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 see.
He laughed “Oh c’mon I’m not that dramatic”
Yet. I could hear the yet in his unfinished sentence.
“I’m not so sure, what’s your problem with Eric anyway?” I turned around and confronted him.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about… but I will say that I know him better than you,” his expression was strange as he said this, fierce.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Leave it” He shrugged and walked away.
Annoying, insufferable man, I thought as I watched him walk away.
I turned back to the ocean, feeling trapped and thinking there was no escape.
Maybe I could just jump in the ocean, that would solve all my problems.
I turned around in surprise when someone touched me on the shoulder expecting it to be Emre but it was just Eric.
Why was I expecting it to be Emre? Did I want him to touch me? I asked my mind because I already knew what my unruly body wanted.
I was being unfair to Eric, I thought.
Wanting another and being with another, I wasn’t made this way.
I had to stop it, I had to make a choice.
“Are you okay?” Eric looked concerned.
Maybe I was overreacting; I should be able to take it in stride.
Yea, because it was an ordinary day when you were stuck on board your asshole ex’s ship with no hope of rescue.
“I’m fine” I replied, “Just felt too hot suddenly…”
Hot and bothered, my mind completed for me.
“C’mon, I’ll get you a drink” Eric tugged me by the hand.
I thought of all the problems a drink couldn’t solve but I let him tug me away towards the others gathered at the bar.
Everyone already had a drink in their hand when we got back.
“Emre, bro two here for the love birds” Zayn joked
Eric laughed, Emre had a curious look in his eyes. I avoided looking at him.
“The shirt really does suit you better,” Pelin called out to Eric, toasting him with her drink and looking at him for far too long. Pelin really made me uncomfortable and I got the feeling that she didn’t like me. I shrugged it off.
“but you could’ve just worn the one Sarah has on her waist, it looks like a man’s size” she went on.
Zerrin laughed at Pelin’s joke, Ashton let out a choked laugh, Zayn nudged him. Wow my instincts were on point.
She did have something against me.
I frowned, maybe I’d read the signals all wrong and she was actually interested in my boyfriend.
I didn’t know how I felt about that, where was the jealousy?
Emre was making custom drinks for all of us, he came towards us with two glasses.
I refused with a shake of my head.
“Emre mixes incredible drinks, here take it” Eric handed me the drink and Emre smirked.
Eric didn’t know that I already knew all about Emre’s incredible drinks. In exquisite detail.
Don’t go there Sarah. Don’t.
He took a drink of his own concoction and I was reminded of my earlier words about poisoning Eric.
My eyes met Emre’s eyes and we were both thinking the same thing
I cautiously took a sip of my own drink and my brain suddenly took me back again.
It was my drink; it tasted perfect like it always did.
His special pina colada.
I lifted my eyes to Emre’s for the first time since I’d seen him again, he was looking right back as I took another sip of the amazing concoction of pineapple juice, coconut rum and something else I could never identify. He’d always told me it was his secret.
I looked away; it was too hard to look at him.
The drink did all the work for him, it seeped inside me…from my lips to my throat to my chest, it burned me up from the inside even as it cooled me down.
This was the drink he’d created especially for me when I’d rejected all of the ordinary drinks he’d made me try.
It was divine; I closed my eyes and enjoyed it, every sip took me closer to the old Sarah, every sip made me feel like nothing had changed.
But it had, everything was different. I opened my eyes.
Melisa came up to me, the perpetual ray of sunshine. She had a pink margarita in her hands.
So Emre had made everyone a different one.
“What does yours taste like?” She asked me
“It’s Pineapple, my favorite” I said, licking my lips to keep the taste on my tongue.
“I don’t like pineapple much, otherwise I’d try it” she made a face that made me laugh.
She kept sneaking glances at Mert who was busy talking to Ashton. So, she was interested in the quiet one. It was kind of cute. I resolved to try and find a way to bring them together somehow. At least someone would get a happy ending on this trip.
Pelin and Zerrin seemed to be stuck to each other like glue; the two of them gave me bad vibes especially when they looked at me like they were doing now. I was sure they were talking about me. I wondered what all this hatred was about.
Pelin suddenly collared Zayn, did a shimmy with her arms around his neck and told him she felt like dancing. Zayn, always ready to perform whirled her around until she was laughing. We all laughed.
“Your wish is my command, beautiful lady.” He said in an exaggerated accent.
If there was someone I’d have ever put together with Melisa, it would have been Zayn. They were both so much fun and yet Melisa’s heart was already in someone else’s hands.
The heart wanted what it wanted, I thought. Regardless of the consequences.
Ashton and Zayn set up the wireless speaker and started arguing about the playlist. They wanted to make the ultimate surf and sand playlist. Pelin wanted everyone to have a say in the playlist, she took Eric’s hand and dragged him towards the speaker asking him about songs in his phone.
It felt transparent, to me at least; Pelin wanted Eric, and bad by the look of it.
Damn, what a mess.
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
It was afternoon by the time we were near the islands. Pelin and Zerrin had locked themselves in one of the staterooms. Eric and Zayn had started on a game of cards in the saloon. Emre hadn’t moved his solitary station by the bow seat since after lunch. Ashton had taken me on a tour of the yacht and then we’d just relaxed on the sundeck where Mert had given us on Melisa’s request some renditions of popular songs. He was pretty great, certainly, Melisa had been impressed.I could see that something had changed, there was a new kind of intimacy between them now, it was endearing. It was relaxing being with people who were just happy without any undercurrents.Emre came up to the sundeck after a while and stood leaning at the railing, his arms folded. By that time, we’d moved on to each of us singing some of our favorite songs. Ashton asked Emre to join in but he just smiled and shook his head.I’d been more relaxed when he’d not
I wondered if I was making a mistake as I took my top and capris off. This wasn’t how I’d imagined the day to turn out.No I hadn’t been expecting to be undressing in front of Emre.His eyes were on me as I took everything off and revealed a plain black swimsuit that molded to my modest curves.I knew my body was nothing special and yet his eyes on me were making me feel as if I could have graced a magazine centerfold. Easily.His gaze started from the tip of my toes and burned upwards moving up and up, his eyes igniting my body wherever his eyes touched.“Let me go put on some sunscreen,” I said hurriedly, more to get away from him than anything else.I went to get my bag from the sundeck and sat down there. For a moment I could think clearly.What was I doing? Getting into the water and with Emre.I couldn’t think when he touched me. I couldn’t say no to the man.I squeezed out