Who knew how long that make-out session lasted, but it felt like an eternity, so much so, that Rachel didn’t even know when it ended. She was left stunned and stupefied.
Sadina didn’t stop there either, after that she took a sip of her drink and leaned in for another deep kiss, this she repeated for the extent of half an hour, Rachel yearning to kiss her more, longer, away from the gaze of everyone else. This woman drove her crazy, Rachel was completely wrapped around her finger, hook, line and sinker, absolutely no question about it. There was no escaping now and she didn't want to even if presented with the option.
Fuck, she had never felt this way about anyone, which is why the events to follow were so soul destroying.
Their make-out session drew to a conclusion and no sooner after that, whilst Rachel was still coming down from the dizzying heights of euphoric bliss, an unfamiliar guy took Sadina by her waist and pressed his lips against hers. Rachel, expelled out of her blissful moment by his sexist pig-like audacity, was about to call him out, when Sadina wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back in a show of complete contentment with the situation and disregard for her, even as he demonstrated a total lack of respect and copped a feel of her behind.
Seriously, what the actual fuck?
Rachel was left standing there mortified, looking at the two of them slowly slipping into the distance, out of her reach, left in a dark, cold void of her own shattered emotions. She just stood there once again like a complete fool, uncertain of what to think, what to do and what to say, as more fucking pests hovered around looking for the same opportunity with her perhaps; well fat fucking chance in hell.
That’s when she snapped. Anger? Envy even? She couldn't tell anymore, but she didn't need to question it because her actions thereafter did the explaining for anyone smart enough to decipher it. She grabbed Sadina's wrist and tried to pull her away from the guy, to which he reacted angrily, ordering her to back off, that Sadina was his, as though she had been relegated to just property. When Rachel responded in kind by telling him to fuck off, he resorted to crude behaviour, suggesting a threesome and that they'd both be privileged to share a specifically detailed, with indeterminate measurements included, part of his anatomy to which he expressed great pride.
She called him a pig and slapped him across the face, something she had never done before, nor had the courage to even think about doing, but suddenly she felt invigorated, empowered and boasting with courage, the courage to defend a clearly drunken Sadina, or at least that’s what she thought she was doing, Sadina’s horrified reaction and immediate condemnation of her reaction to his behaviour left her stunned. Not only did she chastise Rachel for hitting him, she then proceeded to undermine Rachel by labelling it just harmless sex, words that echoed on and on, breaking Rachel completely. What was wrong with her? Why did she say those things? Was it the alcohol speaking?
Her onslaught didn’t stop there either, she referred to Rachel as crazy, allowed her friends to laugh at her without saying a thing to them and said nothing still when that man shoved her aside.
Who was she? Rachel didn’t recognise this person? How had she gone from the most wonderful person in the world to the cruellest in just a few hours?
Rachel backed off, consumed with anger, overwhelming humiliation, bitterness and crushing, heartrending disappointment. It was all too much to take and she had no possible way to respond, so she just turned and ran, ran from the dance floor, ran from the club, ran all the way back home and hid in her room, where she remained for the rest of the night, distraught.
The remaining events of that night after Rachel left were murky at best, Rachel certainly didn’t want to remember it, she was quite content with moving on with her life and Sadina didn’t seem to remember much of it either, which didn’t come as much of a surprise given how much she had to drink. She probably fucked that guy too, not that Rachel cared or anything.
The preceding days around Sadina were incredibly awkward, not only because of what happened, but because Sadina had been the one to finally force her to confront and accept her exclusive interest in women, she was gay and it felt so weird thinking that. She still needed further confirmation of that, however and since it wasn’t going to be Sadina to help her there, she had to find another way to explore these new feelings and see where they eventually took her.
That night was only the beginning of several years that would continue to shape Rachel’s life and finally result in her standing here staring up at the magnificence that was a Starling cruise ship, reflecting on the events that led up to this very moment.
The ship was due to deport in a mere few hours and set sail for fourteen long days across the ocean towards the Caribbean.
Like a reflection of her life, this was going to be a new voyage, taking her on a new journey she couldn’t anticipate. When next she stepped upon this land, she would be an entirely different person, hopefully with a clearer perspective on some things, repaired relationships and a better understanding of what she wanted from life.
Taking a deep breath and squeezing her girlfriend’s hand, she took her first step onto the bridge leading to the vast marvel that was the MS Heaven of the Seas.
CHAPTER 2 - CHRISTINE
8:23am -
