Page 36 of Cocky Cruiser

The dolphin swam over to the two trainers and popped his head out of the water. “Kuokoa, say hi to everyone.”

Kuokoa proceeded to wave one of his fins and make a series of clicking noises.

I couldn’t help but smile. That had to be the most adorable thing I’d ever seen.

I glanced at Cohen to see his reaction, and he had a broad grin on his face. Seeing him smile like that made butterflies fill my stomach.

The trainers went over bottlenose dolphins' diet and anatomy, using Kuokoa as a real-life model to point out different body parts. Then they instructed Kuokoa to give us a twirl.

The dolphin twirled in the water, splashing us in the process. Everyone laughed as one of the trainers tossed him a fish.

After having Kuokoa do a few more tricks, the trainers began the individual portion of the excursion. They demonstrated how to “swim” with Kuokoa, which was basically holding on to his fins as he swam on his back, pulling the swimmer with him.

“Are you excited?” I asked Cohen as we waited for our turn.

Smiling, Cohen nodded. “Yeah.” He paused, his grin falling a bit. “I wish Cara could be here to see this.”

My heart sank a little. I was worried that the actual experience would cause him some sadness since it was so personal. “Me too.”

Even though I didn’t know Cara, I felt for her. It saddened me that her life was cut short, and she never got to experience so many of the things she’d wanted to.

Knowing Cara’s story and helping Cohen with her bucket list made me never want to take life for granted. I hadn’t made the best use of the life I’d been given, but I promised myself I would from that point on.

When Cohen was getting ready for his turn, I couldn’t hold back my excitement. I was smiling from ear to ear as I watched him, thrilled he was doing something so special in memory of his sister.

As soon as Kuokoa started swimming, Cohen burst into laughter. He had the biggest smile I’d ever seen on his face, and his eyes were filled with delight.

The sight did things to my insides. I felt warm and fuzzy, which was problematic. I didn’t need to catch feelings for Cohen, especially when I didn’t know what was going on between us. And neither of us ever addressed it.

At that moment, I decided that Cohen and I needed to talk about our relationship. Were we just having fun until the cruise ended, or did he want something more after?

“That was amazing,” Cohen gushed as he swam back up to me, interrupting my thoughts. “God, Cara would’ve loved it.”

I smiled as the trainer waved me over. “My turn,” I said with a wink.

Cohen splashed me as I swam away, making me laugh. The trainer briefly went over what to do again as Kuokoa got into position in front of me. “Just hold on and let him do the work.”

I nodded, a little nervous. What if I did something wrong and hurt the dolphin?

The trainer put his hand on my shoulder, giving me a reassuring smile. “Don’t overthink it. Kuokoa is a trained professional.”

Blowing out another breath, I nodded again. “Okay.”

I grabbed each of Kuokoa’s fins with my hands and relaxed my body so that I was floating on the surface of the water. Kuokoa almost immediately started swimming, and I glided along with him.

Cohen was right. It was amazing. I felt weightless and free, and it was exhilarating. Any tension I carried lifted instantly, and I couldn’t hold back the laughter as joy rushed through me.

The swim was over way too soon, and I wished we could spend all day in the water with Kuokoa and the other dolphins. Cohen draped his arm around me as we walked to the main building. “That was one for the books.”

Cohen purchased the photo package they offered of our swim with Kuokoa. They were just the digital files, but Cohen smiled as he scrolled through them on his phone. “I’m going to remember this day for the rest of my life.”

I glanced at him, and our eyes met. I smiled softly. “Me too.”

Chuckling, he draped his arm around me again, and we headed to the shuttle. As we rode back to the ship, Cohen said, “Thank you for being here.”

I was a little taken aback, and my stomach somersaulted. “Me? There’s no need to thank me. I wouldn’t be on this trip if it weren’t for you.”

He smiled warmly at me. “Yeah, but I couldn’t have done this if it weren’t for you. I was this close to calling the whole cruise off the night I met you.”

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