Romantic getaway? I don't think so

Circling the orbit

Mike was extremely grateful that they walked up to the river in that exact moment, so he could divert her focus to going down the concrete steps towards the pier, and not ask questions that he was incredibly uncomfortable to answer, even though he only had himself to blame. He knew that the explanation he gave her didn't make much sense, given that he had told her earlier how happy he was, and how she, his fake girlfriend that resided only in Michelle's imagination and his words, gets him. The truth was, nobody got him, and he wasn't even interested to find someone who would. Not when Michelle was still there, circling his orbit, however unwillingly.

That was the problem, that there was no way he could ever tell her the truth. She would never understand how it was impossible for him to even consider starting a family, because none of these women were her, even though his heart was still bruised by her actions. Even though he enjoyed regular sex, there was rarely anything emotional in it to keep him interested long enough, to try and make a connection. Sometimes he wondered if he was dead inside, but then he would wake up in night sweats after having another dream of her leaving him, and he just couldn't find any relief.

On top of that, Mike didn't want to open the giant can of worms and think about kids of his own. That was way too far in the future, and it was too cloudy because, again, it would have to be Michelle as their mother. If it were anyone but her, he wasn't interested. He'd much rather be just an uncle, and he hoped he'd get a chance soon, if only Dominic managed to pull his head out of his own ass and find his courage to realize that Anya wanted kids as badly as he did.

He walked a few steps behind Michelle, making sure that she didn't trip on the stairs that were uncomfortably thick and slippery. They were good for time, so he let her take her time. They walked slowly through the long dock, filled with tourist boats. She was quiet again, and he wondered what was on her mind. Her cheekbones were more prominent, and the bags under her eyes had a blue-ish/purple-ish color. It was almost as if she needed to catch up on sleep and he wondered, yet again, whether or not he made the right judgment call. Maybe they should have gone back to the hotel straight away.

"Wait...is this really a floating hotel?" She asked, her eyes suddenly wide open in wonder when she passed one of the bigger boats.

"Yep, it's permanently tied to the dock so it's not going anywhere. It's not the only one here, either, but to be honest I am not a fan of them."

"Why not?"

"I'll show you what I mean once we start moving." He pointed her to one of the boats and they got inside. Michelle used the opportunity to run to the toilet, and while she was there – it had already slowly started departing from the dock. Mike was waiting for her, sitting at the table. His body was slightly tense, because he couldn't stop thinking about how Michelle's eyes lit up when she noticed the floating hotel. She was starting to look a lot like Michelle from the beginning of their relationship, the way he remembered her with most fondness.

She always tried to be cold, distant and with so many walls around her heart whenever he visited Dominic in his office, that he didn't even know where to begin in order to tear them down, and it infuriated him. If he was correct in his thinking, Michelle was not only physically ill, but also depressed, or at the very least anxious. Of course, saving her wasn't his job in any capacity because he clearly didn't have her permission to do that. However, that little instance of a genuine emotion of excitement proved it. He was comforted knowing that she was still there, despite everything.

He pulled himself back together when she walked out of the toilet room, still drying her hands. He did his best not to observe that they were still shaking. Not too much, but enough for him to notice. Without a word he reached into his pocket and took out a tissue paper.

"Thank you." She said, thoroughly rubbing the tissue paper against her skin.

"You're welcome." He said while she sat down.

"This window is a bit dirty." She said.

"Yes it is. I suggest that we climb upstairs, so you can have complete, uninterrupted view of both sides of the city. We can go back down if you get cold."

"Let's go upstairs, then. I think I will be ok. Actually, I'm sweating a little." She said and, once again, he let her go first. She wouldn't be sweating in the first place, if she didn't insist on hiding her body under so many layers of clothing, Mike thought.

They found a free table and sat on benches, on the opposite sides. Mike had a feeling that it would be too much for both of them if they sat next to each other. He would want to hug her and maybe even give her his hoodie if she got cold, and she would probably push him away, and he didn't want to experience that again. Then he pointed his finger to the left.

"Do you see the rust beneath this floating hotel, right on the edges of the boat?"

"Yes, I do."

"That's why I don't like it. It looks dirty, unkempt, and easily sinkable. I am not confident about the quality of the interior either, but that might be wrong. In fact, I am pretty sure it is wrong, but like I said, I really don't have any desire to try it out."

"I understand that. I think I prefer a normal hotel on a solid ground. Even a hostel would do."

"I'm not a fan of them either." Mike made a face.

"Why not?"

"As someone who didn't have the money but still tried to travel as much as possible, hostels are too crowded. I love the comfort of having a room completely to myself. I don't want to share it with anyone else, especially if that someone loves to be loud and has a completely different sleeping and partying rhythm than you have."

"I...I guess that makes sense. Now that you have the money, did you go back to all the places to change the experience?"

"No, not yet, but I am planning to. Right now I am fine where I am, though."

It was true. He was starting to be a bit of a homebody, but Dominic's request made him feel like he could start traveling again more frequently, especially now that Anya was taking care of the business while he was away. Not that he wasn't in the constant loop on it even now, of course. He just chose to ignore all the emails and the notifications that kept buzzing on his phone.

"Mike, this is so beautiful!"

Michelle gasped as the boat turned around and started sailing toward the Karl's bridge.

"I couldn't agree more." He said solemnly, but for a completely different reason. He had been here before, and he always admired the view, but this time, she was there with him. That's what made it absolutely perfect in his eyes.