The boat was amazing; a thing of beauty, all white on white and exposed wood. Built on three levels and designed for a superior outdoor lifestyle, the yacht had a gleaming sundeck, bow seating and even a swim deck to launch jet skis.
Eric was pretty impressed, calling it a super yacht.
I rolled my eyes, he could afford it, I thought.
Good for him. I wondered how many other friends he’d hosted here.
How many other women…girlfriends…
How convenient.
I stopped that thought in its tracks. None of my business.
We went inside for the full tour, even more ostentatious I thought as we were led into the main saloon, the forward end of the cabin had been turned into a eat in galley complete with bar stools with the rest of the space furnished with comfy looking couches.
Ashton told us how there were four staterooms below decks and two cabins for the crew…
Damn… just the kind of toy that separated my world from their world.
Just what was I doing here? What was I thinking? I thought as we went back to the bow, I looked out at the sea.
As I moved with Eric over to the rails, the boat started to move and I held on to Eric.
“Amazing isn’t it? You can feel it battling the waves” said Eric
“Yeah” I said but it felt like I was talking about myself, battling the waves, the inevitable.
“C’mon let’s get something to drink” Eric took my hand and led me away.
I shook off my morbid thoughts.
We went up to where everyone else was hanging out and Zayn handed us both a drink.
Emre wasn’t there. I breathed a sigh of relief.
I relaxed my shoulders; slowly let that feeling move through my body.
I let the sun and the fresh sea air work its magic on me.
We both sat down and I had relaxed a tiny bit, the surroundings having their effect on me.
Mert was a bit quieter than everyone else, like me… Only speaking when spoken to.
How odd, unlike me, the outsider, they were his friends. I could only guess at his reasons, maybe he liked one of the girls, maybe he was naturally shy, who knew.
Melisa caught my attention; I told her I liked her dress. She looked especially pretty today in a strapless blue dress with tiny white anchors all over it. We got into easy conversation because Melisa was like that, an easy person to be with. She had a purity, a kindness about her but which wasn’t obvious.
Zerrin cut off Melisa mid-conversation to ask if she had any sunscreen.
Melisa said she didn’t. I had a bottle of it.
I told her I did and immediately regretted it because she immediately started quizzing me about the spf and the brand.
I told her I’d just get it for her to get her to stop.
I remembered too late my backpack was still downstairs with the rest of the stuff and I’d have to leave Eric’s safety.
I debated whether to lie and say that I’d forgotten it too but I might need it later, i thought.
In any case, I wasn’t a coward. I got up to go.
“Just what I need, a reason” I muttered to myself as I looked around to see if anyone was there before kneeling down to rummage inside my bag.
Where was the sunscreen? I had a chronic problem with finding things.
“I feel like a thief, where is it?”
“You still talk to yourself Sarah?” A voice said behind me and I controlled myself from jumping up in fright.
I would’ve recognized him by his voice alone, low, edgy, rough… sweeping all over me.
I took a deep breath and removed my sunscreen from inside the bag. Slowly standing up and turning around, I faced him.
“And you still sneak up on people” I replied, glad I still had on my sunglasses; I didn’t want to meet his eyes.
“No, I still sneak up on you…”
I raised both hands palms up to show I wasn’t going to have this conversation.
“So much for small miracles,” he said, “Thought you were going to pretend you didn’t know me for the whole trip” He said with a smirk.
Without looking at him, I stepped aside to leave, “No but I wish I could and that’s enough.”
I almost ran upstairs but I forced myself to calm down. When I got back, Pelin had taken my place next to Eric and I felt like crying. He was my shield.
She was sitting even closer to him than I was.
I called out to Zerrin and tossed her the sunscreen as I sat down. She didn’t catch it in time and it fell to the floor.
Oh, for the love of God. Did that girl realize what I’d gone through for that bottle?
I wasn’t going to apologize for that bit, my mood was already sour.
I sat down opposite Eric, my head turned towards the ocean.
I just wanted to get lost but maybe that wasn’t what the fates had planned for me today because Emre came around the corner and looked at the space next to me with a raised eyebrow.
I just shrugged. It was his boat; he could sit wherever he wanted.
Emre sat down next to me and struck up a conversation with Zayn and Mert on the boat’s specs.
As if we didn’t already know how cool it was.
I looked at Eric who was busy looking at some pictures Pelin was showing him. I sighed.
I felt alone suddenly, out of my depth.
I peeked a look beside me… it was unreal really that Emre was sitting next to me… of all the jin joints…
I let out a dry laugh…
He was right in front of me after so much time, close enough to touch. It seemed like an eternity had passed but the pain had not.
And yet I wasn’t sure if the pain was the pain he had inflicted or the pain of parting.
It had all merged and become this sad little ball inside me.
I chanced a look at him again… it was a relief, as if I’d allowed myself a sip of cool water after being out in the sun too long.
All I wanted to do was to keep looking at him, until I had absorbed every little detail about him, every little change.
He almost looked the same, if even better, that little shadow of a beard suited him. I couldn’t see his eyes because of his dark glasses but I knew what color they would be, grey with tiny gold flecks. Beautiful. I looked down his straight nose down…down to his lips…oh God.
Down… I was down to a new low…
Down to his hands just as he reached up to rub his neck.
I looked away and took a deep breath…
I reached over for a drink and took some much needed gulps; my throat was dry as dust.
It was just the heat getting to me, I told myself…
My body felt like an electric current was passing through me.
I got up and went out. I needed to control my unruly body.It felt like it was functioning apart from my mind.After a few minutes of cooling myself down, I took my bag back with me as an excuse.I felt like I was in a spy movie but who was the imposter here?Who was trying to catch whom?To my relief, Eric had come up and taken my place beside Emre and was showing him Pelin’s pictures.I sat down across from them next to Pelin, taking his place, the table in between all that temptation.Phew, I felt weak with relief.I settled back lazily, leaning my body into the cushions and tilting my face back.I needed some sugar in me, I thought. My mind was a mess.Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to get out a chocolate right now? My body was already too hyped up.Was Emre any less than a sugar rush?Emre suddenly ran a hand through his sun streaked hair and I knew I really needed that chocolate.
The devil lounged back against the wall watching me with a full blown smile on his face.For the tiniest of seconds, it was as it had been before. I would go up to him and throw my arms around his neck and he’d hold me as if he wasn’t ever going to let go.But then I remembered that nothing was as it had been before. He’d made sure of that.“Feeling hot?” his eyes were laughing at me as if he knew just the effect he was having on me.I didn’t think I could reply in a dignified way so I kept quiet and turned back to the view.“You should put on some sunscreen, you’ll burn” he said from behind me.I wanted to say I was already burning so I said nothing.“C’mon let’s go, I’ll make you a drink? For old time’s sake.” He offered blandly.“I’m sure you’ll poison it or poison Eric’s,” I made a face he couldn’t s
I chanced a look at Emre who was silent and staring at the ocean. He suddenly turned and looked straight at me as if he could feel my gaze. Our eyes clashed as a song began to play and I couldn’t look away. I was like a deer in headlights, like the inadvertent prey caught in the hunter’s eyes. He tilted his head and raised a brow, as if asking me something. He slowly walked towards me and wrapped his hand around mine on my now nearly empty glass.“I’ll get you a new one” He said, still not breaking the stare.I looked down, flexing my hand against his.“No,” I could hardly speak, I felt breathless from his proximity, “There’s still some left.”He gave me a smile suddenly, lifted his hand holding the glass on top of mine and still looking at me, drank the remaining contents of the glass.“That really is a very unique flavor,” he said as he walked away towards the bar with my emp
“Emre why?!” I repeated, I wanted to ask him something but I couldn’t remember it.His proximity had obliterated everything else from my brain.“Sarah,” his voice was hoarse.“Emre…” His name sounded like a plea on my lips, only I didn’t know if I wanted him to let me go or come closer to me. My heart was racing so fast I could hear it in my ears, I was sure he must be able to hear it too.“You keep saying my name baby, but I’m right here,” He whispered so close I could feel his breath on my face.I let out a shaky breath and looked up into his grey eyes which seemed darker, they searched mine with an intensity that scorched me.My eyes were drawn down to his lips as if a magnetic force was pulling me toward him. My hand lifted of its own volition and I cupped his rough jaw. Very gently, I touched his wide lower lip with my finger. Flashpoint.No
Emre was sitting on the bed when I closed the door of the bathroom behind me.The cabin wasn’t very big and Emre made it seem even smaller. Emre on the bed did strange things to my insides, I could picture him on it, stretched out preferably with no shirt on.I tried to calm down my raging body but when my eyes met his, I could see he was thinking the same thing. It felt like this thing between us was a living breathing entity present in the room.We’d deprived it for too long, we’d left it starving and shackled for too long and now it was so strong it threatened to burn down the ship until it had consumed us.I looked away, speaking to the wall above Emre’s head, “I need a hairbrush”Clearly this was the last thing he was expecting because he looked a bit taken aback.“Why? Your hair looks okay”Yes, okay as if I’d just been ravished by my secret lover in his cabin on a ship okay,
“Guys I’m hungry. What’s for lunch?” he said“Yea, I’m hungry too” Zayn chimed in, “I heard someone brought over fried chicken,” his gaze was on me.Ashton put both his hands on my shoulders behind me, “Sarah’s food is magic!”“Oh, c’mon Ashton…” I groaned, embarrassed. He’d had some of my cooking before.I didn’t think I was any special than an average home cook.Eric nodded his head in agreement, “She’s good, wait till you guys try it”Pelin made a face, “fried food is very un-healthy”“Not when it’s this good, Pelin sweetheart,” Zayn tilted his head at her mockingly.Emre looked at me, his eyes strange. There was a challenge in them.“She does make good food,” he put in.I couldn’t say anything.I could just look at Emre&rsquo
We had all gathered in the galley to have lunch. Ashton and I were sitting on the counter behind the others who were sitting on stools; we had our plates in our hands.Emre hadn’t eaten with us at all; he’d gone to see to some business with his captain. I didn’t even know there was a captain.Eric had saved me a seat beside him but Pelin had insisted that she just couldn’t stand to sit on the counter and eat. She’d looked at me and asked me if it was okay if she took the seat.I’d nodded at her and put a hand on Eric’s shoulder assuring him it was okay.If I started fighting petty behavior with the same, we’d both be on the table pulling each other’s hair out. I was fine sitting behind with Ashton, I didn’t like to be in the spotlight and most of the time, I wasn’t even part of their conversation. I didn’t know them well enough to be a central part of their friendship so
“So where actually are we going?” I was sitting next to Eric. I’d finally gotten a seat next to him on the couch while we shared dessert.Eric had come over to me himself and I’d been unable to say no when he’d asked me if I felt like eating something sweet. He’d been strangely hesitant; his eyes apologetic as if he’d offended me somehow. He had gotten it all wrong.I was the guilty one here, not him.We were relaxing together on the couch and sharing a store brought mini chocolate cake. Eric was barely eating; I was the one stuffing my mouth trying to ease my conscience.“We’re heading towards some of the smaller islands off the coast, you’ll see.” Eric replied to my question.Things had become slow after lunch and everyone had wandered off.We were almost alone here if we didn’t count Ashton, who napped on the couch in front of us with a pillow over his head.&l