Life As I Know It (Completed)

Chapter Eighteen - The Ferry

         We went to see everyone off at the airport in the morning. It had been crazy and hectic, but it had been nice having everyone around. I'd miss Sayer especially. Once all the goodbyes were said and done, and after a haughty proclamation from Cassandra to hurry up, everyone had left.

          "I'm gonna miss having everyone around." Drew leaned into my side slightly.

          "You'll see them again," I said softly.

           "Everyone's promised that they'd come down for the wedding," Mum said, overhearing us. The wedding. It was like a bucket full of ice water. Would Jack and Mum expect us to act like siblings? And what would it be like living with Drew? What if we didn't work out, and went through a messy break up? This entire situation had the potential to be unbelievably awkward if something went wrong. We'd always have to be a part of each other's lives.

          "Well, we should get going," Jack reminded us all. He reached for Mum's hand, smiling at her. I wished that Drew and I could be so open, and with optimism, I looked forward to the day we could.

         We all headed back out into the car park of the airport. All our stuff was already packed and we were ready to get on that ferry and leave.

--

          "Hope no one here gets sea sick," I mused as we walked along the deck. We had just parked Jack's car in the lot allocated for passenger vehicles. The ferry was still stationary and we hadn't moved off yet, but I was still buzzing with excitement.

          "I think we should head inside," Jack proposed, looking at the water mistrustfully.

          I pouted. It was warm out and I wanted to stay on deck for a while. It'd take a few hours to reach the port in France, so we had plenty of time to explore the inside.

           "We'll stay out here," Drew said, looking at me. He knew me too well.

           "Okay then, just don't get too close to the edge," Mum called out as Jack and her walked away. Too close to the edge? There was no way for us to accidentally fall over the side of the damn ferry. I loved my mum, but... seriously?

           "Come on." I grabbed Drew's hand and began towing him to the front of the ferry, where the deck opened up into a wide space. There were numerous tables and chairs scattered around, as well as benches for people to sit. There were quite a few people around, and a food stand in the corner. "There." I pointed, finding just the right spot at a bench the railings. I wanted to watch the water as the ferry moved.

          He sat down next to me, his arm going around my shoulders. "Anywhere in Paris you'd like to go?" he asked, playing with my hair.

          "Not really. I'd like to check some of the shops out again," I told him, leaning into his touch. I'd barely been able to sleep last night. I was so excited for the trip and to see Drew again. Butterflies had assaulted my stomach whenever I'd thought about Drew.

          "Again?" he quoted. "Have you been before?"

          "School trip, about two and a half years ago. We were only there for a few days though. I'll get a lot more time to explore the time round." I smiled at the thought.

          "You're not going to be dragging me into shop after shop, are you?" He groaned.

          "Nobody said you had to go with me," I pointed out, arching an eyebrow at him.

          "I'm going wherever you're going," he said simply, and I almost swooned. He was too good to be true, and I was just waiting for the day that the rug was pulled out from under my feet. I couldn't be this lucky. We sat out there for the next few hours. At some point, I took out a book and my iPod from my purse. I put an earphone into my ear and gave him the other. We went through dozens of songs just sitting there, not speaking while I read. He simply sat there playing with my hair, stroking my arm, caressing my leg and kissing my neck. I was trying to concentate on the book, but it was absolutely impossible to ignore Drew's presence. I snapped it shut when he paused at a point on my neck and sucked. "Everything okay?" he asked innocently.