We all stood on the deck, looking at the view as Norman took us out to sea. Unexpectedly, the sky was cloudy and a chill settled in the air as a result of the lack of sun.
Nia, Boonsri and Pari seemed to have gotten over their phobia of touching anything on the yacht and were resting their elbows on the handrail without being bothered over the number of people who must've previously touched it.
The three girls along with Colin were huddled together. Aurelio and Frida were away from us, murmuring softly to each other. As always Abeo was with me and Eli was with Norman, learning how he worked the yacht.
Nova was the only one alone in one corner, looking awkward with a bunch of high schoolers. He looked like he was our babysitter, even Norman's who was in college and must be the same age as him. He was so silent, he might as well have not been there at all.
I was enjoying the view while half hearing what Abeo was telling me about his sister, who I had no interest in knowing about, but still I was half attentive in case he told me anything about his dad which I could use.
But twenty minutes later when I concluded he wasn't going to stop yapping about his sister, I interrupted him rambling. "I'm in the mood for some ice cream. Will you get it for me? Actually, just get the whole thing here so we all can have it."
It was as if he treated my wish as a command because he went to get it. It will take him a good couple of minutes before he'd be back. He might be athletic but that thing was going to take out all his energy for him to drag it out here by himself and maybe that was what would finally make him shut the fuck up for once.
Someone bumped into my back and I turned to see Nia, laughing at whatever they were talking about. She steadied herself by gripping the railing and looked at me. "Didn't see you there."
No apology.
"Then get your eyes checked if you can't see a girl well over a head higher than you."
She got all up in my face, well at least she tried given she was a lot shorter than me. "Or why don't you keep your distance and go be a loner somewhere else?"
Before I could reply someone stepped between us, blocking our view of each other. I looked up to see Nova's hoodie-clad broad shoulders and back to me.
I couldn't see what he did or what look he gave her but she stepped back from him and turned to her friends.
Maybe Nova was taking my request to protect me from those three a little too seriously.
When he faced me, he was blank. He glanced at me, then rested his arms on the rail like me and stared at the sea. Our elbows brushed, a feather-like touch that sent goosebumps to sprout on my arms and for me to shiver all of a sudden.
We stayed like that in silence for a few minutes, interrupted only when Abeo's half dead form dragged the box of ice cream outside.
"Did you bring ice cream for every single living thing on that island?" Abeo gasped out.
Nova just stared at him worriedly and offered a hand to help him up. He slapped it away and staggered to his unsteady feet.
The others immediately crowded around to get their favorite flavor. Sloane grabbed three at once as if her life depended on it.
"I'll take one for Norman," Eli said.
"Hey, shouldn't we also offer it to that other guy who won't come out of the cabin?" Pari asked.
"He said that he doesn't want us to bother him," Colin reminded.
"I don't care. I'd like to know who I'm travelling with. What if that guy is a criminal escaping his punishment? We'll be framed for smuggling him out or something."
"Your imagination goes to the extremes," Norman said, appearing behind her. "I don't just let anyone on here. I've checked the dude. Don't even need to ask for identification when his face says it all."
We all perked up at that.
"What do you mean? Is it someone famous?"
"I'm not allowed to say. I promised him there would be no disturbance," Norman said but it was obvious that there was a famous person in that cabin.
"I don't care. I want to see who it is," Park declared after she finished her ice cream.
She grabbed another one and made way for the cabins
"Where are you going?" Norman stepped in her way. "Do not disturb him."
"Move," she said. Her other two friends were behind her, apparently also wanting to see who the person was.
Pari grabbed his shoulders and hurled him out of the way. He slammed against the side of the yacht and crumbled to the floor, holding his shoulders. "Lord, what is she-an athlete?"
I gave his forearm a pat on the way inside with the others. "She plays basketball, like me."
He looked annoyed. "She dare manhandle me on my own damn boat. Destiny, get back at her for me," he said, stroking its side.
At the closed cabin door everyone was gathered. Pari was banging on the door. "Hello! We've got a lot of ice cream. We'd like to share some with you," she said. "Please come out. We'd like to get to know you."
"Please go away. I don't want ice cream." A hoarse male voice called out to us from inside.
"Don't be like that," Pari said flirtatiously. "We won't annoy you. Just spend a few minutes with us."
"Norman!" This time the voice shouted. "I want my money back."
"Hey!" Nia said suddenly. "Do you think that voice is familiar? It feels like I've heard it before."
"Now that you say..." Boonsri trailed off.
"It's a really pretty voice," Pari said, as if that guy inside couldn't hear the her smitten tone. "Maybe he's a singer?"
"Singer," Nia repeated thoughtfully. "Right!" She snapped her fingers. Then her mouth dropped and she covered it with a hand. "Oh my God, he's him. The one from our favorite band!"
Boonsri and Pari seemed to have comprehend it at the same time. Then started their squealing. The boys looked at each other in confusion.
"Oh my God, you are the drummer, aren't you? Please open up. We're your fans!" Nia pleaded to the door
A moment later, the door cracked open and he appeared in the doorway. "I'm sorry. I'm not usually like this with fans."
Panicked, I dropped down into a crouch behind everyone, cursing my luck to have run into a person who might recognize my real self on a yacht in the middle of the fucking ocean where there was nowhere to hide out of all places. He was sure to go to my parents if he found me here. I couldn't go home yet, not when I hadn't even started on all the things I had planned for Julia's tormentors. And not yet when the shame of the events of my eighteenth birthday still burned bright.
"Indeed! It is the Braxton Ford!" They chorused. "Can I get an autograph? I'm a huge fan!"
The three girls and Frida crowded around him, thinning the cover of bodies before me. I tugged on Eli's pants. He looked down at me. I gestured for him to get down.
"This guy knows me, as in me–Juliet!" I whisper-shouted.
"How?"
"We've met a couple of times in parties. I stood out too much every single time for him to not have noticed me. He'll send me home. I need to get away from here."
"I'll cover you. You try to leave."
"Tell Frida to not mention me."
He nodded and stood before me. He distracted Abeo long enough for me to backtrack out of there without them noticing.
I bumped my back into something on my way back to the deck. It turned out to be Norman.
"What're you doing, acting like someone's trying to catch you?"
"It might as well be that," I muttered. "You should've been more firm about not disturbing that singer in the cabin."
"Not when that basketball girl tosses me around like a ball. No thanks, I prefer to live," he said, hugging himself.
I caught a glance at myself on a glass pane. My hair had grown out to their original length. I was more or less dressed like myself and I had on makeup. I looked like myself and yet no one recognized me all these months. They knew a singer from some band but not the richer and more famous daughter of a well known billionaire.
But now that singer was aboard the same yacht as myself and knew me. I needed a makeover.
Don't forget to vote, comment, share and follow!