The Cruise Ch. 02

Carter had a fitful night's sleep. He always did in a hotel. Whether it was because he had to be up and ready by a certain time or the fact it wasn't his bed, he didn't know. It always upset Jess that he tossed and turned when they weren't at home., This one was no exception. It also didn't help that he wasn't going to be able to talk to Kallie for the time he was gone.

He was up way earlier than he needed to be but he knew if he stayed in bed he'd wake Jess up. She was FAR from a morning person the way it was and didn't want to add to it. He showered and dressed for the warm weather he knew was in store. Quietly he closed the door to their room and walked to the lobby. He wanted to find a newspaper and a little breakfast.

Riding down the elevator his mind was suddenly filled with images of Kallie. She was never far from any thought but this time it seemed there was something more. As elevator doors opened, he heard a laugh in the hall that caught his attention. It sounded like her. He turned just as the second set of elevators closed.

"This is going to be a long week if I keep hearing her," he thought to himself with a slight shake of the head.

Carter walked into the little area for the continental breakfast, he got his and sat by some of Jess's family who were already there just finishing up theirs. They talked about the upcoming day and how they were all excited about the vacation ahead of them.

After awhile he was about to go check on Jess when she walked into the room. Her family decided to go get their things together. The shuttle would be arriving soon and they had to be ready. That left the two of them alone for a few minutes.

"Everything's ready, all we have to do is find a cart to haul it all down," Jess said with a smile. "Having the one night bag was a good idea, kept everything from getting out of order."

They left for the room shortly after to get their things. It was nice that Jess was actually being agreeable. Of course the morning was early and it could all change at the drop of a hat. .

****

Kallie slept soundly for a couple of hours, but woke up from a dream. She knew she wouldn't be getting back to sleep the rest of the night. So she turned the TV on softly, hoping it wouldn't wake Alex, which thankfully it didn't. She dozed occasionally, but never for longer then fifteen minutes at a time.

Alex was an early riser and when he woke up he looked over at her and just shook his head He could tell she'd had another night of not sleeping soundly. It seemed to be routine for his wife so he didn't even bother with a comment.

"I need coffee," was all she said when she saw the look on his face.

They both showered and dressed. Kallie let out a little whimper as she looked at the clock before they headed downstairs for a little breakfast. What she would have given for more sleep.

Kellies' breath caught slightly as they walked into the little room and she saw some of Jess' family sitting there. She recognized them from some of the pictures Carter had sent over the few years they had known each other. She breathed again when she remembered that they had no idea who she was.

"Not to bad," Kallie said when she sipped her coffee "Not Dunkin's, but it'll do for now," she said with a little giggle. Alex just smiled as he always did with her quirkiness. They sat and enjoyed light conversation as they ate, talking about the places they would stop, things they would see...

"We should get packed and ready to go," Kallie said, feeling more alive, after her second cup. "Our shuttle leaves in like an hour," she said standing.

As they waited for the elevator Kallie had a thought. What if Carter was in this other elevator which was about to stop? She was lucky though, their elevator opened moments before the other stopped. She quickly moved into it giggled as she bumped into Alex almost spilling her coffee.

****

Kallie and Alex boarded the shuttle and sat waiting a couple of minutes for it to fill. She started to get that anxious feeling again and wondered if something was about to happen. Especial in such a close space, Carter's reaction would be visible. The little bus finally filled and began to pull away.

It was just as she saw Carter wheel a cart with luggage out the door for the next shuttle. She was thankful the windows were tinted as dark as they were or he might have seen her.

She blinked hard and let out a deep breath as she realized how close it had been yet again. She smiled lightly when she also realized what had caused the anxious feeling. It was Carter. Being just that close to him was setting her senses to high alert.

Kallie and Alex were the typical tourists on their way to the boat, admiring the amazing scenery as they cruised along through the traffic. This was their first real vacation they had taken together and she wanted to soak in every bit of it.

As they arrived at the boat terminal, the shuttle pulled into the VIP parking to let them off. Kallie had paid a little extra for it on Carters advice. The VIP part allowed them to board the ship ahead of the people without it, which was good considering she knew Carter wasn't far behind them and he had paid for the same service.

They breezed through the registration and quickly found their cabin. Alex offered to help Kallie unpack before they went out to the deck, which almost floored her. He never seemed to make offers like that.

When they had everything put away, the two of them decided to go explore the ship a little. Wanting to get a little familiar with where things were and which clubs and shops looked interesting.

****

Carter loaded their luggage onto a cart and headed toward the elevator with it. The morning seemed to be going pretty uneventfully with the exception of thoughts of Kallie flooding his mind earlier. He simply wrote it off as already missing her and hoped it might lessen as the week went on.

As the elevator neared the lobby, he felt it again. The thoughts and images of her bombarded him like never before. He blinked hard a couple of times and thought to himself, "You're losing it. It's really going to be a long week if it's like this already."

He wheeled the cart through the lobby and out the door as the shuttle started to pull away. There was no reason to panic; knowing they had VIP service and another shuttle would be leaving in about 30 minutes. That was the one they were supposed to be on anyway.

Once they were at the dock, they had a little trouble getting through to the boat, as the cruise line had a minor computer glitch. Once that was resolved they breezed through just as the VIP program had promised.

They quickly unpacked their things in the cabin and headed directly to the pool deck for a light lunch and the upcoming bon voyage celebration. After they ate, they found a couple of lounge chairs pool side and ordered drinks, sipping them while they watched the people.

Jess excused herself to the restroom leaving Carter alone by the pool. He closed his eyes lightly, soaking the warmth of the mid day Florida sun. His eyes had only been closed for a moment when he started to get a strange feeling, like something was about to happen.

He opened his them again and looked around. Not seeing anything out of the ordinary, he closed them again with the same feeling still persisting. It was then he heard something.

****

Kallie and Alex roamed the ship. Soon they found their way to the pool deck. "Excuse me," Kallie heard as someone almost ran into her coming through the sliding doors.

"No problem," she replied. She had to stop herself from saying Jess's name. There was really no way she would be able to explain to her how she knew the woman's name. If her plan worked out right, they would be introducing themselves soon enough.

"You okay?" she heard Alex ask.

"I'm great hun," she said with a smile.

She felt the smile brighten and her cheeks flush a little when she saw Carter sitting alone. It appeared to be the last couple of empty lounge chairs next to him. It was suddenly the perfect way to say hello.

"Why don't I find us some chairs while you go get us some drinks?" Kallie said to Alex and gave him a little peck on the cheek. She watched him walk away and thought to herself, "No time like the present."

She walked towards Carter, her stomach doing flip flops, wondering if she should. "Am I really doing this?" she said softly as she walked. Gaining all her courage she stood next to his chair.

"Excuse me, are these chairs taken?" she asked with a smile.

She was about to ask again, thinking he hadn't heard her, when Carter's face changed expressions. First it was relaxation, and then to one of complete surprise as it hit him. She was here.