"You better," Elias said, scratching his jaw and looking over his shoulder where his three friends stood by the couches talking to Ebony. "I'm getting quite tired of seeing him worm his way closer and closer."
If this had been a week ago those words would have ignited his anger like a spark to dry wood. It would have been near impossible to stop himself from going over there and chucking Cameron off the side of the boat like a javelin. But not now. Gavin had taken the time after his father's call to rebuild his control and come to a decision. He no longer cared about Cameron's love for Ebony. That was where he fucked up before. One of many stupid decisions that nearly cost him everything.
He went from his uncles to his father, exchanging words with him and a hard welcoming slap on the back that stung like a bitch. All the while Cameron stood and watched, doing his best not to let his frustration show. Gavin knew his arrival felt like a missing piece of the puzzle settling back into place, like a collective sigh from the group, and Cameron hated it. Good.
Eventually, Gavin walked over to him where he stood with the group. He could feel Ebony's worried gaze and could practically hear her intake of breath. Gavin turned to Cameron with a grin. Open. Friendly. The kind of smile that made other people feel safe, but he was sure it made Cameron feel watched.
“I was an ass. Who could blame you for wanting what I value most?” Gavin grinned, glancing at Ebony. “I don’t take well to surprises. You caught me off guard, that’s all. Won’t happen again.” He offered his hand. “We good?”
Around them the air stilled as if everyone on the boat held their breath as they waited and watched Cameron's reaction. Gavin nearly laughed at the small twitch in Cameron's eye. There wasn’t much choice to make. Rebuff him on his family's boat? Turn down the olive branch in front of the girl he endlessly tried to impress?
Gavin did laugh when Cameron finally took his hand, his grip strong in his. He could feel the slight spasm wanting to tighten and wordlessly challenge him but Cameron restrained himself.
Enjoying the moment, Gavin laughed and turned back to the rest. He was back where he belonged.
"To Gavin, happy eighteenth birthday," Whitney said, her voice smooth and light as she raised her glass.
The dining room glowed with soft golden light from the chandelier in the center of the large room. Crystal glassware shimmered along the table, reflecting the diffused light while the continuous lap of the ocean waves against the yacht underscored the soft music playing throughout the room. Everyone around the table lifted their glasses, even Cameron, though his eyes didn't quite meet Gavin's.
Gavin nodded graciously to his mother and drank from his champagne glass. He wanted to add Ebony to the toast since her birthday had only been a couple of days ago but he couldn't bring himself to look at her. Wearing a full-length black dress that clung to her body and her hair pulled back into an elegant little bun, she had stolen all capabilities of speech away from him when she had emerged from her room. If he looked at her now, sitting next to him, he wouldn’t look away.
Whitney turned to Luis with a teasing smile already knowing the answer to her question. "How did you convince Celeste to let you leave, Luis?"
Luis sighed dramatically at the mention of his mother. "A lot of begging. A lot of reminding her that I've come on this trip in the past. But mostly that we're supposed to be getting back into Stardust by Christmas Eve. Although, she did say if I was late and I ended up missing Christmas, I should ask you if I can come live with you."
Everyone laughed at that. They continued to talk and eat, small conversations breaking out here and there but Gavin's focus was on her. With every occasional shift in her seat, he would catch plumes of the sweet fragrance of her perfume. He wanted to speak to only her but he knew it wasn't the time, instead he forced himself to engage in the conversations around him, spending a considerable portion of the entrée speaking to Leon about his capoeira training.
"Tell me," Elias began, looking straight at Ebony. "Are you still planning on going to Harvard?"
Gavin stiffened, flicking a glance over to his father. He recalled their conversation in his office weeks ago and the pamphlets Ebony had sent off for. In both of their minds there was really no discussion on the matter, Ebony would attend Harvard, end of story. Now whether that was a battle she still planned on waging was another thing entirely.
A second stretched by as the whole table went silent in expectation of her answer. Unable to hold out any longer, Gavin turned to look down at her, his jaw tightening in apprehension at what he would see.
Buying herself a second more of time, Ebony politely wiped her mouth with the linen napkin in her lap before flicking a glance to him. There were remnants of anger and pride sparking in her beautiful brown eyes like a flint strike. Gavin understood the unspoken message, he wasn't forgiven yet and her anger at him wasn'tforgotten.
But eventually she smiled and looked at her uncle with a smile and nodded. "Yeah, as long as Gavin doesn’t kill me by driving me crazy beforehand."
Gavin nearly wilted in relief. A motion from across the table caught his eye, and he glanced up and caught Cameron's stare. He was looking at Ebony like a man holding onto the last thread of a fantasy. Gavin didn’t allow himself to smile, because there truly wasn’t anything enjoyable about what was coming. He was going to unravel every piece of his friend's dream until he questioned if it was ever really there.
Underneath the table he reached for her hand and nearly brought it to his lips for a kiss when she grasped him back, her fingers entwining with his under the table's shadows.
His thumb stroked the smooth skin of her hand as he grinned at everyone. "I will be on my best behavior."
Checking his watch, Gavin stood up and went to the door. It had been nearly an hour since dinner. He had walked Ebony back to her room, promising he would be back soon. If she wasn’t showered and dressed by now, she was just going to have to tolerate his presence while she did. He had spent the entire time pacing his room. Every minute since he arrived on the ship had felt like hours as he waited for this moment. He needed to speak to her. He needed to fix everything he had fucked up between them.
Since he was on a floor below hers, he used a service corridor designed for staff to go upstairs. This route would take him past a game room and another living area and then into the private quarters. Gavin was reaching for another door when he heard voices—voices he knew all too well.
Gavin paused. He was standing in front of a service door that opened into the game room. Inside, he could overhear Luis, Ethan, and Cameron speaking.
"Why in God's name would you go after her of all people? You know how unhinged he is," Luis's voice, dry and incredulous.
"Yeah, enlighten us," Ethan chimed in, his voice as unserious as ever. "Is this like a new form of suicide? Like death by cop or something?"
"No," Cameron said, his voice sharper than the others. "I like her. And she likes me. You two need to ask yourselves why you're so afraid of him."
Luis laughed under his breath. "We're not afraid."
"Why the hell would we be afraid of him? We've never given him a reason to get angry at us much less get so angry he kicks the shit out of us in our own house. Yeah, we heard about that," Ethan added. "Small town, remember?"
