Sorry for the ending of this chapter lol
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Day 7(2): Let Me Be.
I HATED SUSPENSE.
At this point, I was beyond doubtful. Curse Tom for leaving all of us in this situation.
I played with the hem of my shirt and sighed. Tatiana held her phone in hand and texted happily to someone, while Taylor, who was clearly losing her patience, was glaring daggers at Tom.
The silliest thoughts ran through my head as Thomas prolonged the silence. Martin's name was Martin Martin. Thomas was stupid and now the dramatic pause wasn't much of a dramatic pause because now he was just making it obvious that he didn't in fact have a plan.
Martin kind of just sat there, not really paying attention to anything as he stared into a distance.
"I have a plan." He suddenly stated, beating Thomas to it. His head instantly snapped up in Martin's direction, disbelief shone all over his features.
Martin just ruined the whole moment for him and took his spot light. I was living for it.
"Oh come on, Tom, you wouldn't have said anything in the next twenty minutes. You would claim to be thinking of a plan with that slow brain of yours. Therefore, you should be glad I chipped in."
"But, I did have a plan!" Tom defended.
"I would ask you what it is, but I don't want you embarrassing yourself. Don't worry lad, you can take credit for the whole plan if need be, you got it?"
"But—" Martin gave him a look that told him he wasn't having any of it. Taylor and I I snickered, while Tatiana put her phone away with a huge smile on her face.
I could recognise that smile anywhere, it was the same smile Lillian would do right after having sex, or sexting with Riley. So, it wasn't quite hard to understand what she had just done with her boyfriend.
I cringed internally.
"Fine," Thomas sighed from beside me. "What's the plan?"
"It's a bit hectic, but it's worth a shot." Martin said. "Taylor, Tatiana, I'm going to need you both to work your pretty girl magic and get some waiter clothes."
"Been there," Thomas muttered, earning an amused laugh from Tatiana.
"Will do." Taylor and Tatiana chorused.
"You'll both be waitresses, you'll serve Riya and Ray and make sure they have the best food, okay?" They nodded firmly. Taylor even put in a salute to Martin as if she was in the army.
"And then you two," he pointed to me and the obnoxious boy sitting beside me that was patiently waiting for a task. "Will both go to Marcus, you should know him."
"We do."
"Good, explain the situation to him and he'll give you clothes, or he'll just tell you to go in your normal clothes, so he'd take care of it. And if the latter is the case, do not question what he does."
"What? What if it's something completely irrational and stupid?" Thomas scoffed at Martin's words.
"Marcus wouldn't do such, I know that, but you however, can, so keep quiet and let me speak." Marcus said in such a stern voice that I couldn't recognise. It definitely shut Thomas up. "You will do as he says, find your way into the diner on your own, and then do whatever you want to do."
"Sir, yes, sir!" Thomas stomped his feet on the floor in response, earning a giggle from Taylor. Tatiana and I shared eye contact. I arched an eyebrow as if to ask were they always like that? And she responded with a chuckle, nodding.
"I'll book the tables under Miss Elizabeth Evans and Gregory Butcher. Play along with everything else, is that clear?"
No, but sure. "Yes, Mr. Martin."
"Call me Mart, Martin, or as the famous alcoholic drink, Martini. Mr. Martin is way too formal for my liking. In all my years I've head thousands of people call me that and I've grown irritated to it."
"Sorry, Martin," I corrected, giving him a dazzling smile. "We understand."
"You understand, because I didn't hear shit he said." Thomas whispered in my ear, making me groan internally. And here I was, depending on him to have understood.
"Good." Martin said, smiling to himself.
Just to be safe, Taylor made Martin go over the plan again, because she certainly didn't understand what he said too. Once we'd gotten everything, we all made our way out of Martin's room.
Martin went straight to Marcus, I assumed he was going to tell him about our plan. Taylor and Tatiana went ahead with their plan, even though I had my doubts as to how they would get it. They simply said that all they have to do is throw your hips, flash the guys a wink, give him a fake number and disappear.
Their words, not mine.
Thomas and I waited a little bit. We engaged ourselves in a small conversation, having to do with is pouring the cereal or milk first is normal, he said milk, I said cereal.
Who didn't put the cereal in before the milk?
Because I didn't want to take our bickering to the next level, I suggested we went to go see Marcus. He was on board with that, but mostly because he admitted he didn't want to lose the arguement to me. He said I had very good arguing skills and should consider becoming a lawyer.
When we got to Marcus's room, Martin was just coming out. He gave us a nod telling us it was all good. I sighed in relief at the news, at least that was one thing lifted off my back.
Before I could knock, the door to Marcus's suite swung open. He gave us a friendly smile and ushered us inside without a word.
The first thing I spotted once I stepped foot inside was the bright red lady underwear that stood out. It was hanging right off the edge of the couch. Not to mention there was a girl sleeping peacefully at that couch, a blanket draped over her body.
Okay. . .
So Marcus was that kind of guy. Who would've guessed?
"Someone's been getting some action," Tom commented, silently.
Marcus' eyes zeroed in on Tom just at the moment he tore his gaze away from the woman. "Shut up and don't stare at her."
"I wasn't, but okay. It's okay to hide your jealousy, I've been there before." Thomas grinned from ear to ear. He was obviously enjoying this.
With all he was doing for me, I needed to pay him back in some way. I had no idea who this girl was, and I seriously needed to ask Taylor to give me details on how to help with this.
Marcus scoffed. "You've been there? I doubt it."
"Are we here to talk about relationships or discuss more important things?" Tom asked, wearing a very tight smile. Marcus must've hit a nerve, and he sensed it too.
"Look man, I'm sorry." He apologised. Tom nodded. "Martin told me you both need my help with getting into the dinner tonight."
"That is correct." Tom confirmed. "If you supposedly have a plan, please enlighten me on what it is, because I sure am not doing anything stupid."
Marcus arched an amused eyebrow. Thomas was the literal king at doing stupid things.
"Don't ask," I murmured, taking a seat at the same time Marcus did, leaving Tom standing.
"I told you not to look at her." Marcus said all of a sudden, his glare fixed on Thomas.
Thomas looked like he wanted to laugh. "Relax, I'm looking at the lamp. It would be a good birthday gift for my grandfather. For some reason, he adores lamps like this."
"It would explain why he kept mentioning my lamp was fascinating." Marcus muttered. "Anyway, you can have it if you want."
"No, no. I'll buy one myself and give it to him." Thomas said, dismissing Marcus. "Now should we start? Or are we going to continue fooling around, because I'm up for it."
"Right," Marcus straightened. "You both really don't need to do anything. You both just wait for dinner time, come to me, and I'll make it work out." I noticed the hints of British in his tone this time, it was faint. Like if you didn't pay attention, you would miss it entirely.
"What the hell? You're keeping us in suspense? Like a damn cliffhanger? Nuh-uh, I demand you tell me what your plan is." He demanded. "That is, if you even do have a plan."
I rolled my eyes so hard I was afraid I would never be able to see properly again.
"What are you saying? Of course I have a plan."
"Sure, let's go with that. When you're done with thinking about said plan, text me, you'll find me in Ava's room. I left my room key at Martin's."
"If you're coming for the dinner, wear something that is a little bit sophisticated." Were Marcus's last words before an a slightly fuming Thomas led me out of the room. I guess Marcus really did hit a nerve.
I never thought I'd see the day.
He led me to my room, where we sat in an uncomfortable silence for most of the time. I drew my bottom lip between my teeth, patiently waiting for Thomas to speak.
When he didn't, and continued to sit silently on my bed, I let out a sigh and walked to the wardrobe the cruise ship provided for us.
I went through it thoroughly, until I settled for a black dress. It was knee length. I would pair it with one of the necklaces my mother had given me of her own accord right after I stepped into my room.
I don't think she found out about the gold necklace yet, or maybe she was just ignoring that fact.
I had a pair of white heels that I would wear, too. I wasn't doing this to spite my mother. God no, that was the last thing I needed. I just hoped she would like my look.
"You'll look nice if you wear that," Tom commented from the bed. I know. I nodded, not giving him a straight up answer. For once in my life, I'd seen Thomas mad, instead of his normal bubbly self.
I wouldn't lie, this was weird.
"Thanks,"
I knew I shouldn't ask this, but I was curious. This wasn't the time to ask Thomas who his crush was or about the details. I'd never imagined him to be the one to crush on someone so hard; in fact, I would never imagine to be that type. But after today, I was sure that he was whipped over who ever this girl was.
"So, I'm sorry, but if you don't mind, can you tell me why you got mad?" I decided to settle for that question instead, even though I already knew the answer. I'd just have to be patient enough to ask Taylor on the last day of the cruise, just not now.
He scoffed, shaking his head. "Isn't it obvious?" It is.
"No?"
"Well, I just recalled a few things, if you must know." He said, dismissing the topic with the wave of his hand, just like he did to Marcus.
"Okay."
After that, I didn't speak, and neither did he. The awkward silence consumed the both of us once more. I gave one last look at the dress I was meant to wear and smiled, I just hoped my mother wouldn't say much about it.
Once we'd dressed up, we made our way out the door, without one single word to each other.
* * *
"So your name is Martin Martin?" I blurted out, almost smacking my head against the wall that was right beside me.
Martin chuckled, as if he had expected the question to come up sooner or later. "It is. Martin Christopher Martin. I like Christopher better, but I decided to go with Martin."
I nodded my head in response, telling him I acknowledged his answer.
We were currently waiting for Marcus to arrive. Tom had gone off somewhere and wasn't back yet. I had to admit, I was a little worried, but I didn't let it get to my head. Martin had already booked our tables, and as we spoke, my parents were inside the diner.
They had reluctantly agreed to come over here, with Martin's persuasion.
About five minutes later, Marcus showed up, dragging Tom by the collar. Thomas glared at the floor as Martin tossed him over to me, causing Thomas to grumble under his breath.
"I don't like him as much." He said to me.
"Caught him trying to drink some alcohol, Mart. Maybe you could teach him it's wrong to drink underage." He said, sending a stern look at Tom.
Martin looked at his grandson, shaking his head. He wasn't shocked, and he wasn't surprised, it was kind of like an I-expected-it-but-I-am-still-disappointed kind of look.
Thomas gave him a sheepish smile and apologised, contrary to to his mood earlier, he was a little bit more cheerful now. It made me wonder if he had had little alcohol that Marcus wasn't there to stop, and now he was a little bit tipsy.
"Martin, you can go to your room. You've done enough, really. Thank you." Marcus said. Martin nodded, giving one last smile of reassurance to the both of us, before heading off. "You two, follow me."
We did just as he asked, not bothering to question anything, though Tom hesitated. I rolled my eyes internally. We reached the guard soon enough, he asked for our names and Martin caught us of before we could even speak.
"Evening, Duke. I'm here for the dinner." Marcus said, his chin held high.
The guard who was supposedly named Duke still didn't falter.
"I have to know your names so I can lead you all to your reserved seats." His voice was cold and stone hard. His face showed no emotion as he spoke. He was buff—too buff—and would turn me to mashed potatoes in the blink of an eye. Tom gulped from beside me.
"I'm Marcus Hamilton, son to Lewis Hamilton, the owner of this ship. I'm here with my boyfriend, Gregory and his cousin, Elizabeth. Check the names." He said sternly.
I bit the inside of my cheek to prevent myself from laughing, while Thomas turned bright red from both confusion and embarrassment.
Dear God, save me.
For a split second, Duke faltered the realisation shone all over his face, but it was gone as soon as it came. Duke checked the names and nodded, showing us all to our seats. We all sat down at the table right opposite my parent's and acted like everything was normal. The energy between the two was obviously awkward.
You could tell by the way they picked at their food without making eye contact.
I didn't think of what would happen if they saw me. I instantly panicked and begged Thomas to switch seats with me, but Marcus said that he told the guard that he was his boyfriend, and so they had to act like a couple, which meant I was going to sit there. I picked up the menu and shielded my face with it, just when my mother turned her head to have a long gulp of water.
I waited for them to make little conversation at least, but they still kept shut. Tom kept his eyes on me, watching my every move, while Marcus texted away on his phone. In my opinion, they did not act like a couple.
"Ava," Thomas called silently. I faced him, arching an impatient eyebrow that clearly showed my irritation. "Look," he nodded over to Taylor, who was making her way over to my parents. She gave Thomas a discreet wink, and started speaking to them. Thankfully, we were close enough to hear the conversations that went on.
"What would you folks like to eat?" Taylor asked in her chirpiest voice yet. Thomas sank down in his seat, clearly embarrassed. "You both look like a lovely couple."
My parents shared a knowing look.
"Thank you," my father said, probably to show politeness, but I could see he was irritated. Taylor saw it, too. "We don't want anything—"
"Actually, I want a salad." My mother cut him off, smiling sweetly at the Taylor. "Oh, and do you guys happen to have yogurt? I'd love that, too."
The hell?
"You've eaten so much, already, Riya. This isn't like you." My father sighed, sinking down in his chair.
"Oh, so you noticed? After what, six days?" My mother didn't fail to hide the spite she held in her voice as she gave a blank stare to my father who was clearly losing his patience.
If the night continued this way, things were not going to go smoothly.
"Riya," my father warned. "We have company." My mother seemed to have snapped out of whatever roll she was on. She quickly apologised to Taylor and told her what she wanted to order. Taylor fled, but not before giving the order to another male employee and giving me a sad smile.
By now, I was sure everyone would have figured out what was going on with my parents and me.
"Riya, next time, you need to control yourself. If you want to argue with me, fine. Just not in public."
"You should know better than to tell me what to do."
"Riya, please not now." My father pleaded, looking around for anyone who would be watching them. His eyes lingered on me for a second, but then he shook his head and turned back to his wife.
"Why not now, though?" My mother asked, mockingly. This needed to stop. I told Thomas to quietly text Tatiana to go up to them.
"Riya," my father breathed out. He closed his eyes as I trying to regain patience.
"I'm suffocated, Raymond. Let me be."
My heart sunk. This time, I didn't let myself hide behind the menu. I just let it slip down onto my thighs. At this point, I didn't really care if they saw me here.
"What do you mean by you're suffocated?" My father's voice was harsh, but still low. "I'm the suffocated one here. You shouldn't be saying anything."
"And what's that supposed to mean?" My mother was highly offended. "Do you know much I've suffered over the past years of being married to you?"
He scoffed. "I've never heard of this kind of suffering. How could you suffer when all you did was while away your time with your phone, Riya? You never even gave your spare time to poor Ava."
I swallowed the bile in my throat. I suddenly regretted ever bringing Thomas and Marcus over here. They didn't need to hear all this.
Where was Tatiana?
"I didn't? What do you mean by I didn't give Ava time? Ava and I spent more time together than you ever did with her!" My mother raised her voice. I flinched slightly.
From the looks of it, all the members of the Lynn family, including me, were frustrated.
I wanted to scream; to just make them shut up. Maybe this was a bad idea after all. Maybe I shouldn't even have done this to begin with. That way, I wouldn't have to go through this.
I didn't want to think about how I would've taken the news if I hadn't found out, I just wanted this to stop.
"You spent time with Ava? Oh, is that so?" My father mocked. "You don't even know about your daughter's life!"
My mother was fuming. Clearly she didn't like what my father said. She took in one sharp breath and narrowed her eyes at her husband.
"I might not be an active person in my daughter's life, but that doesn't mean I don't know anything about her life! I'm updated on a daily basis. I know everything about her, even if it may not seem like it. I know her first crush, her first menstrual period, when she lost her first tooth—hell, I still have it. If I'm correct, you don't know half of these things."
"You claim to know her well, huh? Well tell me one thing. Who was her first boyfriend? You should know that, right? When did she get her braces? When did they come off? You're her mother, you should know this. You should know everything about her."
"And of course I do. She has never had a boyfriend. She got her braces when she was 15. And you know I wasn't around when she got her braces off." My mother seethed.
I let out one sigh and tried to zone out of their conversation. Tatiana came rushing just at that moment, scanning the place frantically before her eyes landed on my parents.
"Hi, can I get you some water—"
"You should've been."
"You can't expect me to be there for every single thing in her life. You can't expect me to know every single thing about her, either! She has secrets, you know? She is allowed to have secrets, and not tell her everything about her life for heaven's sake!" My mother exhaled once she was done ranting.
They attracted curious stares from everyone in the room. Tatiana just stood there like an idiot, trying to calm them down but nothing worked. My parents stood up abruptly, pushing the chairs back with so much force I was afraid they would fall apart.
"You shouldn't even be talking." My mother said, bitterly. "You weren't there for her birth."
"Riya!"
I couldn't breathe.
I sucked in a sharp breath, grabbing their attention. I felt like my whole body go week. My lungs suddenly felt too tight. I wasn't able to breathe in air. It was like I was being strangled by an invisible hand.
Thomas held my shoulders, bringing me up to my feet. He and Marcus led me outside, with my parents watching. I couldn't tell what look they wore, but I also couldn't forget what I had just seen and heard.
The sharp sound going across the room as my father raised a hand at my mother.