Grinning, I nod. “Yes, please.”
Calvin rolls his eyes. “Go. I’ll make sure you’re on it.”
Chapter Six
LARSON
“I’ll never gettired of this view,” Tomy says as we stand on the dock waiting in line for the boat tour to load us in. “I kind of love not having my phone with me all the time, but I’d love to take some pictures of this view.”
I look in the direction Tomy is. It’s such a clear day, I think I can see for miles. One of the other islands is just to the right, but otherwise, we’re looking at open ocean. He’s not wrong. It’s beautiful. I’m not sure I’ve ever been somewhere with such breathtaking views in my entire life.
“I hope we see a dolphin,” Tomy says. “There are catamaran rides, too. We can swim with stingrays and turtles in clear water off Ceto later if you want to.”
His hand on my side makes me meet his eyes. “Sure,” I answer.
Tomy’s smile spreads, and I swear it’s like looking at a toothpaste commercial. Is there a little sparkle at the corner of his mouth? See? Classically good looks.
He leans into my chest, resting his head on my shoulder, his arm wrapping around my waist. Absently, I wrap my arm around his back. I wish I had the balls to tell him that I need this to end early. It’s not like we’retogetherfor this trip. We just came here together. That doesn’t make us a couple.
I’m such a little bitch. I know those are technicalities. And stupid ones at that. The thing that keeps me with Tomy is knowing that only a shit person would come to a place like this as a couple planning to spend the vacation together and then ditch him halfway through for someone else. Who does that? I can’t be that person.
Then again, is what I’m doing now any better? I can barely bring myself to pretend to be interested in him right now. I feel… disloyal holding him like this.
“Everyone on the eleven o’clock,” a voice calls over the crowd, and it hushes. “This way, please. Line up. Get ready to check in.”
We’re already in line, so we turn from where we’re admiring the view to pay attention to the movement of the line. There’s nothing more frustrating than when someone is in front of you and not paying attention, so the line moves and they don’t, holding everyone else up.
“Oh my god,” Tomy murmurs. I glance in his direction to find his eyes wide, a hand covering his mouth. It’s then that I hear the murmurs all around.
Following his eyeline once again, I find what he’s looking at. The young man checking people in has a black eye. Like ugly black. In the throes of healing, it’s a sickly green color spreading all along his cheek, nose, and into his hairline.
He’s smiling widely, and I hear him more than once assure the person he’s checking in that he’s fine. Tomy and I don’t ask as he scans my bracelet and looks at his screen. “Welcome aboard,” he greets with a wide smile.
I incline my head and lead Tomy by with my hand on his back. There’s a second man sticking close to the first, though he says nothing. Just watches.
“What do you think happened?” Tomy murmurs.
“I’ve seen hockey injuries like that,” I note.
He looks at me with amusement. “You think that’s a hockey injury?”
“No. I think it’s a punch in the eye. Like he threw down on the ice.”
Tomy looks at the man checking people in. My heart stops when I see Dylan on the dock with the man with the black eye and the other who’d been hanging around. They’re talking. Dylan looks concerned and also pissed. The other guy wraps his arm around the bruised one.
“Is that Dylan?” Tomy asks.
I nod, trying not to have any physical reaction to his sudden appearance here. It’s a coincidence. He knows those two men. That’s why he’s here. He must have heard about the guy’s injury.
“Do you get the feeling he’s following us?” Tomy asks.
I glance at him, and he’s frowning.
“No. Why?”
“Wasn’t he at the sports shop the other day?”
“Didn’t you see the wall of props and stuff in his studio? He said he was buying sports equipment to add a new theme that he can accommodate.”
