I own nada.
------
Anna POV
On a boat, you never know what kind of night you're going to have - it all depends on the currents. It had been a peaceful night but I had to get up to pee. I stepped off the couch and felt a warm body under my foot. I didn't need to look to know what was going on. Annoying Ryan was sleeping on the floor.
Goodness gracious he could be so infuriating! He means well but for crying out loud... We had a king-sized bed and a couch. I offered to alternate sleeping on the bed and couch but he flat out refused. He used the excuse that he'd forced himself on the trip and that I was "uncomfortable enough as it is." I could bet that even if I was the one invading his privacy he wouldn't have done anything differently. I appreciate chivalry and all that great stuff but his brand was just plain ridiculous. Waking up four days in a row to see him sleeping uncomfortably on the couch wasn't being too kind to my conscience. So earlier in the evening, I did something about it.
"Anna, what are you doing?" he asked, walking out of the steam-filled bathroom. I never realized how much I liked the smell of Irish Spring soap.
"I'm lying down. What does it look like to you?"
"You don't plan on sleeping there, do you?"
"I sure do."
"Anna..." he said, visibly displeased. I wasn't sure if his displeasure stemmed from my imminent discomfort or from the fact that I wasn't adhering to his wishes. Either way, I wasn't budging.
"Don't 'Anna' me. You're not the only person that can be kind and accommodating you know? I'm sleeping here tonight so you have no choice but to sleep on the bed. I put some sheets on it if you feel inclined to change them."
And that's how I ended up sleeping on the couch and the idiot sleeping on the floor. What a pain in the ass.
-----
I heard Ryan's footsteps as he climbed up to the deck. I was a wearing a bikini top and shorts and suddenly felt self-conscious. I didn't mind looking at my body but preferred if others didn't. I reached for the shirt that lay on one of the chairs.
"Don't cover up on my account."
Was he actually flirting with me? "I feel a chill..."
"O.K."
He handed me a cup of steaming coffee.
"How did you know I needed one of these?"
"The empty coffee pot. Coffee's not that hard to make, you know?"
I rolled my eyes and sipped it -it was delicious. "This isn't instant."
He laughed. He'd been doing that frequently. And by frequent, I mean about once a day. It seemed that when he didn't have the stress of his drama queen girlfriend or his pregnant ex, he could actually relax and just be a normal teenager. And it was a crime he didn't smile more often.
"I know," he continued. " As I said, coffee isn't hard to make."
"Then how come mine always tastes like shit?"
The laugh made another appearance. "How about this? Let's make a deal."
"What kind of deal?" I just didn't like the word 'deal.' For some reason it always reminded me of those Mafia movies where some poor sod was just setting himself up to get whacked. And this time he wouldn't have to drive to New Jersey to drown me in a river.
"Don't look so scared. It's a simple, mutually beneficial deal."
"Spit it out, Atwood."
"I teach you to make coffee, and you teach me to sail."
I was surprised - I didn't see that coming. "You really want to learn to sail?"
"Of course. You did mention something about deadweight. This way, you won't have to worry about me if we got into a shaky situation."
"Don't worry about it, I was just exaggerating."
"I knew you were... like your claim about taking 35 days to get to Hawaii. But it doesn't mean that it won't be a good idea to learn."
Aww... isn't he the little fact-checker? "Don't worry about it. It's usually on autopilot anyway. You can learn from a real instructor - I suck at giving directions."
---
I think because I was so adamant about coming on the journey on my own, Ryan tried not to be in the way. I understood the sentiment but I was actually glad that he came. Far more than I'd ever admit. I'd always thought he was cool but I enjoyed hanging out and talking to him in ways I would never have imagined. And it felt weird with him being Seth's close friend and all.
Half of the sun was already hidden when I decided to go downstairs. The great thing about sailing is I always returned with a fabulous tan. I was still rubbing my arms and admiring my new golden color when I saw Ryan surfing the internet.
"No porn, please," I joked.
"Oh, you've got something against porn?" he asked coyly. "From what I heard, it's a healthy obsession for young men."
"Dude, trust me. Putting porn and obsession in the same sentence is not a good thing."
He chuckled. "Good point."
I went to the kitchen and grabbed myself a glass of water.
"Ryan, about the sleeping arrangements."
"What about them?"
"You can't sleep on the floor anymore."
He stopped typing and gave me his full attention. "I wouldn't have to if you left my couch alone."
"Your couch? Listen Ryan, you seem to love insisting on things but refuse to even compromise for me."
He frowned then rubbed his hand over his head. I could already recognize that nervous gesture. Just like I hoped, I'd gotten his attention. I figured that if he was going to play Mr. Gallantry, I might as well use it against him. "What do you mean?"
I sipped some water. It was a little lukewarm so I went back to the kitchen and got some ice cubes.
"Anna, what do you mean?" he repeated.
I walked back to the room. "Ryan, you insisted on coming with me."
He shrugged. "Okay?"
"All the time we've been here," I continued, "you haven't even let me wash a dish."
"If I'm washing mine, it doesn't make sense to leave yours in the sink."
"But you don't even let me get to the sink. You're already there before you stick the last morsel of food in our mouth."
He grunted. "So what are you saying? You want me to stop washing your dishes?"
"No. I'm saying that you're not a cabana boy, but my friend. Besides, that's not what I am talking about."
"Then, what?"
I took a deep breath and exhaled. It seemed like Ryan was trying to send me to an early grave. "Last night you left a perfectly wonderful bed to sleep on the floor. In what world does that even make sense? I bet your back is killing you."
"I'm fine. But what is your point?"
"My point is, I slept on that couch and it sucks. There's no way I am going to let you sleep on it for the entire trip. In fact, you can't sleep on it again."
"I don't understand." He paused and squinted his eyes. "You can't mean that you want me to sleep on the floor?"
I rolled my eyes. "No dummy. You're going to have to share the bed with me."
"Anna..."
"Listen. It's a huge king-sized bed. It's far too big for me and it makes no sense for you to sleep uncomfortably when there's so much space there." That can't be too hard to understand.
"I don't think that's a good idea."
"Why? Are you going to jump me?"
"Of course not," he said a little too quickly. Am I chopped liver? He could have at least thought about it a little.
"And I'm not going to jump you. It'll be like we are siblings... but not of the 'Flowers in the Attic' variety."
"Anna..."
"No Ryan. No more excuses. This time I am going to have to insist otherwise, I am going to have to throw you overboard. And I'm sure the sharks are hungry. Capiche?"
A/N: Capiche, carpanthers21, Capiche.
------
Anna POV
On a boat, you never know what kind of night you're going to have - it all depends on the currents. It had been a peaceful night but I had to get up to pee. I stepped off the couch and felt a warm body under my foot. I didn't need to look to know what was going on. Annoying Ryan was sleeping on the floor.
Goodness gracious he could be so infuriating! He means well but for crying out loud... We had a king-sized bed and a couch. I offered to alternate sleeping on the bed and couch but he flat out refused. He used the excuse that he'd forced himself on the trip and that I was "uncomfortable enough as it is." I could bet that even if I was the one invading his privacy he wouldn't have done anything differently. I appreciate chivalry and all that great stuff but his brand was just plain ridiculous. Waking up four days in a row to see him sleeping uncomfortably on the couch wasn't being too kind to my conscience. So earlier in the evening, I did something about it.
"Anna, what are you doing?" he asked, walking out of the steam-filled bathroom. I never realized how much I liked the smell of Irish Spring soap.
"I'm lying down. What does it look like to you?"
"You don't plan on sleeping there, do you?"
"I sure do."
"Anna..." he said, visibly displeased. I wasn't sure if his displeasure stemmed from my imminent discomfort or from the fact that I wasn't adhering to his wishes. Either way, I wasn't budging.
"Don't 'Anna' me. You're not the only person that can be kind and accommodating you know? I'm sleeping here tonight so you have no choice but to sleep on the bed. I put some sheets on it if you feel inclined to change them."
And that's how I ended up sleeping on the couch and the idiot sleeping on the floor. What a pain in the ass.
-----
I heard Ryan's footsteps as he climbed up to the deck. I was a wearing a bikini top and shorts and suddenly felt self-conscious. I didn't mind looking at my body but preferred if others didn't. I reached for the shirt that lay on one of the chairs.
"Don't cover up on my account."
Was he actually flirting with me? "I feel a chill..."
"O.K."
He handed me a cup of steaming coffee.
"How did you know I needed one of these?"
"The empty coffee pot. Coffee's not that hard to make, you know?"
I rolled my eyes and sipped it -it was delicious. "This isn't instant."
He laughed. He'd been doing that frequently. And by frequent, I mean about once a day. It seemed that when he didn't have the stress of his drama queen girlfriend or his pregnant ex, he could actually relax and just be a normal teenager. And it was a crime he didn't smile more often.
"I know," he continued. " As I said, coffee isn't hard to make."
"Then how come mine always tastes like shit?"
The laugh made another appearance. "How about this? Let's make a deal."
"What kind of deal?" I just didn't like the word 'deal.' For some reason it always reminded me of those Mafia movies where some poor sod was just setting himself up to get whacked. And this time he wouldn't have to drive to New Jersey to drown me in a river.
"Don't look so scared. It's a simple, mutually beneficial deal."
"Spit it out, Atwood."
"I teach you to make coffee, and you teach me to sail."
I was surprised - I didn't see that coming. "You really want to learn to sail?"
"Of course. You did mention something about deadweight. This way, you won't have to worry about me if we got into a shaky situation."
"Don't worry about it, I was just exaggerating."
"I knew you were... like your claim about taking 35 days to get to Hawaii. But it doesn't mean that it won't be a good idea to learn."
Aww... isn't he the little fact-checker? "Don't worry about it. It's usually on autopilot anyway. You can learn from a real instructor - I suck at giving directions."
---
I think because I was so adamant about coming on the journey on my own, Ryan tried not to be in the way. I understood the sentiment but I was actually glad that he came. Far more than I'd ever admit. I'd always thought he was cool but I enjoyed hanging out and talking to him in ways I would never have imagined. And it felt weird with him being Seth's close friend and all.
Half of the sun was already hidden when I decided to go downstairs. The great thing about sailing is I always returned with a fabulous tan. I was still rubbing my arms and admiring my new golden color when I saw Ryan surfing the internet.
"No porn, please," I joked.
"Oh, you've got something against porn?" he asked coyly. "From what I heard, it's a healthy obsession for young men."
"Dude, trust me. Putting porn and obsession in the same sentence is not a good thing."
He chuckled. "Good point."
I went to the kitchen and grabbed myself a glass of water.
"Ryan, about the sleeping arrangements."
"What about them?"
"You can't sleep on the floor anymore."
He stopped typing and gave me his full attention. "I wouldn't have to if you left my couch alone."
"Your couch? Listen Ryan, you seem to love insisting on things but refuse to even compromise for me."
He frowned then rubbed his hand over his head. I could already recognize that nervous gesture. Just like I hoped, I'd gotten his attention. I figured that if he was going to play Mr. Gallantry, I might as well use it against him. "What do you mean?"
I sipped some water. It was a little lukewarm so I went back to the kitchen and got some ice cubes.
"Anna, what do you mean?" he repeated.
I walked back to the room. "Ryan, you insisted on coming with me."
He shrugged. "Okay?"
"All the time we've been here," I continued, "you haven't even let me wash a dish."
"If I'm washing mine, it doesn't make sense to leave yours in the sink."
"But you don't even let me get to the sink. You're already there before you stick the last morsel of food in our mouth."
He grunted. "So what are you saying? You want me to stop washing your dishes?"
"No. I'm saying that you're not a cabana boy, but my friend. Besides, that's not what I am talking about."
"Then, what?"
I took a deep breath and exhaled. It seemed like Ryan was trying to send me to an early grave. "Last night you left a perfectly wonderful bed to sleep on the floor. In what world does that even make sense? I bet your back is killing you."
"I'm fine. But what is your point?"
"My point is, I slept on that couch and it sucks. There's no way I am going to let you sleep on it for the entire trip. In fact, you can't sleep on it again."
"I don't understand." He paused and squinted his eyes. "You can't mean that you want me to sleep on the floor?"
I rolled my eyes. "No dummy. You're going to have to share the bed with me."
"Anna..."
"Listen. It's a huge king-sized bed. It's far too big for me and it makes no sense for you to sleep uncomfortably when there's so much space there." That can't be too hard to understand.
"I don't think that's a good idea."
"Why? Are you going to jump me?"
"Of course not," he said a little too quickly. Am I chopped liver? He could have at least thought about it a little.
"And I'm not going to jump you. It'll be like we are siblings... but not of the 'Flowers in the Attic' variety."
"Anna..."
"No Ryan. No more excuses. This time I am going to have to insist otherwise, I am going to have to throw you overboard. And I'm sure the sharks are hungry. Capiche?"
A/N: Capiche, carpanthers21, Capiche.