"Look, guys, I'm really sorry about earlier," I apologized for the seventh time that evening.
"Shut up, already, will ya?" Joanne sighed. "We know, we accept, it's done, k?"
"K," I said, happily. The twenty of us were sitting and standing in the ship's dance club called Into The Night.
"Brian!" someone exclaimed from behind us. I groaned as we all turned around to face Ashley.
"Ash!" Brian exlcimaed, getting up and hugging her. "What a surprise!"
"Surprise, my *ss," Maribeth mumbled, rolling her eyes.
"What's she do, stalk us?" Rachel asked. Nick snickered as Kevin rolled his eyes. AJ hissed, which caused Brian to turn and look at us. I smiled sweetly, Kevin started whistling and concentrating on the ceiling, and the others just looked down at their drinks.
"Guys, you all remember Ashley," Brian said, putting an arm around my waist. We all muttered our "hello's" and tried to pretend she wasn't there. After a few minutes of drinking and talking, Brian and Ashley having their own little side conversation, Ashley asked a question.
"Who wants to go for a walk outside?" she asked, the questioned aimed towards Brian.
"I'll go!" I said, sweetly, a plan forming in my head. The blond looked at me in surprise, then looked back at Brian, her eyes urging him to come with.
"Go ahead," Brian said to her, smiling happily because I had accepted Ashley's invitation to "get to know her." I smiled at him and looked at their others, my back turned towards Brian and Ashley.
"Come outside onto the upper pool deck in five to ten minutes," I whispered to them, winking so they all got the hint. The girls smiled back at me while the guys just looked confused. I rolled my eyes at them and got off the chair. Giving Brian a kiss on the cheek, I took Ashley's arm and lead her out of the club. As soon as we were out, I dropped her arm and we walked in silence out to the pool area. We walked up the steps to the upper pool deck and just walked, the tension able to be cut with a knife. "So-" I began.
"Excuse me?" I said, feining a shocked look. (As if I didn't expect this!)
"You heard me," she said, crossing her arms over her chest and standing directly in front of me.
"And how, exactly, do you intend to do that?" I asked, glancing ovr her shoulder. I saw the automatic doors to the lower pool deck open and Maribeth, Melissa, Kat, Brian, Justin, and AJ walk out. Maribeth saw me and winked, telling the others to be quiet. Brian gave her a questioning look, but she just hushed him and motioned for them to follow. They tiptoed up the steps and stood behind Ashley as she continued to babble on about her plan.
"You know he only married you as a publicity stunt," she claimed, tucking her hair behind her ear. "It's so obvious to anyone who sees you two together. I've asked thousands of people and they agree."
"Like Will at our wedding, right?" I asked, folding my arms and copying her position. Her mouth gaped open at the mention of their conversation. "Yep, that was a complete setup and you fell for it hook, line, and sinker. Jada was even in on it."
"I-" she began.
"You what? Want to apologize? Want to curse me off? Well, whatever you do, be aware of one thing."
"And just what would that be?"
"That I'm standing right behind you." Ashley froze at the sound of Brian's voice. She slowly turned and stared at him.
"Umm, Brian! Hi," she managed to say. "Umm, I was-"
"Just lying to my wife?" Brian suggested. He came over to me and put an arm around my waist. "How could you say all those things when you know how untrue it is? I thought we were friends, Ashley?"
"We were, I mean, we are," she stumbled, trying to grab his hand. He pulled back in disgust. "Brian, please," she begged, practically on her knees.
"Don't 'please' me," he said. He swallowed hard and looked her straight in the eyes. "Ashley, I don't ever want to see you again. You hurt me, and what's even worse is you hurt my wife."
"Brian-"
"Leave," he commanded. She held her head high and glared at everyone as she passed them. Maribeth held out her foot, which Ashley 'accidentally' tripped over. After regaining her composure (or what she had left of it), she walked down the steps and into the ship.
"Brian, I'm-" I started to apologize.
"No, Alex, don't," he said, hugging me close. "It's not your fault. You tried to warn me before, but I wouldn't listen. I'm the one who should be saying sorry."
"And I'm the one who should be saying 'Thank God you got rid of that b*tch!'" Maribeth said, high fiving me. Brian laughed, shaking his head slightly.
"Well, one down, one to go," Melissa mumbled. I was about to ask what she meant, but her attention was focused on something behind me. I turned to see Darren walking towards us, holding something in his hand. I sighed and detached myself from Brian. Looking at him, I smiled weakly and kissed his cheek.
"I have to do this," I whispered in his ear. He nodded knowingly and kissed me softly on the lips. He squeezed my hand supportingly and walked away, taking the others with him. They found lounge chairs nearby, just out of hearing range. After a moment of watching them, I took a deep breath and turned to face the man who had broken my heart years ago.
"Hi," Darren said, walking up to me so he was barely two feet away.
"Hi," I managed to say. Taking yet another deep breath, I started to speak again. "I didn't know you still worked here."
"Yeah, well," he said, shrugging. We stood there in silence for awhile, both of us just staring at the ground. Finally, I just couldn't take it anymore. Suspense was killing me.
"Why did you do it?" I asked, looking up at him. He shrugged and stayed focused on the ground. "Darren, there has to be a reason."
"You said you didn't want to yet. I guess I just got mad," he admitted.
"I didn't want to, what, yet? Have sex?" I asked. He nodded and looked up at me. "You have got to be kidding me. Just because I wanted to wait until I got married, you had to go out and cheat on me?"
"I didn't-"
"And don't you dare say you didn't mean to," I threatened. I looked up at his sorrowful face and sighed. "Why didn't you at least find me and tell me why?"
"You ran," he said, helplessly. "I tried to get in touch with you, but I couldn't find you. Your friends weren't much of a help either."
"That's because I asked them not to tell you," I said, somewhat regretfully.
"Would it have changed anything if we had talked?" he asked, hopefully. I stood there, looking at the ground. After a few moments, I lifted my head and looked him straight in the eyes.
"No," I said, surprising myself with the easiness of my decision. "It wouldn't have." The tall man sighed, hanging his head. Then he remembered that he was holding something.
"Here," he said, thrusting it into my hands. "I bring this wherever I go and . . . well, I thought you should have it." I turned it over, revealing a picture of the two of us a few days after we had met. We were both smiling, leaning into each other's embrace.
"Why?" I asked, tears forming in my eyes.
"As a lasting memory, I guess," he said, shrugging again. I ran my thumb over the picture, as if feeling the texture. A wave of nostalgia washed over me, making a tear run slowly down my cheek. I looked down at the ground.
"Thank you," I whispered. After a few moments of silence, he leaned down and kissed my gently on the cheek.
"Goodbye, Alex," he said, smiling weakly. I felt his eyes linger for a moment, then he turned and walked away. I watched him until he went inside, then leaned on the side railing of the ship, fingering the photograph. I looked past it at the vast darkness or the water. The photograph gently slipped from my fingers and I watched as is fluttered towards the sea, where it was engulfed by the threatening waves below.
"Goodbye Darren."
The End