The waves didn't really make Liz feel more at ease. Neither did the 4 Heinekens she had drowned in the past 30 minutes. Her stomach felt like one giant knot that was being pulled tighter and tighter and her mind felt like a swarm of bees. Most people would say butterflies.
But these little critters stung her and went round and round and round and....
"Whoa, there...watch it babe." Trevor steadied her wobbling frame.
She pouted up at him. "I don't feel good Trev."
"Seasick? Oh..drunk?"
An intoxicated smile came to her face. "No, I'm in love."
"Oh you are." He smirked.
"Not with you."
Trevor's face frowned and he cocked an eyebrow at her. "Excuse me."
"I love Justin Timberlake."
Trevor's voice chuckled deeply. "Good, because I love Britney Spears."
"Why did he ignore me Trev? Why? I'm sexy. I'm cool. I'm nice."
"That you are. And who ignored you?" He led her to the side of his small yatch where there was a rail and seats.
"JUSTIN!" She pushed away from him and shouted like he should have known.
"Ohh, honey. He has to ignore a lot of girls. But I think Nsync and Britney and some other people will be at that party we go to tonight. How about I introduce you two?"
Just like a little child Liz stomped her foot and whined. "NOOOOOOOOOO. I've already met him, I don't wanna go. I wanna go home."
Trevor pulled on her arm and tried to get her to sit down. He knew how she was when she was drunk. She turned whiny and rather stuck up and would only do what she wanted to. She also had a tendency to talk nonsense and be very random about things when she had had a few drinks. "Lizzie you are drunk. I think we need to get back anyway, alcohol and these waves aren't going to do you good for the party tonight."
"He IGNORED me Trevor. He ignored ME!" Her eyes brimmed with tears behind her large sunglasses and her lower lip trembled.
"I know he did Liz, I know." Trevor decided to give in to her little charade and hugged her tightly.
"I thought I might love him. But now I love you."
"I love you too sweetie, come on, sit down." He forced her down on the seat on the side of the boat.
"Kay." She plopped down.
He held out his hand and spoke calmly. "Give me your drink."
"No." She jerked the bottle back and almost spilled some on her short white shorts and yellowish top.
"Elizabeth Meyers."
She pouted and pushed her glasses further up to shield her eyes. "Ok."
He pried the green bottle from her fingers. "Good girl. Now stay here and if you have to throw up, lean over the boat ok?"
She slouched down in her seat. "Kay."
--------
2 hours later
"Advil..."
Trevor pushed Liz to the bathroom of their room. "Go get in the shower."
"I feel like shit." She mumbled.
"I told you not to drink more than one on the ocean. You don't have a very high alcohol tolerance and you get seasick and.."
"Just shut up Trev." She slammed the bathroom door in his face and cringed when the sound echoed in her brain.
A few minutes later his voice called softly through the door. "K, I'll be here if you need me."
"Whatever."
Liz turned on the shower. She shed her clothes and closed her eyes, letting the stem calm her nerves. She couldn't handle all this stress. Finally when the temperature was how she wanted it she stepped into the large shower stall and let the hot water soothe and ease her body from head to toe.
10 minutes later her headache seemed to be worse. Her stomach felt horrible and she just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep away her life. She couldn't see him tonight. She just couldn't. Maybe he wasn't even there. Maybe she was just hearing things in the elevator and was too drunk to really understand what Trevor was saying on the boat.
But the fact was she knew he was there. And she knew she would see him.
She knew she wouldn't be able to hide her emotions.
"I can't do this..." She clutched the rail in the bathroom for balance as the water fell on her skin.
She looked up and could see her distorted face on the silver knobs of the shower. Her whole body seemed to shake. "I can't face him."
She shook her head and forcefully turned off the water. She scolded herself. 3 damn years and she couldn't get oven him yet. This would be the ultimate test.
-Forget it. He's probably already forgotten about you. -
-------------
2 floors down
"I can't forget about her."
Justin stared at his reflection in the mirror. He had just shaved and showered and only had his underwear on. Ever since he had seen her, the shade of his face had been set about 5 times whiter, his movements were very shaky and not full of the normal grace that he usually exuded, and his mind was a reckless place of wandering thoughts.
"Justin?"
He watched in the mirror as his face fell at the small knock and quiet voice. "What Brit?"
"You've been in there a while now, are you ok?"
Justin immediately swung the door open and she stood there wide eyed in a robe, getting ready for the night's event. "Yeah, sorry."
"What's wrong, you look a little sick babe."
Justin sighed. She really did care for him a lot. Whenever he got just the slightest cut or bruise she was there to help him apply a Band-Aid. "I'm just tired I think. Got a lot on my mind."
"We don't have to go to that thing tonight if you-"
"Yes, we DO have to go." He sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. A moment later her arms had wrapped themselves around his naked torso and hugged him tightly. He lost himself in her embrace, clutching to her.
"It'll get better Justy."
Justin looked in the mirror one last time, staring at her back and biting his lower lip to keep from crying. "I hope."
-------
8 that night
"I don't wanna go."
Trevor pulled Liz's hand towards the large outdoor/indoor party set up at Dock 6, which was a very expensive restaurant right beside the yatch docks in Orlando. "Come on, Lizzie. You've been to parties before."
She searched for an excuse. "But, uhh, I'm sick.'
"Oh, pulease. Come here. We gotta make our entrance." He was pulling her towards the doorway and she was pulling him back. They looked like that were playing tug of war.
"Can't we just like sneak in the back way, say hi and then go back to your yatch and get in bed and stay there." They had docked his yatch there, and were planning on crashing on the boat since it would probably be a very late night. Liz hoped it WOULDN'T be a very late night.
"NO. You look gorgeous and I want everyone else to share that with me."
"Trevor I really don't-" But she was cut off. She tried not to gasp when she realized he had pulled her into the swanky restaurant and there were already people surrounding her.
"Trevor Hilton! So glad you could make it. And who is this?"
On instinct Liz stuck her hand out and shook the older man's hand gently. "Elizabeth Meyers, nice to meet you."
"Is this..." The man turned his eyes to Trevor.
Trevor's arm protectively wrapped around Elizabeth's waist and pulled her side to his. "Yeah, this is my girl."
"That's great. Let me introduce you to my wife and the guys I work with, this is..."
As the man kept talking and introducing the group they were surrounded by, Trevor leaned over and whispered in her ear. "See, you'll be fine."
She just smiled, hoping everything would be ok, but knowing it wouldn't.
-------
Justin choked on his drink.
"You ok?"
He didn't acknowledge Britney; just stared at Liz in her tight black strapless tube dress that came to just above her knees. Her hair was pulled up into a twist and she look so naturally breathtaking and gorgeous.
Suddenly, Justin jumped out his seat and pulled his fiancee away from where she had been eating along with the rest of the guys and some WEG people. "Dance with me."
"Now?" She asked, looking back at the table of people that weren't paying attention to them, and then back at Justin.
"Come on." He just pulled her out on the dance floor and held her tightly, his back towards the entrance where Elizabeth Meyers had just made her appearance.
Britney was giving him a weird look. "Justin are you sure everything is ok? You've been on edge ever since I got here."
"I'm fine. It's just-" He stopped mid-sentence, catching the view of Liz and Trevor out of the corner of his eyes. He saw her smile and he sighed, disapointed. "It's just gonna be a long night."