Cruise Control

Chapter Three

POV Zara

God, I fucking hate elevators. Something I also seem to hate: how Zach Green towers over me when he's leaning against something.
It made me feel small and vulnerable and the way his biceps strained in his leather jacket made my body feel weak.
I opened up the room and was greeted with an open space. More than enough for two people.
There was a hallway that connected to the living room. To the left, there was a door, probably leading to the bathroom.
The room was filled with blue colors. A white couch stood in front of a TV, next to the French doors leading to the balcony.
Adjacent to the living room there was the bedroom, with no door between them, just an opening.
'Fuck.' I cursed under my breath. We had booked this so long ago that I didn't even remember what the room looked like. It would've been a nice surprise if everything had gone according to plan.
The door closed behind me and I walked into the bedroom. I guess that door in the hallway was just the toilet because the shower and bath were inside the right part of the bedroom. Only a small wall separated it.
Another thing I apparently hate: Open floor plans.
Zach laid his motor helm down on the coffee table, making me jump. For a second there I had forgotten he was there.
'You can take the bed.' Zach looked up at me, but I shook my head.
'No, I mean I can take the couch, I had agreed to that with Jake anyway.'
He muttered something under his breath that sounded like Fucking asshole or–  no I think those were his exact words.
'Zara take the bed, you shouldn't have to be the one sleeping on the couch.' I looked Zach up and down and raised my brows.
'I'm not even sure you'll fit on the couch.' He groaned.
'I'll manage.' Again I shook my head.
'No take the bed really.'
'Zara.' A sigh escaped his mouth. 'Take the bed.'
'Are you sure?' I asked and he nodded. For some reason, I couldn't comprehend that he was actually fine with sleeping on the couch. Jake would've thrown a tantrum, calling me useless and stuff and I was kind of waiting for Zach to do the same.
'Like really really sure?' I continued to ask.
Zach brushed a hand through his hair and a sigh escaped his mouth.
'Jezus Zara, yes!' I flinched at his sudden tone, taking a few steps back, or rather stumbling back.
The annoyed expression on Zach's face seemed to subside immediately, a sorry look in his eyes.
'I'm sorry, I just don't want you to be in any discomfort. We're here for two weeks, that won't be good for your back.' I stuttered and Zach raised his brows at me.
'So you're willing to create your own discomfort?' I shrugged.
'I guess.'
'Why?' Again I shrugged, Zach tilted his head slightly, studying me from head to toe. His eyes burned holes through me.
'I don't know, I just want other people to have a good time.' He shook his head, taking a few steps forward, but keeping a steady distance between us.
'People should have a good time regardless of you pleasing them.' I averted my gaze to the ground.
He doesn't know me, he has no right to examine me like this.
'Fine, I'll take the bed.' I said, not wanting to talk about this anymore.
'Good girl.' He said and my gaze shot back up to him fast and steady.
Was it hot in here? Where was the temperature control? Fuck, did he really just tell me I'm a good girl? What am I? A fucking dog?
I shouldn't like him calling me a good girl one bit. But why did my insides feel like they were turning to mush?
My cheeks warmed up and I turned around looking for the temperature control. It was really getting hot in here.
I found the controls on the right wall of the living room and cracked the AC on.
'There's the safety drill in like an hour. It's mandatory for everyone on the ship.' I said as I rolled my suitcase into the bedroom and I lifted it up on the small table on the foot of the bed.
'Okay, I'll meet you there.' I raised my brows at him.
'Where are you going?'
'To the gym, right now there probably aren't a lot of people yet, which means I can get a good workout in.' He took off his leather jacket and I found myself staring.
'Oh yeah, good thinking.' He threw the jacket on the couch and bent forward to look through his duffle bag.
A thin silver necklace popped out from under his collar and took out a black shirt and some black shorts.
This guy really didn't own anything with color, did he?
Before he looked up again I averted my gaze.
'I think I'm going to do some unpacking.' I said, my voice raspy and I cleared my throat to fix it.
'How are you going to survive a two week cruise with just a duffle bag?' I asked looking down at the bag, sure it was large, but not 14 different outfits large. I looked back up to Zach who was just in the process of pulling his shirt over his head.
I felt my mouth become dry as I saw more of his body with each second that passed.
His chiseled chest and abs, the dark tattoos scattered around his body.
Wait, is that a butterfly? I squinted at him, trying to get a better look, but he was already pulling his new shirt over his head.
'Did those hurt?' I ended up asking before I could even think about it.
Zach shook his head.
'Not really, but then again I've been shot at and I don't think anything ever came close to that so.' He said it so nonchalantly as if people don't shoot at him in his daily job, as if he hadn't been in and out of the hospital a dozen times already.
'So that did hurt?' I managed to say and a small strained chuckle escaped his mouth. As if he had been trying to hold it in.
'Hurts like hell.' He paused and then took off his pants. Quickly I averted my gaze. I was watching him undress, I was being a creep.
When I looked back his pants were on and he was sitting on the couch tying the laces of his shoes, also black, although the sole was white.
'Anyway, I'll see you on the main deck for the muster drill.' He saluted me before walking out of the door and leaving me behind.
My head was working overtime and I let myself fall onto my back on the bed. I looked up at the ceiling.
What the hell just happened?
I didn't like surprises, never have been a fan of them and this surprise, I think I might like it the least.
Zach felt like a whirlwind ready to displace everything in my life and that was while I was just finding my footing again.
I was getting great jobs, photographing for big brands like Gucci and YSL, I was finally over Jake and I was going on holiday.
Maybe there was still time to get off the boat? I'd be throwing away a 10.000 dollar vacation, but I also wouldn't be upholstering my life.
While the idea was ridiculous it was there for a brief moment.
It was interrupted though by the bighorn that sounded, a sign that we were going to be leaving soon.
I continued to look up at the ceiling. I was unable to move. This really was a turn of events I didn't expect.
I mean, at least I got a big bed.
A groan escaped my mouth and I brushed a hand through my hair.
This little, or rather big, hiccup bothered me a lot.
I knew more about Jake's other friends, yet the only friend I didn't know was here.
The guy that always had a habit of staring way too long, the guy that never wanted more to do with me than some small talk.
The hottest one of his friends, who apparently didn't mind undressing
in front of me and he also didn't mind calling me a good girl.
I needed to set up boundaries, like no sleeping on the bed with me, not sleeping together at all. If I just kept my distance from him, it would be fine right?
I could ask him fewer questions so there wouldn't be as much talking involved. If I didn't get to know him better, things would be easier right?
Questioning myself was apparently going to be the sole purpose of this trip. I shouldn't be lying her on the bed overthinking. I should be unpacking my suitcase and exploring the cruise ship.
This had been something I wanted to do for ages and now that I finally had the opportunity I was letting it get ruined.
This was going to be my blissful moment of true relaxation and I wasn't going to let anything get in my way. Especially not some hot guy I know next to nothing about. Hell, I didn't even know he got divorced, one and a half years ago.
I slid off the bed and walked over to my suitcase, next to the large window that would soon overlook the sea. There was a closet next to the window and I took my neatly folded clothes out of the suitcase and transferred them to that closet.
Finally, it seemed cooler in here and I was eager to go and explore. There was so much to do and I wanted to know everything.
I took off my jacket and grabbed my bag and the room key before strutting off into the hallway.
My eyes darted toward the elevator. I was by myself now, I could grab the stairs without raising suspicion.
Jake always made sure to point out that my fear of elevators was stupid and I guess it was. He always made me feel bad when I wanted to take the stairs, so I decided it was best that people didn't know about my silly fear of being trapped inside a small elevator.
So I turned around and looked for the stairs. There should be stairs, I think they legally have to in case of an emergency.
Quickly I found them and I made my way to the first deck. One positive side to my fear of elevators was that I had great legs and I was quite fit. Walking up ten flights doesn't really bother me anymore.
I had a plan to set out for exploring the cruise ship. I was going to start on the first floor and work my way up. Also, I wanted to find a map of the ship.
It wasn't really the first floor as we boarded the ship on the fourth deck, they call it the landing deck. Everything below those decks was not accessible to guests.
I wandered past the reception and looked around, taking everything in.
The marble floors. The grand staircase is in the middle of the room. The big chandelier hanging from the ceiling. It felt luxurious and I felt happy to be here.
There weren't a lot of people scattered into the lobby and the two women behind the desk were practically doing nothing but smiling at people passing by.
I walked through the lobby into a hallway that led to a restaurant, one of the many.
You had a full panoramic view from here and while right now it was just overlooking the harbor, I could only imagine how nice it must be in the evening when the sun was setting on the horizon.
A host greeted me at the entrance.
'Hi, how can I help you?' The man greeted me.
'I'd like to place a reservation for tonight.'
'Perfect, what room number?'
'403.' I answered and I looked up something on the tablet that lay in front of him.
'Is there any chance I could get a table near the window?' I asked, hopeful, and to my surprise he nodded.
'Of course, what time would you like your reservation to be at Miss Rogers?'
'7:30 please.'
'Will that be all?' I nodded.
'Yes thank you very much.' I took a glance around the room before turning around and walking away.
There wasn't much else on this level so I decided I'd just already go to the safety drill.
The safety drill was on deck eight, it was in the open air at the open theater. This place really had everything. It was already quite busy so I slid into the last row of chairs and crossed my legs over each other.
I grabbed my phone out of my pocket to kill time, also I needed to update Lizzie about the trip and how Zach showed up.

Me:
You're never going to believe what happened.

She responded almost immediately. She was dying to know if everything between me and Jake was alright, boy was she in for a surprise.

Lizzie:
Jake didn't show up?

Me:
Nope but guess who did?

Lizzie:
Someone else showed up?

Me:
Yeah, Zach is his best friend. The one who always stares and doesn’t like small talk 👀

Lizzie:
No fucking way. What's he doing here?

Me:
Apparently Jake didn't want to go so he sold his ticket to Zach, he'll be sleeping on the couch.

Lizzie:
God, how do you feel about that? That's weird, isn't it? For him to just show up, do you think it's about something else?

Just as I was about to respond, somebody behind me cleared his throat, making me jump in my chair.
'Is it cool if I sit next to you?' I quickly locked my phone, hoping he didn't read along, and nodded, unable to speak.
His hair was damp and his forehead sweaty. His shirt was clinging to his abs, defining every muscle.
He looked down at my legs, waiting for me to move them so he could sit next to me.
I moved them to the side and he passed me, dropping himself down in the chair beside me.
'How was the gym?' I asked. God! Why did I keep asking him things?
'Good, they have a tennis and basketball court. You literally have everything here.'
'That's nice.' I said, not asking him any more things.
Luckily he didn't like talking to me whatsoever so I was safe, he was never going to ask me anything anyway.
The theater filled up with passengers and the safety drill started.
They showed us a lifejacket instruction video, we listened to the emergency horn so we would know what it sounded like and we went to our muster stations, so we knew where to go in case of an emergency.
Now that this was done, we went back to the room. We stood in front of the elevator and he swallowed, probably too loud, because Zach looked down at me, and stared at me for a while.
'You know what, I think I'm going to take the stairs. It's a good cool-down exercise after the gym.' I raised my brows at him.
'It is?' Zach nodded, his eyes still fixated on mine.
'Yeah, and I like to take the stairs anyway. You can go in the elevator if you like.'
Well, that was an easy way out.
'No!' I said a bit too fast and I saw the right corner of Zach's mouth twitch ever so slightly as if he was resisting the urge to smile at me.
'I mean, I like to take the stairs too. '
It keeps me fit.' A nervous chuckle escaped my mouth and Zach gave me one singular nod.
'Okay, no problem.' He said before wandering off towards the stairs.