After two days of voyaging at sea, the cruise ship finally docked at their first destination. From the upper deck, Elishia watched the scene below unfold—passengers disembarking to sightsee or shop, while new travelers boarded, each carrying that unmistakable air of wealth and privilege.

‘Katalina is a luxury cruise ship, after all.’

“What are you looking at?” Mark’s voice came from slightly behind her. A moment later, he pressed a steaming cup of hot chocolate into her hands. She accepted it with murmured thanks, grateful for the warmth against the early morning chill.

The sun had just begun its ascent from the horizon, accompanied by the clear, sharp calls of seagulls echoing across the harbor.

“Do you want to go down?” Mark asked, sipping from his own cup. With practiced ease, he moved closer and discreetly slipped his free arm around her waist, drawing their bodies together.

Elishia flinched slightly, much to her dismay. Over the past two days, Mark had been clinging to her like adhesive, always wanting to stay by her side and reluctant to separate even for a few minutes. When she’d questioned him about it, his indignant reply had been: “I’m afraid you’d get lost. What if there are bad people on this ship and take a liking to your beautiful face? You know I’m just a poor guy—what would I do then?”

So she’d relented. But wanting to bathe together? That was too much.

She felt a headache coming just thinking back to the night before.

Elishia exhaled a foggy breath that briefly obscured her view of the harbor below. Then she felt the gentle press of lips against her hair.

“You like to kiss my head,” she commented, glancing up at Mark beside her, only to find him grinning from ear to ear. Struck by his overly happy expression, she scrunched up her nose. “What?”

“I held you last night.”

“Don’t make it sound vulgar. I was bundled up in a blanket while you hugged me from behind.”

“Same thing, princess.”

“Different thing, Mark.”

Elishia glared while Mark’s smirk only grew wider. She huffed and averted her gaze, giving up on his twisted logic as always.

“Anyway, what I asked before—do you want to go down?” Mark set his cup down on the small balcony table nearby and proceeded to wrap both arms around Elishia, completely encircling her from behind.

Elishia leaned back into his embrace as Mark nuzzled and buried his face against the side of her neck. She felt ticklish as his thick hair brushed against her exposed skin.

“Not really interested,” Elishia hummed and ruffled Mark’s wild hair. Then slide her fingers in a repeating motion as if taming it. Mark’s spine tingled at the caress, causing him to inhale sharply and bury his face further into the crook of her neck.

“It tickles.”

“Sorry,” came his muffled reply. Contrary to his seemingly composed exterior, his heartbeat was almost deafening him, threatening to burst from his ribcage. He had no doubt Elishia could hear his thundering pulse from their close proximity.

‘Sigh. Really, falling in love is hard.’

As he opened his eyes and glanced to the side, what caught his attention was her reddened ear tip against the milky white expanse of her skin, and her pink lower lip caught between her teeth, as if she were enduring something.

It made something inside him explode with a pop, causing him to tighten his hold and let out a careless, muffled laugh.

“What’s wrong with you now?” He heard Elishia’s complaint, though her hand remained softly caressing his hair. He let out another muffled chuckle.

“You sound very happy.”

“Mhm. I am,” came his muffled reply.

In the distance, the chatter of people mingled with bird calls. The chilly breeze had begun to warm slightly as the first rays of sun broke free from the horizon, slowly driving away the night’s chill. The two of them soaked in the moment, wishing time could stretch just a little longer.