Wild Nights With My Brother's Ex-Best Friend novel Chapter 68

NICOLE

I climb out of the Uber and stare at the cruise ship before my eyes.

I can't believe how enormous it is.

"This is something," Sebastian murmurs beside me. It's hard not to feel a twinge of excitement. This could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me, so I try not to think about all the things that have been bothering me as of late.

Especially the thing with Haley.

Every time I think about her, my heart sinks a little. Maybe I'm being too unfair. She's human, after all, and she has every right to be in a bad mood or isolate herself. But going through my things? Leaving the apartment without saying a word when she always kept us up to date on her whereabouts?

That's too strange. And I hate how much it's affecting Mason.

It's like we're walking on eggshells around her now. This has never happened before—Haley's the coolest person I know.

Sebastian closes his hand around mine and we get going. I'm carrying my duffel bag because he has another duffel bag over his shoulder while carrying a suitcase, which so happens to be mine. We show our boarding passes, and then we're in.

This place is a dream.

Talk about luxury.

"We should find our rooms," Sebastian suggests. I notice that he's not looking around in awe like I am. Then again, he does this every year. I've never been on a cruise ship before. "Once we dump our luggage there, we'll have time to look around."

Looking for our rooms is an adventure in itself. We laugh at all the false turns and even have to ask directions from a worker, and everything he says flies right over our heads. In the end, we find the room.

It's just as beautiful as I thought it would be. The walls are painted a soft blue color, and I like the nautical theme. The bed is round and when I test it out, it's super comfortable.

Sebastian walks toward the balcony and looks around. I stare at him from my position on the bed and something swells inside of me. In a blue golf shirt and cargo pants, he looks more casual than I've ever seen him and it suits him so much.

Maybe he was right. This trip is about us—not anyone else.

And we'll have fun.

I can sense it.

"The view's amazing," he claims before turning his head to look at me. "Want to see?"

I rise from the bed and join him on the balcony. He circles his arms around me and kisses my bare shoulder. I'm wearing a sundress—a suitable outfit for this occasion.

And he was right about the view.

We're still facing the city, and from where we're standing, we can see everything. "Wow."

"Like it?"

I turn my head to look at him. His lips touch mine and I murmur against them, "I love it."

"I knew you would," he replies warmly. "I can't wait to show you around. There's so much to see here. You'll love the food."

We spend some time in the room, kissing and holding each other in bed. I already feel more relaxed—like I've left all my problems on land right where they're supposed to be.

Outside the ship.

"I wish it could always be like this," Sebastian says against my lips. "Just me and you. Someplace far away."

I take a deep breath. "Yeah. Me too."

Everything is much easier when I don't have to think about all my problems. The truth is that I like being with Sebastian. He makes me feel like a better person.

When I'm with him, I'm someone else. The mess clears away and I become someone I could be proud of.

It's vicious. Mean. There's a promise in the way he's looking at me.

I ball my fists, determined to see this through. If he thinks he'll intimidate me, then he's mistaken.

I walk up to them and Sebastian puts his hand on my lower back. "This is Nicole—my girlfriend."

"Nice to meet you, Nicole," Roman says, all fake. So fucking fake that it makes me want to vomit. "I believe we've met before."

"Yes, you did," Sebastian interjects. "I introduced her to you. I believe you were with your wife. Is she here?"

"Yes. Somewhere around here," Roman answers. His eyes haven't left my face for a second. I stare back at him dryly, hoping he'll realize how pathetic this is.

What the hell is he doing here, though?

I won't be paranoid enough to assume that he followed me here.

"Great. I look forward to seeing you."

"Likewise," Roman says before walking away.

Sebastian pulls the chair out for me. I sink into it and the whole time, I'm asking myself if this interaction was real.

Is Roman really here?

Are we going to be stuck on this fucking ship for a whole week with him around?

"You okay?" Sebastian asks beside me.

I lie right to his face and smile. It reminds me of what Roman did just now. "Absolutely."