If these girls knew the real situation, they would be acting differently. I try to focus on that in an attempt to reason with myself.
They wouldn’t be stealing jealous glances at me. They wouldn’t even notice me. Or, worse, there would be a hint of disdain or pity in their look.
But Ashley they would look at the same. They would still admire her and look her up and down in a mixture of wanting her and wanting to be her.
I can’t help but give her the same look. She’s really pretty. I can’t help but notice it moment after moment.
I’m lucky. Even if this isn’t real, I’m still lucky to be on her arm.
The ship’s entertainer, Natalie Reese, walks into the room in a glittering red dress that catches the light in every movement she makes. She has bright pink hair and big brown eyes. She starts to sway gracefully, keeping her balance even as the boat shifts in the water. She begins to sing.
Her voice is sweet and just a touch raspy. She’s perfect for this sort of dining room entertainment. Her talent is undeniable, but she would be out of place at a rock concert or music festival.
She sweeps through the room, never missing a note. Eventually, she lands at the captain’s table.
Natalie keeps singing, moving around the table. I wrap my arms around Jess and lean on her as we listen to the music. This is the perfect time to play the adoring couple.
She leans her head on top of mine, and I feel myself smile. I hardly have to act for this.
For the rest of the performance, we keep up our own little charade. There’s plenty of touching and smiles. Nothing is inappropriate of course, but I can’t help but notice how nice it feels.
Natalie makes her way over to us. She’s now singing a love song. It’s like she planned this.
She winks at us as she makes her way around the table, microphone in hand. She finishes her song on a long held note with plenty of vibrato. Polite applause breaks out through the room.
She smiles at her audience and looks at us.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I must admit, I had two beautiful muses that I was using as inspiration for my last song.”
She has a twinkle in her eye as she talks. I feel a blush creep across my cheeks.
She walks over to us. “Don’t they make a cute couple?”
There are some laughs and scattered applause in agreement. Ashley and I giggle from embarrassment and flattery.
Natalie picks up my glass and knife. She gently taps the knife against the side of my glass. “You know what to do, ladies and gentlemen,” she says with a wink.
I’ve seen this tradition before at weddings. To get a couple to kiss, you make a small ruckus with your glasses until they give in.
Except Ashley and I aren’t a couple.
I’m worried for a moment, but then I look at her. She really does look beautiful tonight. She gives me a smile and a very subtle nod. I go in for the kiss.
It isn’t a particularly special kiss. Just a peck, really, but I swear I feel fireworks.
When her lips meet mine, the whole world fades away. The clinking of glasses fades to nothing. I almost feel like time has stopped.
When we pull away, everything comes rushing back to me. Natalie smiles at us and gives us another wink before moving on with her act.
I feel completely breathless. I look into her eyes and feel the tension between us rise rapidly. I worry that the others at the table can feel it as well. Hopefully they’ll just think we’re really, really in love.
I want to immediately do it again, but that feels like it would be too obvious. I don’t want to blow our cover or embarrass her.
Still, with sparks like that, I know she felt them too. Who would have thought we would actually have this much chemistry together.
I take her hand and squeeze it. She squeezes back and gives me a little smile. I see her chest rise and fall more rapidly than if she was breathing normally.
As if on cue, Alex starts getting fussy.