“Don’t think you wanna know,” he said with a grimace. In any other circumstance, I would’ve laughed at how his voice sounded with his nose pinched between his fingers. But as I stared at my shit-water hallway, I felt uncharacteristically uninterested in humor.
“We can’t stay here,” he said. He guided me out of our apartmentand pulled out his phone to call our landlord. Once I could form a coherent thought, I dialed Xav and asked if we could stay on the boat until our shitty situation was under control.
The two of us packed our things as quickly as we could and headed for the marina. “It almost feels like the start of charter season,” I said when we arrived.
Ollie stepped from the car and slung a small duffel bag over his shoulder. “Did you really need to bring your board games?” he asked, giving my giant suitcase a skeptical look as I hauled it from the trunk.
I shot him a glare as I caught my breath. “Who said anything about needs, Oliver? This is aboutwants. What if we get bored? Besides, I can’t very well leave them all at the apartment. What if they get stolen?”
“You’re such a yacht stewardess,” he said. “Not a bad thing,” he added at my skeptical expression. “I only mean that you’re always prepared for a good time. You know how to plan for fun. Most people just hope it’ll happen.”
“I suppose you have a point.”
Ollie locked the car and we walked together across the parking lot. When we stepped onto the dock, my suitcase got stuck between two planks, and I had to pause and yank it back into motion.
“Still think bringing half your board game collection is a bit much. One or two I get. But ten? We’ll only be here a night or two.”
“These are valuable!” I said. “Do you know how much board games cost in this economy?”
“You bought each of those for, like, five bucks tops at World Thrift. Not even sure you’ve got all the pieces.”
“You don’tneedall the pieces unless you want to play by theofficialrules.Imake myownrules.”
He laughed. “Can’t argue with you on that one, kitten.”
We’d made it halfway down the dock when my suitcase got stuck again. Without saying another word, Ollie grabbed it with a sigh and carried it the rest of the way down the dock.
TheSerendipitywas quiet when we stepped on board. The first thing we did was take the longest, hottest showers of our lives. Once I felt sufficiently clean, I wandered the yacht. Even though I lived on it for months at a time, it was strange to have the whole boat to ourselves without any work to do. It reminded me of those two whirlwind weeks after our first charter season together, when Ollie and I were planning our fraudulent wedding.
When I reached the master suite, I peeked inside and stared longingly at the bed. It was huge. Nicer than any bed I’d ever slept in.
“Planning to break some rules tonight, Neen?”
I hadn’t heard Ollie come down the hallway. I turned to face him. His hair was damp, making it darker than it usually was. I resisted the urge to wipe away a water droplet when it fell from a strand of his hair and landed on his forehead.
“Maybe,” I said. “But taking the master suite wouldn’t be breaking the rules, would it? We’re technically guests tonight.”
He laughed. “You’re not wrong.”
“Am I ever wrong?”
“D’you really want me to answer that?”
“No thanks,” I said. I stepped into the room and hurled myself onto the bed. “Oh my,” I said, closing my eyes as I sank into the comforter. “This thing is like a cloud. I’m never leaving.”
When the bed dipped beside me, I opened my eyes. Ollie’s face came into view, mere inches from mine. I let out a contented sigh, and amusement flashed in Ollie’s eyes.
“What?” I mumbled.
He stroked my cheek with the back of his hand. “You look cozy,” he murmured. “Like a cat curled up in a patch of sunlight.”
I let my eyes drift shut. “What a lovely metaphor,” I said. “You talk an awful lot about cats for someone who doesn’t have one, you know. Did you have one as a kid?”
“Mm-hmm,” Ollie said. “Her name was Snot.”
I laughed and opened my eyes again. “You named your cat Snot?”
“Not me. Jack.”
