“Just... no.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’mfinewith the way things are.”
“And what ifI’mnot fine with it?”
“Oh, I don’t know, Ollie. Find a way to be fine with it. Look. Seeing as we are currently atworkand will be stuck on this ship together for the next four months, let’s put a pin in this, shall we? A very sturdy one that’s impossible to remove. Take a little breather. Avoid each other for a few days. And then you’ll see how utterly ridiculous this scheme of yours is.” I turn away before he can respond and drag my suitcase to my bunk.
“Just let me take you to dinner,” Ollie says, following after me.
“No!” I call over my shoulder.
“But we need to talk. Off the boat.”
I stop before the closed door to my room, ignoring the panic that phrase,we need to talk, sets off. Nothing good ever happens in a conversation preceded by it. As soon as I swing open the door to my bunk and spot the shamrock-green suitcase inside, I rest my forehead against the doorframe with a groan. I feel Ollie behind me but don’t turn to see the shit-eating grin I’m sure he has on his face.
“What’s wrong, Neen?” he says.
“Nothing,” I mumble.
“You sure? Because it looks to me like you’ve just realized who you assigned as your roommate. Wasn’t even part of my plan. Don’t know how I lucked out.”
So much for avoiding each other for a few days.I ought to march up to the wheelhouse and give Xav a piece of my mind. Last week, when Xav and I sat down to make the bunk assignments, he told me he still hadn’t hired a replacement for Amir.Instead of a name, I’d writtenChefright besideNina. I mentally curse Amir for quitting to become a traveling food vlogger. Next I curse myself for assuming the devil I didn’t know would be better than the devils Idid.I should’ve guessed I’d know all the devils.
After another deep breath, I lift my head. “This can easily be rectified. I am chief stewardess, after all.” I turn around and wheel my suitcase past Ollie and back toward the crew mess.
“Where you going, love?” he calls out after me.
“Away!”
I hear Ollie sigh and the sound of the bunk door opening and closing. Once he’s out of view, I dip into the laundry room, reveling in its quiet. Soon the machines will be in constant motion. There’s so much laundry. It never ends when we’re at sea. Sheets. Tablecloths.Uniforms. Guest clothing. My mind is whirling with thoughts of Ollie, and Ireland, and how ridiculous this is. I’ll be thirty-three in two months, but suddenly I feel as young and adrift as the day I started this job. I never could have guessed back then that I’d still be here. I couldn’t have guessed Ollie and I would even befriends, let alone whatever we are now.
My phone slips from my pocket when I sink onto my suitcase. It clatters to the floor, and the lock screen lights up, displaying a photo of me and Jo from the night she and Alex got engaged. I swipe my phone from the floor.Damn it, Josephine, I think, and find her contact info in my favorites.
“Did you know about this?” I hiss when she answers.
“Know about what?” Jo says, but I hear the smile in her voice.So much for being my best friend.
“Josephine,” I say, giving the dryer a good kick.
“Maybe I knew.”
“Oh myGod, Jo. I can’t believe you would let this happen and not warn me! If I didn’t love myself so much, I’d drown myself in the marina so I can start haunting you earlier than anticipated.”
“Just give him a shot.”
“I’ll give him a shot, all right. Bang! Bang!”
Jo’s laugh is both beautiful and infuriating. “You two have been obsessed with each other for as long as I’ve known you. Probably longer,” she says. “Ollie loves you. I’m not sure if you love him in that way or not, but think of this as an opportunity to decide.”
“I don’tneedan opportunity to decide. I love him! I hate him! I think he’s a foul-mouthed butthead with an excellent head of hair and lovely blue eyes! It doesn’t mean I want to be in a relationship with him. And besides, you know the rules.”
Jo sighs. “Your rules are... questionable, Nina.”
“How? In what way?”
“They’re impossible!” Jo says.
