Chapter 209

Somehow I was the one who was the most shy about leaving the cabin and venturing back out into what felt like ‘the real world’ compared to what had been happening in our bed that day. I’d spent time with Wanda and Becca that morning, and now Terra that afternoon. It wasn’t right, or fair.

But I guess it wasn’t wrong, either.

Cassidy, of course, couldn’t give a fuck if anyone felt weird about it. She wasn’t exactly proud of me for everything, but only because the word didn’t encompass all the stuff that was going on...

And, whether she was following Cassidy’s lead or had decided it herself, Terra didn’t seem to care that everyone knew what had been going on either. At the very least ‘my girls’ knew it all between Cass and Cattie.

My concern wasn’t necessarily that everyone knew and was more focused on specific people. Front and centre in my mind was sweet and cautious Ami, who I’d shared such a soft closeness with and now I felt like this was being thrown in her face not 24 hours later. Then, right behind her was Leia - I couldn’t be sure if she would take it in stride, or if she would withdraw into her more shy demeanour and not feel as comfortable with me. Which was a dumb thing to worry about considering she’d watched me with Ginnie, and then been going all out right in front of Cattie, but my worry was still there.

And, honestly, the fact that JC was third on my list of people to worry about made me feel worse.

Yeah, he’d asked for it to happen. I doubt he’d expected it to last so long. And we hadn’t exactly been trying to be quiet.

Dear God, please don’t have been sitting across the hall in their cabin, I thought ruefully. Hell, I hoped he hadn’t been anywhere on the same boat as us.

“Fuuuuck,” I sighed under my breath as I followed the girls out. Cassidy had quickly changed into a bikini top and shorts accompanied by her Batman cap and the sunglasses she’d bought at the gas bar.

“What’s wrong, baby?” Cassidy asked me, rubbing my back while Terra darted across the hall into her room, also needing to change.

“I’m worried,” I said.

“You’re always worried,” Cassidy tried to soothe me. “What are you worried about?”

“Where was JC during all this?”

“Over on the top deck of the Singles Boat,” Cassidy assured me. “At least for most of it. The college guys showed up about twenty minutes before I came down and he was on their boat when I joined you.”

“OK,” I nodded. “Alright, that’s good I guess.”

“But that’s not it,” Cassidy guessed and I shook my head. She hugged me and I leaned back against the corridor wall, so she pressed her cheek to my chest through my shirt. “Leia is totally fine,” she whispered. “Becca and I talked with Ami. She isn’t upset, but she wants to talk to you.”