"Thanks for the help." Valerie said getting off the phone. She groaned. "Thanks for nothing you little..." She stopped as Chris gave her a questioning look. "There are no shore leaves, as the captain might say, this is a non stop cruise. We dont get off till we leave." She sighed. "Apparently it was in a brochure I was supposed to read."
"I had good reason for doing that." Chris said in her defense. "We have a terrible time keeping track of time. I was scared to death of being left on some port of call." Chris smiled weakly. "Sorry."
"Its ok." Valerie said. "Its a big boat. I'm sure I can avoid him."
"Do you really want to?" Chris said. "I saw how you looked at each other."
"You didnt see anything." Valerie blushed slightly.
"That! I saw that! You blushed." Chris said. "Don't tell me nothing is there."
"Thats a double negative, so you think there is something there." Valerie rubbed her head. "I dont want to think about it, my head hurts." She grabbed a blue and white one piece off the counter, no sense repeating her famous Flash Gordon incident. "Let's go swimming. I need to soak my head." Chris laughed at the last part. "And lets not forget the key this time."
The pool
"Look at this pool!" Chris said excitedly as they walked on to the pool deck. "All of these cute guys!" Valerie gave her a questioning look. "For you of course. I got mine." She said as she found a chair to lounge in.
"Of course." Valerie laughed. She focused in on a few life guardy types. She suddenly wished they were around when she lost her top the last time she was in a pool. They looked very protective of anything remotely female. The two she looked at was talking to a set of bubblehead looking twins. To her they looked like they were sharing the same brain, they finished each other sentences.
"God get a load of those two." Valerie said pointing out the girls to her. "Gee, I hope the boat doesnt hit an iceberg!" Chris chuckled. "I bet they would hardly know what happened."
"Oh don't be mean." Chris said. "We could have kids like that. My little Tommy could meet a girl like that." Her face paled. "Hes gonna go to college. For sure."
"For sure." Valerie said. "Want to check out the water?"
"Nah, you go. I'm in need of a tan." Chris said as she slathered lotion on her. "Please make sure I don't burn."
"I'll remember to come and make you turn over in a few minutes." Valerie promised as she went over to the shallow end. She stuck her toe in. Slightly cool but not warm enough to just jump in, easing herself in will be the best way to go. Valerie looked up and though she saw a curly haired man walk by one of the doors leading to the spa. With curiosity striking her, she decided to give chase.
Mike had woken from his nap to notice the guys were gone. They left a cryptic note next to his head about helping Mike win the "love lotto". Mike looked at it and shook his head. Must be a stupid onboard contest they entered his name into. He walked into the the hallway and stretched. It seemed to be a little bit later, but not much. He wandered out into the pool area, it was full of sunbathing beauties and some guys. The guys that were out in small bathing suits, were definately not the kind of guy that you would want to see in small bathing suits.
"Ick, there goes my appetite. Why do these guys think we need to see their hairy backs?" Mike wondered as she looked over the girls. He recognized Chris almost off the bat. She seemed a little different though.
"Hey darlin?" Mike said walking over to her chair. "Shouldnt you have turned over by now?"
Chris woke up with a start. She moved a little and she looked at herself. She seemed to be a deep red.
"Oh no, Val forgot to wake me to turn me." She whined. "Oh this isnt gonna look good. I'm gonna be two tone tan girl."
"Sounds like a band name." Mike mused.
"Oh this isnt funny Mike." She said. "Now I gotta lay on the other side to even it out." She attempted to lie on her stomach but flew up onto her feet. "I can't do that, I stings a little bit."
Mike winched a little. "Tell you what, go to my room. Its a little ways down from yours. I'm sure Davy has something lotiony for that sunburn." He sure had it for everything else, he recalled.
"Will you tell Valerie where I am?" Chris said.
"Sure." Mike said. If only they can be civil long enough for her to get the message.
"Thanks." Chris said gingerly grabbing her stuff. "See ya after the gig."
"Right, after the gig." Mike said. He stood up straight. The gig! He was gonna be late for it. He ran off down one hallway, and on his way around one corner he almost slammed into Valerie. They stopped short of each other. While they both glared at each other, other people walked around them to get to the concert the band was playing at.
"Watch where you're going!" Valerie and Mike yelled at each other.
Valerie blinked for a second. "Anyone else feeling de ja vu?"
"You could say that." Mike said. "Chris got a bad sunburn." He said remembering to give her the message. "Shes going to my room."
"Really?" Valerie asked eyebrow raised.
"To borrow some of Davys sunburn stuff." Mike said. "What were you thinking of?"
"Nothing." Valerie said. "I forgot to tell her to turn over. I gotta go see how she is." Valerie said stepping around him. She walked down the hallway to the pool. Mike started to follow her.
"I was hoping you guys would make it to the gig tonight." He said.
"Thanks, I got plans." Valerie said moving to the chair where she kept her stuff. She looked around the chair. Everything was gone. Chris must have taken it back with her.
"Moping in your room isnt much of a night." Mike replied.
"I don't mope. I brought a book..."
"You brought a book on a cruise?" Mike laughed.
"Its a Fodor book. You never know where you might end up." Valerie said.
"Oh yeah, what country?"
"Greece." Valerie sighed. "Chris never told me where we were going."
"Come to the gig." Mike asked again.
"Chris might not want to come, she might think she looks like a roasted salamander." Valerie pointed out.
"She'll be fine." Mike said. "It'll be fun. But for now you need to do one thing."
"What?" Valerie asked. Mike swept her up in his arms. "Wait a minute I'm not that type of girl. Put me down." She protested as he brought her to the poolside. He dropped her right in the middle of the pool. She screamed as she hit the cold water.
"You need to chill out." Mike said as she surfaced.
"Why did you do that?" Valerie said splashing around.
"You didnt get to go swimming." Mike replied. "I didnt want you to miss that today. Where were you coming from anyway?"
"I thought I saw Micky pass in the hallway." Valerie said. "I was nosey and wanted to see where he was coming from."
"Might have been heading to the gig, which I am officially five minutes late for now." Mike said backing off from the pool. "I gotta go."
"Wait!" Valerie called out to him. "At least be the gentleman I think you are and help me out first please?"
Mike gave that a minute of thought. For his sake, he was glad she wore a one piece bathing suit. He had seen enough of her that first time. What harm could it be?
"Okay." He extended his hand. Valerie grabbed it and with a mighty tug pulled him into the pool with her. Mike surfaced and spat a mouthful of water at her.
She smiled and laughed at him. "Okay, now we're even." Valerie turned and started toward the ladder that was used to get out of the pool.
Mike brushed some wet hair out of his face. "Oh no, darlin, you will know when we are even." He said as he started after her. She was halfway up the ladder when Mike pulled her off of it. He threw her back into the water and they started to roll around and splash each other. Valerie turned quick and found that she was face to face with Mike. Not knowing what was going to happen next, Mike suddenly reached out and pulled her close to him and kissed her on the lips. He pulled back.
"Okay what just happened?" Valerie asked.
"I don't know." He said suddenly flustered. He backed away and moved up the ladder. "I gotta go. I have to change....I gotta go." Mike muttered as he flip flopped out of the pool area.. Valerie sat in the pool free floating for a minute before he finally got out of the pool.
Valerie finally got back to her room after spending a couple of minutes in spa to dry off. While she was still a little damp, she decided to go back to her room to see how Chris was.
"I'm so sorry." She said to Chris as she tried to painlessly apply lotion to her burns.
"Thats ok." Chris said. "What happened to you?"
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Valerie said as she changed into something drier.
"When I got back here I found these two tickets. To the guys gig I think." Chris said pointing out an envelope. "It's for tomorrows gig though."
"Do you want to go?" Valerie asked.
"I'm not sure. I don't want people to see me like this." Chris whined. "I feel like roast pork."
Valerie thought about this, but after what happened just now in the pool, she had to find out where this was going. She smirked and grabbed one of the strings holding her suit up. "We're going. Or else I'm gonna snap this on ya."
"Ok, we'll go." Chris said while wincing. "We'll go."
Valerie let go of the string.
"What made you change your mind?" Chris said. "Did something happen between you and someone we dare not to name?"
"I don't know." Valerie said. "Yet." She thought.
