Alison's POV
I left my room early to go to breakfast, I figured it would be hard to explain to a past lover with no memories why your arm was wrapped tightly around their waist all night.
I walk slowly towards the dining area where the daily breakfast buffet is being served.
As I make it to the door, a sweet smell of eggs, bacon, pancakes, sausages, toast and all of the different breakfast foods being served creeps out from the partly opened door to the dining hall.
I slowly push open the door and the hustle and bustle of each person on the ship hits me all at once. All the sounds. The smells. As if all my senses comes to life at once.
I tell the waiter my room number and take a seat near the window.
I stare out of the window, watching each wave lapping over each other. I catch glimpses of dolphin fins between waves and smile to myself when I see one spring into the air.
I turn my head and pay attention to everyone else around me.
Everyone has a story.
As my thoughts ponder, I don't notice someone sitting in the seat across from me.
"What you doing?" Spencer questions, raising her eyebrow and biting the corner of her buttered toast. She must've seen me come in.
"It's weird" I practically whisper, lost in my own thoughts.
"Everyone has a story, everyone is going through things and we all just walk by each other, everyday, not knowing what's going on" I observe, looking at Spencer, furrowing my eyebrows and leaning forward slightly, resting one arm on the table.
"I believe that is called sondering" Spencer smiles, using a matter of fact tone of voice.
"Sondering?" I question, not recognising the word.
"To sonder," Spencer places her toast on the plate and looks up at me as if she's about to teach me something.
"The realisation that each passerby has a life as vivid and as complex as your own" She leans back on her chair, folding her arms and giving off a sense of confidence.
"Is that so" I purse my lips and nod.
"Didn't think that someone's life could be as complex as my own" I comment, placing my hand at the back of my neck.
Spencer sighs and picks up her cup, probably filled with coffee, sipping it slowly.
She clears her throat.
"Who would've thought that going on a cruise with your best friends would turn out to be the worst thing that has happened in 5 years" She scoffs, shaking her head.
"Spencer?" I look up at her, placing my tea down on the table and resting my hands on my lap.
"Do you believe in fate?" I question, watching Spencer lean forward slightly and scrunching up her eyebrows, thinking.
"I believe that things happen for a reason" Spencer nods slowly, looking out at the ocean. I sigh, doing the same.
"What do you think is the reason for Emily? What happened to her?" I look over at Spencer, who taps her finger repeatedly off the side of her cup.
"The reason," She mumbles to herself, pursing her lips and placing her coffee on the table.
"The universe saw things going right for her" She says, looking at me in the eyes. "As Shakespeare once said;" She leans forward, squinting her eyes, almost angrily.
"The world, a stage, where every man must play his part and mine, a sad one." She recites, pausing before frustratedly picking up her bag and beginning to walk away.
I don't say anything but she stops in her tracks and spins around, walking back over to me.
"Fate is fucked up. The universe is fucked up. I guess everything is fucked up, including all of us." She finishes, almost growling.
She spins back around and marches away.
Emily's POV
I wake up with a pain in my head.
I slowly open my eyes to adjust to the light and grab the medication the doctor prescribed me.
Having no memories is weird. But I can feel them coming back, i've never been able to wipe off that one memory I have with Alison.
"Morning" Says a sweet voice from across the room. Alison smiles at me and walks over holding something in a napkin. "Here, you're probably hungry" She sits down on the bed. I smile in response and reach for the food.
"Thank you" I say, examining Alison's ocean blue eyes. Something about them makes me feel weird inside, it's hard to describe.
Alison looks down and smiles to herself before shaking her head.
"So how are you?" She pushes a strand of hair behind her ear.
"I'm okay, besides the throbbing pain in my head And the constant feeling of being like a book with missing pages. I guess you could say I'm fine." I smile, opening up the napkin to revel a couple of slices of toast and a sausage.
Alison sighs and stands up. "I have to go meet the girls. Are you okay here?" She questions, sounding worried.
I nod and smile at her. She opens her mouth to speak but instead she turns and leaves the room.