Chapter 7
Chanel
The itinerary for the ten-year reunion was pretty basic. Lunches were spent doing whatever we wanted, but brunches and dinners were spent in a dining hall that was set aside for our class. When I’d attended the brunch that morning to take more pictures, I noticed that not a lot of people were there. Maybe half of the attending class had shown up for it, and there wasn’t much to photograph. Everyone there looked like they were still nursing hangovers, and I figured the ones who didn’t show up were still sleeping theirs off. Ana and I had decided it was a bust, so we grabbed a small bite to eat and took our mimosas to go.
We were going to spend the day exploring the ship.
But exploring turned into laying out, and soon Ana was lathering me up with tanning oil. She kept ordering drinks as we lay out in the sun on the open deck. She was mindlessly rattling on about her evening with Tommy, which only served to remind me of my evening with Rhett.
Neither of the guys had been at brunch, but it didn’t shock me that they weren’t. I knew I was worn out from the acrobatics Rhett had put me through, and by the way Ana talked about her night, it sounded like Tommy had every right to be exhausted as well. But as Ana continued to talk about their escapades, something else sprang to my mind.
What if Rhett hadn’t come because of my note?
I had no idea if he had found it, but I began to wonder if I had been a jerk for asking that of him. I wasn’t ready to field any of the questions or listen to Ana chew my ear off for anything, but was it right of me to tell him to keep things a secret? It wasn’t like it would come as a shock to anyone. It was clear who had slept with who last night as people cozied up to one another at the brunch this morning, and no one seemed upset or ashamed of their actions.
I wasn’t ashamed either, but I also wasn’t ready to admit how much I’d enjoyed it.
If I did, then I had to entertain the idea that something was blossoming between us. After everything Rhett had admitted, from missing me to keeping tabs on me, I felt myself falling back into him again, the man who had broken my heart and left me crying on a slab of sidewalk. I wasn’t sure where any of this was going to go, and the whole point of this trip was for me to get my confidence back and to wipe my slate clean and move forward with my life.
That wasn’t going to happen if I was fucking my past.
He’d said prom night was an accident, and he had been ashamed of himself. And I wanted to believe him. A part of me did believe him. That trusting part of me had taken over last night and allowed him to get closer than I had ever intended him to be. Yes, the orgasms were mind-blowing, and yes, it was wonderful to be with a real man again. But it wasn’t worth all of this.
The sun beat down on my body all day as I fell in and out of sleep. I moved to the shade to cool my skin down as people splashed in the pool and relaxed in the hot tub. This was the type of cruise I needed, the kind where no one bothered me, no one talked to me, and no one expected anything of me. I didn’t have to listen to explanations or dredge up my past. I didn’t have to fight between wanting Rhett and keeping him at arm’s length. The only thing I had to worry about was making sure my tit didn’t flop out of my bikini top as I shifted to tan my back.
But then, a familiar voice rumbled at my side.
“Well, if it isn’t Chanel Mathews.”
My eyes fluttered open, and I saw him sitting there. Luke Thomas, the king of all nerds from our grade. I’d had several classes with him back in high school, Chemistry and Calculus, plus the physical education courses I’d taken. He’d even joined the swim team once, and we swam together for an entire year, taking our team to nationals and kicking ass in the relay races.
“Luke?” I asked. “Is that you?”
“It is,” he said as he knelt beside me. “At first, I didn’t think it was you. Until I saw your beautiful face peeking out from underneath your hat.”
“How have you been?” I asked.
I moved to sit up, but he placed his hand on my back. He eased me back down on the lounger I was lying on, but his hand lingered much longer than I thought it would. He sat down by my face and rubbed my back, smoothing more oil into my skin. “You missed a spot with the oil,” he said before quickly removing his hand.
“Thanks.”
“Anyway, life’s been much kinder than high school,” Luke said. “But you have seen a great deal of success. I loved your articles in The New York Times.”
“You read those?” I asked.
“Every single one,” he said.
He was still goofy and awkward after all these years, but I couldn’t be mean to him and tell him to get lost or something. We had established a sort-of friendship in high school.
It didn’t occur to me that he would’ve been someone who would’ve cared to know what I was doing after the fact.
“Will you be at the dinner tonight?” Luke asked.
“I think Ana and I are going, yes. We stopped by the brunch this morning, but not many people were there,” I said.
“Oh. Ana’s here?” he asked.
“She’s lying right next to me,” I said with a giggle.
“I don’t see anyone,” he said.
I looked over to where Ana was supposed to be tanning but found the lounger empty. I lifted myself up and looked around and then reached for my body wrap. Where the hell had this woman gone now? I stood and picked up my camera to go find her, but I felt a pressure come down on my arm.
“Where you headed to?” Luke asked.
“Sorry. I’ve got to go find Ana. I told her I would be her buddy for the cruise, and now she’s gone,” I said.
“Oh, I’m sure she’s having fun. Relax. I’ll get you a drink,” he said.
“You’ll be at the dinner tonight, right?”
“I will be.”
“Then I’ll see you tonight. We’ll talk then, okay? I’m sorry, but I’ve really got to find Ana.”
I pulled away from his grasp, and I could feel his eyes on me as I left. I had no intentions of tracking her down. She had probably found someone else to sleep with for the afternoon. I went back to my room and took a shower, settling in on the balcony with a snack until dinner. I wasn’t looking forward to it at all, especially after my encounter with Rhett. I was trying so hard not to get sucked back into him, but I just couldn’t seem to help myself.
Ana came stumbling in as I was getting ready for the dinner. She smelled like sex and was giggling like a schoolgirl. She patted my shoulder as I snickered at her, stifling my chuckles. I was glad she was having fun, even though her definition of fun was very different from mine.
“We going to this dinner?” Ana asked.
“We are. And I expect you to come with me and stay for at least an hour before you mosey off with someone else,” I said.
“Man, what’s with all the rules, Mom?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Keep your panties on for a bit at least. I fell asleep sun tanning and woke up to you gone. Not a cool move,” I said.
“Well, Tommy came by, and I just couldn’t resist.”
“Tommy came by?” I asked.
“Yep. And before you ask, no, Rhett was not with him.”
“I wasn’t going to ask,” I said.
“You’re a shit liar. Now come on. I’m starving.”
“Worked up an appetite, I see.”
“Stop being a dick and grab your camera. You wouldn’t want to miss any candid drunken pictures of our graduating class.”
“Heaven forbid,” I said, giggling.
The two of us walked into the dining hall and grabbed some more drinks. We made our way to a table that was closer to the middle of the room. I had a better vantage point for snapping pictures this way, but my eyes were scanning the floor. I wanted to see if Tommy and Rhett would show up for dinner.
I needed to know if Rhett was okay.
“Do the two of you know what you would like to eat?”
I jumped at the waiter’s voice as Ana rattled off her order.
“Um, I’ll have the quail. That sounds delicious,” I said.
“It does. I’ll have what this beautiful lady is having.”
I tried to stifle a groan as his voice hit my ears. I whipped my gaze up toward him, taking in Luke’s shining eyes. He pulled out the chair next to me and sat down without even asking permission, and Ana was already giving him the stink eye.
“Ana,” Luke said. “You look wonderful tonight.”
“Luke,” she said. “You look like you could use a refresher course in manners.”
My eyes darted over toward the door, and I saw Rhett come in with Tommy. His eyes were scanning the floor like mine had been only moments before, but now I hoped he didn’t see me. Now, I cursed the fact that we were sitting in the middle of the floor. Everyone saw that Luke Thomas was sitting next to me, leaning a little too close and smiling a little too broadly.
My eyes connected with Rhett’s as I watched his expression fall.
This was not good. Between that note and this circumstance, I knew what he was thinking. He was thinking there was something brewing between Luke and me for the night, and that was not the case. I tried to scoot my chair away from Luke a bit as I pleaded with my eyes for Rhett to come over, but instead, he led Tommy away to a different table.
Shit. This wasn’t good.
“Isn’t that the douchebag that broke your heart?”
I whipped my head back around to Luke as I watched him follow my line of sight.
“Rhett something, right?” he asked.
“Don’t worry. She’s got plenty of douchebag sitting right next to her,” Ana said.
“Yes, that’s Rhett, the guy I dated in high school,” I said.
“Didn’t he, like, cheat on you or something?” Luke asked.
I darted my eyes over to him as I scooted my chair further away from him.
“I don’t really want to talk about it,” I said. “Let’s just have some dinner.”
“Whatever you want. You look beautiful tonight, by the way,” he said.
“Thanks,” I said.
We got our food, and I ate it as fast as I could. Ana was trying to diffuse the tension growing at the table, but Luke was determined to make this a spectacle. Every time Rhett looked over, Luke tried to put a move on me, pulling my chair closer to his and trying to kiss my cheek. I finally had to get up and tell him I wasn’t feeling well to put some distance between us. He offered to escort me back to my room, but Ana interjected and told him she could escort me back and that his services wouldn’t be needed.
Then, she shot him a nasty look.
“What the fuck’s his problem?” Ana asked.
“He’s just Luke; nerdy awkward Luke. What can we get into tonight?” I asked.
“How do you feel about the casino?” she asked. “We could play the penny slots or something.”
“Sounds good to me. Anything to get me away from that damn dinner,” I said.
“Come on. I’ll show you where the casino is.”
We made our way to the elevator and took it up to the casino floor. There were card games and slot machines, dice being rolled, and roulette being played. There were flashing lights, the music was cranked up and members of staff walking around in tuxedos and brightly-colored costumes.
But when I turned a corner to explore the place, Luke was standing at the other end of it, staring back at me.
“Ana,” I said as I backtracked. “Ana, where are you?”
I looked around, trying to find my best friend.
“Are you fucking kidding me? Where did you go?” I asked.
“I’m right here. Don’t get your panties in a—”
Her eyes fluttered over my shoulder, and I chanced a look behind me.
“Is that motherfucker following us?” Ana asked.
“I don’t know. I really don’t,” I said.
“Come on. Let’s weave through some aisles and then dip into the elevator,” she said.
Ana took my arm, and I went wherever she led. We bobbed and weaved, getting completely lost in the maze of lights and sounds. We timed it right and stepped into the elevator just as Luke came out of the casino.
He turned and looked at me as the elevator doors closed.
“Fucking creep,” Ana said.
“Ana,” I said, giving her a look. “Stop, he’s totally harmless.”
But then, the elevator doors shot back open. Luke smiled and stepped in, allowing the doors to close without pressing a button. I could feel the irritation coming off of Ana in waves and I was silently willing her not to say anything.
“I’m not feeling very well,” I said.
“You wanna go back to the room?” Ana asked.
“Yeah. I think this is a room service and rest kind of night,” I said.
“Allow me to escort you back. I want to make sure you’re okay,” Luke said.
“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” I said as I looked behind me.
“Really. If something happened to you or something, I’d want to be there to help,” Luke said.
“Look, creep. She’s got it. Okay? Just go away and stop following us,” Ana said.
I shot a look toward Ana, but she shot me one right back. The elevator door opened on the fourth floor, and Ana dragged me off and down the hallway.
“What are we—?”
“Shut up and keep walking, okay?” she asked.
The elevator doors shut behind us, and I turned around. No one was there, not even Luke. And I sighed with relief as Ana dragged me over to the stairs.
“The last thing we needed was for that asshole to know what floor we were staying on. Now come on. We’re walking the last two flights.”
“You could’ve been a little nicer, you know,” I said. “Luke was just trying to be a gentleman.”
“He was being creepy,” Ana said. “Anyway, did you really want to go back to the room?”
I thought about it for a minute, suddenly tired. “Yeah, actually, I do. Once I said room service and a movie, it sounded pretty good. You don’t have to stay with me though, you can go find some fun to get into.”
“And leave my bestie to wallow in whatever you find to wallow in? Not a damn chance,” she said.
I sighed as we reached our room, but I was silently glad that she would be staying. Lord knows I couldn’t be trusted to be alone with Rhett right next door.
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