Need to find out who the boss is

I WAKE up the next morning with the sun gleaming gently through the cabin window. Yay, we must be in the Caribbean! The awesome thing about cruise ships is that they continue to sail overnight, so you can go to sleep in Florida and wake up in a completely different location.

I heave myself out of bed and peer out the porthole. Sure enough, we’re docking and I can see people, boats and even animals milling about our destination. My head is still hurting a bit from the excessive number of cocktails I had the night before but I’m excited to get out and explore. After all, Jeon signed us up for snorkeling today, and I’m hoping we’ll see more dolphins. That would be so amazing.

After a shower and pulling on a two-piece swimsuit and cover up, I check my reflection in the mirror. My brown curls, more spiral than wavy, are hanging loose past my shoulders and I swipe mascara on my dark lashes. Is that too much, given that I’m going in the water? I shrug my shoulders and decide I don’t care. If I end up streaky and vampiric, I guess I’ll just have to live with it.

“This is going to be a great day,” I say, feeling good for the first time in a long time. Then I make my way to Jeon’s door and bang on it.

“Rise and shine!” I call sweetly. Inside, there are some fumbling sounds and then she opens the door, looking worse for the wear.

“Okay, okay,” she moans, rubbing at her eyes. “What time is it anyways?”

“Nine-thirty,” I smirk. “Had a hard night?”

She rolls her eyes.

“Just stalking hot guys on I*******m,” she says. “The wi-fi on this boat is incredible! But give me ten minutes, okay?”

I merely giggle and nod.

“Sure, but I’m going to go ahead and go to breakfast,” I say. “See you in the Paradise Dining Room?” Jeon merely nods blearily and then shuts the door. I laugh again and make my way down the carpeted hallway towards the dining room. After I’m seated at a small table next to one of the large windows overlooking the ocean, a handsome Caribbean man wearing a white waiter’s jacket comes up to my table.

“Good morning, Miss,” he says, whipping out a steaming steel pitcher. “Coffee?”

“Yes,” I say gratefully. “Thank you.”

He nods at me and smiles, and his teeth gleam brightly.

“It’s a pleasure to serve, Miss. What can I get you for breakfast?”

I bite my lip and look down at the extensive menu.

“I would love some French toast, please. With berries and hash browns, if you have them?”

“Certainly. Excellent choice.” Then, the waiter nods and heads off to put in my order. I lean over the table and watch him walk away. The waiter is tall, handsome, and certainly too good-looking to be working on a cruise ship. Then again, he was probably hired in part because of his handsome features. Wow, this is going to be a fun trip.

But I shake my head to clear it of my inappropriate thoughts. Maybe Jeon’s right, and I’ve been wrong all along. Why don’t I want a permanent relationship? A lot of women my age are hell-bent on finding a man, but for some reason, I’m not on the war path. Maybe it’s just the way I’m wired.

The gorgeous waiter comes back over with Jeon skipping behind him. She looks refreshed, with bouncy curls and a cute sundress. She thanks him and watches him walk away with hungry eyes.

“I love the Caribbean,” she sighs. “If all men look like Josea, then this is going to be the best vacation I’ve ever had.”

I grin.

“Me too, and wait till you see what Josea can do with a coffee mug!” I say, laughing. She grins again, and we eat our breakfast, enjoying the food and drink. The joe is amazing on the ship and I end up having two or three cups before I even realize it. Finally, we’re finished.

“Come on,” Jeon says, patting her lips with her napkin. “Let’s get out of here before you drink all the coffee on the ship before noon.”

I laugh and we go up to our rooms to grab our stuff before heading off the boat. The water sparkles a deep turquoise blue, and the sand is a gleaming white. There’s a group of four with us who look to be in their twenties. When Jeon tells them I’m a professional photographer, they do what normal millennials do in the situation, which is beg me to take their picture. I oblige but internally, I roll my eyes. I don’t understand the appeal of being all over social media. That’s the beauty of having an assistant. Miriam handles all my PR and social media, so that I can concentrate on taking beautiful pictures. I snap a couple photos of our companions doing silly faces and remember why I only take pictures of animals.

“You’re so cynical,” Jeon says as we start walking again, a little behind the other group.

“What are you talking about? I took their pictures, didn’t I?”

“Yes, but I could see you rolling your eyes in your head. Even if they didn’t notice, I can sense when you’re being a jerk.”

“I wasn’t,” I say with mock-offense, but my friend knows me too well.

“Keep it under wraps,” she whispers in my ear while taking my arm. “It’s not nice! I know you’re an artist, but you have to be friendly on this trip.”

I nod.

“I just don’t get social media, you know? Why do people want to put their entire lives on-line? Who’s that interested in someone else’s life anyways? It’s weird, right?”

Jeon links her arm in mine, and we walk together towards the beach.

“Girlfriend, I just spent all night stalking hot men on I*******m. I’m interested in other peoples’ lives, even if I’ll never meet them for real. It’s fun, so why not? Now come on, it’s time for our snorkeling lesson.”

I sigh as we walk down the dock to where the lesson’s taking place. Again, maybe Jeon’s right. After all, she has a lot of friends and is so popular whenever we go out. By contrast, I’m kind of a shy introvert. I feel more comfortable with animals than people, and I can become paralyzed when it comes to social interaction with my own species sometimes.

However, now it’s time for snorkeling. Our instructor, another good-looking Caribbean man, reviews the important rules. It’s pretty straightforward, and Jeon and I take to it quickly. Soon, we’re in the ocean having fun. We’re in a cove, so there aren’t too many waves, and the water is remarkably clear. I feel like I can see forever, and the turquoise blue of the sea beckons.

It’s sunny and relaxed, and soon our entire class is splashing about. We snorkel, looking at reefs and fish, before coming up for air. The aquatic life doesn’t even seem to be afraid of us because they peep out when we swim by, as if to stare at the aliens visiting their habitat.

Everyone gets tired, and so after a while, I’m swimming by myself even though I’m not supposed to. When I come up for air, I see Jeon waving and pointing, and I wave back. Her waves become even more frantic, and I look around. Ah, there it is! I turn and see a pod of dolphins only a few yards away. Excitedly, I try to follow them for a bit, even though they’re much too fast for me.

The dolphins are absolutely gorgeous, gracefully twisting and turning, as if beckoning me to come with them. Their silvery-gray skin glints in the sunshine and before I realize what’s happening, I’m in the open ocean. It’s okay though because I can still see the cove with my fellow classmates splashing about. I wave at them and then follow the dolphins some more, entranced by their beauty.

Eventually however, I get tired and the dolphins turn their heads once and bob, as if to say goodbye to me. Then they dive deep into the waves, and I’m all alone. Popping my head out of the water, I look around for a minute while treading water. Weird. There’s nothing in sight for miles. I don’t see the boat, nor do I see other people, or even any land. I pop my head back into the water, and the reef is long gone. I’m in the open ocean now.

Oh shit. Panic begins to claw at me. I must have followed the dolphins straight into a current that took me far out into the ocean. Looking around in all directions, I desperately try to see something, anything that can help me find my way back to the cove. But I’m all alone, and have no idea which way to swim. I take huge gulping breaths, attempting to calm myself down.