Celebrity Cruise [COMPLETED]

Chapter 5 - "He has clearly been doing water aerobics for years."

Knox felt the warm air as he pushed open the large glass door leading to the pool. After the security guard had escorted the girl from his room, he had quickly put on his swim trunks and grabbed his hat and sunglasses. He didn't want Marcos or Calvin overreacting because he wasn't at the pool.

He had thought it best to bring Marcos on the cruise for crowd control but now that he was here, it was different. Yes, he had just found a girl in his room, but before that, the other fans had been nice. Being able to go to the cocktail party the night before and walking back to his room, without having Marcos trailing just behind him, had felt freeing. He hadn't realized how accustomed he was to constantly having someone with him, but since he had had a night without a shadow, he realized he missed it.

He decided not to tell Marcos or Calvin about the girl in his room. He knew if he told them, Marcos would insist on never leaving his side. He would probably sleep on his couch and that was not what Knox wanted. He had dealt with it and the cruise security was going to make sure the elevator was secure. For the first time, Knox was seeing this cruise as an opportunity for a real break. He still had to perform and do his events but after that, he could wonder the ship, alone.

He looked out at large pool lined on both sides by lounge chairs and tables. The pool was divided into two sections by a floating rope. The side closest to Knox had a volleyball net over it, the other side was open space. At the end of the pool, there was a small stage with stairs on either side, leading to the upper level. He could see more lounge chairs and a hot tub on the upper level. To his right, he saw a table stacked high with orange towels.

"Can I get a towel?" he asked the girl behind the table.

"Can I get your room number and last name," the girl asked, a big smile spreading across her face.

"Room 101. Hamilton," he said. He turned to look around as the girl went to grab a towel and he smiled to himself when he heard the girl whispering to her coworker, "that's Knox Hamilton."

"Thanks," he said, as the girl handed him a towel.

He started to walk along the pool, his flip flops slapping against the wooden deck, his eyes looking for Marcos's hulking figure.

"Knox!" someone called out. He turned, looking for the source of the voice. There was a tall blonde girl approaching him.

"I've got an extra spot over here," she said. She took his hand and pulled him in the direction of a group of lounge chairs. There was a group of girls sitting on the lounge chairs and suddenly he was surrounded.

"I love your music!" a girl with dark red hair said, moving in close to him. He tried to move away but there was no where for him to go.

"You have the most amazing eyes," a girl said.

"Your so much taller in person," another one said.

"Knox, there you are," a voice said from behind him. He turned to see the two girls he had met when he was leaving the restaurant.

"Wanna go swimming?" one of them asked. She took his hand and pulled him from the crowd and towards the pool. The other grabbed his other hand and together they led him to the water.

"My hat," he said, an excuse to free up his hands. He threw it on the closest table and then did a cannonball into the pool. When he came up, some of the girls were still squealing from the splash of water. A few girls had jumped in after him.

Knox tried his best to keep a distance from the girls, but they seemed to close in around him. He suggested they play a game, they suggested chicken fight but Knox could see that going badly very quickly.