Forum

Sofia rummaged through her drawers in search of the bikini that she had bought specifically for the cruise. After spending ten minutes digging through assorted tops and bottoms, she failed to find what she was looking for and settled for another two-piece number, which was sure to catch the attention of the guys on board. She changed out of her tank top and shorts and into the bikini, making sure to slip on her cover-up over top. She tied her hair up into a messy bun, remembering all too well what happened the last time that she went sun tanning with a long ponytail cascading down her back. Needless to say, she wouldn't be letting that happen ever again. She touched up her makeup, liking the idea of running around with just some eyeliner and mascara to accentuate her beautiful eyes. Normally, she would be spotted with a full look but she decided to go without all of the creamy foundation and lipstick. She slid on her flip flops and exited her bedroom to enter the main living space that she shared with the three others she would be enjoying the trip with. She already knew Beth, they had been best friends for years and into college, but she didn't know the two guys that were living on the other end of the rooms that they shared. Sofia went into the kitchen and whipped herself up a mango smoothie, feeling especially tropical as they were cruising their way to the Bahamas. She sipped at her smoothie while she read a copy of one of the travel magazines that the ship had provided. She made it a goal to venture out onto the islands and enjoy the experiences and cultures that each destination had to offer.

 

Landon was out at the pool swimming with Allen, an activity that he had been most exited to participate in since they had boarded the ship. He'd never had a swimming pool growing up, as many people did in his small town in Mississippi, so the idea of swimming in a bunch of chlorinated water was almost foreign to him. He recalled spending many summer nights at the lake with his friends, diving off of the rocks and jumping in off of rope swings tied to the trees, but nearly none of those nights consisted of lounging around in a swimming pool. The fun really began when a bunch of other guys invited him and Allen to join in tossing a football around the area. He was thankful that the cruise ship provided kiddie pools in addition to the larger pools, which meant they weren't being kicked by and knocked into little kids every five seconds. The adults (and the big kids, as they considered themselves) could have fun in the large pool without the distraction of the smaller children. When their game had concluded, they got out of the pool and went over to one of the snack booths. Landon ordered one of the drinks that came with the fancy little drink umbrellas and he watched as Allen ordered the same. They went over to the tables provided by the booth and sat down together, enjoying their drinks as the sun shone down on them from above. "What else do you want to get in to while we're here?" he asked Allen, taking a sip from his drink. "I think I want to go zip lining in Nassau."

Sofia smiled. "I like it a lot," she said warmly, looking behind her to watch Beth spin around in her new swim suit. "Well," she began, bookmarking her page with her finger and closing the magazine, "I definitely want to lay out in the sun for a little while, but maybe afterward we can go to the little shopping mall on the main floor? I know that's right up your alley!" She stood up and placed the magazine back on the pile on the coffee table. She pointed her thumb in the direction of the boys' rooms. "I found a note on the fridge, they went to the pool and said they want us to meet them there in a few minutes," she told Beth, taking a glance at the clock. "I wonder what they're like? We didn't get to find anything out about them when they were randomly assigned to board with us." She shrugged her shoulders, walking back into the kitchen to dig into beach bag that she left on the counter top. "They seem nice enough, I guess, they aren't up until 3 partying or anything and they're some of the cleaner boys that I've met." She let out a laugh. "Remember those slobs in the room across from us sophomore year?" she reminisced. They shared a laugh together for a few moments before they were able to calm themselves down. "Seriously though, is there anything else that you want to do today? We aren't going to reach the island until tomorrow so we've got a bit of time to explore the ship, I just don't want us to do too many things in one day."

 

Landon sipped at his drink, nodding eagerly at all of Allen's suggestions. "Are those the waterfalls that they showed on the informational videos in the lobby?" he questioned, "Those looked awesome! Definitely better than the marshy lakes we're used to back home." He finished his drink, pulling out the umbrella and playing with it with his fingertips. "I know there's a big kite shop there, we can grab some of those and spend the day on the beach as long as it's windy enough. But you're right, I feel like there was something else we meant to do there." He paused for a moment to try and remember what he was missing but came up short. He shook his head, "We'll think of it later, I'm sure, if it isn't on some sort of pamphlet or television screen around here. It'll hit us at some point." He glanced around the deck, noticing that his eyes locked on a few of the girls. He glanced up at the clock on the booth, noticing that the girls they were boarding with should be arriving at any minute. "I know one of them is named Beth, she had her name on her suitcase. I think she's the one with the long blonde hair, the brunette I think is her best friend." He shrugged, wondering if his guesses were correct. "We need to pace ourselves, we don't want to spend the last week here with nothing to do. That's all there is to it."

No, I have not! Have you? It seems like an incredible place! I'd probably never go on a cruise there, I'm not a huge fan of big boats and open water... but maybe it would be nice to fly down and have some fun in the sun, haha

---

Sofia nodded, listening to Beth speak about the mixer that was to happen that night. "Sounds like a great idea to me!" she exclaimed, "Let's get going!" She slid her beach bag up onto her shoulders and locked elbows with Beth as the two headed towards the elevators. They waited for one to arrive and stepped inside, finding themselves among a group of other pool deck-goers. She smiled and waved to the other people and they rode to the deck together. Once the doors opened, she and Beth stepped out and their eyes widened. They hadn't been up to the deck yet, and it was quite the sight! People everywhere, the lingering scent of chlorine and pops of color all around, from the snack booths and the information tables to the creative display behind the pool and the chairs that lined the area. "I wonder where they are?" she asked Beth as she scanned the area, hoping that the boys would see them and be able to flag them down. Before too long, she was in luck as Allen threw up his hand into the air and waved for them to come over. A wide smile grew on her face as she and Beth made their way to where Allen and Landon were sitting. The two girls grabbed some chairs from a nearby empty table and slid them over to the table that the boys were sitting at. "I don't believe we've all had the chance to introduce ourselves," she said before adding, "I'm Sofia and this is Beth." She sat her beach bag on the ground and noticed that she found Allen rather attractive.

 

Landon smiled. "Yeah, the beaches must be on all of the postcards for a reason," he said with a chuckle. "And the girls should be here any minute now, I left them a note and everything, I hope they got it." Only a few moments later he saw Beth and Sofia emerge onto the pool deck. He watched as Allen flagged them over, and a wide grin grew on his face when the girls sat down with him. The girl that was introduced as Beth was absolutely stunning in his eyes, he couldn't take his gaze off of her and was worried that he would get busted for staring. He smiled at the girls and said, "I'm Landon, and my right-hand man here is Allen. Have you ladies been enjoying your stay?" The boys hadn't really seen the girls. He saw them as the type to want to hang out in their room for the duration of the trip, while he and Allen wanted to get off the ship and enjoy the sights and experiences that each destination had to offer. He ran a hand through his slightly moppy hair as it had begun to dry on top but not against his scalp. He nervously scratched at the nape of his neck, noticing that Beth's eyes were locked on him as he spoke. His face flushed ever so slightly - yup, he was busted. Now what was she going to think of him? He'd never have a chance with her now! 

Sofia shrugged gently, listening to Allen as he spoke. She glanced at Beth. "Well, we were talking about heading out to the mixer tonight, you know, get to know some of the other people on the ship. The more, the merrier, as they say!" She let out a warm laugh. She looked over at Allen before she spoke again. "Did you guys have any plans for today? You left us a note, but we didn't know if you had anything scheduled already or if we were going to decide as we go along. We're free until tonight!" She glanced around the deck, a smile on her face as she noticed a group of kids chasing each other in the pool for possession of some sort of toy. She enjoyed watching them, the absolute bliss on their face when they caught one another and their eagerness to win control of the toy. She turned her head back to face the group. "Do we just want to sit here for a few minutes and chat, maybe, before we head out and enjoy the pool? I know absolutely nothing about the two of you - that's certainly no way to start up this adventure!" She fiddled with the seam of of her suit before exchanging a glance with Beth. How in the world were they fortunate enough to be rooming with a couple of gorgeous young men? These two were the cream of the crop and surely the girls could use that to their advantage somehow! "I'll start," she said bravely, "I drink too much iced tea and I love to paint. Landscapes, self-portraits, still life... anything that I can recreate with a paintbrush, I'm in."

 

Landon cleared his throat and directed his attention to Allen, embarrassed as to the way that he had been looking at Beth. He could barely take his eyes off of her, and he truly hoped that she took it as a compliment. "We have a lot planned for once we get off the ship," he told the girls, looking over at Allen, "but I don't think we have any plans in motion for while we're stuck here. Just a heads-up, from the sound of it, we don't plan on spending a lot of time on the boat. There are entirely too many sights to see and we want to get to all of them. We didn't pay to sit around and watch paint dry." He hoped he hadn't come off the wrong way to the girls, but he knew that it was best to be honest from the get-go. He followed suit after Sofia spoke and began to say a few things about himself. "Well, I was on my school's varsity lacrosse team, I've never left the country before now, and it's my dream to open an animal rescue business. I traveled to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and helped out with animal shelters in the area and I've come to have a great passion for the idea." He smiled, toying with what used to be his drink. He wondered what Beth was like. Was she the kind of girl that spend every Friday night out with her friends? Or did she enjoy curling up on the sofa with a bowl of ice cream to watch movies?