One More Time

Ana stopped her statement, and I could feel Chanel tighten up beside me. I guess I had the answers to all my questions. Last night, Chanel was only trying to diffuse the tension. She didn’t really want a do-over for prom. She wanted to forget about the whole thing. I slid my hand onto her thigh, trying to pull her gaze toward mine, but she shrugged me off as Tommy cleared his throat.

“Like I said. Always missing out on the drama.”

“Seriously?” I asked.

“If you weren’t drunk all the time, you might not miss it,” Chanel said with a grin. “There was plenty of drama when we docked this morning.”

“I wasn’t drunk this morning,” Tommy said. “I was sleeping off my drunken state.”

“What do you mean there was drama this morning?” Ana asked.

“Just with us docking in Curaçao and then taking back off. Some people saw Luke get on board in handcuffs,” Chanel said.

“How do you know that?” I asked.

Chanel sighed, and I knew exactly how she knew. Because she had gone to see it. Why the hell did she insist on putting herself through that kind of shit?

“You could’ve come and gotten me, you know,” I said.

“He didn’t see me or anything. It was from a distance. You put a real beating on him,” Chanel said with a small smile.

“He deserved a real beating,” I said.

“See? More drama missed. What was I doing on the island that day?” Tommy asked.

“Getting drunk,” Chanel and Ana said in unison with a giggle.

I was pissed off at Tommy making the comments he was, but it seemed to be the only thing that had Chanel laughing. I was worried about her state of mind and about what had taken her from her room at seven in the morning alone to see that asshole get back on the boat. If people had gathered to see it, then rumors were already flying. I trained my ears onto the conversations around us, trying to get a good peek into what everyone was talking about.

“Did you guys see him in handcuffs? That was Luke, right?”

“What was he in handcuffs for?”

“Someone gave him a shiner and broke his nose. You think he got into a fight?”

“Luke? Geeky, scrawny little Luke? Nah. He probably got run over by a bus.”

“Then why was he in handcuffs?”

“Did he steal something?”

“He’s a millionaire. Why would he steal something?”

“Can you be arrested for acting like a pompous dick? He’s been doing it all week.”

“I saw four bodyguards with him. All dressed in security outfits. They looked hot too.”

The rumors were buzzing all around us. People were postulating why Luke had been carted on in handcuffs. Some were wondering what had happened while others were wondering what would happen to him once we got back to Miami. Tommy and Chanel continued to go back and forth as she rattled off memory after memory of Tommy being too late or too drunk to remember what was going on around him. But my focus was elsewhere. I was trying to find a way to get the rumors under control or at least get them away from Chanel so she could enjoy the rest of her trip.

“She’s right. You are pretty late. You were late last night for dinner, and you’re literally right next door to us,” Ana said.

“I can be late and pretty or on time and shabby. Take your pick,” Tommy said.

“I don’t think Ana minds shabby as long as you’ve got a big dick,” Chanel said.

“Hey, guys!”

I heard Connie’s voice come from behind me as she approached the table. Ana groaned, and Tommy rolled his eyes, but Chanel did something I didn’t expect. She pressed herself against me, her hand landing lovingly on my thigh as she leaned over my chest. Connie was passing out papers to the table, and Chanel was more than willing to take those from her.