Author's note: Thank you SO MUCH for the reviews! I hope you like this new chapter!

DON'T FORGET TO TELL ME WHAT YOU THOUGHT!

Chapter 6

Mani let out a long tired sigh and opened her eyes slowly, giving up. She turned her head to the side and glanced at the clock beside her. At least she'd been able to get a few hours of sleep. As tired as she felt, she was unable to find sleep again.

She straightened her head and stared at the white ceiling. She thought about the people they'd left behind. She wondered if Lou was having a good time working with the other CSI's. Somehow, she knew he was fine. He was such a great person, he got along with everyone. He was loved in Miami, just as he was in Montreal.

Montreal. She let her mind drift to her dad and brother. She'd called them both before boarding the plane in Miami to tell them they'd be unable to reach her for a few days. It wasn't as if they would've called anyway. She often tried to remember the exact moment they'd started growing apart. She should've never let it happen.

Who was she kidding; none of it was her fault. She was so young when it happened. Her dad should've been the one to hold his family together.

Mani lifted a hand up to her face and rubbed her eyes, willing the thoughts out of her head. Now simply wasn't the time to start a guilt trip about her family. She was here to work.

She sighed and turned her head to her right. Ryan was still deeply asleep, his face hidden in his pillow. His hair was sticking in every direction and his lips were slightly parted, making him look a lot younger. He was actually extremely cute.

Mani didn't quite know what to think of this man. One minute he was acting like a complete jackass and the second, he was nice and charming. But what stood out the most now was how professional he was. Maybe she should follow Louis' advice and try to be friendlier. 'Being nice won't kill you.' He'd told her.

She rolled her eyes at the voice inside her head and got out of bed, trying not to wake Ryan. She tip toed to her bag and grabbed her toiletries before locking herself in the bathroom. If she couldn't sleep, might as well get this day started.

She took a long relaxing shower, letting the hot water wash away her tiredness. She then dried herself quickly, pulled on a white fluffy robe and untangled her curly hair. When she finally came out of the bathroom, she noticed Ryan hadn't moved a muscle. It was still too early to wake him, so she decided to go sit on the balcony and enjoy the amazing view.

That's where Ryan found her when he finally woke up, about half an hour later.

"Mornin'" he mumbled as he joined her. He was still clad in his boxers and white t-shirt, his eyes still puffy from sleep. "How long have you been awake?" He asked, letting out a small groan as he sat on the second long chair.

Mani shrugged her shoulders and gave him a small grin. "About an hour and a half."

"It's 5:30."

She nodded her head. "I know."

"Didn't sleep well? Did I keep you up?" He chuckled. "Was I snoring or something?"

She shook her head. "No. I just have a hard time sleeping in unknown beds." She told him, tucking a now dry curl behind her ear. "It's fine. I'm used to it."

"Alright. I'm gonna take a shower and then we could get some breakfast. I'm sure coffee will do you a lot of good."

Mani nodded her head, even if she already knew caffeine wouldn't change anything. She watched him stand up and go back inside the cabin. She waited a few seconds and decided to get dressed. She had a feeling they'd spend a lot of time discovering the boat and its passengers today, so she chose to wear comfortable, yet stylish clothes. Most of the clothes she'd been given for this mission weren't her style, but she had to look the part. She picked out a light white summer dress and a pair of white sandals. She got dressed and chose a bright red necklace and matching earrings to go with her outfit. Her hair was a complete mess because of the wind, so she decided to wear it in a ponytail.

She was giving her reflection one last look when Ryan finally came out of the bathroom, showered and dressed.

"You clean up fast!"

"Well not everyone needs to take two hours to get ready, Mani." He reminded her.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever." She waved him off. "I'm hungry."

"So let's get some food into you." He told her. "By the way, you look great."

"Shut up." She grumbled.

"What! It's a compliment!"

Mani wrinkled her nose uncomfortably. "Well don't… compliment me."

He shook his head, grinning. She was unbelievable. "Ok, let me try this again. You look absolutely horrifying."

Mani rolled her eyes at him. "Can't you just keep your mouth shut?"

He chuckled. "I'm afraid I can't."

"I liked you better when you were asleep."

"And I liked YOU better when I was asleep."

Mani sighed dramatically and walked over to the door. "Let's just go." She opened the door and walked out without even waiting for him.

Still laughing, Ryan locked the door behind him and followed her quickly.

They went back to the dining area, making sure to smile and greet everyone they met on their way to their table. People might think they were trying to be overly friendly, but their goal was to stand out and get people to notice them. If it meant flashing everyone a smile and showing off, well they would do it.

The couple had a tasty breakfast, filled with exotic fruit, and then decided to explore the ship, wanting to spot the most interesting places. They saw the gym, the spa and the casino. They visited a few shops, making sure to stop and look at the most expansive things. In one of the shops, Ryan made her get a bikini, reminding her she'd get to spend a lot of time working on her tan in the next few days. Not wanting to cause a scene, she'd forced a smile to her lips and went along with it, choosing one of the most expansive bathing suits she could find.

As they were walking by the large pool on one of the decks, they spotted Mrs. Faulkner, who seemed in an animated conversation with two other women. She was talking to them but without never really looking at them, wanting to know everything that was going on around her. That's why she waved them over the moment she saw them, smiling excitingly.

"Ryan! Mani!"

They both greeted her and smiled amicably to her two female companions.

"How was your first night on the ship?"

"It was great! We slept like babies."Mani told her instantly, not wanting Ryan to tell her the truth.

"Of course you did!" Lisa gave them a suggestive wink, which Mani ignored. The older woman pointed at her friends. "The one thing I love the most about coming on these cruises is the interesting people we get to meet. Mani, Ryan, these are my new friends, Joanna and Rachel."

They both shook the two women's hand, smiling politely. "Hello, nice to meet you."

Lisa jumped in before anyone could say anything else. "If you'd like to join us, we decided that this was a perfect day to spend next to the pool. Are you interested? And, don't worry Ryan, you won't be the only male around here."

"Hey, I get to spend the afternoon with four gorgeous women. I wasn't about to complain!" Ryan told them, letting his charm do the work.

"The men are planning to try the surf park later. You should join them, I'm sure you could have a great time!" She wrapped her arm around Mani, squeezing her. "We'll take good care of your wife."

Ryan had to keep himself from laughing as he saw the look of sheer horror that crossed Mani's face. "That's a great idea!"

Mani grimaced as Lisa squeezed her even tighter into her, who seemed quite pleased with Ryan's answer. "We'll get to share some girl talk."

"Yay!" Mani exclaimed, an uneasy smile plastered to her face.

Ryan chuckled and took Mani's hand, helping out of the woman's tight embrace. "We'll meet you here after lunch, is that alright? We'd like to spend a little more time… together."

"No problem! We'll see you later then!"

Still holding hands, they walked away from the three women, much to Mani's relief, and went straight back to their cabin. They Ryan opened the door for her and let her walk in first, smirking. He knew what was coming.

Mani turned around, hands on her hips. "I'm not okay with it."

"What? Why not? This is going too well for you to NOT be okay with it."

"What do you mean 'it's going too well'? You're not the one who will have to spend the next few hours listening to women talking about fur and perfume!"

"Mani! This woman has the biggest mouth on the face of the EARTH! I'm sure she's already told these women all about us."

She snorted. "Yeah well, don't get excited too fast. We've only been here for about twenty four hours. We have a lot more people to meet before we start focusing our research on these three."

"You're right." He glanced down at his watch, realizing it was already time for lunch. "Do you want to go back to the food court for lunch or you want to stay here?"

"Let's order something. We have to talk about a few things before we go back out for our afternoon of fun."

Ryan nodded his head, agreeing with her. They ordered their lunch, a shrimp salad for her and a sandwich for him. They decided to sit inside and go over the murderers profile once more before joining the others.

It was almost an hour later when Ryan through his file back in his bag. "Alright! I think we're ready."

"I agree. Now go put on your new bikini." He told her, wiggling his eyebrows.

She scowled at him, grabbed the bag roughly and went straight for the bathroom. "Five hundred freaking dollars for a bikini." She grumbled, shutting the door behind her.

Ryan chuckled, shaking his head as he started taking his own clothes off. That woman was definitely starting to grow on him. Yes, she could be a total bitch, but underneath it all, he knew she wasn't like that. She was trying to act like the all strong, independent woman. Not only was she good at it, but most people went for it. He, on the other hand, could also see through her game.

He quickly changed in his swim trunks and a bright blue t-shirt. He was slipping on his sandals when Mani finally walked out of the bathroom, wearing a red sun dress over her strapless bikini. Without even looking in his direction, she went over to the table, grabbed her pair of large black sunglasses and hid her face behind them. "Let's get this show on the road." She grumbled moodily, before making her way to the door.

Ryan sighed and tilted his head, watching her leave. He seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. And MAN was it a great view.

? Loved it? Hated it? Missed something? LET ME KNOW!