THE CRUISE

Ch 6

Suzi headed back to the room, her plan already in motion. If she did this she'd pat herself on the back, even if he turned her down. She had the guts right now and she was riding on them.

"Suzi, you want to wait up for us slow folks? Who do you think you are Earnhardt on foot?. Oh but wait, you would have crashed in to me just for fun." Katrina called out as Suzi rounded the corner. By the time they got to the same corner, Suzi was already in the room without even answering. She pulled open her suitcase and started rummaging through her clothes. As the girls came in she told them to just hang back for a few, she had something she needed to do. She pulled out the dress and headed into the bathroom where she took a shower and straightened out her hair, something she hardly did. She put on her make up precisely as if she were a Cosmo cover model. As she slid into the little black dress and heels she looked into the mirror. Self-approval was written all over her face. Before she lost any nerve she headed on out of the room and right past her shocked friends. No time to stop and talk or she'll lose her nerve.

Donnie sat in his room. For some reason he hadn't wanted to go out to the shore. He'd chilled on the boat not doing anything. He did want to see Suzi but he figured she'd be out with her friends. The little time he spent with her he enjoyed but he just didn't get that vibe from her. Maybe she didn't like his type. Maybe she assumed he'd be the bad boy he once was. He'd grown up way beyond that. He had a kid, he had a professional career. Now he just wanted someone to share it with. He picked up his phone and dialed Kims number.

"Hey Kim can I speak to Xavier?" As his son got on the phone his heart swelled. He was growing so big. Now that Donnie lived in LA he loved having his son around. "'Sup dad?"

"Not much just wanted to see how you were doing and say I love you." He couldn't believe the emotion he felt when he talked to him.

"Love you too dad, what did you get me?"

"What do you mean? What makes you think I got you something" He smiled his lopsided smile as he talked to his son. A few minutes later he hung up the phone and decided to go join one of the guys. "I gotta get out of here." He threw on a coat, got his glasses and headed to the door. As he opened it he was surprised to see Suzi standing there, a determined look in her eyes. Damn.

Jon and Katrina were still talking on the phone and Celly was getting unnerved. Katrina, can you cut it? It's not like you aren't on the same ship and some of us would like to call off of it." Celly had been in a bad mood ever since she'd seen Joe. She didn't want to stay in the cabin but she wanted to at least call and check her messages. Something to disconnect her from this feeling. When it looked like Katrina would not be getting off the phone anytime soon Celly huffed and walked out of the room and down the hallway. She was like a train with no breaks, and no one wanted to get caught in her headlights. As she turned the corner, she bumped into non other than Joe.

Mindy was sitting on Jordan's bed wondering why he was so aloof with her. "Hey Jordan, so I guess it's dinner tonight with Kasey and Miguel?"

"I guess, if you feel like it. I mean if you want to run around and hang out with other people, just go."

"Not to be rude or anything, but what the hell is the matter with you?" Mindy had just about enough of Jordan's attitude and she let it be known.

"Nothing, I'm just letting you know that if you don't want to be here, no one's making you stay." He stood up away from her and stared at her.

"Did I ever say I didn't want to be here Jordan?" Mindy was more confused than anything. Why was he acting this way towards her. Was it that he just didn't like her. Well she didn't want to sit there and feel any more stupid than she wanted to she got up. "If that's the way you feel Jordan, I'm out." She walked to the door as Jordan watched her.

He didn't want her to go, he pulled her back. "No Mindy, please. I know we just met and all, but, I guess I just got a little jealous when I saw you sitting talking to those guys on the beach."

She stared at him "You What? First of all you have no right to be jealous of anyone Jordan, I'm not yours. But just for your information, I was not interested and I made that clear, because I wanted to get to know you better. You of all people I think would understand the situation." Outside she was seething, but inside she felt flattered that Jordan was already feeling jealous towards other guys. Maybe they would make something of this. "Jordan, if I didn't want to be around you, I wouldn't be here. But I'm not going to close myself off to the general public because you and I went out last night." She walked toward his bed and sat down, starting to feel relieved that it was 'only' jealousy that made Jordan act so rudely. "Now come, sit."

Jordan took all she had to say in, knowing he'd acted stupidly. If he'd just listened to Miguel he wouldn't have made the fool of himself that he'd already did. "Man I feel so stupid." He sat down next to her but couldn't look into her eyes.

"Nah, that's okay Jordan. It's actually flattering. I mean we've known each other all of a day and you're already feeling threatened. I don't know, where I come from that means something." She smiled over at him and grinned. "What about that dinner? You still up for it, or is it too much for you to see me eat with Miguel, another man?"

Jordan looked at her, he deserved that. "Let's just forget it ever happened, okay?"

"Oh no, you don't just act all jealous and then sweep it under the carpet, believe me Jordan, you'll be hearing about this for days to come."

The funny thing is, Jordan hoped he would.

~~~~~

Suzi pushed Donnie into his room. "Before I loose my guts and end up walking away with my tail between my legs I'm going to let you know that I am very attracted to you." She stood forcefully in front of his door as he stepped back, in shock. "I don't know if you know it or not, but I would like to get to know you better, and will you go to dinner with me tonight?" With all of that said, Suzi once again got that vulnerable look in her eye. Yet she was proud of her risk.

Donnie stood there in shock. Here he thought she didn't much care for him and now this. He liked her, she had guts, or at least she'd gotten them. A small smile played upon his lips as he looked her in the eye. "Dinner, it is baby." He walked over to her put his finger under her chin and lifted it up. "And...you're paying." He gave her a sweet kiss on the cheek as he walked by her. "Now if you'll let me, I'm going to take a quick shower and slip into something more comfortable, stay there and keep looking sweet." Suzi was still stunned by the kiss and his words as she watched him saunter into his bathroom. Finally she flopped down onto his bed grinning. If this was all it took, she could have had him way back, if she had ever met him before.

"Joe" Celly stopped dead in her tracks. The last person she wanted to see stood in front of her, with an equally surprised look.

"Celly? Um, I'm sorry" He turned and started walking the other way. Celly looked after him, something in her heart tearing. They couldn't just go on pretending like they didn't know each other. She didn't want his memory of her to be about a drunken one-night stand.

"Joe, wait. Please." She pulled him by the arm and he reluctantly turned around. If he could change anything in the world, it would be what probably happened that night. He'd liked her, a lot, she was a great girl, full of humor intelligence and sarcasm. She seemed like his perfect match.

"Joe what did we do? I mean, we were drunk, I was in your room all night, Did we...?" He'd tell her now, he'd tell her all the sordid details about their drunken romp. She'd feel lower and lower as he told her how she came on to him and he'd obliged and they'd had meaningless sex in his hotel. He'd call her a slut and she'd walk away, her heart broken. She braced for the truth.

"Celly, I really don't know. I figured I'd taken advantage of you while we were drunk and we'd? You know, did it."

"You mean, you don't know what happened in there?"

"No, I've only gotten that drunk once before and I passed out before I even made it home. I'm not very good at being drunk."

"Joe! I've been cursing myself since I left your room thinking how I turned you on and thinking of the worst scenarios that could happen and you don't even know."

"I assumed�"

"Well so did I. Oh gawd this is totally ridiculous"

"Can I ask a question Celly?" Joe had just had a thought, and he didn't know why he hadn't thought of it before."

"Yeah?"

"Did you, um, have your clothes on when you woke up?"

Celly tried to remember back. "Yeah, yes I did. And I don't think if anything happened that night and I was so wasted that I would have stopped to put back on my clothes before I fell asleep or passed out or whatever." Celly started to get what he was coming at. "Did you?"

"Yeah." Joe slapped his forehead "I don't know why I didn't think of that before, this whole day could have been different. I've been feeling upset about this for the whole day, with what I assumed."

"You know what they say about assumptions Joe."

"Um, yeah, we did make asses of ourselves didn't we?" Joe grinned at her feeling better by the minute.

"So can we forget that nothing ever happened and go on with our happy little lives?" Celly felt her spirit growing. Maybe this trip would be great after all.

"Forgotten Celly. Now I think we should start over but please" he said begging "no drinks." They both laughed.

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