Danny Ch. 01

It was the summer between Amber's freshman and sophomore year of college and her family decided that this year they would go on a summer cruise to the Bahamas instead of a winter cruise. Amber was very much looking forward to this vacation. It was a chance to get away from her hectic college life and to learn more about her. Never did she imagine that she would meet the love of my life.

On the second day of the cruise she was playing Need for Speed: Underground in the arcade, when he walked into her life for the first time. Danny Sinclair was tall, with an athletic body, he had dark blond hair that was cut low, a pair of gorgeous green eyes and he was standing right above her and worse he was talking to her and all she could do was stare! "Are you going to play again?" He said.

"What?" Amber replied like an idiot.

"I said, are you going to play again? If not my brother and I wanted to race each other." Danny said.

"Oh no! I'm sorry, here you guys can play." she said while standing up and waving to the seat she just vacated.

"Thanks! Hey what's your name? Danny asked before Amber could run away.

"Amber Barnett." She replied while still staring at the son of a Greek god.

"I'm Danny Sinclair and this is my younger brother Nathan." Danny replied.

"Well, it's nice to meet you both, enjoy your game!" I said rubbing my hands together nervously. Before Amber had a chance to turn and run again, he spoke.

"You're a really good driver!"Danny said. "Thanks." Amber said. This time he let her go without another word and she went nervously before he had time to notice the flush that burned her face.

"Oh my, I have never been so nervous in my life, he was tall and cute and friendly and I just stood there with that deer caught in headlights kind of mind frame. I didn't even know African Americans blushed." She thought to herself while walking out to the deck to get some fresh air.

****

"Wow, Danny could you have been anymore weird?" Nathan asked.

"What are you talking about, I was cool." Danny replied.

"No, you were not! "You're a really good driver"" Nathan mimicked his brother. "Dude that was her fifth game! She didn't lose until you walked in and distracted her" Nathan said.

"No, I didn't, she was probably tired from playing too many games!" Danny said.

"I don't think so man, she was in here before breakfast and she played 7 games before she started rubbing her eyes, she is awesome at this!"

"Are you stalking her? You seem to know an awful lot about her." Danny said suspicious of his brother.

"No, I'm not stalking her, she just has a younger sister that I noticed yesterday and I'm hoping to run in to while we are on vacation. Looks like you want to run into big sister a little more too!" Nathan laughed at his brother.

"Shut up, you loser, so I can kick your ass in some NFS!" Danny replied.

****

That night Danny Sinclair went to bed thinking about what Nathan had told him about the girl in the Arcade today. The truth is he had been thinking about her all day, what it was about her that got to him. She wasn't magazine pretty and she didn't even seem that interesting, but still Danny couldn't shake the feeling that he had to know her. He didn't understand it she was short and on the chubbier side, she had a round face and wore no make-up whatsoever, but her eyes, those beautiful almond shaped brown eyes and those sweet sweet full lips of hers. She was gorgeous in her own way. Danny had never really been attracted to African American girls but there was a first time for everything and he was on vacation it was time for him to live a little and experience new things. "So, I'm going to the arcade tomorrow" Danny said out loud before he let sleep take him away in those brown eyes and how he thought they would look tomorrow.

****

"Amber, the strangest thing happened to me at the midnight buffet last night/this morning." Rose Barnett said to her older sister as they walked off the boat together onto the Island of Nassau.

"What happened Rosey?" Amber replied.

"This boy Nathan Sinclair walked up to me and started talking to me, out of nowhere. He was so nice and friendly. He even asked me if we could have lunch together on the island. What does that mean?" Rose said.

"Call me crazy but I think this Nathan boy, likes you dear sister, and he wants to have lunch with you." Amber said sarcastically.

"I know that silly, but what do I do. I've never been out with a boy on a date and what do I tell mom?" Rose asked.

"Rose you already know that in all of my 19 years I haven't dated yet and in your 16 years you should already how to tell mom about this Nathan Sinclair. Wait, Nathan Sinclair! Is he a tall blond boy with green eyes?" Amber asked.

"Yea, how do you know?" Rose said.

"I met him yesterday he has an older brother named Danny." Amber said.

"Cool, now you can have lunch with us!" Rose exclaimed. "Oh no, slow ya roll cowgirl, I am not gonna have lunch with you guys!" Amber said.

"Please, please, please. Just think of it as your having lunch with your baby sister who really needs you and loves you. Please" Rose said with a sad pleading look on her face that she knew her sister couldn't resist.

"Ok, I'll go but we have to go into all the stores I want to go in first on this island, starting with the Louis Vouton knock-offs!" Amber said.

"Aww I hate that store, but deal!" Rose replied.

****

"Hey Danny, why don't you and I go have some lunch!" Nathan said.

"Where?" Danny asked.

"Uhmm, I haven't decided yet, let's just get off the boat right now and go see what there is to eat on the Island." Nathan said. Danny noted the suspicious tone of his brother's voice and then perked up.

"Why do we have to eat on the Island, what's wrong with the ship?" Danny asked.

"Nothing, it's just Uhmm... remember I was telling you about how I wanted to meet Ambers little sister?" Nathan said.

"Yea, so..." Danny said.

"Well, I did at the midnight buffet and I kind of asked her out on an informal date today and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me so me and her I won't be so nervous, please Danny?" Nathan asked. Danny thought about it a little, this could be the perfect opportunity for me to get to know more about Amber and if she is single or not.

"Yea, I'll go, but on one condition." Danny said.

"Name it!" Nathan replied. "You have to come with me snorkeling" Danny said.

Nathan groaned "Danny you know how much I hate seeing fish in their natural habitat! But ok, I will go!"

LUNCH TIME

"Hey look Danny, there she is, right where I asked her to meet me and look at that she brought her older sister!" Nathan said.

"I see, you didn't set this up did you?" Danny asked.

"No, no this is strictly fate! But I kind of wish I did think of that!" Nathan said.

"Oh yea right!" Danny said

"Whoa! That must be Danny, damn, he is cute! Amber why didn't you say anything?!" Rose said.

"What Danny's here too? No way! Did you do this on purpose Rose?" Amber asked whirling around to Danny and Nathan approaching them.

"No, I didn't even know he had a brother until you told me." Rose said.

"Told you what?" Nathan said as he walked up next to the sisters.

"Just that you had an older brother." Rose said smiling at Nathan who smiled brighter back at her.

"Oh so you don't tell people about me now, what are you ashamed, little brother?" Danny said jokingly while keeping his eyes locked on nervous Amber.

"You know bro, you are kind of dorky!" Nathan said rousing Danny from his daydream of him and Amber

"Oh shut up!" Danny said while popping Nathan on the back of his head, causing a shy giggle to come from Amber and Rose.

"So, where are we having lunch today boys?" Amber spoke up for the first time.

"Ooh, I wanted to take a boat over to the paradise resort and eat in there restaurant that has the big aquarium. If you guys want to." Rose said.

"Yea, that's fine with me." Nathan said.

The boat ride to the resort wasn't long. The water was beautiful and Amber couldn't take her eyes off of it. The one time she did she found Danny, who was sitting across from her staring at her with a curious look on his face, but she tried a bit unsuccessfully to think nothing of it.

****

Lunch with the Sinclair's was anything but boring. They talked like they all had known each other for years. Amber was finding that Danny wasn't just a pretty face, where Danny was finding that Amber definitely was not the shy girl he had met the day before in the arcade. "I've got to get her to talk to me more." Danny thought.

"He is amazing! I can't stop telling jokes, his laugh is so wonderful! I'm such a doof, he will never go for me, I just need to relax and get this over with. Yea, that's it relax, oh no he's smiling at me again, I can't take this!" Amber thought while standing up quickly. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom, I'll be back in a flash." Amber said.

****

Amber walked into the bathroom breathing a large sigh of relief that she wasn't in the presence of Danny anymore, he was making her so crazy. "Oh, God I don't want to fall for another guy who will only think of me as a really good friend, please help me God." Amber prayed.

God had different plans for Amber. "Yep and you won't my child, just go back and see what happens next." God said to himself.

****

"I guess our siblings are getting along great." Danny said while they were at the aquarium.

"Yea, they really seem to like each other." Amber said.

"My moms gonna jump for joy when she finds out about this." Danny said.

"Why's that?" Amber asked.

"Because this is Nathans first date, he's not really into girls yet, well he wasn't." Danny said with a smile.

"Yea, neither is Rose, this is her first date also. My mom's not gonna be too happy about this though." Amber said.

"Why not?" Danny asked.

"We really aren't allowed to date, more like my mom kind of has this unspoken rule that she would prefer us to hold off dating until we get to at least 33." Amber said with a laugh.

"You're kidding right?" Danny said.

"Nope, she's overprotective like that. It worked on me, but my brother and sister, not so much!" Amber said.

"Wait, so you've never been on a date before?! I find that ridiculously hard to believe." Danny said.

"Nope, never. Why is that hard to believe?" Amber asked.

"No reason, it's just interesting that's all. I thought maybe you had a boyfriend now, or have had one... Do you ever want a boyfriend or go out on a date?" Danny couldn't help it he had to know.

"Uhmm, I guess so." Amber replied before she could think about what he might be thinking of her.

"So would you like to go on a date with me maybe? Tonight?" Danny asked.

"What?! Are you serious? Why would you want to go out with me?" Amber said.

"Because you're interesting, and I think I like you." Danny replied.

That was all it took for Amber.

"Ok, what time?" Amber said.