Page 59 of Going Overboard

‘Ready?’ he asks.

‘For wha?—’

Brody locks his hands around my waist and lifts me high into the air,Dirty Dancingstyle, and all I have to do is keep my bodystraight, and my gosh, he makes it seem easy, holding me up like I’m nothing – who knew bowlers were so strong?

I can see myself in the mirrored wall. The smile on my face is something else, one that I’ve not seen for some time – I swear, the muscles in my face are aching from using ones I don’t usually (which is why, when I go to the gym with Brody, I just chill out – no one wants or needs achy muscles on a cruise). I dare to throw my arms out, squealing with glee, because I know I’m not actually flying, but this might be as close as I can get.

‘All right, all right, we get it, you’re perfect,’ Kelsey jokes. ‘Do not do that at my wedding – you’ll make us look rubbish.’

‘We won’t, we promise,’ Brody says as he lowers me down. He keeps his hand on my waist and pulls me close.

As he slow dances me on the spot I can look over his shoulder and see that both Todd and Nikki are furious. Honestly, had I not sworn off crying on men, I could weep with joy.

‘That was amazing,’ I whisper into Brody’s ear.

‘Not so bad yourself,’ he replies.

‘Have you seen their faces?’

‘What?’

‘Have you seen Todd and Nikki’s faces?’ I say again.

‘Oh, right, yeah, they look pretty jealous,’ he replies.

‘This plan is working so, so much better than I thought it was going to,’ I tell him.

He just laughs.

This, right here, ladies and gents, is how you handle a break-up. Not like an adult, like a boss.

24

There is definitely a vibe in the suite tonight, and it’s not a good one.

Well, after our little performance at the dance lesson, both Todd and Nikki seem really put out, but they’re not just taking it out on me and Brody, they’re taking it out on each other too.

Sort of in their defence – not that I would ever tell them this, or defend them in any way generally – they are trying to compete with my and Brody’s relationship when in reality they can’t, because ours isn’t real, it’s made-up. It seems like a perfect dream, because it is just that, a dream, a work of fiction – sort of like I do at work, I’m telling a story, presenting a version of reality that looks great. Everything I do is supposed to make the people on the outside look in and want it, have to have it, that’s how you get the sale.

I’m selling something to Todd and Nikki that they can’t actually buy and, do you know what, it couldn’t really happen to a nicer couple, could it?

Still, it’s awkward in here, sort of like when your parents argue in front of you and you don’t know where to look.

Maybe it’s karma, maybe it’s because I had two desserts or maybe it’s both, but the ocean is being especially rough this evening and I’m feeling kind of sick.

‘I’m just going to get some air,’ I tell Brody, who is currently making himself a cup of tea – he’s making Nikki one too, because she asked, and Todd didn’t look happy about that one bit. In fact, he’s sitting in an armchair, staring at them, keeping a close eye just in case – I don’t know – Brody leaves a hidden message in the tea leaves for Nikki.

‘No worries,’ he replies.

I’ve looked it up and, as far as I can tell, the best cure for seasickness is to get some fresh air, so I’m heading out onto the balcony for a breather.

You know what, I feel better already, just for taking a big gulp of sea air – or perhaps the air is thicker in there, harder to breathe, from all the tension.

You just can’t beat that smell, can you? If I were born 100 years earlier, I’d be the kinda woman they called hysterical and threw in the ocean to try and cure me. Or to see if I floated.

Yeah, it’s much nicer out here, alone, chilling with my thoughts – so long as I don’t look at the chop below, that is. It’s all well and good on board the ship until you think about it too much and you start questioning how it works, how it stays afloat, how it moves, how deep the water is, if there’s a storm coming – I can do this all day.

Instead I focus on the beauty. The stars in the sky – more than I’ve ever seen in my life – the brightness of the moon, the way it reflects on the water, and the cool feeling of the metal railing underneath my bare arms.

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