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He bites his bottom lip and nods. “I did.”

“And I’ve decided that, yeah—” I shrug. “I guess you can be my boyfriend.”

“Oh yeah?” His eyes light up, and I begin to unbutton his shirt.

“Yeah.”

Chapter Sixteen

I leave Alex’s room sometime after midnight. He wants to walk me back to my room, but I feel like that’s just asking for trouble. Who knows where our partying parents are lurking, and it’s better if we’re apart, with plausible deniability. So, instead he puts his jacket around my shoulders and kisses my cheeks, watching me walk away with sleepy eyes.

I open my door quietly and tiptoe across the dark room so I won’t wake Wally up. But then I notice his perfectly made,emptybed. So, I guess he’s out wandering and reading his English lit textbook for fun again. I should be worried, but he’s made it pretty damn clear it’s none of my business. So, I put on my pajamas and pass out, letting Wally do whatever it is that Wally does.

When I wake up the next morning, the shower is running and steam is pouring out from under the door, so good, I guess. He didn’t fall overboard.

I get dressed quickly in a royal-blue high-waisted bikini with a green striped dress, and then head out the door before I have to struggle through an interaction with Wally. We’re docked in La Spezia today, and Alex and I have big plans to jump into the sea at Cinque Terre. I’ve seen so many pictures of the rainbow buildings perched precariously on the edges of cliffs, and I can’t wait to see it in person. And also cuddle up with Alex on the sand. But there’s something I want to do first.

When I get to the business center, it’s not empty like it was last time. There’s an older white man wearing a Jimmy Buffett uniform typing furiously, probably doingactualbusiness, and another guy closer to my age who is definitely just cruising Reddit. I take a seat as far away from both of them as possible and use the internet card Alex loaned me to log on to my email account.

There’s one message from Theo:

Tessa has informed me that she’s spoken with you, and I am offended. I trust you will recall that I was your friend first. The least you can do is send me photographs as you explore Bel Paese.

Sincerely,

Theodore

PS Tessa also tells me you’ve found a suitor. Please ensure that you examine his passport and that he is who he claims to be. Lavon has been making me binge-watchUnsolved Mysterieswith him onNetflix, and you are just the type to be kidnapped internationally.

PPS I guess I miss you, but if you tell anyone, I’ll deny it.

I roll my eyes and snort-laugh, earning a dirty look from Margaritaville Man. I send him one right back.

The rest of my emails are from Tessa, begging for updates on Alex, and I feel almost giddy as I connect my phone to the computer with a USB cord and send her the pictures from last night.

I jump when the video chat request comes through approximately two seconds later.

What the hell? It must be—I check the clock—past midnight there. Did she set up an alert or something? Knowing Tessa, she probably set up three.

I try to accept the video chat, but it fails each time. So, I open up a chat.

Lenore:Sorry, I’m not the only one using the computers today. I don’t think it’ll go through.

Tessa:TELL ME THE MEANING OF THESE ADORABLE IMAGES IMMEDIATELY.

Lenore:They had this formal night on board last night, so we went together

Lenore:Also, I guess he’s my boyfriend now

Tessa:AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Tessa:!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tessa:

I laugh again. I knew she would react this way, and I kind of love it.

Lenore:So are you excited then? I can’t tell