Chapter eighty-nine

Last night was made up of a series of tired gestures and gentle murmurs. Well, at least, that's what I remember it to be. And Harry's eyes were there almost always, vibrant green in the bathroom light and murky when the room was dark. I'm almost certain I'll see them again when I open my eyes, but he feels so warm against me, I can't let go. But if I move an inch, he might wake up and remember what we –

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty."

I open my eyes. A pillow, the blurry cabin behind, and no green eyes.

I sit up, yawning. "Where's Harry?"

"Hah." Lilli's leaning against the desk, untangling Emily's earphones. "We had to pry him off you last night."

I feel heat rise to my temples. "Really?"

She laughs aloud, giving me proud-mum eyes. "No," she says through a chuckle. "Just teasing." I puff out my cheeks. "But we did have to convince him to leave. He was awake when Charlie and I came back, but you were fast asleep." I stare intently at Lilli. "He was scared he'd wake you up, and when he did finally listen to us and get up, he insisted on carrying you up to your bunk."

I look down and realise I'm in Lilli's bed. I hear Emily wheeze as she emerges, fresh and prepared for the day, from the bathroom.

"Then he dragged Charlie out of the room like he was a sack of potatoes. It was hilarious," Emily blurts.

Down at breakfast, I'm almost tempted to run straight into Harry's square chest. But he looks kind of down.

"Morning," he breathes as I sit down beside him. "I brought you waffles."

There's just enough syrup and just the perfect-sized dollop of whipped cream. I turn and grin at him, and he manages a weary smile back. His brown hair is a tussle on his head, dangling aimlessly in all directions, and there are dark-ish semi circles under his eyes. He might've gone to visit that girl again…

"Thanks," I say.

Emily takes a seat beside Ben, looking extra giggly this morning, which isn't unusual, but could mean anything. Too many sweets, too little rest, too much rest, too much anime talk, or…

"Good morning," she chirps.

"Not yet," Ben replies.

"Huh?" Emily says, but Ben keeps his eyes in his bowl of cereal. What none of us expect is for Emily to lean over and plant a clumsy kiss on his cheek. She withdraws, humming the iconic intro to Ouran Highschool Host Club, and Ben's eyes light up. The scene makes Charlie freeze, makes Lilli's right eye twitch, makes Harry stare shyly at my waffles, and makes me scream on the inside.

"How 'bout now?" Emily asks.

Ben grins stupidly, muttering, "It's now a good morning."

Lilli rolls her eyes at just about all of us, and the gesture is all too familiar, that it almost makes me roll my eyes.

"Tasmin," she says to me. I perk up from my already-half-finished plate of waffles, which Harry is grinning at. "Our Cruise ID cards, do they have a credit system?"

I chew, thinking hard, then swallow. "They do, but only if you pay for it beforehand."

"And beforehand is…?"

"Booking."

"So do –?"

"No," I cut in. "Remember that part of the form we were filling with our parents that asked if you wanted onboard credit? There's free credit sometimes, which is why we got those ice creams on the first day," I don't mention the laser tag game, "But we're pretty lucky. Most people don't get onboard credit unless they pay for it. Usually the richer ones get more –"

I realise it then. Lilli knows too. Emily continues eating and giving Ben googly eyes.

Lilli and I glance at Harry and Charle. They stare back at us, cluelessly.

Lilli, to me: "Does the credit expire?"

"Well, obviously, after the cruise, everyone's ID cards are practically useless. If you did put any credit on it and didn't spend it all, then it'll all go to waste –"

My head explodes at all the things we could do with credit. And I've been stupid not to realise all the luxuries we could access! Except… Do we have any?

"Harry," I say. If his ears could perk up like a dog's, they would. "When you booked this cruise, do you remember applying for onboard credit?"

He sort of seems to withdraw a little after the question. Or maybe he's just thinking.

He shakes his head.

Lillis stands. "We should go find out," she announces.

So, here we are. All six of us, lining up behind a counter. Behind the flowing beige drapes and past the dimly-lit hallways, massage rooms await. Facials. Exfoliation. Aromatherapy. The thought of all this lights up my eyes. Just one seems amazing, but all three? In a package? I'd be in heaven. I can imagine doing this back home, showing up at my house with the expensive receipt, and watching as my mum faints and my dad explodes with silent fury. My family isn't struggling with finances (according to mum), but we're not inclined to spend, spend, spend, either. But from what I've heard about Harry's family… well… they're loaded. I've never been to Harry's house, but I've heard that there's a pool, a patio, and a hot tub, and I'll admit that it was a constant wish to be invited there when I was younger.

Harry stands wordlessly beside me, confused by what's happening. And his expression is silly, and it's making me giggle hysterically. He doesn't seem to understand that onboard credits are a damn big thing.

You see older couples, even large groups of middle-aged people, strutting around on Gatsby night with their feather boas, hairpieces and perfectly-pressed suit jackets, practically waving their onboard credits under passerbys' noses. It's a sour feeling to be a passerby. But my parents never really minded. And young me only ever wanted ice cream the most.

So when we find out that all three of them, Charlie, Ben and Harry, have a jealousy-inducing amount of onboard credits, we burst out in a little party right behind the counter, then head straight to the bar before coming back. Harry's of-age to drink, and he lets me take a few swigs of his drink.