my name when they asked."

We stared at each other. The tension was thick enough to cut with a butter knife.

"Still," he said finally," I saved your life. You should at least say thank you."

"Fine," I muttered. "Thank you."

"You don't mean it." He said, crossing his arms around his chest.

"You're right. I don't." I said, rolling my eyes.

"Say it like you mean it Maya."

"Thank you," I repeated, sharper this time, "for not letting me die on your faulty, haunted cruise ship."

A muscle twitched in his jaw. Then, unexpectedly, he smiled.

Not the smug, arrogant grin I was used to. A real one. 

"You're insufferable," he murmured.

"Likewise," I said, rolling my eyes. "Why am I here?"