Alicia and Elyza lay entwined together in their luxury bed, a soft duvet draped over their naked bodies. Wrapped in each other's arms, they reveled in the blissful harmony of their intimacy and the evident lack of any imminent danger that could threaten to interrupt their peace.
Alicia began to stir from her slumber, her eyes heavy with sleep as she peered at the other girl, finding the stunning blue eyes fixed on her already. They exchanged gentle smiles, enjoying each others presence as the haze of sleep began to fade.
'I was having such a beautiful dream,' Elyza said in a hushed voice, nestling her head in the pillow as her body relaxed under her girlfriends touch.
'Really?' Alicia said, drawing her fingers over the girls back in a random pattern. 'What were you dreaming about?'
'I was living on a luxury yacht with this beautiful girl lying in my arms and-',' Elyza hesitated, smiling playfully as she continued. 'Oh wait, sorry, no that's my reality.'
Alicia chuckled softly and leaned forwards to steal a kiss, feeling the warmth of the girls body against hers.
'Wait what time is it?' she asked suddenly, drawing back with a concerned expression, the sheets falling as she propped herself up to assess the brightness in the room.
Elyza let her eyes graze over the girls body, a contented smile playing on her lips.
'I don't think that it matters. I think we should stay right here, and make the most of this luxury room,' she purred, reaching out a finger to lightly caress Alicia's face. The brunette was momentarily mesmerized by the action, sweeping her lips against Elyza's softly before retreating with an apologetic smile.
'We actually have somewhere to be, just this once.'
Words of protest were barely escaping Elyza's lips as her girlfriend hopped out of the bed, moving quickly before she could be entrapped by the reaching arms. She groaned instead and flopped face first into the duvet. They were on a boat in the middle of the ocean, where the hell could they possibly have to be?
Alicia's response was muffled as she pulled open the wardrobe and leaned inside to retrieve suitable clothes. 'We already woke up late, it'll be midday soon.'
'I don't care,' Elyza moaned into the bed, her words emitted as a blur of noise as the sound was absorbed into the bedding.
'Huh?'
'I said, I don't-
Elyza forgot what she was saying as she lifted her head, her frustration fading into a crude smile as she enjoyed the view of her girlfriend's naked body in the faint light. 'I said, come back here and you'll forget all about your silly plans.'
Much to her disappointment, there was no debating that morning as a pile of clothes was flung onto the bed. 'Get changed!' Alicia demanded, leaning in to steal a quick kiss. 'If you're well behaved, I'll keep my evening open for you.'
'You're such a tease,' Elyza groaned, flopping back onto the bed with a sigh. Half heartedly, she grabbed the clothes and lifted them into the air, observing the flowing white top and neat shorts with a frown. 'What the hell is this?'
'You'll look beautiful, now hurry up!' Alicia was already shimmying into her own clothes, a light blue top with similar shorts, adjusting her hair briefly before turning to fix the girl with a stare. 'Please?'
If there was one thing that made Elyza weak, it was those doe eyes accompanied by that adorable voice, how could she resist?
'Fine,' the blonde grumbled, throwing the sheets aside in defeat. 'As long as you make it up to me tonight.'
'Oh I will,' Alicia whispered, blowing an imaginary kiss to her girlfriend.
They ascended the stairs to the main room where they found Madison and Travis seated on the sofa. After a quick greeting the older woman hurried into the kitchen as Travis ushered them up the stairs. Elyza smiled politely during the whole ordeal, still coming to terms with her shared existence in the Clark family.
Alicia gestured to the loungers situated on the upper deck and said, "My lady, please come this way."
A selection of delectable food scrounged from the kitchen was laid out on a table in between the loungers and Elyza complied eagerly, seating herself as instructed. "A gourmet lunch for us?"
Alicia grinned and spread her arms dramatically, "Fine food for a fine lady! This is our day. Time for us to relax."
It was a kind gesture that Elyza could appreciate but rather smiled playfully in return. 'Oh we would have been very relaxed in bed this morning if-'
Alicia's sudden cough interrupted her words as Madison reappeared with two fruity drinks in hand, setting them next to each sunbed, oblivious to the gaze shared by the two girls. 'There you are, enjoy your lunch and let us know if you need anything else.'
As the woman hovered, Alicia responded meaningfully, "Thanks, mom." Madison took the hint and left them to it.
As waves gently lapped against the boat, the two girls sat down on the sun beds to enjoy whatever mild sun broke through the clouds. They barely even had time to reach for their drink when footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs in their direction. With a sigh and a roll of the eyes, Alicia turned to tell her mother to please leave, but instead observed Strand creeping up onto the deck with a sly smile and one finger raised to his lips.
'Some extra juice for you ladies,' he whispered gently, uncapping a small bottle of alcohol to top up their drinks. Elyza grinned warmly as the bottle clinked against her glass, pleased that someone on this boat knew how to have a good time. 'Cheers!'
Strand took a gulp once they had been served and slid the bottle under the bar, humming to himself as he descended back to the main living room. He passed a perplexed Madison at the bottom of the stairs, her eyes lingering on the man suspiciously as he waved halfheartedly and continued on his way without a word. She bit her tongue and resisted the impulse to question the girls about his visit, already picturing her daughters' annoyance at another intrusion. Today the girls would relax and recover from their time on the mainland, tomorrow she would not be so gentle.
Back on the upper deck, Elyza was smiling into her drink as Alicia turned her nose up at the strong odor of alcohol.
'You said you wanted to relax?' the blonde teased, slurping back some of the improved juice.
Alicia was not as impressed. 'Who knows what he put in this? He has lethal taste in alcohol.'
'Well hey, we deserve at least one drink for the crap we've been through this year. Cheers!'
Alicia echoed the sentiment and took a small sip before settling back into her chair.
There was a long period of silence as they both savored the company and the tranquil surroundings. Peace like this had become only a distant memory in the past few months. It was refreshing to experience the comfort of safety after such a long time.
Alicia wasn't sure if she had fallen asleep at one point she was so relaxed and reached for her drink lazily. 'Can you believe where we are? After everything?'
A warm, gentle breeze flowed over the luxury yacht, a soothing setting fitting for their day of relaxation. An endless vision of sparkling blue water greeting them, seemingly without end. It was a harsh comparison to the derelict buildings and broken down vehicles they had experienced on land.
'Not at all, but I like it,' Elyza replied honestly, her eyes closed as she soaked up the intermittent sunlight. 'Is it what you imagined, being back with your family?'
There was a pause as Alicia thought about the question. 'Honestly, I'm not sure.'
The tone of her voice brough Elyza to attention and she turned on to her side, observing her girlfriend beneath dark sunglasses. 'Why?'
'I mean, it's amazing, don't get me wrong. But it's different,' she explained, quickly glancing around as if her family might be listening before leaning closer. 'I was gone for a long time. Look what happened to us since we met, imagine what they have been through but my mom hasn't said a word.'
She had a point. It was unlikely that the family had simply drifted on open ocean without a single trouble in all that time. Something must have happened, but no one was willing to talk about it.
'I mean Daniel leaving Ophelia here? Nothing about it makes sense,' Alicia continued, sighing lightly.
'Hey, it'll be okay,' the blonde said reassuringly, reaching across to grasp her hand. 'It might feel odd now but you'll settle back in soon enough. They will tell you when they feel ready.'
Elyza had her own thoughts on the odd tensions that she had observed onboard but what her girlfriend needed right now was comfort and not to be worrying about her family. She completely agreed with the reservations regarding the family's silent approach to the last year but now was not the time to address it.
'We got back to them, just like you promised we would,' Alicia recalled with a smile, shaking away her doubts as she remembered the unwavering support and dedication with which Elyza had fought to keep that promise.
'I never break a promise.'
Hours crept by as they lay peacefully on the upper deck, with no strict illusion of time keeping them captive to its whim. They were only reminded of the world's existence when Nick jumped up the stairs towards them.
Alicia startled at the sudden approach and narrowed her eyes at her brother. 'What are you doing here?'
"Apologies captain, didn't realize this was your vessel," he smirked, plopping down onto the bottom of the chair as he brushed her legs aside and reached for her drink.
He moved lithely to avoid his sister's reaching hands as he inhaled sharply, raising an eyebrow upon recognizing the unmistakable odor contained within. "What do we have here?"
"Ask Strand," the brunette mumbled, her head falling back against the chair as she ignored her brother's taunts.
Leaning forwards in a business like manner, Nick set the drink back on the table and shifted his gaze between the two girls. 'I have a proposition for you.'
Elyza quirked an eyebrow speculatively, finding herself humored by the boys atypical approach to socializing. "Do tell."
"We have a new tradition of card games and drinks on deck if you would like to join us."
"So just card games if Madison asks,' Elyza corrected, imagining her disdain at the idea.
"Exactly," the boy confirmed, "so are you in?"
Alicia had barely opened her mouth to speak when Elyza smiled widely and confirmed that they would be there.
"Nice one! I'll give you both a knock later, enjoy your afternoon," he said with a large smile, gesturing to the glasses on the table before jumping abruptly to his feet and half jogging back down the stairs.
Elyza maintained her composure under the cool stare of her girlfriend.
'Really?' Alicia grumbled, squirming to get comfortable on the chair now that her brother was absent.
"What? It'll be fun, drinks and cards is the perfect combination."
"You know this is some ridiculous event that Strand and Nick have concocted between them to pass time?"
"Of course,' Elyza insisted, readjusting her sunglasses. 'That's why it will be fun.'
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Later that night the girls received an iconic knock on their door and emerged into the main room to find a group already present. Alicia frowned when she saw Madison seated next to her brother, throwing down her hand of cards in defeat as Nick grinned gleefully.
"Alicia! Elyza! Are you here to join us?" Strand bellowed cheerfully from the adjacent seat, raising an arm to usher them in. Ofelia was seated next to the boisterous man and smiled warmly, clutching her own cards tightly.
"We didn't mean to interrupt," Elyza said smoothly as they hovered by the doorway.
"No, no you're not," Madison insisted, rising to her feet to welcome the girls. "you can take my cards, I'm tired of winning all the time anyway."
The woman briefly hugged her daughter and left them to it, not noticing the cheeky grin appearing on Nick's face as she disappeared from the room.
"Welcome to the party," he said, waving for them to take a seat as Alicia shook her head at her brothers smug grin.
Once the group were all seated, the cards were reshuffled and and the social evening began. Drinks were passed out in a sensible fashion, far from the chaos that Alicia had expected but she was genuinely surprised to be having fun as she sipped on her homemade cocktail and tried to understand the rules of the game. Elyza had no such patience and waved for Nick to be quiet in his explanation, demanding that the game begin so that they could learn as the night went on.
The two girls found themselves unexpectedly engrossed in the captivating game of cards, a hobby that Nick and Ofelia had engaged with over recent months to pass time. The rules were generally simple and each round portrayed a new twist as the game evolved. The deck of cards, worn from countless rounds of play, was shuffled meticulously, an air of anticipation building before each card was swiftly dealt. Nick was nimble enough to fire the cards accurately at each player, his hands a blur as the sound of chatter filled the air in between rounds.
Alicia would naturally shy away from admitting her competitive nature, but when her brother and girlfriend challenged her, the event took on a whole new level of intensity. She had found herself in the final round, facing one final opponent as eager eyes witnessed their exchange.
"I call Hearts," she declared confidently, holding the final card firmly in front of her chest, engaging in a staring competition with the Yacht's owner. Her gaze remained unwavering, betraying no trace of emotion.
Strand pursed his lips, considering her words as he relaxed back onto the couch with an air of leisure. "You've relied on luck to get this far, Alicia. Are you sure it will save you this time?"
Her head tilted slightly under his scrutiny, and she countered, "I'm certain. In fact, I'm willing to bet on it."
The onlooking crowd gasped at her bold statement, and a shake of her brother head conveyed his disapproval of the rash decision. He had learned the hard way not to bet against the card king himself.
Strand chuckled softly, a glimmer of confidence in his dark eyes as he leaned forward to taunt her. "When you lose, you'll be our chef tomorrow night, cooking the delectable fish you catch straight from the ocean."
Elyza insistently tapped Alicia's leg, trying to warn her against this poor decision, but her efforts went unnoticed.
"When I win," Alicia persisted, her voice unwavering, "you'll hand your title of captain over to me and Elyza for a day, and we'll captain the Abigail."
A dangerous expression flickered across Strand's face at the threat of relinquishing his title. He assessed just how confident he was, his gaze shifting from his card to the determined brunette seated opposite.
"Deal."
All eyes followed Alicia's remaining card as she let it flutter to the tabletop, revealing the 10 of hearts. There was a beat of silence in the dramatic seconds that followed until Strand cheered merrily and dropped the Jack of Hearts, celebrating his victory alongside Nick, who pumped his hand in the air and laughed boisterously.
Alicia slumped back into her chair, wearing a scowl at her defeat. Perhaps it was the alcohol that had encouraged her confidence, but either way she was already regretting her decision.
Nick playfully punched her shoulder, breaking her free thoughts of her new debt . "Better luck next time, you had no chance against the card king!'
"Hey, you were close," Elyza chimed in, offering a reassuring smile. "It was a bold move and it almost paid off."
Alicia couldn't help but smile at the undeserved support, well aware that her risk had led to downfall.
Strand savored his victory, draining his glass with a smug satisfaction. 'Lovely words Elyza, I assume you will be helping Alicia with her fishing duties tomorrow?'
The well meaning banter continued for another hour until Alicia and Elyza finally excused themselves, hand in hand, to wander the moonlit deck together. Sounds of laughter rippled faintly towards them but they found solace in each other's arms, watching the waves dance beneath the moon's soft glow.
"I'm grateful for nights like these," Alicia whispered softly.
"I'm grateful for you," the blonde replied, planting a gentle kiss on Alicia's head. "I couldn't ask for more."
Alicia smiled contentedly, finding comfort in Elyza's embrace. In that small moment, the chaos of the outside world faded away, leaving only the two of them. Alicia couldn't remember a time when she had felt so happy and loved, and she wished it could last forever.
Although she knew it might be wishful thinking, Alicia didn't care. All that mattered was that they had each other, and in that moment, it was enough.
In fact, she thought suddenly, there was one more thing that could make this night better.
"I believe I made a promise this morning," the brunette added, rotating in her girlfriends arms to gaze teasingly at her lips and initiate a passionate kiss. "I don't break my promises either."
Elyza didn't need any further encouragement and used her grip on the girls hand to sweep her back across the deck and towards their room. The perfect end to the perfect day.
Thank you for reading this chapter! It's taking some time to get back into the story but I will be updating as regularly as I can. Let me know what you thought and look forward to new chapters! :D
