should’ve taken his own advice.”
They all burst out into laughter.
“I hope he’ll be alright,” Alyssa said, concerned.
“Aww, Duane can take care of himself. Maybe he needed a Vanessa in his life, to cool his ass down a little.” Kyle said, shaking his head.
***
Kyle walked up beside Liana as she leaned against the railing of his cabin balcony. He watched her as she stood there, eyes closed, head tilted to the side, enjoying the breeze of the night air. He hated to break her contented moment and stood next to her, holding a glass of tea he’d poured for her. He could watch her expression of utter peace and calm all night, if she’d let him.
Liana opened her eyes and turned to catch him watching her. She blushed, and reached for the glass in his hand. “Thank you,” she said, and walked back to sit in one of the two balcony chairs. Kyle sat in the one next to her.
“I didn’t want to disturb you. Not when you looked so peaceful.”
She took a sip of her drink. “You know I love this. I may have given Alyssa a hard time about this cruise, but I’ve never been happier about being talked into doing something.”
He nodded his understanding. He felt the same way, after getting a chance to enjoy the last few days with a woman as beautiful as she was--inside and out.
“The wind on your face, the smell of the ocean, that easy rocking and swaying of the ship. It’s like heaven.”
They were silent as they sat in the cool night air, but the thoughts in their heads kept up more than enough noise for the both of them.
“You know, I never did much as a child. So whenever I can take a trip someplace new, I love it.”
She looked out at the water that stretched as far as her eyes could see. She felt so small in the middle of that big, endless ocean. “Being out here like this, seeing Jamaica, Mexico, and even just this moment now. There is so much that I’ve been missing. So much more world that I’ve yet to see.”
“Did you go anywhere as a child? Not even a drive to a neighboring state?”
She shook her head. “Nope. When I was about five or so, my dad would try to take my siblings and me camping, at a local campsite. But that didn’t last for too long.” Her voice lowered with the pain of the memory. “He...he just became someone else. And nothing became as important as his next buzz.”
She had his full attention. “He was an alcoholic?”
She nodded. “Yep.”
“Hence, your reason for not drinking.”
She nodded again. “Yep. It just wasn’t very pretty,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion.
He reached out to hold her hand, and his tender touch made it difficult to hold in the tears she was working so hard to hold back. Her tears ran down her cheek, and he rose from his chair and lowered himself onto his knees next to her chair. He wiped the tears from her face, but his gentleness only made her want to bawl even more.
She sighed and patted his hand that touched her face. Liana smiled at him and returned to the cabin to sit on the bed. She needed to get away before he caused her to get too emotional about the memories of her past.
Kyle walked over and sat next to her on the bed. He took her hand in one of his, and with his other hand, gently pushed her chin up so that she could see the sincerity in his eyes. He wanted her to know that he meant every word he was going to say to her. “I don’t like seeing you cry. Or upset. A woman as good as you are deserves to be happy. I want to be able to make you happy. And I would love to take you with me, so we could explore the world together. I want to be right there with you so I can see the wonder that I saw on your face today, and the contentment I saw tonight on that balcony.”
Liana blinked back more tears. His words were tempting and she wanted nothing more than to be able to drop
They all burst out into laughter.
“I hope he’ll be alright,” Alyssa said, concerned.
“Aww, Duane can take care of himself. Maybe he needed a Vanessa in his life, to cool his ass down a little.” Kyle said, shaking his head.
***
Kyle walked up beside Liana as she leaned against the railing of his cabin balcony. He watched her as she stood there, eyes closed, head tilted to the side, enjoying the breeze of the night air. He hated to break her contented moment and stood next to her, holding a glass of tea he’d poured for her. He could watch her expression of utter peace and calm all night, if she’d let him.
Liana opened her eyes and turned to catch him watching her. She blushed, and reached for the glass in his hand. “Thank you,” she said, and walked back to sit in one of the two balcony chairs. Kyle sat in the one next to her.
“I didn’t want to disturb you. Not when you looked so peaceful.”
She took a sip of her drink. “You know I love this. I may have given Alyssa a hard time about this cruise, but I’ve never been happier about being talked into doing something.”
He nodded his understanding. He felt the same way, after getting a chance to enjoy the last few days with a woman as beautiful as she was--inside and out.
“The wind on your face, the smell of the ocean, that easy rocking and swaying of the ship. It’s like heaven.”
They were silent as they sat in the cool night air, but the thoughts in their heads kept up more than enough noise for the both of them.
“You know, I never did much as a child. So whenever I can take a trip someplace new, I love it.”
She looked out at the water that stretched as far as her eyes could see. She felt so small in the middle of that big, endless ocean. “Being out here like this, seeing Jamaica, Mexico, and even just this moment now. There is so much that I’ve been missing. So much more world that I’ve yet to see.”
“Did you go anywhere as a child? Not even a drive to a neighboring state?”
She shook her head. “Nope. When I was about five or so, my dad would try to take my siblings and me camping, at a local campsite. But that didn’t last for too long.” Her voice lowered with the pain of the memory. “He...he just became someone else. And nothing became as important as his next buzz.”
She had his full attention. “He was an alcoholic?”
She nodded. “Yep.”
“Hence, your reason for not drinking.”
She nodded again. “Yep. It just wasn’t very pretty,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion.
He reached out to hold her hand, and his tender touch made it difficult to hold in the tears she was working so hard to hold back. Her tears ran down her cheek, and he rose from his chair and lowered himself onto his knees next to her chair. He wiped the tears from her face, but his gentleness only made her want to bawl even more.
She sighed and patted his hand that touched her face. Liana smiled at him and returned to the cabin to sit on the bed. She needed to get away before he caused her to get too emotional about the memories of her past.
Kyle walked over and sat next to her on the bed. He took her hand in one of his, and with his other hand, gently pushed her chin up so that she could see the sincerity in his eyes. He wanted her to know that he meant every word he was going to say to her. “I don’t like seeing you cry. Or upset. A woman as good as you are deserves to be happy. I want to be able to make you happy. And I would love to take you with me, so we could explore the world together. I want to be right there with you so I can see the wonder that I saw on your face today, and the contentment I saw tonight on that balcony.”
Liana blinked back more tears. His words were tempting and she wanted nothing more than to be able to drop
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