An Unexpected Event

It was half hour before the dinner. Bianca was doing some finishing touches on my makeup. I kept it natural and light. I wore the floral dress that I had purchased earlier with beige heels, a thin silver chain with a crescent moon locket, and a matching bracelet. I sprayed on my lily-scented perfume and I was good to go.

Bianca always carried all kinds of clothes. She always said she never knew when they might come in handy. She wore a gorgeous red full-length dress with a slit. Her hair, tied up in a bun, completed her look. She chose a black clutch to go with her outfit. She looked fantastic despite her choice of footwear for tonight. Usually, she would accompany the outfit with her classic black strappy gladiator heels. But tonight, she opted for gladiator sandals instead. The sandals helped cover the plaster on her leg. So she was fine with it.

Mark, on the other hand, wore a simple dark blue shirt and black trousers. He also had a dark grey tie with a silver tie clip-on.

We were all ready for dinner in my cabin and that's when Bianca realized something.

"Guys? One question."

Two pairs of eyes turned to look at her curiously.

"Can you please tell me how are we going to get to Ian's suite? I don't remember him mentioning any details in his letter."

Just as I was going to go on a second panic attack of the day, we heard a knock.

Mark opened the door to find a man standing on the other side.

"Yes?"

"Hello sir, I am here to escort Ms. Thompson and her companions to Mr. Salvatore's private suite."

Hearing the familiar voice from the afternoon, I felt myself relax. I quickly went up to the door. "Oh hello, Mr.."

"Please call me Gerald, Miss."

"Hello Gerald, please lead the way."

Within minutes, we had almost reached our destination. The suites were located at the rear end of the cruise. As we waited in the elevator, I was so nervous that I actually felt my heart pounding out of my chest! I think Bianca saw how nervous I was. She took my shaking hand in hers to calm me down.

I looked at her and she winked at me.

A few seconds later the elevator doors opened directly into the suite and there he was!

He was breathtaking! He was casually standing near the end of the seating area overlooking the ocean speeding by. He had a glass of bourbon, what I will later come to know as his favorite drink, in his hand. He had rolled up the sleeves of his black shirt up to his elbows and wore a dark grey vest on top of it and matching grey trousers.

"Mr. Salvatore, Miss. Thompson, and her companions are here." Gerald announced with a bow.

He took a sip of bourbon and turned around to greet us.

Mark almost ran up to Ian and shook his hand vigorously with both hands. He introduced himself and thanked him for the invitation.

"Hello Ian, I am Bianca, Rachel's best friend, and cabin-mate." She said with a smile.

"I'm glad you could come, you look beautiful Bianca." Ian said and kissed her on her cheek.

"And what about me?" I inquired jokingly.

Ian looked at me, looked at my lips, and then back into my eyes. "Ravishing!" He all but whispered into my ears as he gave me a lingering kiss on the edge of my lips. I know I was blushing since I could feel my cheeks heat up, my mouth dry and my heart beating like crazy. "Y-you don't look too bad yourself!" I stammered.

He finally broke eye contact after he offered me his arm and I gladly took it. From the corner of my eye, I saw Bianca as she casually held onto Mark's arm. Ian led us to the seating area. All four of us sat down on the plush armchairs.

Gerald, who had disappeared after he announced our arrival, just wheeled in a trolley of refreshments. He asked all of us what we would like to have and expertly mixed drinks on the spot to make our concoctions. He served us our drinks and wheeled the trolley away.

Mark, who was looking all around the suite, turned to Ian and asked "Is this the Regent Suite Mr. Salvatore?"

"Yes it is Mr. Miller"

"Oh, please call me Mark, I insist!"

"Then you must call me Ian" he pointed his glass at Mark when he said the word 'you'.

"Yes sir! I mean Ian Sir, Ian!"

He gave his signature smirk and finished his drink.

"Would it be weird if I ask to see this place? I have read about the Regent Suite in Cosmo. I have heard it is awesome!" Mark exclaimed.

Bianca & I turned to stare at Mark at the mention of his literary interest.

"What?! It's not just gossip you know? You learn a lot through magazines too!" He defended.

"Yeah! Like what we learned about you just now!" Bianca teased.

Mark blushed.

"Sure, I would love to give you a little tour." Ian answered.

Once we finished our drinks, Ian asked all of us to get up for a short tour. He started his tour by giving a brief about the suite. "There is a personal sauna, steam room, and treatment area. Two contemporary bedrooms, including a master bedroom with a wall of windows looking out at sea, connect through a grand living room and wraparound balcony in the stern of the ship."

Bianca and I looked at each other and mouthed the words 'Wow!'.

He took us to the master bedroom first. "Oh my Goodness! They know how to spoil you!" Bianca gasped.

There was a king-size bed in the middle of the room. The décor was masculine from the curtains to the bedspreads. Surprisingly, even the vase of flowers near the armchair did not make the décor look any less manly. The major highlights were the 75" television and the exquisite chandelier on top of the bed. Of course, the wall of windows paled almost every other object in the room.

I looked at the bed and visualized Ian spending his nights here. Only God knows how many women have felt the springs of this mattress on this trip. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. As I opened my eyes I realized that most of the party had already left the room to look at another part of the suite. I turned around and slammed into Ian's rock-hard chest. He held onto my arms and looked down at me. I bit my lip and glanced at him, hoping that only I could hear the pounding of my heart. He was staring at my lips. He put his fingers on my chin and pulled my lip down.

"Don't do that!" He whispered.

"Do what?" I inquired.

"Don't bite your lip like that!"

I looked up at him innocently. "Oh! But why?"

He looked into my eyes and took a deep breath.

He put a stray lock behind my ear, put his hand on my back, and whispered "We should get go.." I looked up at him as I felt a tug on my neck. My locket had gotten entangled with one of his buttons!

"Rachel, where are you?" Bianca said with a slightly raised voice.

"Coming!" I said matching her tone. I quickly tried to free myself. Not sure why I felt guilty at the moment, but I did. Ian looked intently at me, his gaze not faltering even for an instant.

After a while, Ian held my trembling hands and asked "May I?" I nodded, bit my lip, and let go. I suddenly felt his masculine fingers tugging on my chin once again

"Don't.." he whispered close to my ear once more.

As I felt his hot breath fanning my neck, I quickly let go of my lip. Within seconds, he had managed to free us.

He put a hand on my back without uttering another word and guided me to the next room.

Bianca looked at our flushed expressions and mouthed 'What happened?' I looked down and shook my head. She shrugged and let it go.

We saw the gorgeous fish tank, the sauna, steam room, and the private jacuzzi, the magnificent grand piano that had been nailed to the floor, and a beautiful knife painting of two lovers taking a walk in the rain.

What we didn't know was that he had kept the best room of the suite for the last. He opened a door that led us to the bathroom. This was the most extravagant bathroom I have ever seen in my life! There were two basins with Hermè & L'Occitane toiletries, a large tub on one side, and on the other end, there was a cantilever all-glass shower that extends out over the ship from the bathroom!

"You've got to be kidding me!" Mark and Bianca blurted at the same time.

"This is quite bold I must say!" Bianca continued.

"There is a switch in the shower that turns the shower glass opaque." Ian explained.

"Oh what a waste! Like I always say, you got it.."

"You flaunt it!" I completed cheerfully.

"You know it!" Bianca winked, clicked her tongue, and pointed at me.

I giggled.

I noticed one more door near the one that we just used. "Where does this go?" I asked Ian.

"It goes to my bedroom." He replied.

The events that took place a little while earlier played like a movie in my brain and my cheeks immediately gave off a light pink color. No one besides Ian noticed this. He took a few steps toward me and I audibly gulped. Just like before, he put a hand on my back and asked "Shall we?"

We all ended up back in the seating area. As we were about to take our seats, Gerald enters, takes a bow, and announces "Dinner is served".

Ian invited us to shift to the dining area.

He pulled a seat for me and Mark pulled a seat for Bianca.

Ian sat at the head of the ten-seater dining table with Bianca on his right and me on his left. Mark sat on Bianca's right.

"Gerald, please ask Nathan to join us." Ian commanded.

"But sir, you have company tonig.."

"Gerald, I'm sure our guests wouldn't mind." Ian cut in.

"Yes sir, at once sir."

Within a minute, Nathan arrived at the suite, he was dressed in a formal suit.

He stood by Ian and gave a gentle bow.

"Have a seat Nathan."

Nathan hesitated, then replied, "Yes, sir."

He was going to the empty seat next to Mark but I insisted that he sit next to me.

After another moment's hesitation and a reluctant nod from Ian, Nathan changed his seating plans.

Come on! I didn't want to sit all alone on my side of the table. Plus after the conversation we had in the bazaar, I felt more comfortable around him.

As he took the seat next to mine, I whispered "I loved the dress you chose for Amelia so much that I got a similar one for myself! I hope you don't mind!"

"Oh, not at all Miss. Thompson! You look lovely!" Nathan responded a tad bit loudly.

Ian stared at him from the head of the table and Nathan's ears turned red. He immediately looked down and appeared to study his empty plate quite intently.

As soon as we placed our napkins on our laps, Gerald wheeled in the dinner trolley. He expertly replaced the covered dinner plates with our current empty ones.

Bianca and I were not too fond of fancy food. We found the food we make at home and the fast food we eat in the food joints to be the best. We are both crazy about Indian and Italian cuisines. Mark was not much of a picky eater, but he loved sushi.

On the way here, Bianca had even joked about making second dinner plans after we leave from here.

But that all changed when our noses gave away the surprise that was hidden under the steel covers. I kicked Bianca under the table and she matched my expression of shock. We all knew what we were having for dinner and we couldn't wait for it! Yes, we are very childish when it comes to food!

Gerald picked all the covers up one by one and announced the names of the dishes. "A Sushi Platter for you Mr. Miller, Shrimp Pasta in Alfredo Sauce for Miss. Lopez, Chicken and Seafood Paella for you Mr. Salvatore, Butter Chicken with Butter Naan and Jeera Rice for Miss. Thompson, and Chicken Stir Fry for Mr. Anderson."

Till that moment, I had not realized how hungry I was. I just realized that after the coffee in the afternoon, we had not eaten anything!

"Ian, how did you know what our favorite food was?" Bianca questioned.

"I don't want to sound like a stalker but I kinda went through Rachel's Instagram posts. You do post a lot of pictures of food. It was way too easy to deduce what your favorites are." Ian confessed.

I mentally face palmed myself. Oh, God! Not my Instagram! Just last month, I had posted pictures in front of the movie theater where I was posing with a cutout of Ian Salvatore as a vampire. In the cutout, he is trying to bite the victim's neck. In the first photo, I was posing as a victim, who was enjoying herself a bit too much and in the second, I am kissing his lips! I just hope that Ian has not gone through those pictures. If you are just a fan, then posting such photos is not a big deal. But if you happen to personally know the celebrities, things could get awkward.

Bianca looked at me and mouthed 'Lucky bitch!' I gave her another kick under the table. From the corner of my eye, I could see Ian looking at me.

The moment I put the first bite of naan in my mouth, I sighed audibly.

"This is absolutely amazing Ian!"

"I must agree, it's been a while since I got a foodgasm!" Bianca agreed

Mark was so engrossed in eating, that he hardly participated in the conversation.

I turned around to where Gerald was standing and said "Please compliment the chef from my side."

"Why don't you compliment him yourself? Gerald, please ask Gustav to come to the table." Ian instructed.

Gerald took a bow and left the room.

Half a minute later, Gerald returned with a man in chef's attire who I can only assume was Gustav.

"Good evening Monsieur." he had a thick French accent.

"As usual, you have outdone yourself, Gustav! My guests would like to compliment your dishes."

Gustav beamed at the remark.

"You know I expected the cook to be Indian. I don't think even the Indians will be able to top this!" I exclaimed.

"Merci beaucoup, mon chéri!" Gustav gushed with a bow.

"Gustav is truly the best cook I have ever come across. In fact, I hired him from a restaurant I was regular in. I had to move to a different state and I offered Gustav a position as my personal chef."

" Oui Mademoiselle! It was such an 'onner!" Gustav said with a bow.

Bianca and Mark offered their compliments as well and the now-beaming chef gave us a final bow and exited the suite after wishing us "Bon appétit et bonne nuit".

All of us went back to our dishes. We all ate in silence for a couple of minutes. I was observing Ian from the corner of my eye. Even his movements were so fluid-like. Is it weird that I even like the way he eats? I guess when you like someone, you find every action of that person adorable and in my case, irresistible. Hmph! That lucky effin fork!

I was brought back to my senses when Bianca broke the silence.

"So Ian, if you don't mind us asking, can you tell us about this new movie project of yours?"

"It is a good movie. All about superheroes, but I honestly enjoyed the time I played a vampire in a TV series."

"Oh yes, I have binged watched The Bloodline a million times during my college days." I blurted. "I remember in season 7 episode 3 where you.."

"Would you please excuse us for a moment while we powder our noses?" Bianca did everything but yank me off the table and drag me to the washroom.

"Powder noses? In the middle of a meal? Really?" I cried.

"Are you insane? He is clearly interested in you. Can you stop fangirling around him? It's not cool man!" Bianca scolded.

"Oh my God! You think so?"

"Girl, I know so!" Bianca affirmed.

I take a deep breath. "Fine! I just get so nervous being around him. He is quite intimidating you know!"

Bianca took a look around her and said "Man! I can't get over how awesome this bathroom is! Do you think anyone will notice if I have a quick shower here?"

Now it was my turn to hold her hand and drag her. I rolled my eyes and said, "Let's goooo!".

We went back to our seats and sat down as formally as we could. We even put on a fake smile to complete our look!

Now it was Ian's turn to ask some questions.

"So tell me something about yourself, other than your choice of cuisine, I don't know much about you." Ian turned in my direction and questioned.

"Well, I come from a mixed family. My father is a spacecraft engineer and works for NASA. My mother is from India. She is a software developer. Bianca & I go way back. We were neighbors growing up. We enrolled in college together and even shared the same dorm room. We met Mark in college. I did my engineering and Mark and Bianca did their Bachelor of Science from Boston University. We worked for a year and bought the ticket for this cruise from our savings. I mean, if we don't have fun when we are young, what's the point?" Smack! If Bianca wouldn't have kicked me under the table, I know I would have blabbered so much that I would have ended up telling him about the time I got violently ill in eighth grade and threw up on the principal's new shoes.

Ian sensed that I muted myself prematurely. "Interesting," he said.

The rest of the dinner went by uneventfully.

After dinner, Ian invited everyone for drinks on the balcony. He couldn't show the balcony to us earlier because of the weather indicator on the balcony door. It was red before but now it had turned green. There was a fingerprint reader on the door panel. Ian swiped his thumb on the reader and the door slid open. "After you" Ian insisted. Bianca held my hand and pulled me out. Mark was next, followed by Ian, Nathan, and Gustav with a tray of wine glasses.

Gustav offered each of us a glass. Once his tray was empty, he tucked it under his arm and stood patiently in one corner.

Bianca and Mark quickly occupied the loungers. They sipped their wines as they started pointing out all the constellations they can find in the clear sky.

Nathan sat down on the plush chair next to Bianca and got busy on his mobile device.

I went around the balcony to find a three-seater sofa at the far end of the balcony.

I stood at the railing and gazed up at the beautiful night sky. You could easily see the Milky Way in the middle of the ocean.

After a while, I felt a presence behind me. Despite the wind, I could hear his footsteps approaching. He stood beside me silently. I welcomed the heat emitting from his body.

"How do you ever feel like leaving this place? It is fantastic! If I were you, I would stay right here and gaze into the stars forever."

Ian chuckled. "Well, you really can't do that you know, because of this phenomenon called daytime."

"Oh yeah.."

Man Rach, you really are an idiot! I mentally facepalmed myself.

He noticed that my glass was empty. "Would you like some more?" He enquired. "I think I'll pass, or else I'll pass out!" I replied.

That was literally the worst joke ever! Why God why?

Ian gave me a gorgeous smile and I immediately forgot to think thoughts.

He finished his glass and put both our glasses on the glass holders fastened on the balcony railings.

Ian leaned in and said, "If you don't mind, can I tell you something?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"You know, for a person as little as you, your kicks are quite powerful!"

So this is what a heart attack feels like!

I turned completely white for a moment "I-I'm sorry Ian.."

He laughed at me. "Don't worry about it" he dismissed.

We looked back up at the sky. The crescent moon looked beautiful tonight.

"So why do you like fantasy? Uh, as a genre I mean. I see you like to work in a fictional universe more than the actual one."

"I like to indulge in fantasies. They make you feel like impossible is just a word. They make you think of things that are wild and at times beyond your imagination and sometimes," he takes a step closer to me and I can feel his eyes on me. "Fantasizing about something or someone makes you wish that you could turn some fantasies into realities."

I abruptly look up at him. I was instantly captivated by his brilliant blue eyes. Ian looks down at my lips and lifts my chin up. His touch was enough to make my body shiver. My heart was beating so fast that I thought it might bruise itself. His eyes suddenly turn dark. He bends down and whispers in my ear "Rachel.."

Suddenly, we felt the ground under our feet sway. Both of us lost our balance and we fell on the sofa. I was on top of Ian and his body was flushed against mine. His hands held my waist quite firmly. For the first time, I felt his racing heart trying to match my own. His musky scent and the heat emitting from his body made my insides melt.

"Ian, I'm freezing out here, do you mind if we go back inside?" Bianca stood shivering on the bend of the balcony. She looked at the two of us and instantly regretted her actions.

At hearing Bianca's voice, I quickly try to get up but I couldn't. Ian's hands were still holding me tightly. His gaze lingered on my lips for a moment. I felt his grip loosen. I quickly got up and adjusted my dress. Ian got up, took a deep breath, ran his fingers through his hair, and said "Sure. Let's go inside. After you milady." He gestured and I obliged.

Mental note, strangle Bianca when we reach our cabin.

One by one, all of us went back inside the suite. The warmth of the room was welcoming. Since all of us were a little tired and a little tipsy, we decided to call it a day. We said our goodbyes and left.

As we changed into our night suits, Bianca looked at me and said, " Don't worry Rach, I know I ruined it for you guys tonight, but it doesn't look like this is the last moment you two are ever going to share."

I turned away to hide my blush and went to sleep dreaming of blue eyes and wine glasses.