THE BLEU BROTHERS|MJ

09 | BON VOYAGE

Inga, Audra and Genesis returned to their respective cabins after a couple hours of pampering. Just like at home it was their favorite thing to do when they'd get together—go out for lunch, shopping, and then the spa. When Inga slipped her card into the key card entry system on the door, she pushed it open and ingressed the cozy and luxurious cabin only to not see Michael anywhere. She stared ahead at the balcony seeing the curtain was halfway pulled back, so she took a wild guess that he was either there or somewhere roaming the ship.

When she walked over to the door and opened it, there he was sitting in one of the patio chairs with his feet propped onto the other one, hands interlaced over his stomach while taking in the serene oceanic view as the ship sailed. It was day two at sea and still there was so much for them to get into. When Michael stepped foot onto the ship he couldn't believe how thousands of people from all over the country traveled by water with no outside communication only to mingle with each other for days or sometimes weeks. Not that he thought it was a bad thing; he was learning about the cruise life as the days passed.

It amazed him simply because so much money—compared to his own tax bracket—was spent for an all you can eat buffet, gift shops or mini malls, candy shops, galore. It was easy to spend money by using what was called a Seapass to make easier and efficient purchases onboard by adding money to it. Although new at this, he was grasping the concept of vacationing on a large ship rather quickly than he expected and he could see himself taking multiple trips with Inga alone and with friends and family in the near future.

What he loved most about this trip was having the opportunity of getting a feeling of what it would be like living with her. Even though they slept in separate beds, just being in the same room made him feel ten times more safe and secured; he slept soundlessly knowing she was nearby.

"Hey," Inga greeted with a smile, closing the door.

He turned his head at the sound of her dulcet voice and returned her smile. "Hey, baby."

There was something about the way he called her "baby" that made her heart thump against her chest and stomach doing somersaults. She was like melted butter was to a frying pan.

"I didn't see you in the room, so I figured you were either out here or roaming the ship."

"Oh, yeah. I just wanted to come chill outside and enjoy the view. How was your spa with the girls?" He did a come-hither then patted his lap for her to sit. She made herself comfortable and pressed her shoulder into his chest. Michael snaked an arm about her waist, touching her skin due to the crop top and distressed denim shorts she was wearing. He thought she had the sexiest pair of legs and secretly had a thing for nice legs in general.

"It was so relaxing. If I could've stayed one more hour, I would have."

"You seem to be more relaxed though. Muscles are less tensed." He gently massaged her back. "That's good."

Then an idea popped into her head as she perked up. "You should get one yourself. I mean from all the taxing work and heavy lifting you do, I just know you're tense all over."

Michael chuckled deeply because she couldn't be further than the truth. "Trust me, I am, but I'm fine."

"I had a feeling you would say that."

"What?" He grinned. "I'm fine. I promise."

"If you say so." She rolled her eyes playfully at his stubbornness then changed the subject. "So the girls and I were talking about plans for later like going to a magic show, karaoke and the club before we make our first stop in Costa Maya tomorrow."