I’ve never seen one in real life, and I have a feeling that won’t change today.
“I’m sorry,” a dude sitting behind us says. “Did you just say you don’t like whales?”
I glance at him over my shoulder. He’s about seventeen or eighteen, holding the hand of the girl beside him.
“Can’t stand them.”
They look at each other and then back at me. “That’s fucked,” he says.
“It really is,” George chips in, but he’s smiling at me like I’m the sweetest thing in the world.
“You can’t hate whales,” the girl says. “That’s, like, not a thing.”
“Believe me, it’s a thing. It’smything,” I say proudly.
“Then why are you even here?” she asks.
I nudge George with my elbow. “My best friend made me.”
It’s the first time the label feels too tight.
The girl squints at me as if trying to glean some deeper insight into my personality. I’m almost certain she’s about to ask about my star sign. But she tilts her head, her eyes full of sympathy, and says, “I bet you’re just afraid.”
George leans in to my ear. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”
I turn to him, laughing. “From a forty-ton beast of the ocean?”
“No sweat. I had my protein shake.”
“Well, then.”
“Won’t even break my hand this time.”
I snort. “That was one of the most idiotic things you’ve ever done.”
He shrugs. “Dylan was a douchebag. I never understood what you saw in him.”
“He was cute.”
“That was it?”
“I mean, yeah. And Dylan was into me…unlike some people.” I give him a meaningful look.
George takes a long breath, his gaze locked on mine. “The night you kissed me. I thought about it a lot.”
My skin prickles. “Really?”
His voice is low. “And god, Frankie. What you asked me? I wanted to. I really wanted to.”
“Why did you say no?”
“It felt…” He pauses. “You said something about wanting to get it over with…It didn’t exactly feel great.” He nudges my knee with a gentle smile, letting me know he’s recovered.
“I’m sorry.”
The engine starts, and I barely register the captain’s voice over the speaker as he pulls away from the dock.
“So just to clarify,” I say, “it wasn’t because you weren’t attracted to me?”
