Bon Voyage

The sound of a whistle being blown penetrated my ear drums causing me to wince at the noise. Luckily I had a solution to the problem, and pulled out some earphones from my backpack. Music easily cleared any situations, the beats of the lyrics allowed everything around me to slow down and freeze. But that moment only last as long as the noise around isn't loud enough to overlap the music.

Sighing softly to myself I thought, the pool can be relaxing in which all you do is sit back and enjoy yourself, but at the same time it's irritating when you have to listen to all the nearby sounds of children playing and the lifeguard blowing their whistle.

I relaxed my body, letting only the movement of the cruise line carry me away. This was paradise, I thought. It'd only been three hours ago when my father and I had first boarded the Fiesta Cruise and were waiting patiently to be directed to our separate rooms. He may not be the coolest dad in the world, but he sure does know how to go on vacation. Even my high school graduation party involved us going out to a fancy restaurant and eating till our hearts content.

Sadly after I head off to college next month I won't be getting the same treatment I have for the last few years. “Son, we're only going to be here for a few days so I want you to have the time of your life.” he exclaimed after unpacking the suitcase in our room.

He always knew what to say at the right time, because that's exactly what I planned to do.

All of the sudden, the rays of sunlight that were targeting my body had disappeared and a large shadow loomed over my eyes...as if an eclipse was happening. At first none of had made any sense, maybe a large cloud floated past the sun and blocked it from heating up my body.

But after opening my eyes, I spotted a dark figure flying high above the pool. Large in size, the man let out a wailing noise that cut the air deeply, “Cannonball!”.

And that's when everything started to make sense. I wanted to run and get away as fast as I could but my body tensed up and I couldn't make a move. I was like a 'deer in the headlights' because no matter what I did now, it would be too late.

Water splashed out, like a miniature tsunami and hit just about everyone and everything that surrounded the pool. Including me. Usually I liked getting wet and having fun in the pool but this was different.

I came here to relax and let the music take me away. Guess the universe had a change of plans. Then I began to panic after realizing that the sound coming from my earphones had ceased, “Hell no”.

I unplugged the headphones from the music player and pressed a few buttons on the device to make sure it still worked. Thankfully the equipment flashed as usual, but the earpieces were toast. My body was soaked and ear buds were ruined, someone was going to pay.

Looking over to the water, I spotted the guy who was responsible for the wave. He laughed cheerfully, like there was nothing wrong with what he had done.

“Hey you!” I pitched to him louder than what was intended. People around me had recovered from the wave and all eyes were on me. I stood up and rushed over to the edge of the pool trying to get his attention. Close-up the guy had pale skin, mildly overweight, and wore black swim trunks with flaming skulls printed all over. Lame. He must have not noticed me, because he looked a little startled when I tapped his shoulder. “What do you want?” he said rudely.

“You ruined my headphones with that dumb cannonball you did.”

“Not my problem, maybe you shouldn't be at the pool with electronics.”

“Maybe you should find an activity suited to your style, like a hot dog eating contests.” Now I was snapping. That last comment was a little unnecessary but it was too late now. The bully's face was red and there were a few snickers around us.

Before I knew it, the guy was out of the pool and up in my face. I didn't want to show him any fear, afraid that if I had to fight that he would know I meant business. The two of us were up in each others face, and the passengers stared at us intently.

Suddenly, I heard a whistle sound off in the distance. The same noise from before but this time it was more urgent and aimed at me and the bully. The lifeguard trotted towards me and squeezed between the bully and I. His touch was serious but had a gentle feel to it.

“So...is there a problem here?” he asked in a sarcastic tone as if he didn't see what was happening earlier.

Before I could speak, the guy beat me to the punch. “This dude just came out of nowhere and started harassing me.”

I wanted to punch him in the face, but in order to do that I'd have to get pass the lifeguard. And judging by his size I think I’d have a better chance at winning the lottery. He stood about six inches taller than me, his silk chestnut brown hair smoothed over his face nicely.

“Harassing? You destroyed my headphones with that big splash of yours.” There was no way I was going to lose this battle.

“Well I can't really say much here. But I think it would be a good idea if you you two stay away from each other.” he said sending me a sincere smile after speaking.

The bully raged away mumbling something I was unable to hear. I sighed quietly, relieved that the situation was over. But some of the anger from before had returned after I remembered my headphones were busted.

“Can I get you a towel, you seem pretty wet.” I turned around quickly, trying to figure out if the guy was serious. Did I really look that pathetic that I needed his assistance. But when I came to face him, I accidentally bumped into his chiseled chest. Looking up I saw him looking down at me with that same smile from before. My cheeks started to burn red and I tried my best to cool it down.

“Um I have one already.” I said quietly while turning around facing opposite of him. What was I doing? Just because this hunky lifeguard was expressing kindness out of nowhere doesn't mean I should be blushing like this.

“That's alright, the one's I have a big and comfy.” Spinning back around I saw him running off to his station before I could tell him no. Man this guy was persistent. I couldn't help but watch him pace back to the lifeguard tower, the muscle tones on his back pulsing with each step. Hastily, I dismissed these thoughts and brought my mind back into reality.

When he returned, he wrapped the delicate towel around my back and patted it down to make sure the water was absorbed into the cloth. “I know how to dry off!” I spat as I shook him off and began to clean myself up.

“I was right though, its comfy isn't it?” He had a smug grin now, and boy did I want to knock that off his face. But at the same time my body tingled with warmth at the smile.

I ignored the complacent comment and responded with a question of my own. “Why are you being so nice to me?” His image switched up a little from a prideful demeanor to a more caring one. “I think its my job as a lifeguard to be nice, but at the same time I think you could use a touch of hospitality after what just went down.”

That burning red sensation bounced back and I made sure he didn't see it as I lowered my head and mumbled out a “thank you”. I didn't even have to look up this time to know that he was wearing that same smile from the first time. Maybe his face was so used to it that its a natural state. No one is that nice for no reason, he must have a motive.

“You don't mind if I join you out here, its been kind of quiet today and the only action I’ve had was the situation with you and that bully.” I scanned his face for a sign, anything that would tell me he was planning something dastardly. But I found nothing. “Besides who doesn’t enjoy a little bit of companionship?”

After finding no ulterior motive, I put some trust into the guy. I've only known him for five minutes and so far he's been the nicest guy I’ve met on the cruise ship. I led him back to the recliner that housed my materials and watched him pull up a chair. He sat down and stretched his arms and legs, letting out a loud yawn. The lifeguard was intriguing, I had to find out more about him.

“So what made you want to be a lifeguard, were you a natural born swimmer or something?” I said with some finesse.

“Something like that.” he started off slowly, “I've always been great at swimming, even at a young age. I'm only doing this job for the money.”

“You saving up for something?”

“Yeah, one day I want to be a chef!” He announced louder than I expected and I waved him down implying that he needs to lower his voice. “Sorry I get passionate when it comes to my dream. I don't really want to be in the restaurant business, that franchise is way too competitive. I'd like to relax and cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner for my future husband.”

My mind suddenly went blank after that comment. He was gay, but there was no way. How could someone so hot and sexy ever possibly like guys. Wait, did I just call him hot and sexy? He must have noticed the long pause I took because he caught me by surprise when he leaned in closer almost inches away from my face and asked, “And what brings you to this festival of a cruise.”

I scooted back and buried my face into my hands, this blushing thing is really getting annoying. I heard him giggle and I threw my hands back my side. “Well you know...the usual family bonding vacation. But in reality I think my dad just didn't want to on a cruise alone.” When I really think about it, that might actually be the reason why he let me tag along with him. That would explain a few things, like why me and dad have separate cabins.

“Haha, that must mean you’re in college. Probably one of those quiet preppy kids”

“Hey! I'm not preppy!” I answered in a fierce tone. “but how did you know I was in college.”

“It’s the same story with kids around your age boarding the cruise with their single parents. Although most of them aren't as cute as you.” I could have sworn I saw him wink at me after that statement. But I was much too distracted trying to turn away so he doesn't see my red cheeks.

“What's your major? Pre-Med, Pre-Law, or are you a math major?”

“English” I said softly and that's when I noticed his mask falling off. He froze for the slightest second gawking at the answer. It didn't last long but the look was well worth it.

“An English major, eh. I would have never guessed.”

“Looks like I'm not as predictable as you thought.” There, I finally found out his angle. My feelings about him became a mix of anger, that he thought he could easily untangle my identity, and infatuation, by the way he looked and that damn smile of his.

“Yeah, sorry about that. I'm used to knowing what people are thinking. Call it a gift If you may.”

“Doesn't seem to work on me.”

“It appears so. What's your name then, oh so special one.” he asked in a very sweet tone.

“It's Adrian, and yours?”

“You can call me anytime, but my friends call me Victor.” I practically barfed at the sly joke he threw in there.

“I think I’ll stick with Victor.”

“Well then Adrian, if you don't mind me asking would you like to go out to dinner with me later on tonight?” That's the moment time seemed to freeze. The lump in the back of my throat refused to go down and my cheeks burned with embarrassment. Did he just ask me out on a date. My head instantly flew to the ground as time resumed it's natural pace and I didn't think twice about looking him in the eye.

“Um...Well you see...” Nothing could escape from my mouth. I felt like such an idiot ignoring his question.

“C'mon, trust me you'll have a fun time if you hang with me.” Thanks to that smug attitude of his I was able to regain consciousness and come up with a quick excuse.

“Actually, I have to eat dinner with my dad tonight. It's a family rule that on the first night on a cruise we must eat together.” The excuse sounded a lot better in my head. I knew he wasn't going to buy it so I had to act fast. Swiftly, I gathered up all my belongings in one fell swoop and walked away at a moderate speed. “Maybe another time!” I shouted hoping that he heard my words.

After maintaining a safe distance from the pool I breathed a heavy sigh. I knew that he was just another guy wanted to get an easy lay. The moment he started flaunting that prideful demeanor of his I knew what he was up to. “I know one thing, that's the last time I'll see him again.” But even after saying so I could tell that we'd be seeing each other sooner that I thought.