I grab my phone to check the room type.
Apparently, this is a room with a special feature. It’s called thePeeking Suite: bathroom with an intimate view.
“Oh no.” I cover my mouth and show Nate the listing. “It’ssupposedto not have one.”
“What are these people into?” he asks.
“Definitely not privacy.”
“Great,” he mutters. “And yourparentspicked this for you?”
“You know how open-minded Mom can be.”
“Still.” He runs his hand through his hair, messing up his waves. “This is a—” He stops and looks at me. He knows I’ll pick up on his panic. “This is fine.” He’s trying to be brave, but his voice shakes. I know this isn’t ideal for either of us, but especially him, considering all the walls he’s seemingly put up over the years.
“They haven’t left the dock yet.” I need to offer it one more time. “I can leave and you can enjoy this yourself.”
Nate’s eyes cut to me. “Wait, a missing door is enough to scare you off?”
“No. Well, this is a pretty important missing door. But this whole thing. Maybe it really is better if you do this alone.”
“I meant what I said earlier.”
“Nate, this room is not just small. It’s ... intimate. And it’s different now that we’re looking at it.”
“But ... it’s us. We can handle anything.”
I stare at him. Can we?
Because as much as I want to be completely supportive of his aversion to touching, it’s not going to be easy to accommodate here.
“I’m gonna go.” I shake my head and step back into the room to grab my suitcase. “This is a terrible idea.”
“Maisie, wait.”
“No, seriously. What were we thinking? I’m not mentally prepared to be here. And you deserve to have your own space. This is too much ... even for us.”
I’m near the door when he grabs my hand, holding it tight. That finally knocks me out of my panic. His touch is warm. Familiar, even though I haven’t had it in years. It sends a jolt up my arm. It makes all my problems fall away. Just one hand—his hand—levels me like nothing else can.
I’ve missed this. MyGod, I’ve missed this.
“I want to spend time with you.” He says it slowly. “I don’t care that this is a honeymoon room. I don’t care if this is weird. And I don’t care if this is awkward for a little bit. After everything that’s happened, I don’t want you to be alone. And I also know you want this cruise to be used.”
“But you have to hate this. There’s no personal space here.”
He sighs. “It’s not ideal, I’ll admit that. But we can make it work. At least try to. Don’t just leave.” Nate hates it when people leave.
I sigh and close my eyes. “If I stay, I have one condition.”
“Is it a blindfold for the bathroom thing? I think I brought a tie we could use.”
My eyes pop open. “Why would you bring a tie on vacation?”
“You never know what you might need it for.”
I open my mouth to ask, but I get a mental image I don’t need.Shaking my head, I force myself to refocus. “I want to take turns on the couch.”
“What? But?—”
