Justin’s POV"I forgot to ask, how's Ethan doing?" Ayva suddenly asked, catching me off guard. I felt a mix of surprise and relief that she decided to break her silence. It was the first time she had spoken to me since we boarded the cruise ship.Gabriel, one of the staff members on deck, had given us a tour of the ship, a journey that lasted about thirty minutes. Throughout the tour, Ayva remained silent, not sharing her thoughts on the ship's ambiance and facilities. Even when I asked for her opinion, she simply nodded. There was no excitement or joy, unlike the previous day on the jet. Most of the time during the ship tour, she was engrossed in her phone.I blamed myself for the situation.If only I hadn't stared at Alexia as she left. If only I had been more mindful of where my gaze wandered.I had attempted to address the issue multiple times since then, but each time, she found a way to deflect the conversation before it could even begin.When I tried to broach the topic at the
Ayva’s POVI was scared. I couldn't figure out if it was because it was the first time I'd seen Justin that angry with me or because he was walking away like he didn't want to be near me anymore. It felt like I was losing him.Maybe I went too far by calling him a liar. The hurt in his eyes when I said those words kept replaying in my mind."Justin," I called out, but he didn't stop. Panic started to set in. I was afraid he was going to leave me. Justin would never purposefully ignore me; I had upset him so much."Justin, please wait," I pleaded, the desperation clear in my voice. I was sure he could hear the fear in my words, but he kept walking, not looking back.My heart was racing in my chest, my palms were sweaty. Tears were welling up in my eyes, and my throat felt tight.I pushed myself to walk faster, to catch up to him. Somehow, I made it, managing to stand in front of him, blocking his path."I'm sorry for what I said earlier. It's just that you were sitting really close to
Ayva’s POVDinner turned out to be amazing. Justin had arranged for a private chef to whip up a delicious Greek dish, the name of which slipped my mind. However, the wine stole the show. Although I wasn't a big drinker, I found myself downing more than half the bottle. I should have stopped when I started feeling a bit tipsy, but I just couldn't resist.Suddenly, my phone rang loudly, breaking the serene atmosphere. Justin peered curiously, asking, "Who's that?"We were dining on the balcony of the ship, surrounded by a stunning night. The cool breeze gently caressed us, while the moon's silver glow illuminated our faces. The stars sparkled brightly above, creating the perfect romantic setting.As I glanced at my phone, I hesitated, unsure if I should reveal the caller to Justin, who sat at the opposite end of the table. The name "Aiden" flashed on the screen, and I debated whether to answer, pondering Justin's reaction."It's Aiden," I murmured, but before I could act, Justin command
Justin’s POV“Is it morning yet?” Ayva groaned as she stirred, her eyes remaining closed. I smiled down at her and replied, “It’s past noon.”She groaned loudly. “I wanna sleep some more. Give me five minutes.” She murmured. “You said that ten minutes ago,” I told her, biting my lip to hide my smile. It was the fourth time I’d tried to wake her that day. My first attempt was around 10 am, I’d brought her breakfast in bed and like she did minutes ago, she’d told me to give her five minutes, which turned into an hour. Her breakfast had long turned cold so I had to return it to the kitchen and have the chef prepare some brunch instead. “I did?” She questioned, without opening her eyes. “Yes.” She groaned, pulling the covers over her head. “I’m tired.” She mumbled, and chewed down on my lips, feeling guilty because I knew I was responsible for that. I’d put her through a whole lot all through the night. We’d be so busy that neither of us got any sleep until 6 am. We probably would h
Ayva’s POVJustin had kept his words like a true gentleman. Even when I tried to seduce him and get him in bed, he didn’t budge. Two days had passed since the day he made that vow and although I’d significantly gotten better, Justin wasn’t convinced. We’d left the ship that night as Justin’s only made a twenty-four-hour reservation. He’d wanted to pay extra cash for us to extend our stay there but I’d told him not to. Just because he had an abundance of money didn’t mean I felt comfortable with him throwing it around for me. It was our fourth night there. During the day, we’d gone to the beach and joined this four-hour cooking class for young married tourists where we learned how to make some popular Greek dishes. Justin had made us wear a matching ring before we got there so everyone would believe that we were truly married. The experience was beautiful yet I couldn’t be truly happy about it. Justin must have noticed because after we left the cooking class, he kept insisting that
Ayva’s POV“I still don’t understand why we’re going there,” I grumbled as I picked up my eyeliner, aiming to recreate the wing liner I’d perfected over the years in the mirror. Even though I was against going anywhere that day, I couldn’t step out without looking my best. “We’re going ‘cause you got an invite, and the lady who invited you wouldn’t be happy if you ditched,” he explained. I paused, my hand freezing midair as I was about to start drawing the wing on my left eye. Our eyes met in the mirror, and with a firm voice, I questioned, “Whose happiness matters more to you, hers or mine?” It was a fact that I’d been invited to hang out on a private yacht. A lady I had befriended at the couples’ cooking class Justin and I attended two days ago had extended the invitation after we bumped into each other at the spa the day before. “Of course, I care about your happiness. That isn’t even a question you should be asking.” He replied, moving behind me and wrapping his arms around m
Ayva’s POV"Ayva!" Eleanor exclaimed, her bleached white teeth gleaming as Justin and I stepped onto the yacht. I almost thought we wouldn't make it on time due to the heavy traffic we encountered. Eleanor had mentioned the yacht would set sail by 7 pm, and by the time we arrived, it was already past 7 pm.She embraced me in a tight hug, that one would think we were best of friends. Despite her petite frame compared to mine, her grip was surprisingly strong, she had a strength one wouldn't expect from someone like her.Eleanor was the host of the party and the yacht belonged to her husband, Tom. Eleanor was a pretty girl. She looked to be in her early twenties. She was tall, standing at about 5ft9 with blonde hair and captivating blue eyes. She’d said that she used to work as a supermodel and had met her husband, Tom, at a fashion show in New York. According to what she’d told me, she and Tom had met six months before deciding to tie the knot. For their honeymoon, they’d opted to tra
Justin’s POV"Are you sure you want to join this?" | whispered to Ayva as we entered the lounge. I had my doubts. If it were up to me, when Eleanor extended the invitation, I would have declined, but I stayed silent and let Ayva make that decision. In the lounge, there were approximately twenty men, each accompanied by a partner. The manner in which many of the men eyed Ayva as we walked in, as though she were a piece of meat they desired, bothered me. My jaw clenched in anger, and my hands tightened into fists at my sides.I couldn’t let her partake in the game with them. It was obvious that they had other intentions. It was always like that with drinking games, I knew how it always ends. Since my high school days, I never saw the appeal of engaging in activities meant for private settings in front of a crowd.Moreover, weren't we all too mature to be engaging in such games?"Yes," she nodded eagerly, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "I've never played any drinking games before,"