Sail Away [COMPLETED]

Chapter 10 - "Who says I'm waiting for you?"

Hudson returned to his table where he slumped in a backseat and nursed his drink and ego for the rest of the night. Ty was back and forth to the Hamilton table several times, but he was always too busy talking to someone to notice her.

She took his silence as a compliment. He wouldn't be working so hard to avoid her if she hadn't tricked him so spectacularly.

She gave him space to pout until the Hamilton party called it quits for the night. Hank led the charge, propped up by Grant and Russell, singing a song out of tune. Hudson followed the group at a slow pace and Ty grabbed him before he could exit the lounge. He crossed his arms and gave her an uninterested look.

"Don't go far," she said, undeterred by his sullen teenager act. "I'll be off soon and I want to show you something." Her offer didn't elicit any sort of response from him, but she wasn't surprised when she left the lounge an hour later with Johnny's group and found him waiting for her.

He had changed into shorts and a t-shirt and was on one of the couches in the main lobby, his arms stretched out along the back. He looked up when he heard them and she smiled, breaking away from the group. "You waited."

"Who says I'm waiting for you?" he asked coolly. "Maybe, I'm waiting for someone else."

She looked around for this 'someone else'. But there was only Johnny's group and they were almost gone. "Who? Johnny?"

He shrugged like it was a possibility. She looked at Johnny who was waiting for the elevator and she caught his attention.

"Are you coming?" Johnny called to her.

"Not tonight. But I think Hudson is." She flashed Hudson a challenging smile. She started in the opposite direction. After a minute, she could hear him following her, but he stayed a couple of paces behind her like he wasn't sure of his decision.

"Do you always play this hard to get?" he asked. "Or are you doing this just for me?"

She stopped abruptly and with his long strides, he quickly caught up to her. "What are you talking about?" she laughed. "You were the one waiting for 'someone else'. I was the one who asked you to wait." He pursed his lips when he couldn't argue with her.

She laughed in victory and grabbed his hand. "Come on Prince Pout-a-lot, I have something I want to show you." He didn't resist as she pulled him along and she looked back to find his pout had disappeared. After a moment, she was no longer pulling as he caught up to her and matched her steps.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"My favorite spot!" Her eyes got big and her excitement added a bounce to her step.

He easily caught her energy and matched her quick pace. She led them through an 'employee only' door and the glitz of the ship immediately disappeared. Everything became white and metal. She took them through a maze of hallways until they reached a set of stairs.

"You up for more stairs?" she asked.

He looked at her like that was a laughable question and began to climb. She was impressed he was able to keep up a steady climb even after all the ruins he had raced up earlier that day. She matched his stride and they pushed each other to go just a little faster with each flight. By the time they reached the top, they were out of breath and had to take a moment to catch their breath.

When her heart rate had returned to normal, she looked at him as she reached for the doorknob. "Ready?" She braced herself as she pushed open the door. She was met by a powerful burst of wind that rippled through her clothes and sent her hair flying.

The first time she had found this spot, the force of the wind had thrown her back. But now she anticipated it. She enjoyed feeling the force trying to topple her over. She stepped out into the warm air and turned to watch Hudson's reaction. They were on a narrow walkway at one of the highest points at the front of the ship.