Love on the Horizon ✎

14

I shiver despite the heat. My other hand tremble as I reach up and remove my sunglasses, letting the fall into the sand besides me. I look from Damien's blue eyes and down to our entwined fingers. The firecrackers are back and causing quite a ruckus within me. I don't know what to think or say.

"Lend me your phone," he suddenly says. I find it in my bag, unlock it and hand it to him without a second thought. He taps on the screen a few times and then I hear a muted ping from his pocket as he hands the phone back to me.

"There. We have each other's phone numbers now. I know the rates on board are expensive so I won't text you unless it's important and I can't find you."

"Damien..." I don't even know how to form the words I want to say. If I even know what to say at all.

He eyes me closely. "Ellie. All I know is that I can't get that kiss out of my head and I just hope you can't either." His eyes shift as if he sees something over my shoulder and then he gently let go of my hand, which immediately feels colder without his touch. He smiles calmly. "Your friend is coming."

I turn and see Phoebe walking towards us along the shore. From here I can already tell she's totally analyzing the situation and trying to work out what is going on. Great, maybe she can explain it all to me.

"Hello, you two," she says when she's close enough. Her body is dripping with water, but she remains standing, letting the sun do its work.

"Hi Pheebs," I say, my voice slightly shaky. She notices, of course, and looks at me closer.

"Hi, I'm Damien," Damien says, getting up to politely extend a hand that Phoebe shakes with a cautious look on her face.

"Hello Damien, I'm Phoebe, best friend extraordinaire and guardian of Ellie's heart."

Damien steps back, hands raised in a surrendering position.

"I mean no harm."

"Good. You're the singer, right? I thought I saw you on stage last night for the singles thingy. You have a good voice," she adds at the end when Damien nods.

"Thank you. I should probably get going and leave you two be to enjoy the rest of the day." He looks down at me, smiling, almost expectantly, but I still have no idea what to say to him, so I give him an awkward wave and a measly attempt at a smile. His own falters a little, but then he tips an invisible hat and walks off down the beach towards the cruise ships.

"Okay, I need to know everything, right now," Phoebe demands as she takes a seat on her towel next to me.

"I...I don't really know what is going on," I admit before proceeding to try and retell what happened when she was out swimming. When I mention last night's kiss, Phoebe lets out a schoolgirl squeal, but makes no further interruptions. When I finish, Phoebe is chewing on her lip with a look on her face that I can't quite decipher.

"Wait, okay, so he said he'd risk his job to be with you on this cruise even if it's totally against the rules."

"Basically. And Javier apparently won't say anything."

"And Javier is our waiter, right?"

"Right. But Damien's singing partner and sex-ex is allegedly the jealous type and not over him."

"You mean the hot Latina songbird who was undressing him with her eyes through their whole performance? Yeah, I think not, though I would happily act as a distraction against her." She winks and leans back on her towel, resting on her elbows.

I groan, letting my head fall into my hands. "This is not at all how I imagined this cruise to go."

"Forbidden romance? It's actually super-hot. I'm so jealous."