johnny

you're on a cruise ship that has a tragic accident and you meet a handsome stranger, who saves your life.

2056

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you stood on the deck of the enormous, fancy first class cruise ship that you had spontaneously won tickets for. one day you were driving home from a long day at work, and an overly energetic radio host was talking about some five-star cruise ticket giveaway. all you had to do was answer some questions correctly and boom! goodbye city life, hello mediterranean.

needless to say, you felt that a vacation would do you some good, so you called the radio station. i mean...which sane person would pass up the chance to go on a free vacation. two weeks later you boarded a giant boat headed for the mediterranean sea.

you gripped the rail lightly as the crisp ocean breeze swept through your hair, whipping it all around your face in every direction. you sniffed the fresh ocean air, and closed your eyes as you took in every smell, sound and feeling. this was so much better than working in a dingy office room, in front of a computer all day. it was peaceful, and there were only about a hundred passengers on board, as it was an exclusive, five-star cruise that only the affluent could afford. you were truly lucky.

"i don't think you should be standing so close to edge." a deep voice called out from behind.

you turned around and spotted a tall, brown haired male who stood a good distance away from you and the rail.

"i'm trying to enjoy my vacation, free of responsibilities and rules, so if you don't mind..." you trailed off, as you checked out the handsome male. your gazed shifted from his chocolatey brown eyes to his lips, to his b r o a d shoulders to thicc thighs down to his feet, and back up to his face.

"okay, fine, i didn't mean to bother you, i just wanted to start a conversation." he replied.

"well, why don't you come over here then...?" you asked, trailing off as you realized that you didn't know his name."

"my name's johnny...and i'll be staying over here." johnny said.

you laughed, "okay 'mr. johnny and i'll be staying over here' i'm y/n."

johnny smiled at your joke, "well, ms.y/n it would put my mind at ease if you were to step away from the rail for a bit and have a drink with me." mr. smooth operator said, offering his hand for you to take.

"oh alright, but only for your peace of mind," you replied coyly, placing your hand in his.

"yes of course." johnny replied.

you and johnny spent the next two hours chatting and drinking champagne while seated on the deck chairs, that johnny moved away from the rail. before having to leave, johnny asked for your number and promised to see you again.

-

it was nearing 7:00pm and you were tired of sitting in your room alone. you decided to go onto the deck and enjoy the sunset and hopefully meet someone to converse with. you grabbed a jacket and made your way upstairs, to the deck. it was fairly empty as most passengers were likely eating diner or preparing for bed.

you reclaimed your spot by the rail and closed your eyes when the wind gently caressed your face. you opened your eyes and admired the various hues of pink, orange and red on the horizon.

"i see you have resumed your gazing at an unsafe distance, when will you learn," a familiar voice said, teasingly.

"hello, johnny," you smiled, turning to face him. "join me, over here. take a ride on the wild side." you joked.

"i'm quite content where i am." he replied.

you thought momentarily before speaking, "are you always like this...so obedient to rules and observant of safety precautions?" you asked curiously.

"i wasn't always like this, i only started after my son was born, three years ago. his safety is my top priority." johnny replied honestly.

you almost choked, he has a son? "oh, you're married. where is your son now?" you asked calmly.

johnny chuckled sadly, "nice try, i'm actually divorced and my son is spending time with his mother in france."

"my apologies," you said a tad embarrassed.

"oh, no, it's oka-"

suddenly the ship lurched forward a bit jerking both you, johnny and anyone else on deck forward. the tranquility of the moment had been completely shattered. "are you okay?" johnny asked. you only nodded in response, noticing how the ocean waters churned and the wind blew a bit harder. the wind seemed to be steering the ship off course. a clap of thunder could be heard from above and soon it began raining lightly.

"all passengers on deck are strongly advised to go indoors now, as the weather is becoming unsafe." a voice on the intercom spoke.

just as you began to move, the ship jerked forward once again causing both you and johnny to fall. the rain was pouring heavily now, it quickly drenched your clothing. the deck was slick with rain water which made it even harder to walk.

"don't move!" johnny yelled, in order to be heard over the loud sound of thunder and the sound of heavy rain drops hitting the deck forcefully. you screamed as the ship jerked once again. the ship made a deafening creaking noise and then began to tilt. causing you to slide closer the edge.

johnny managed to latch himself to a pole with his legs and one arm. he stretched the other arm out in your direction. "y/n! grab my hand now!" he ordered.

you struggled, fighting against gravity to scoot close enough to grab his hand. every time you tried to move forward the slipperiness of the deck only made you slide back down. "i can't," you cried hysterically. the ship was only tilting more and more. the deck continually increased in steepness making it impossible to move forward.

i am gonna die, you thought. life was a bitch sometimes. you had won a ticket to death. this was just fate proving that winners could also be losers. sometimes you win a little only to lose a lot. a lot as in-your life.

johnny loosened his hold around the pole in order to reach further. "y/n this is as far as i can go, i need you to try!" he begged desperately. you gathered up your strength and began scooting closer, inch by inch. you were managing only my dragging yourself upwards and clawing at the ground. when your hand was within reach, johnny clasped his hand around yours and pulled you towards himself, using as much strength as he could muster.

johnny held you tightly to his chest, as you both gripped onto the pole for dear life. although you were in a relatively safer position you were still scared out of your mind. the ship had come to a standstill at an almost forty five degree angle.

suddenly you heard screams of sheer panic and desperation. you glanced over and watched as two passengers slid helplessly off of the slippery deck and plunged into the water. you couldn't bear to see the scene, so you buried your face in the crook of johnny's neck as you cried quietly.

-

the ship returned to normal after about an hour, the captain had managed to navigate around the enormous, jagged rocks that caused the ship to tilt in the first place. the captain announced that the cruise would not be able to be completed, as the ship was slightly damaged during the accident. he had also mentioned that there might be more freak storms along the way and it was unsafe to travel.

you and johnny sat on the deck, still damp, wrapped in blankets that were provided by the emergency evacuation team. since you two were first hand survivors, they asked you a few brief questions as the other passengers were evacuated from the ship into smaller ships and helicopters. there was so much going on.

the search and rescue team sent divers to look for the bodies of those who had drowned. while the other half of the team scoured the ship for these who had died in unfortunate circumstances. as people were being evacuated you overheard some stories of people who were inside, and had died in accidents caused by the tilting of the ship.

apparently there was a chef who was cutting vegetables when the ship jerked for the first time, somehow he stabbed himself in the stomach and died. some spoke of a woman who was in the shower during the accident. she had slipped, fallen, cracked her skull and died on impact. there was also a child who had been asleep and had rolled off of the bed, only to be crushed between the wall and the bed when the ship rocked. it was devastating

with all of these stories of death, and your own near death experience, you were traumatized.

you and johnny were told to wait on deck with a few other people for the rescue team to bring in more helicopters. there was a medical team on duty, there were tending the the injured and wounded. johnny amongst those being treated, he had dislocated his shoulder when he pulled you up using only his arm.

neither of you had spoken in while, both caught up in your own thoughts. your face expressed your thoughts quite clearly, johnny on the other hand had an eerily calm expression.

"johnny are you okay?" you asked , eyeing the bandage around his shoulder. he only nodded. "what are you thinking about?" you asked gently, wrapping the blanket tighter around your body. it was nearly 10:00pm and the frigid air still made you shiver.

"it's just...all day i had this feeling that something bad was gonna happen, and when i saw you for the first time by the rail...something clicked.." johnny replied.

"what do you mean?" you questioned quietly, noticing two helicopters that had just arrived.

"like...suddenly, i knew that something was gonna happen. something that would involve you and an accident. so without thinking, i began talking to you in an attempt to put you out of harms way." he continued, watching as more people were evacuated. "afterwards i thought everything was just fine and i was being paranoid, so i came outside to clear my mind and i saw you by the rail again...you know what happened after that.."

"well, at least we're safe..and um...thanks...for saving my life." you said, looking him in the eyes as he stared off into the distance.

his eyes met yours, "it's no problem...really."

you reached up and moved some of his damp hair out of his face, "do you think we'll ever see each other again, after this." you asked quietly, saddened at the thought of never seeing the handsome man, who saved you, ever again.

"i hope so...you have my number," he trailed off.

you reached into your damp jacket pocket. you felt the small slip of paper you had put there earlier on. you took is out and examined it. it was wet and the ink was a bit runny, but as if by some miracle, you could still see the numbers written messily on the paper.

"excuse me miss, there is one seat open in that helicopter," a lady from the rescue team said softly, as she pointed to the helicopter. "we need to get you all to land as soon as possible." she finished as she lead you to aircraft.

johnny watched sadly as you walked away, hoping that he'd see you again one day in a situation with favorable circumstances.

after you climbed into the helicopter, you looked back to see johnny waving at you. you sent him a smile and and waved back. he put his hand next to his ear in the shape of a phone and mouthed 'call me'. you nodded as a sign that you would do just that.

johnny watched as the aircraft flew away, watching as it grew smaller and smaller with each passing second.

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