The Complication

The next day, we both woke up with a killer hangover. It seemed like waking up with a splitting headache is the new normal.

I made a mental note of keeping my alcohol in check.

We both lay awake in our beds for a little while.

The phone in our room rang. Bianca picked it up.

"Hello? Yes good morning. No, she is with me. Yes, this is her. Oh wow, thank you! Yes, I will let her know. You too. Bye!"

During the phone conversation, Bianca's expression turned from bored to excited within a matter of seconds!

"You are not going to believe this!"

"What is it?"

"Ian upgraded our privileges on this trip! Now we get free massages throughout the trip! Plus we get a 40% discount on all stores inside this ship. We also get unlimited food deliveries and access to all fitness classes and gyms!"

"You've got to be kidding!" I gasped.

The days started in a crappy way, but with this sudden build-up of adrenaline, both Bianca and I decided to sign up for some fitness classes.

We rang the operator once again and enquired about these classes.

"Well, they have most of the Les Mills classes. A Zumba class is scheduled on the upper deck in 20 minutes, we can go for that."

"You mean you can go for that! I need to rest my ankle." Bianca pointed out.

Since we did a lot of Zumba back home, I already had the perfect outfit for today.

I wore harem Capri pants, a matching top, and some sneakers.

Bianca wore a simple sleeveless butterfly floral sundress and a sunhat and a floral two-piece suit inside.

She pushed her feet into the nearest sandal she could find and we sprinted out of our cabin door.

Bianca told me to go ahead. She said she will join me shortly. She knew I was in a hurry and she couldn't keep up with me.

No matter how fast I ran, I couldn't make it to the beginning of the class. Our cabins were not exactly close to the upper deck. What would normally take 10 minutes of leisure walking, took me about 3 minutes of crazy running!

I quickly joined in and picked up the moves within minutes.

After 15 more minutes, Bianca finally made it to the upper deck. Without wasting another minute, she discarded her dress and stepped into the pool. Within 3 minutes, there was a Pina colada in her hand.

After 45 minutes, Bianca and I picked up our towels. I thanked the instructor and waved at the rest of our classmates.

We were cooling off near the upper deck railing. I was patting myself dry when Bianca asked me "You know what would be funny? Imagine Gerald prancing on some of those moves!"

"Imagine Gerald? Imagine Nathan!" We both burst out laughing together.

"Speaking of the dancing queen, isn't that Nathan blocking all those people from entering the shoot? Oh wow! There is a shoot going to start! Let's check it out!"

The two of us went as close to the crowd as we could. We craned our necks to get a good look but all we could see were bobbing heads.

For once I wish I was as tall as a normal human being! I thought.

Even Nathan was not visible through all this chaos.

"You know what? We should have stayed upstairs, at least we would have been able to see something! This is insane!" I complained.

"Plus, this is not good for my leg!" Bianca added.

A moment later, we heard a man on a portable microphone address the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we request you to kindly evacuate the lower deck area as there is a photoshoot scheduled to take place here. The shoot should not take more than two hours. Guests are permitted to use this facility on the completion of this event. We apologize for any inconvenience. Food and beverages that have been already ordered will be delivered to your rooms. Thank you for understanding."

And with that, the lifeguards began to direct the crowd toward the exit.

Just as we were leaving, I saw the supermodel Claire Fleming walking to the shallow end of the pool, wearing the skimpiest of bikinis. She was wearing a sarong when she walked in but quickly removed it when her eyes met Ian's.

Ian gave her a quick peck on the cheek but she took that opportunity to wrap her hands around his neck and press her body firmly against his. Even from this distance, I saw Ian blush. He removed her hands gently and went to talk to the photographer.

There was a man following Ian, he was giving him a touch-up while Ian was in conversation with the photographer.

Claire's makeup man had actually brought the entire makeup room near the pool. They even had a vanity mirror and a rotating chair for Clair to sit on.

The last thing I saw was Ian removing his shirt! Even though I had seen him topless in the TV series, seeing him live was something else! Even though it was only for a second.

Just before they closed the doors, Nathan saw me and waved a quick 'Hi' I waved back with a smile.

All of us were sealed off from the lower deck.

Bianca sent a message to Mark. She told him to meet them in a restaurant called Eataly.

We reached the restaurant before Mark did and were immediately directed to a table for three.

We ordered all the classics. I ordered a vegetarian Penne Arrabbiata, Bianca went for a Margarita Pizza and we ordered spaghetti and meatballs for Mark.

As we were waiting for our food and our friend, my thoughts went back to the lower deck scene where Claire was literally pressing her melons on Ian's chest. I know I am not supposed to feel anything, but when it comes to matters of the heart, I'm weak.

Bianca read me like a book. "Don't waste too much time thinking about that chick. It's not worth it. I know Ian and you have not expressed your feelings to each other but I kinda have a hunch that he will not act on her advances."

"I guess"

"Oh I know he has eyes only for you. He didn't even check me out! Which most guys do by the way!"

I giggled. "Oh yes, they do!" I confirmed.

We saw Mark enter and Bianca waved at him. The moment he sat down, our food arrived.

"Perfect timing!" all three of us said in unison. We looked at each other and burst out laughing.

After lunch and a quick nap, Bianca, Mark, and I decided to go for massages.

I dragged everyone to Shirodhara and then we separated into three different massage rooms.

I went for a relaxing hot oil massage, Bianca went for a hot stone massage and Mark went for shiatsu.

When the three of us emerged from our rooms, we were literally in a state of bliss.

We met in the spa's tea room where they served us some ginger tea and ginger cookies. We were all in our robes and slippers.

"My masseuse did wonders to my body! I finally feel the bliss I was craving." Bianca announced.

"I think I actually went to sleep for a bit!" Mark confessed.

I giggled at both of them. "Mine was so good that my muscles feel like jelly!" I commented.

We all had a quick bath and decided to head to the reception to enquire about the list of activities for tonight.

Just as I was going to greet the receptionist, she looked up and said "Well hello there Ms. Thompson! I was just going to deliver this note to your cabin. Would you like to collect the note from me?"

I blinked twice and said, "Yes, please."

The receptionist handed me another lace envelope. This time it was a gold invite.

There was a handwritten note behind the invitation.

Dear Rachel,

It would be my honor if you, Ms. Lopez, and Mr. Miller will be able to make it to a dinner organized by my production team tonight.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

Love,

Ian

I passed the invite to my friends.

"So what do you guys think?" I enquired.

"Sure, let's go for it!" Mark suggested.

"I'm game, plus it'll give me a chance to atone for what I did yesterday." Bianca teased.

Mark looked at me confused as my cheeks gave out a brilliant pink color.

Bianca burst out laughing at my reaction.

"You girls are weird!" He concluded.

"The dinner invite is for 8:00 PM tonight. It is 6:15 PM now. Let's get ready and meet outside the banquet hall at 7:40 PM." I announced.

"Cool." Mark responded.

He escorted us to our cabin and left.