Star Crossed Mates

Chapter 7

It’s been 4 years since I made my decision to start living my life. Now, at 25 years old, I am the Chief Stewardess of the Sterling Cruise line. I’ve seen many crew members come and go, but for the last year the one we’ve had has been one of my favorites.

Everyone seemed to blend well with each other and we have a good dynamic. I loved this one especially because we dock from Tuscany to Italy. I’ve met many interesting people during these charters and got to indulge in the rich culture here.

We were set for another cruise and given very little information about the guests. Apparently they were high profile people and didn’t want to stir up a lot of attention. The crew started guessing what celebrities it could be, but we’ve had plenty before who were less secretive about their fame so this was odd to say the least.

“Nova!”

“Hey Bianca,” I said as she wrapped me in a hug, “how have you been?”

She was a very enthusiastic girl, with short blond hair and very tanned skin.

“Fantastic now that I get to join this trip. I wonder who’s boarding it”

“Not a clue, but I’m sure they just want a chance to get away from it all”

“You’re no fun. So, who’s on the staff with us?”

“Aurora, Sofia, are going to be stewardesses. Captain George and Officer Harvey are still in charge. Antonio is Chef and we also have 2 new deckhands”

“Who’s Bosun?”

“Mateo”

“He’s so dreamy,” Bianca smiled, “I don’t know why you two haven’t gotten back together”

“You know why,” I tried keeping my anger hidden and failed.

Bianca was there when Mateo and I had met on my first charter. He had helped me out of a troublesome situation I had gotten myself into. Over time our flirtatious banter had blossomed into something more. Things had become serious and one day during our break we had docked and decided to join the crew for dinner and drinks.

I had gotten sick and decided to return to my quarters. Some time later I was woken up by Bianca coming in. When I asked about the others she said to not worry about it and that they were all still enjoying the night on the top deck.

Waiting till she had fallen asleep I got out of bed and headed up to the deck where everyone was apparently supposed to be. I could hear voices coming from the hot tub. My heart shattered at the sight of the first man I had fallen for, since Aster, with his hands wrapped around another girl's naked body as he plunged into her. Their moans echoing through the night. We had made eye contact and he came out of his drunken haze for a split moment. I didn’t want to see him or hear what he had to say as he shouted my name. Running straight to my quarters I slammed the door, making Bianca groan as she covered her head with a sheet. I crawled into bed, soaking my pillow with my tears. The next day I had avoided everyone. Bianca had been the first to try and comfort me. Apologizing, saying that when she had left Mateo was not alone with that girl.

He asked for a transfer not long after. As time went by I started to realize that maybe that’s just who he is and all though I will never be able to be in a relationship with him again. He was still a good friend. I didn’t want his mistake to cost us our friendship.

When I saw him next I decided to clear the air between us and we’ve been on good terms since.

“I know. But you two are the best to be on long voyages with. The last 3 I have been on have been nothing but old men, trying to recapture their youth with a bunch of bouncing 20 year olds,” she pretended to gag herself.

We laughed, heading down to the quarters we would be sharing with Aurora and Sofia who had not arrived yet.

“Can I have the bottom bunk above you?” She clasped her hands together, giving me puppy dog eyes.

“No way”

“Come on”

“This is the safest way to make sure your not sneaking anyone in”

“That happened one time”

“You’ve done it 6 times!”

“That you know of,” she whispered.

“Gross!” I chucked my pillow at her.

“Fine, but I don’t want to hear you sneaking a tall dark dreamy man into our room”

“Trust me. That is never gonna happen”

“Never say never,” she winked.

We had settled in and changed into our uniforms. It was required that we greet the guests in our formal whites first. It was nearly identical to our actual uniforms, except for the white button down shirt with black skirts for the girls and slacks for the boys. I had kept my hair in a tight low bun and walked to the deck.

Each of the crew members lined up for the guest. I spotted Mateo glancing at me, a small smile on his face as he lifted his hand just enough to secretly wave at me. I smiled at him, before turning my attention back to the guests who were pulling up in their black sudans.

The 5 women who had gotten out looked like overly processed barbie dolls with fried bleached hair, lip fillers, botox and implants. I wouldn’t say I hated these types of women, but I have developed a dislike for them during these long trips. But from my understanding, the man paying for this trip was going to triple the tip at the end so it made it a little more worthwhile to serve them.

“Oh my god! It’s gorgeous!” One woman said in aw as she boarded.

“I need a mimosa!” One of them shouted.

“Babe, it’s too hot out here!” One complained, turning back to the sedan.

3 men emerged from the vehicle, dressed in fine tailored suits. The first individual to walk up was a handsome blonde haired man with brown eyes and a very masculine lean body. Next was a brunette man with hazel brown eyes that seemed to shine bright in the sunlight. His body, slightly more muscular with his broad chest. He nodded his head in greeting as he passed us.

The last man that had come over had the most plastic barbie of all attached right at his hip. His mere presence sent a chill down my spine. His dark slicked back hair and dull dark brown eyes made him seem so unemotional. His masculine broad shoulders and chest, paired with his height made him look dangerous.

He ignored all of us and went straight to the captain. George had given them the rundown of the rules and itinerary. We had been introduced, but the only one to even acknowledge our existence was the man who had nodded his head when he walked on board.

We were dismissed so we could change and return to the guest.

“Did you guys see those men?” Sofia gushed.

“I would give anything to be one of those bimbos right now. Do you think Captain would get mad if I quit mid charter and joined the party,” Aurora giggled.

“Girl I’m with you,” Bianca held her hand up, both high-fiving each other.

“But that last one. He seems… different,” Sofia said in a timid voice.

“Like he’s the kind that would tie you up and toss you in the ocean,” Aurora said, pulling on her shorts

“He can tie me up any day,” Bianca swooned.

I pushed her lightly.

“Come on. Let’s not make our guests wait. Those poor girls might have melted in the sun by now”

“It’s gonna be such a pain to clean all that plastic off the floors”

We all laughed heading back upstairs with smiles on our faces and hopeful attitudes to make it through this long trip.