"Come on," Roman said.
He grabbed Amara's hand and they walked on shore together. They walked down the harbor and up to an ice cream shop. They bought an ice cream each and sat down on a bench. He took out his phone and smiled.
"I miss my boy," he said.
He started a video call and waited for his cousin to pick up. Shortly after a woman with curly, dark hair like his showed up on the screen.
"Hi, Tamina," Roman said.
"Hi, Roman," Tamina said. "He's right here next to me. Hold on. Come say hi to your dad."
Tamina turned the phone, and Roman's dog appeared on the screen with a wagging tail and his tongue hanging out of his mouth.
"There's my boy," Roman said.
"Aw, he's so cute," Amara said.
"Who's that?" Tamina asked.
Roman grinned at Tamina before putting his arm over Amara's shoulders and pulling her into view.
"This is Amara. She's on the cruise solo too," Roman said.
"And now you're sharing a bed, right?" Tamina asked.
"Tamina!" Roman laughed. "No, we're not. Our cabins are right next to each other, and I got a karaoke partner."
"You replaced me already?" Tamina asked.
"Of course I did," Roman chuckled.
"I need a napkin," Amara said. "It was nice meeting you, Tamina."
Amara got up from the bench and walked over to the ice cream shop to grab some napkins. Roman stayed on the bench while talking to his cousin.
"She's pretty," she said.
"I know," he sighed. "And she's so sweet and funny too."
"So what's stopping you?" She asked.
"I don't know," he shrugged. "We both got out of bad relationships and we're stuck on a cruise together."
"Exactly," she grinned. "Roman, you need some pussy."
"Tamina!" He laughed.
"Seriously, you need to get laid before you drive us all insane. Not all women will treat you like your ex did. And if things don't work out between the two of you, there's only 9 weeks left until you'll never see her again. Have fun, Roman. Live a little. You deserve something good," she said.
He moved his eyes from the screen and over to Amara. She was watching him with a smile on her face. She was being polite and staying away while he finished his phone call. He raised his hand and waved her back over.
"I'll think about it," he looked at the screen again. "I gotta go."
He hung up and waited for Amara to return to the bench. She sat down next to him and handed him a napkin.
"Is everything alright at home?" She asked.
"Yes, everything is going great," he said. "Don't you need to call someone?"
"I'm afraid my phone will explode from all the angry texts if I turn it back on," she said.
"So you're planning on ignoring him forever?" He asked.
"At least until I get home," she said. "I still have some stuff at his house if he hasn't thrown it away by now. I was smart and took all my personal papers with me. The rest is just clothes and whatever. Nothing important."
"I understand why you're doing what you're doing and he deserves it but at some point you probably gotta tell him something. At least so he won't end up reporting you missing or hunting you down," he said.
She shrugged and looked out at the water. She knew he was right. She just didn't want to deal with it or even think about it.
"What are your plans when we get back? Do you have someone you can move in with?" He asked.
"A hotel until I find somewhere else to live," she said.
"Can you afford that?" He asked.
"Do you think I stole his money to book a cruise?" She asked. "I can afford it. Don't worry about me."
"It's hard not to. I like you," he said.
He took her hand and gave it a squeeze.
"Let's get back before they sail without us," he said.
They got back on the cruise while still holding hands. Her hand fit so perfectly in his. He looked down at their joined hands and thought back to what Tamina had said. He deserved something good. Amara was something good. She was something amazing. Maybe he should just give in to his own urges. There was clearly a lot of sexual tension between them. He knew she felt it the same way as he did.
"Are you okay?" She asked.
He looked up and saw the concerned look on her face. He had been lost in his own thoughts and apparently given away some weird facial expression to make her think something was wrong.
"Yes, everything's okay," he let go of her hand. "I think I'm gonna skip karaoke tonight. I'm tired. I'm gonna turn in early."
"Breakfast tomorrow?" She asked.
"As always," he smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow, Amara."