“Come on, it’ll be fun.” I bounce on my toes.
“Fine.” He buttons his shirt, slips his bare feet into his loafers, and reluctantly follows me out the door and toward the elevators.
Muses is a social media influencer’s dream. Backdrops perfectly curated for a digital square grid are hung every several feet, like a selfie museum. A white clawfoot bathtub filled with blue-and-white plastic balls sits under a neon sign that reads “Make a splash. Dive into life.” Illuminated angel wings, complete with a floating halo, hang on the wall at just the right height for one to stand in front of for photos. On the other side of the club, a neon pink sign reads “Bad decisions make better stories.” Below it is a bench constructed entirely of banned book spines.
Tyler immediately pushes through the crowd to the bar, dragging me behind him.
“What’ll it be?” the bartender asks, throwing a rag over his shoulder.
“Two shots of tequila,” he shouts over the music.
Just as I’m about to tell him I don’t want tequila, he turns to me and raises a brow, silently asking for my order.
“Vodka water lime is fine.”
He downs both shots of tequila before I’ve even reached for my glass, and he immediately signals for two more.
“Don’t you think?—”
He brings a shot glass up and grits his teeth. “I don’t wanna think tonight.”
6
Cameron
“I’ll stay here with you.”I run a hand along Hayden’s flushed face.
She flinches almost imperceptibly at the touch and inches away.
An all-inclusive experience at Atlas Luxury Resort & Spa awaits us on Crete, Greece’s southernmost island. Access to the pool and spa, lunch, snorkeling, and a private cabana with unlimited snacks and champagne. Today is the day I planned to propose. Mrs. Draper and my mother have even arranged to have the resort’s photographer capture the moment as I get down on one knee on the shore. It’s not my style, but our mothers could not be convinced otherwise.
“No, no, you go ahead,” she insists against the fitted sheet.
“Okay, what’s going on?” I sit on the edge of the mattress and put a gentle hand on her back.
She’s been acting strange since we boarded the ship on day one. We haven’t even had sex. Every time I’ve tried to make a move, she’s complained of jet lag or a headache from too muchsun, or she’s sworn she’s bloated from dinner. If we don’t get off the boat, then what?
She remains silent, so I try again. “What time did you get back last night?”
When I left her, she was still dancing with a group of girls we met at Muses who are also, coincidentally, from Long Island. She was having the time of her life, and from the looks of things, her recent work stressors had been forgotten on the dance floor. I suggested she get some sleep and knew that if I stayed out any later, I’d regret it in the morning, but she waved me off.
Hayden sits up and brushes her tangled hair off her face, and for a full minute, she’s silent. Finally, she turns to me with tears in her eyes and sucks in a breath. “I found the ring.”
“What?” My posture stiffens, and a chill runs through my veins.
“The ring, Cameron. You’re going to propose, right?” she asks, dropping her focus to the mattress between us.
Willing my heart rate to slow, I pull the box from the bag at my feet and hold it between us. “I don’t—” I clear my throat. “I don’t understand.”
She swings her legs off the bed so we’re sitting side by side. “I found the ring when I was looking for the spare phone charger.”
“What are you saying?”
“I don’t want to get married.”
“What? But—” I rub the tension at my jaw.
“And I don’t think you do either.” Licking her lips, she turns. Her eyes are full of what looks like sadness mixed with guilt and maybe even a hint of pity.
