Be My Anchor

Chapter Seven

I had never been popular. At school, most people didn't know my name and I was fine with that because I had Nora, my best friend. I never had a boyfriend or anything close to it. That was the cold reality of being antisocial in high school. Apparently, it was different when you were on a cruise. Something about the sea just screamed romance. Or fear, in my case.

Rhea's words echoed through my head the rest of the day and all night. He's trying to make you jealous, you know. Tristan isn't into me. He already has eyes for you.

Even if it was true, was I into him? He was good-looking, charismatic, and kind, what was not to like? But every time I reminded myself of that my mind wandered back to Gabe. With his messy hair and devil-may-care attitude, I couldn't help but be drawn to him. I just wish I knew how he felt about me.

I was brought out of my thoughts when an alarm went off. I felt Luke move next to me, waking up. I pretended to wake up too.

Dad stood up and stretched. "Time to get up everyone! We're arriving in Nassau today!"

I buried my face into my pillow. Couldn't Nassau wait? I had more pressing issues.

I didn't even notice that the boat had stopped until I saw people exiting on a rail. I followed my family to the back of the line. It moved fast and soon I was standing at the edge of the boat. Looking down, I could see that the ramp was narrow with water on either side of it. But just ahead was sweet, solid land. My body yearned to be closer to it. I just had to get past the ramp first.

Dad stood in front of me and I trusted him, so I placed my hand on his arm and closed my eyes, letting him guide me along the path just like before. Before long, I could feel gravel crunching underneath my shoes and I opened my eyes again. I smiled. It felt as if a weight I didn't know I was holding had been lifted off my chest. I had real relief for the first time in days. With no intention of looking back, I started walking inland.

Mom was just in front of me, holding a map of the island. "The beach is not far from here," she called, but I didn't fully comprehend what she said. I was only focused on getting away from the ocean. She stopped abruptly and I had to swerve to avoid walking into her. Her eyes were focused on me and a crease formed between her eyebrows. "Marjo, are you wearing your bathing suit under that?"

I frowned, suddenly feeling self-conscious about my outfit. "No, should I be?" I averted my eyes, realizing where this was going.

"We're in the Bahamas, Marjo. What did you think we were going to do? Sit inside?" There was no point in answering, it wouldn't have gotten me anywhere. So, I kept silent. "We're going to the beach. What are you going to do now?" Mom finished with a huff.

At that, I looked my mother in the eyes and said curtly, "I never had any intention of going to the beach. I told you that. Feel free to go, but I won't be coming with you." I didn't break eye contact. I wanted her to know that I was dead serious and I couldn't- wouldn't be swayed.

Dad stepped forward to insert himself into the conversation. "You don't have to go if you don't want to, but I don't want you wandering around alone." He gave me a fatherly look. I searched around for a scapegoat. As stubborn as Mom was, I had a feeling that Dad would be harder to break on this one.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a boy wearing a black T-shirt with earbuds hanging out at the neck. Gabe. He was only a few paces away, and before I knew it, I had already made my way to him. I grabbed his arm and pulled him back towards my family. He was too caught off guard to resist.

I pushed Gabe forward and released him from my grip. I gestured to him. "I won't be alone. I'll be with Gabe. There. Problem solved." I raised my eyebrows triumphantly. That ought to have been good enough for them. They got rid of me. I got rid of them. It was a win-win.

Luke scoffed. "Because wandering around with your boyfriend is so much better than wandering around alone. Who knows what they will get up to?" Luke glared at me, trying to provoke a reaction.

And, well, who am I to disappoint?

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up. He's not my boyfriend." I turned my attention toward my parents once again. I didn't think they'd moved since I presented Gabe to them. I didn't think Gabe had moved either. They stood there for too long, staring at each other, unsure of what to do and clearly shocked. Gabe's face slowly turned red. He squirmed a little like he wasn't used to having people look at him.

Dad cleared his throat, but it was still hoarse when he spoke. "Well, I guess it's alright then. As long as you stay together." He focused on Gabe for a couple of seconds longer than I'd have liked. I didn't expect him to chew him out. He trusted my judgment enough to trust who I hung out with and I was grateful for that. But what he did say still surprised me. "Promise me you'll protect her?"

I furrowed my brow. "I don't need protecting, Dad." I thought he knew that.

He ignored me and stared expectantly at Gabe. Gabe nodded compliantly and said, "I promise." Must be a guy thing, I thought. Something about their need to uphold their manhood.

Finally, Dad looked away from him. He placed a gentle hand on Mom's shoulder. "Let's go then. The sun won't stay up forever."

Luke shot me a cold glare. "I guess I'll just have to build a sandcastle alone." He looked angry, but I thought I saw a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

A slight pang of guilt hit me. I knew I kept blowing them off, but what was I supposed to do when they kept herding to the water like blind sheep? I shrugged off all of the sarcastic responses that popped into my head. I ruffled his hair. "Oh come on, Luke. This way when you're done, you won't have to share any glory with me."

He squinted his eyes so hard that I couldn't tell if it was because of the sun or not. I decided on not when he responded, "I'm not 5 years old, Mar. That's childish."

My mouth hung open slightly as I stared at him. I cleared my throat. "Right," I said, nodding. "My mistake." I watched the three of them walk away until they turned a corner and I could no longer see them.

Gabe turned to me. "Avoiding the beach, are we?" He seemed to have shaken off whatever awkwardness he felt before.

I noticed I was standing closer to him than I was before, though I didn't remember moving. I gave him a grateful smile. "I owe you one."

"Please, after talking to my mother, I'm still the one that owes you." We both laughed. Then, he nudged me with his elbow. "I hear Port Lucaya Marketplace is pretty amazing."

I scratched my neck, trying to find the words. "You don't actually have to hang out with me if you don't want to," I said tentatively. I dragged him into this. Literally. The least I could do was give him an escape route.

To my surprise, he didn't take it. "Hey," he said defensively, "I made a promise and I fully intend on keeping it." His brown eyes looked softer than usual in the direct sunlight. Almost like gold.

"Let's go, then."

A/N: Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed it, don't forget to vote and add this story to your Reading List. Follow me on Instagram (@reeseiswriting) to see when I update.