It's been a few days on the boat. I haven't heard anything from Eli since we said goodbye, but I didn't text or call him either. I wasn't in a great mood at first but Tess soon cheered me up. So did some of the other people on the boat, but most of them are quite exhausting to be around. I do have a lot in common with one of Simon's brother's friends, Leon. He is training to become a chef and we talk about food, a lot. He's a vegetarian also and likes to read. So I've been spending most of my time with him, Tess and Simon.

"What would you like to drink?" Leon shouts into my ear over the bass of the music.

"A tequila shot is fine, and a glass of water, please," I shout back with a smile and he nods and saunters off into the kitchen.

I look around the boat and spot Tess at the front, pressed against the railing, Simon's tongue down her throat. Nothing new with them, I see.

A few guys are doing flips off the boat during a splash contest. Simon's brother always wins and he is not too shy to gloat about it.

I step out from under the sunroof, feeling brave and letting the sun caress my pale skin. So far, I have been lucky enough to avoid any serious sunburns. I slide my hands across the railing, gripping the hot metal in my fingers. Closing my eyes, I tilt my face upwards to the sun. All the noise around me fades into the background and I can't stop my mind from thinking about him. I wish he was here right now, hugging me into his strong body, telling me how much he missed me and... how he can't wait to make me scream his name. Shit. I cross my legs and press my thighs together, trying to alleviate some of the rapidly building tension.

"What are you thinking about, Ro? I'm intrigued to know what it is if it makes you look like that."

Leon's upbeat voice pulls me out of my daydream and I quickly whip around to face him. He throws a water bottle at me and holds up two tequila shots. No one ever calls me 'Ro' but Leon insists that it suits me.

"I think you're getting a little burnt, you're face is all red," he comments and points at my face.

I have only been standing in the sun for a few minutes but he doesn't need to know the real reason for my flushed skin.

"Thanks," I nod toward the water bottle in my hand. "Let's go back in the shade, then, so you can stop fretting,"

"Just looking out for you," he smiles, flashing his straight and somewhat too-white teeth. His blond-colored afro hair has a golden sheen to it and is always disheveled, at least it has been since he stepped on the boat. A straight nose, brown eyes and very full lips complete his face. Leon is good-looking, definitely, he's just not Eli. Actually, he is quite the opposite of Eli.

"You never answered my question," he says after we downed the shots.

"What question?"

"I asked you what you were thinking about."

"Oh, uh it's nothing really." I tried to wave it off but he didn't buy it. Leon is a smart guy, not at all gullible despite him looking the part.

"That's bullshit but it's fine if you don't want to tell me," he chuckles.

"I shouldn't have thought about it in the first place, so..."

"Why not?"

"Because I was told to try not to think about it while I am here," I shrug, trying to keep my voice nonchalant, to keep the longing out of it.

"So, you're running from something? Or someone?"

I shake my head and laugh lightly. "You are a smart one, you know that?"

Leon grins, "So it is a someone."

"Yeah, maybe." I can feel the frown forming on my face and I force myself to smile as I look up at Leon.

"I guess whoever told you not to think about that person was right, you look miserable." My mouth falls open at his blunt words and I am about to lecture him for his insult but he speaks before I have the chance to. "Let's change that."

In one smooth motion, I am hauled over his shoulder and he quickly walks over to the opening in the railing.

"No, Leon. Put me down," I scream and try to twist out of his hold. Now, his shoulder digs into my abdomen and I don't like the feeling of that. "Please, Leon, please don't do this," I beg but he ignores me. This is not the first time this happened. The girls on the boat, including Tess and I, have been flung into the water by the guys every single day. I just thought I could escape it today.

"Are you ready?" he asks

"Asshole," is my answer to his question and I can feel someone slap my butt before Leon jumps into the cold water.

After he helped me climb back onto the boat, I swing around and glare at him.

"Did you slap my butt?!" I sneer in anger and he immediately begins shaking his head.

"No, no, no that wasn't me, I swear." He holds his hands up in defense.

"Calm down, babes, it was me," Tess walks over and slaps my butt, again.

"Ow, can you stop that?" I ask her and she pokes her tongue out at me. "Sorry," I direct my apology at Leon.

"'Tis all good," he drawls, water droplets running down his dark skin, glinting in the sunlight.

Of course, it wasn't him, he's way too polite for that. I was a bitch for coming at him like that and assuming things.

Before we can resume any conversation, one of Simon's friends walks over and invites us to play never have I ever with the rest. Tess doesn't give us a chance to say no as she pulls us both towards the front deck of the boat and deposits us next to Simon as she gets comfortable on his lap.

I lean over to her. "I hate this game," I hiss in Tess's ear and she smirks.

"I know."

"Maybe I should've let Eli kill you," I sarcastically mumble under my breath.

"What?" Tess asks.

"Nothing," I sweetly smile and she narrows her eyes at me.

"Okay, let's do this! I'm gonna start," a girl with long blond hair declares loudly, catching everyone's attention. "Never have I ever done the nasty outside."

Almost everyone starts taking a sip except for Leon and two girls. I slowly lift my cup, thinking about what Eli and I did in his parents' garden and if that counts as 'the nasty'. I decide it does and take a sip, much to Tess's surprise it seems because she whips her head in my direction with lightning speed.

"Girl, what?" she whisper-yells and I just shrug my shoulders.

"I knew that man was gonna corrupt your innocent soul."

I blush and try to hide my grin. "You have no idea."

She smugly smiles at me, almost looking proud.

"Never have I ever swallowed after a BJ," someone else in the group shouts, a guy obviously and all the women drink as well as two of the men.

"I hate it, though," Tess says to me.

"Why do you do it then?" I ask her.

"I don't know, maybe I should stop," she contemplates.

"Yeah, maybe you should," I agree.

Tess is the next to shout something into the group and I swear, I wish she just kept her mouth shut.

"Never have I ever been with someone ten years or older."

I choke on my breath as soon as the words register in my mind and I know I could easily lie but surely I am not the only one who has been with someone older, so I drink. I look over the edge of my cup and notice I am actually the only one drinking. Great.

"Oooh, someone has daddy issues," one of the older guys shouts and his friends snicker. Simon's brother slaps him over the back of his head and pointedly looks at him when he speaks the next prompt.

"Never have I ever cheated."

The guy who made the daddy issues comment curses at Simon's brother and takes a drink. Two others do, too. One of them is Leon. I quickly avert my eyes after watching him drink, not wanting to appear judgy or nosy. It is hard to not judge him for it, though. Especially since someone so dear to me has gone through it.

After that, the game became more and more about sex and kinks and people started to drink less and less. I already stopped after 'Never have I ever done butt stuff' and 'Never have I ever been tied up during sex'. And those were some of the more harmless prompts. Nevertheless, I am quite drunk at this point.

"Let's play something else, this is getting boring," says the girl with the blonde hair who started the game.

"How about truth or dare?" the man next to Leon suggests, holding up an empty vodka bottle.

A few people leave to make out, go to bed, or get something to eat but most people stay for the new game.

I have a hard time following some of the dares and questions but laugh along when I do catch a funny story or a dude named Cory has to run three laps on the boat with only one sock to cover up his junk.

Tess has just gone to the bathroom and Simon is talking to his brother as the bottle spins again and lands on Leon.

"Truth or dare?"

"Dare," he chooses and squares his shoulders, readying himself for whatever his friends will throw at him.

"I dare you to kiss Romy."

My mouth falls open but I quickly regain my composure.

"Oh no," I chuckle weakly, "I have a boyfriend. Choose someone else, please."

"Come on, Ro. It's just a game and your boyfriend doesn't need to know, right?" Leon says, a little annoyed.

So, I was right to judge him for cheating. Even worse, he is fine with making a cheater out of others.

"No, I'm serious. I am not going to kiss you."

"Ouh, rejected," one of his mates hollers and before I can look who it was, my face is gripped between two hands and Leon's tongue is in my mouth. My eyes are wide open in shock and my senses kick in, telling me to pull back, which I do. He doesn't let me go, though, his hold unrelenting. I do the only thing I can think of, biting down on his tongue. It does the trick. He pulls back immediately and looks at me with anger.

"What the fuck was that?!" he yells but I don't even hear him. Neither do I hear the shouting that starts ensuing in the background. The kiss didn't last for more than a few seconds, still, my vision goes blurry and soon tears are streaming down my face.

The only thought on my mind is Eli. Fuck, how could I be so stupid? I need to talk to him, I need to see him. Shit shit shit. He is never going to forgive me.

I jump up and run toward the cabins and bathrooms. A sob breaks free just as Tess walks into my line of vision. She takes in my hysteric state and stops me.

"Hey, what happened? Are you okay?"

I am crying too much to be able to talk so she tries to calm me down, telling me to breathe with her.

"Talk to me Romy, what's going on?" she asks again, her voice gentle.

"Eli, E-Eli he he's go- go- gonna hate me-e-e," I sob, throwing my arms around her neck. Dang, the amount of alcohol I have consumed is making me very dramatic.

"Shhh, it's fine. Eli could never hate you. What happened?"

"Le-Leon, he, he kissed me."

"What?! Why?" Tess pulls us apart to look at my face.

"I-it was his dare. I need to see Eli, please Tess, I need to leave, I don't want to stay here."

"Okay, okay calm down. I get it but everyone here is drunk which means no one can drive you. And a taxi will be too expensive. And we are on a lake, shit!" she runs her hands through her hair.

Fuck, she's right. I am stuck here. Fucking stuck. This thought makes me panic even more and I start to hyperventilate.

"No, no, no, Tess, I can't. I can't stay here. I want to see Eli, I don't want to stay here, please."

"Alright, okay. Come with me." My best friend grabs my hand and leads us into our cabin.

"Do you have your phone?" she asks me after sitting me down on the bed and handing me a bottle of water.

"Yeah, but it's dead."

"Okay, you can use mine, it's on the nightstand there. Call Eli or Bennett. I will go talk to Simon and his brother and organize a jetski or whatever someone can come pick you up and bring you to shore."

"Thank you, Tess. You are the best." I try to force a smile but I'm sure it makes me look kinda insane.

"Of course, babes. I'm always here for you. And I am gonna have a word with that dick, Leon. Trust me." Her glare isn't directed at me but I still feel a little scared of her whenever she gets this look in her eyes.

I wince as she speaks his name and she hugs me once more before leaving to hunt down Simon.

I pick up her phone and look for Eli's contact but Tess doesn't have his number. I start crying again but my brain forces me to stay somewhat calm and I manage to call Bennett. He picks up after a few rings and after hearing the tone in my voice, he immediately hands the phone to Eli when I ask for him.

"Hey, darling. What's wrong?" his hoarse and deep voice reaches my ears, calming me down and making me lose a sob at the same time.

"Romy?" he asks, now more alert.

"Please, come get me?" my voice is wobbly and frankly a little whiny but I don't care. I just need to be held by Eli and I need to know that he can forgive me for what happened.