The Ship Of Love
Chapter 1
When you are little, you dream of your prince charming, your happily ever after, your first love. But when you grow up you learn that your true love might not be your first, but it will definitely be your last. Your true love will surprise you when you least expect it, but also when you need him the most. In the end, your true love is the one you will abandon everything you know to be with him. The one you will fight everything and everyone to get it. The one you'll belong to forever.
"Ready to go?" Stefan whispered into my ear as he grabbed me by the waist and we wave the last goodbyes to our friends.
I turned to face him and gave him my best smile.
"Of course." I said sweetly. "I'm always ready when it comes to you."
I couldn't believe our engagement party was finally over. I loved my friends and family with all my heart, but it had been one exhausting day. And besides that, I needed some time alone with my fiancée. Stefan was all I could have ever wished for and more. He was my happily ever after, my own prince.
He gave me a soft kiss on the cheek and pulled me closer.
"I can't wait for you to meet Damon." He said with an excited voice as he opened the door of the car and waited for me to step in.
Right, Damon. Stefan's older brother that he admired and loved with all his heart. I couldn't lie and say that I wasn't curious to meet him. During the two years Stefan and I dated, I never had the chance to meet him. He was always travelling around the world, on one of his ships.
"Damon is really proud of Heartless." Stefan interrupted my thoughts and sat beside me, giving order to Mark to drive. "But who wouldn't be? Someone at his age, being captain of a ship that is even bigger that Titanic, it's incredible."
I couldn't help but to smile at the sound of admiration in his voice.
"I'm glad we're going to be on Heartless first trip ever, it's an honor."
Stefan nodded and held my hand, intertwining our fingers.
"2700 people! Can you imagine?"
"You really admire your brother, don't you?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
"He is incredible Elena! You'll understand what I'm saying once you meet him." He squeezed my hand, and all I could do was nod.
Mark parked the car beside an enormous crowd, don't giving me any view of Heartless.
"I can't go any far sir." Mark told Stefan, who was still holding my hand.
"It's fine Mark, we'll walk from here."
Mark nodded. "I'll help you with the bags sir."
I stepped out of the car right behind Stefan, and a gasp left my throat.
Heartless was standing in all his glory in front of women, men and children who were expecting for the trip of their lives, in the most amazing ship ever built.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Stefan asked me, as he helped Mark getting all of the bags out of the car.
I was speechless. It was so beautiful. White and black, reminding me a lot of Titanic. The name Heartless was written in golden letters on the side of the ship, and the image made me feel like I was on a different time, in a completely different world.
"Elena?" Stefan called as he grabbed me by the waist pulling me closer to him.
My eyes left the amazing vision in front of me, to focus on my fiancée, who was looking at me with an insecure expression.
"Don't you like it?"
I smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"No."
"Why not?" He asked trying to hide the hurt in his tone.
I looked one more time to the beautiful ship in front of me, not believing that I would spend the next month in it. It was a dream.
"Because I love it!"
Stefan took a deep breath of relief, and lowered his head to plant a quick kiss on my lips.
"Glad you like it, Mrs. Salvatore."
Oh no, there we go again.
"Stefan, I told you before I want to keep my name. And we're not married yet."
We've had this talk a thousand times, and he still didn't seem to get it. I wouldn't change my name to Elena Salvatore because people would start to look at me differently, just because I had married to a Salvatore. One of the richest families in the history of the world.
"Right I'm sorry." Stefan grabbed my hand and intertwined our fingers. "I promise I won't talk about it again sweetheart."
"It's okay." I squeezed his hand and gave him a reassuring smile.
"So let's enjoy our trip?" I asked trying to change the subject. "I can't wait to see the inside."
"Sure, let's try to break the crowd."
Stefan grabbed some of our bags while Mark handled the rest. "We just need to reach the first embarkation door."
We reached the first embarkation door after ten minutes of pushes.
The first embarkation door belonged to first class passengers and I still couldn't' believe I was one of them. All my life I lived like a normal girl, without all of those fancy things. But I guess I'll have to learn to live with them if I'm going to marry Stefan.
"Are you ready?" Stefan whispered to me as the lady in front of me stepped in Heartless.
I nodded, and a suffocated gasp left my throat as I passed through the door.
It seemed a scene taken from a movie.
Beautiful chandeliers were hanging from the ceiling, filling the room with light. The walls were from a soft beige and they had beautiful paintinsg decorating them.
At my left was a table with glasses of champagne and white wine.
It was all so perfect!
"Can I help you with your bags Miss?"
I turned my attention to a young man at my right, who was watching me with a warm smile on his face.
"Your help won't be necessary, thank you." Stefan said as he took his place beside me.
The young man nodded and took a step back.
"Your room is the 18, sir." He told Stefan, keeping the distance. "Here is your access key."
Stefan accepted the key, while another man approached us.
"Mr. Salvatore!" The man should be in his forties and had a huge grin on his face. "My name is Tom, and I'll be at your service. Everything you need you can count on me."
Stefan nodded and took my hand.
"Thank you Tom, but I think Mark has it covered."
"As you prefer, Mr. Salvatore."
"Do you know where I can find my brother, Tom?"
"Captain Salvatore, asked me to inform you that he'll see you at dinner."
"Okay, I'll be there."
God, Stefan seemed so tense around all of this people, I would have to ask him what was the problem later.
"Let me lead you to your room sir."
Tom started walking, followed by Stefan, me, and Mark.
"You'll love the room sir." Tom said enthusiastically. "It has the best view!"
We walked through a bunch of corridors, all decorated with the last tendencies and luxuries.
It still didn't seem real.
We reached an elevator, this one in a most vintage style. It lead us to the A deck, the first class one.
Tom waited for us all to step out and then started his silence walk again.
"Here we are sir. I hope it will all be like you expect."
"Thank you Tom, I'm sure it will." Stefan said looking much more like his usual self.
Tom nodded and smiled.
"Then if you excuse me, I'll return downstairs."
"Of course."
As we were left alone, Stefan smiled at me and handed me the key.
"Lady's first."
"Always a gentleman." I told him as I put the little key into the lock and opened the white door.
The view left me speechless.
The room was filled with light and an enormous king-size bed overpowered the whole place. Pillows of all shapes and colors were decorating the beautiful bed making her more personal and comfortable. At my left, was the living area with two big white sofas and a table with all kinds of cakes and wines. A flat screen tv was at my right with beautiful images of heartless passing in slow motion.
It looked like a scene from a painting, a room taken from one of those decoration magazines.
"What do you think?" Stefan asked me as he surrounded my waist with his arms and placed a kiss on my cheek.
I turned so I could look him in the eyes and smiled.
"I love it!" I told him, though I felt that those words were not enough to describe what I really felt. "It is beyond my expectations."
Stefan smiled too, and pushed me more to him.
"Glad you like it, Elena."
"Sir?" Mark's voice interrupted our conversation and Stefan let me go to turn and look at his assistant.
"Yes Mark?"
"Do you want me to unpack the bags?"
"No, it's not necessary Mark. Me and Elena can take care of it." He told me as he placed his hand on my back.
"Actually Stefan, I was hoping we could take a walk around the ship first. What do you think?" I told him in my sweet voice.
Stefan's phone started ringing and he gave me an apologetic look.
"I'm sorry sweetie, I have to take this one." He told me as he looked at the number. "Why don't you go take that walk you were talking about, while I stay here and unpack our stuff?"
He kissed my forehead and then disappeared to the porch.
"Sure." I whispered to myself as started walking toward the door. I should be used to this by now. Work always came first to Stefan and always will.
But I had to take those thoughts off of my mind. After all I was in the most amazing ship ever built and I was worried with my fiancée's obsession for work.
I stepped out to the mild late afternoon air, right in time to watch the sunset. It was one of my favorite moments of the day. When I was a little girl, my grandpa used to take me to a river near our house and while he was fishing I would sit by his side and watch the sun fall slowly into the horizon picturing my beautiful prince and my happily ever after.
The wind was getting a bit chilly and goosebumps started to appear all over my legs and arms. I knew I shouldn't have chosen that sundress.
"It's beautiful isn't it?" I heard a male voice behind me.
I turned around and my heart skipped a beat with the beautiful sight in front of me.
I had never seen a man so beautiful in my whole life.
His hair was raven black perfectly cut, though in a wild way. His grey shirt was just tight enough and his pants were hanging on his hips in a way that could make any female on earth pass out for days.
But the most impressive thing was his eyes. His intense ocean blue eyes that seemed to be looking right into my soul. Discovering my deepest secrets, my worst nightmares and all of my hopes and dreams.
I had to stop those thoughts. I was engaged for God's sake. I wasn't supposed to look at other men like that.
"Yes it is." I made myself say, trying to look normal again.
I returned to the sunset again, afraid that if I focused on his eyes one more time I could drown on them.
"It's my favorite moment of the day." He continued, for my desperation, his voice was like velvet, softly caressing every nerve on my body. "It's like all of my problems fade away while I'm watching it."
"I feel that too." I managed to say. "Except the problems part. Mine won't go away that easily."
I felt his eyes on me.
"Come here." He said as he started walking to the prow.
I didn't move and a smirk appeared on his face.
"Come on." He told me one more time. "I'm going to make all of your problems disappear."
Well, what did I have to lose?
I started walking to him in a slow pace and his smirk turned into a grin.
I stopped when I reached him and he just kept looking at me with those hypnotizing blue eyes.
"Now what?" I asked trying to break the connection.
"Right." He took his place behind me and I instantly looked back.
"What are you doing?"´
"Just relax." He whispered into my ear, making my whole body shiver. "Focus on the horizon and think about something you like."
He put his hands on my waist and my heart started beating faster. Too fast.
This was going to be a long trip…
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