Addy noticed the flirtacious glances from the guy she was checking out and smirked. That smirk fell slightly when Julius had to bring his big head into the mix, making Addy realize they were friends. Then, just to add to the great vacation, the guy that Delilah was arguing with was with them too! She grinned mischieviously at the sudden idea that popped into her head when she figured out that Julius was trying to piss her off.

She went under the water to matt down her wild mane of hair and popped her head back to the surface with a graceful hair flip. How did she make it fall to her back with out hair just flopping into her face like an idiot? She honestly had no clue. She swam over to the stairs and slowly climbed out, swaying her hips slightly to give off an air of confidence. Addy looked over her shoulder to the group of three, biting her bottom lip and winking at them before going over to grab a towel and wrapping it around herself.

Addy was not one to lose. If Julius wanted to play games and piss her off, she wasn't going to give him that satisfaction. She looked around for Yuki and Delilah, suddenly noticing her friends disappearing. Addy groaned softly and decided to go in search for her friends.

---

Thankfully Jules had come to Jar’s rescue, as it was obvious that he was floundering in his own feelings. “I’m done with the pool. Shall we go find Hunter?” Julius asked him and Jar looked up from the water with a “Huh? Oh… yeah… I--” words were escaping him, which was an uncommon occurrence for the musician. “You’ll never guess who else is on this cruise, man.”

Hunter apparently didn’t need to be found, because he had made his way to the pool just then. “GUYS!” he said to grab their attention. “Guess what! I heard a rumor that they have other pretty girls away from this pool! Let’s go anywhere else but here!” Jareth nodded, now that was a suggestion he could get behind. At the mention of pretty girls, Jar briefly flicked his eyes over to the rocker chick who was checking him out earlier in time to see her exiting the pool. And god damn, did she make an exit look good, swaying her hips before turning and winking while she bit her lip. Was that directed at just him? He couldn’t be totally sure… Not that it mattered, the invitation would be incredibly tempting had he not just run into the only ex-girlfriend he had.

“You know, I think I might just turn in for the night. I think all of exhaustion from travelling has me hallucinating or something. You guys can hit the upper decks or whatever, I’ll see you in the morning.” Jar explained to his friends before hopping out of the pool with much less grace than the pretty red-head had. It’s true that he was tired, it was getting pretty late after all, and he hoped that he was hallucinating, but in reality he just wanted to be alone for a little while.

Jareth arrived at their suite after a few minutes in the elevator. He started with a shower to rinse away the harsh pool chemicals before changing into a Marilyn Manson tank top and black and grey checkered shorts that he’d sleep in. After unpacking his acoustic guitar from it’s case, he headed out onto the balcony with it. His somber mood and the way the moonlight shimmered on the waves might make for an interesting muse. Jar plucked out a wordless tune in B minor as he stared out into the sea.

---

It was rare to find Jar in a state like this one, spaced out and at a loss for words. It was qutie easy to see for Jules that something was bugging his friend. “You’ll never guess who else is on this cruise, man.” Jar uttered to him. It seemed Jules wasn't the only one running into people he didn't want to meet here. "Not someone nice if it reduces you to this sorry state." he jested and grinned, hiding his own annoyance as well as he could. One of them moping around was bad enough. Furthermore, he wouldn't give Addy the satisfaction of knowing that she bothered him. "Seriously though, who?"

Hunter made his entrance with a smile. However, his words betrayed that something had to be bothering him as well. Jules had a feeling that something was bothing Hunter as well, because he was rather eager to get out of the pool. Yet, this suggestion suited Jules so well that he discarded that thought. It was then that Jules lost to his curiosity and looked behind him, towards where Addy should be. The girl made an exit that could be described as borderline divine. The feelings that welled up from inside Jules were a mixture of interest and disgust. He wasn't sure at this moment if the disgust was aimed at Addy, or at himself for feeling interest. Either way, the disgust escaped him as a low pitched hiss. He could see Jar staring as well. It seemed Addy had decided to not give up that easily, but Jules still felt like he had the upper hand here. "So busy with guys, she didn't even notice that her friend nearly fainted minutes ago." he said softly and shook his head. No way he was allowing her to actually look good in front of his friends. "Yeah, let's get out of here."

It was too bad that Jar wasn't feeling well enough to join them. Jules on the other hand eagerly headed to the upper decks. He'd very much like to see the pretty views that Hunter spoke of. Although, he still wasn't sure if Hunter was talking about girls or the actual view. Jules had enough of ladies for today. On the other hand, the sight of the ocean from the ship was truly breathtaking. The hour had grown late and the darkness of night filled the sky. The sky was illuminated by a half moon and the light of many stars, shining brightly now that they were away from the city lights. Jules leaned on the railing, taking in the view and emptying his mind. The crowd slowly grew thicker as time passed. Jules turned to Hunter"Exactly what I needed. Today has been the worst." Jules sighed "How was your day, anyway? Were the slides any good?"

When Hunter and Julius got to the upper deck he felt alive. The wind going by him, the fresh air, the great view, he almost felt sober, in a good way. Hunter walked over to the railing and stood on the lowest bar. Then his friend asked his a question he really wasn't sure how to answer. "Slides? Never got to go... Was to busy handling a legal matter. Which hopefully I won't have to deal with until I get back to shore. But other then that, my time was great! I... I... I..." He was at a loss of words, he wasn't able to speak for a moment. Then he snapped back to his own head. "I'm great!"

Hunter jumped off the railing and turned around to face Jules. "I feel amazing..." Hunter said with a smile, his face seemingly broken as he spoke. "You know, other then meeting my ex girlfriend who's father put me in jail and now I get to live with just how stupid I can be, but other then that I am fucking awesome!" He said throwing his hands into the air and landing them back back on the railing as he turned to face the ocean again. "I mean, it's not like I asked her to try and stop me. It's not like I didn't know what I was doing..." He grabbed the flask from his pocket and took a sip from it.

He signed with relief as he lowered again. "Apple juice... My damn instructor was kinda right... it's a decent sub. Real stuff works better but apparently I make stupid decisions when I am drunk." He looked at the apple juice filled flask in his hands that his AA instructor gave him. Then he threw it off the side of the ship. Apple flying out of the top of it as it flew. "Jules? Can I ask something of ya? How do you handle dealing with an ex who has the ability to fuck over your life by just a flick of her wrist?"

---

Jar woke up early, much before the other guys. Despite the rockstar-partier lifestyle he led, he always was an early riser. Normally he used the quiet early morning hours to get a workout in, preferably running through the woods and trails behind his apartment. Jar wasn’t a meathead by any standards, but keeping up his appearance for stage presence and sex appeal was important to him. Plus, sometimes he simply needed the quiet time to settle his demons and think straight.

With teeth brushed and hair finger-combed into a tantalizing ‘I just got out of bed’ look, Jar was out the door. He wore black basketball shorts and an old NIN tank top that had the sleeves and neck cut out so that it was so low-cut on the sides that it was practically like being shirtless. Jareth headed back up to the eleventh deck of the ship. Along with the Solarium 18+ pool and waterpark, this deck also sported Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center, equipped with state-of the art machinery. Some of the snobby rich folk were getting seaweed wrapped massages or some shit, but Jar was just looking to get his morning run in and found the nearest treadmill.

After popping in his earbuds, Jar hopped onto the treadmill and started with a slow jog. The view out of the window was stunning, It looked like he was literally running on top of the ocean’s waves. He’d never seen such a pretty blue before… that was a lie… it looked just like her eyes. Jar shook the thought of her out of his head and turned up the volume a few more clicks, surely the screaming guitars would drown out such thoughts. Jar instead chose to think about his friends. He should apologize for bailing out on them randomly last night… but, they were close enough to know that he was prone to his moods.

Some amount of time had passed and Jareth found his heart beating almost as fast as the double bass pumping into his ear drums. It was time for a cooldown and Jar had managed to figure out how to gradually decrease the machine’s speed. His sweat was causing locks of hair to stick to his cheeks and neck, so he used the complimentary gym towel to wipe it off. His breath was coming in ragged puffs and he realized that he should really cut down on his smoking, which had unfortunately increased since the breakup. In need of refreshment, Jar stopped at the drink bar to grab a water or whatever tropical juice blend tickled his fancy.

---

---

Clover's been in the gym for about thirty five minutes before she realizes anything is a miss.

The ginger girl had tried her hardest to sleep in that morning and not work out, she was on vacation after all, but in the end she hadn't been successful in that endeavor. She just kept imaging applying for the police academy after graduation and failing the physical exam by one push up, all because she decided to slack off during her spring break. If she didn't become a conservation officer, than what the hell was she going to do with a degree in ecology and wildlife conservation?

'I'd starve, that's what I'd do,' she thinks to herself a little facetiously as she re-racks her weights and heads over to the treadmills. Clover hadn't really put a lot of work into her appearance before coming to the fitness center, she was just going to get all sweaty and gross anyways, what was the point? The lithe girl had just put her hair up in a ponytail, slapped on some deodorant, pulled on her sneakers, and headed out the door. Clover stuffs her earbuds in and by the time the freckled girl actually starts running, Nicki Minaj and Beyonce are well into singing about how they where feeling themselves.

Once she'd started to warm up, Clover let her mind drift, thinking about how unlucky Delilah and Addy were. Seriously, what were the odds of running into both of their exes on this ship? 'That would the worst,' she muses, her stomach twisting a little at the thought of seeing her old boyfriend here. She tries to stop that train of thought, but she's never been the best at that sort of that thing, so she decides to people watch instead and just pray that it runs it's course. Her blue eyes drift from passenger to passenger, until they finally land on a man that looks awfully familiar for some reason. Clover is panting at this point and she squints to try and get a better look at him.

'...Is that Jar?'

Was the universe really this cruel?

He was standing at the drink bar, looking as handsome as ever with his perfect hair and his stupidly adorable cheek bones and Clover was in the rattiest t-shirt she owned and she was going to set this whole ship on fire and then swim back to shore because she wasn't ready to face him and pretend like she wasn't devastated that one day he had just decided over a bowl of popcorn that they weren't going to work and she was going to have to move to Africa to get away from this man and--

Somewhere, in the midst of her panicked ramblings, Clover actually forgets to run. The convener belt keeps rolling and soon the redhead is falling backwards, her arms pin wheeling comically before she losses her footing completely and falls flat on her back. “Hgn,” she says pitifully, her chest heaving as she tries to get her wind back and hopes that by some miracle he didn't see her.

"Well, if it makes you feel better. You're not the only one that has to deal with his ex on this damn ship. That said, mine ran away the moment she saw me." He sighed, he was feeling rather sorry for Hunter. What kind of crazy ex did he have? He made her sound like the daughter of some maffia boss, save for the legal part. Jules grinned when Hunter asked him how he would deal with this, Hunter knew that Jules had a thing for getting his way with people. "Well, first of all. It'd be one hell of a legal battle. My father has a pretty great legal team at his disposal and my sister's a pretty darn good lawyer as well." Jules actually didn't speak often of his family, not even to his friends. Even though he was rather well off, the familial situation was rather messy. "In your case, however, it sounds like you are dealing with someone far above you in status and resources. It's going to depend a lot on a person-by-person basis, but there are a few nice general life lessons."

Jules leaned back on the railing put his hand to his chin and closed his eyes, his standard thinking pose, for a few seconds. He then opened his eyes and spoke slowly "First of all, be proactive. Take action and get resolve it. If you wait to take action until something happens, that something will probably be bad for you. f she's the one that can destroy you, act to resolve before she can do so." Jules then rose two fingers "Second, think win-win. It's much easier to resolve something with someone if they get something out of it. Also, consider what your win is in this situation and work towards that." He then rose the third finger "Lastly, the most important one: Seek first to understand, then to be understood. Listen damn well to her and genuinely try to understand her. That makes a person more likely to listen to you and understand you and seek a positive solution." These were some pretty general lessons, but they weren't often utilized well or at all. They were actually three habits of seven used for attaining goals and character ethic. The other ones wouldn't really help this situation. Jules put the hand he was holding up on Hunter's shoulder "Keep those in mind and try to work something out. Can't really help more without actually knowing her, sorry for that." He smiled as got up from his leaning position "Alright then, I'm off to bed. Good night."



Somehow when he woke up, he had the short hope that yesterday had been a dream. A bad dream in which he goes on a cruise with his friends and meets his ex. Maybe today was truly the day that they would depart. But no, everything was real. He was stuck on this ship with Addy. Then again, were things truly that bad? She wanted to avoid him like the plague and he wanted nothing to do with her. He knew that wasn't really possible. His mood just darkened whenever he saw her. Whenever they'd run into eachother, they'd ruin eachother's day even without doing anything. Maybe he should take his own advice and work things out? Or maybe he should devise an alternative plan, one that involves his entertainment at the cost of hers? That would certainly keep his spirits up. If he couldn't remove her presence, he could at the very least use it to his advantage if he got the chance. He stopped the train of thought. These were actions to be decided at a later moment, or maybe not at all. Maybe it turned out he lived in the reality where the astronomically small chance of not encountering eachother at all for the rest of the vacation was the truth? He could only hope as much.

Jules slowly got out of bed and walked directly into the bathroom. He undid himself of his boxers and showered for at least a good fifteen minutes. He took the time to contemplate his next action. Ultimately he decided to give the library a try. There were few things as relaxing as a good book. Maybe there was something he could borrow for the trip to keep his mind from the things he didn't want to think about. He brushed his teeth and dressed himself in jeans and a white blouse. The library was about a ten minute walk from his room, and rather uneventful. He looked around as he walked, mentally noting interesting places to visit at least once during his stay. He walked accross this one restaurant that looked like it served some legit French cuisine. Maybe that would be where he'd get his dinner tonight.
When he finally arrived at the library, he was actually rather surprised by its size. He hadn't expected a library on a cruise to have a selection of books this large. He waded through the bookshelves, looking for anything of interest. Eventually he stumbled upon a section filled with tragedies. He went by the books one by one, looking for any writers he knew. Jules had a weird thing for tragedies. They were the kind of stories he enjoyed the most. Perhaps just the right book he needed was hidden somewhere in these shelves.

---

Delilah, being the over-dramatic diva that she was, hadn't simply settled for getting a massage at the spa: she'd come to the conclusion that this crisis she had faced required a much deeper, intense therapy. And so, the sneaky girl had managed to charm the spa's personnel and got a chocolate facial and mani-pedi to further lift her spirits. By the time she was strutting out of the spa with no tension in her back, glowing skin and and freshly-painted pink glitter nails (call her childish, but there was nothing Lila loved more in her nails than pink glitter polishes even if they were a nightmare to remove later), the sun had set and stars shone like diamonds on a velvet, dark-blue sky. A chilly breeze lightly played with her chocolate locks of hair, and Delilah wrapped her arms around herself to keep warm. She rummaged through her bag in search of her phone and gasped when she read the time on the screen. There were also a few messages from Clover and Adelisa worriedly asking about her whereabouts, so she quickly responded to them before taking the elevator back to their suite.

The whole Hunter situation had dampened her excitement about the cruise for a while, but sometime during her massage she'd come to the conclusion that this was actually the perfect opportunity to show him just how irrelevant he was in her life. What had he offered her in the first place anyway, other than headaches and problems? Their short-lived relationship had actually been quite sweet at the beginning, but from the moment she'd discovered his alcoholism, tried unsuccessfully to get him to recover, grew resentful of this and realized had absolutely nothing on her, it was clear that things were set up for failure. The 'hitting her with his car' incident had just been the nail in the coffin. There was also the fact that they hadn't been intimate... But now, at least in Lila's eyes, that had probably been a blessing and destiny's way of telling her she was barking up the wrong tree.

In conclusion: Delilah Christine Duclerc deserved much better than Hunter Monroe. And she was damn sure she was going to get it.

Back in her usual confident, queen-of-the-world attitude, Lila took a quick shower, dolled herself up a little and enjoyed some dinner at the Italian place she'd seen earlier before having a few drinks at the Suite Lounge bar in the fourteenth floor. By the time she had made her grand exit calling it a night and heading back to her suite for her mandatory beauty rest, she'd managed to score three different phone numbers and hadn't had to pay for a single drink. All in all, it had been a productive day.

---

It was nearly eleven o'clock when Delilah's eyes slowly opened in welcome of a new day. As she rubbed her eyes and mustered up the strength to get out of bed, she thought about how it was actually quite a miracle that she was up this 'early', since her normal wake-up time during vacations and weekends was after twelve o'clock. When she finally stood up, Lila headed to the bathroom for a quick shower and got dressed for the day in a white crochet bikini, a spaghetti-strapped V-necked mint green cover-up dress, white flip-flops and a small white beach bag. She glammed up her lips with a magenta-pink lip gloss, let her brown hair loose and nearly bathed herself with her signature sweet-fruity body splash (as usual), because there was no way in hell she'd be walking around smelling like nothing. Lila sent a quick text to Clover and Adelisa explaining her plans in case they wanted to join her at any point before putting on her Oakley sunglasses, exiting their suite and heading down to the main dining room in the second floor.

Lucky for her, the cruise had a breakfast buffet that lasted until 12 PM, so she was able to stuff herself with scrambled eggs, pancakes, toast and sausages along with a tall glass of strawberry lemonade while examining her options of what to do next. Seeing as she didn't have the chance to visit the Solarium the past day because of stupid Hunter (it seemed he always found a way to ruin everything), Lila decided to head over there as soon as she finished her brunch. After all, how else was she supposed to meet potential babes and maintain that gorgeous natural tan of hers? Later, she planned to visit Johnny Rockets for a late lunch to enjoy one of those bacon, mushrooms and Swiss cheese burgers she enjoyed so much (with fries and a chocolate shake, of course!), take a nap at her room and maybe swing by the ice skating rink before it was time to head back to the suite to get ready for the night. According to the cruise schedule, there was a deck party happening tonight at the fourteenth floor, and that was something that Lila did not want to miss.

Once at the eleventh floor, Lila marveled at the gorgeous architecture and decoration of the paradise-like Solarium. It was set to resemble a beach-side hotel complete with palm trees and hammocks, but the definite highlight of the place were the hanging jacuzzis made completely out of glass panes to give off a floating illusion and at the same time have you experience the most stunning view of the open sea. This time, Lila brought only the essentials with her: her room key, phone, earphones, lip balm and tanning oil; so she was able to place them in a free locker for safekeeping before walking over to one of the hanging jacuzzis. She carefully stepped into one of them and let out a small gasp of delight at the comfortable temperature of the water: just cool enough to feel refreshed while the blazing sun warmed up her skin. Sitting with her back to the deck and facing the view of the deep blue ocean waters, Lila cracked a satisfied smile. This was the life.

Hunter thanks Jules as he left for bed. But Hunter stayed on the upper deck, he wasn't ready to face the next day. So he just started walking. He walked for what seemed like hours, so many hours. My close to midnight he was on one of the lower decks viewing the ocean. Such a view, a view that makes him feel like nothing is going to be bad anymore, like nothing could go wrong. "If only things could be this nice... just this moment... forever." He walked to the edge of the deck looking into the ocean below. "If only..." By the time he snapped back to his senses he realized he was gripping the railing tight enough his hands had started to go cold from the cool air.



Hunter woke up with a thud onto the floor. He doesn't remember making it back into bed, what he does remember is the side of the ship, and the ocean below. He stood up wearing only a shirt and his underpants. "Where the hell are my pants? And..." He looked at the shirt he was wearing. "Who's shirt is this?!" After shouting he held his head in pain, so much pain. Hangovers. He worked his way over to his bag where he kept his "Anti Hangover kit" ready. Which consisted of Tums, Excedrin, apple juice, and bail money.

It wasn't too bad this morning but it still hurt like hell. Hunter eventually decided to go out and get some food once he noticed everyone else was already gone. Where was somewhere good to get food at almost mid day? Then he remembered he was on a cruise ship! Anywhere was good to him! Eventually working his way out of the suite he found a place with some really awesome pancakes, some of which he decided to carry on him for the day for later. Though with out a box he just kinda awkwardly walked around with a plate in his hands. Soon he found himself sitting in one of the lounge chairs on the upper decks again. Something about this place relaxed him. Just the ability to be so high up, to feel so free, and yet, feel so safe. And with Pancakes at that! To him the pancakes made his day, as long as he didn't run into Delilah again the rest of his day should be fine. He wasn't made at her, just felt guilty. Seeing her made it worse.

Thinking back on that day started to make him feel like crap. He set down the plate as his hand started shaking. "Just... get it through your thick skull... nothing goes as planned. You should have known that... It happens every time. You make a stupid choice and then someone gets hurt. Way to go asshole." He spoke to himself as he fell back in his chair. He turned to grab his pancakes to find them gone. "Fuck..." He stood up frantically searching for them. It didn't take long to spot the little kid who had stolen his second breakfast. "Hey! Give that back you brat!" He soon gave chase, though not being athletic in anyway he wasn't really ready for a decent chase. But the kid was caught so off guard that he dropped the pancakes and ran. Hunter almost kept going, but two things stopped him. One, he was already tired trying to keep up. Two, most his pancakes were still salvageable. "Why does it every time something goes good, something comes along to screw it up." He picked up the pancakes as he heard the kid speaking in the distance. "That's the mean man their Daddy!" He looked up for a moment to see a guy that looked like he should be a linebacker for the NFL. Hunter got the message to get the hell out of there.

After losing many of his pancakes to a little kid and even more running for his life from the Terminator his day had now gone south. He soon just sat down to finish what pancakes he had left before he lost the rest. "Well... This could have gone so much better. At Delilah isn't around here now. I don't think I cou-" He looked over to his empty plate. He was talking to a plate. "It's official... I have lost my mind."

---

Jar spent a few moments perusing the drink menu. There were so many options that made water seem pale in comparison, or perhaps transparent would be more fitting? Mangos, peaches, papaya, pineapple, so many flavors to choose from, so Jar simply choose them all, opting for the ‘tropical punch’. He paid for the drink and the barista shook it up in one of those metal shakers before pouring it over ice and topping it with one of those fun mini-umbrellas.

“Thanks, looks great.” Jareth said and flashed the blonde a charming smile. He turned and took his first sip of the beverage. It was sweet and fruity, and definitely quenched his post-workout thirst. There was a small commotion that drew his attention back the the fitness center. The treadmills seemed to have gotten the best of some girl and everyone was just standing around staring at her.

Jareth might look like the picture of trouble, but he could be a gentleman at times, it was a remnant of being raised in a children’s home where he was taught to be polite and helpful. Jar walked over to help the girl up. She was looking down, obviously avoiding eye contact out of embarrassment, so Jar didn’t see her face. Her ginger red hair was pulled back in a sweaty but adorable ponytail and Jar’s stomach somersaulted a little. Old habits die hard, I guess… He extending his hand to help her up.

[color=darkgray]“Are you okay?”[/colo] he asked as he held his hand out for her. She very slowly turned up to look at him and the blue eyes that finally reached his gaze nearly made him drop his over-priced fruit punch. “Clo?” Now it was his turn to blush scarlet with embarrassment. “I - uh… how is this even possible?” he stammered and stepped backwards a pace. Of course, he didn’t know that Hunter and Jules had also ran into their exes yesterday, so this seemed completely out of the realm of possibility to him. Not to mention, this was like deja-vu of the day that they had met. Except there wasn’t any rain, and he didn’t have a leather jacket and umbrella to give her to make it all better… and they wouldn’t start talking, and they wouldn’t ever fall in love. He felt nauseous just looking at her, she was so goddamn pretty, and she didn’t even need to try. Maybe he was just dreaming, and this was just some awful nightmare, and he wasn't actually standing across from the only girl that had ever broken his heart.

---

---

Clover finally sits up and she hisses, her body protesting at the sudden movement. She rubs at the back of her head carefully and decides nothing's really hurt except for her pride. The ginger girl looks up and sees that she's gathered a fairly decent crowd of fellow gym goers, which is just perfect, because she clearly needed to make even more of a spectacle of herself.

"Are you okay?"

She'd know that voice anywhere. It was like an angel's. A really gravelly, sexy, rumbling, evil angel, anyways. Regardless, it was beautiful and horrible all at once, to have to hear it again.

"Clo? I - uh… how is this even possible?"

"Hello Jar," she says as cordially as possible, her soprano voice quiet as she finally begins to catch her breath. Clover starts to reach up to take his hand, but thinks better of it and pulls herself up on her own.

She always did have a hard time keeping her hands off of him, once she started. Best not make this any harder than it already was.

"I'm here with a couple of friends," the pale girl explains, shifting her eyes and raising an eyebrow at the other people that had gathered to check on her. They seem to get the picture and begin to disperse, but a few scragglers hang back, clearly too interested in their interaction.

"Well, this was lovely, Jar, but I have a couple chapters left on the roaming habits of the jaguarundi," Clover tells him, brushing her hands down the front of her shirt to knock free any remaining dust before glancing back toward Jareth.

"So, I guess I'll probably see you around?" she asks, shifting her weight anxiously and looking up at him from under her lashes. She wanted to make a break for it and run to the nearest railing so she could vault herself into the ocean, because surely that would be better than this. But there were still people watching her and Clover was never one for making scenes, so she just stands there awkwardly, waiting to be dismissed.

Adelisa yawned softly as her eyes fluttered open. She looked around and, noticing she was in the right room and on the right couch, she grinned proudly. Atleast nothing stupid happened last night. She remembered bits and pieces, but the last thing she really remembered was a man with dreadlocks handing her shot after shot.

She wasn't one to drink too often, but this was her spring break and her ex happened to crash in on it. In her opinion, she had every reason to drink. Every time she thought of that man, she either wanted to tear him a new one or kiss him.

Either way, he was a nuisance and one that she was determined not to let get to her. Addy got up and cleaned her self up before grabbing her bag and changing into a pair of short shorts and a white tank top over her all black bikini. She threw on her sneakers and decided today was just a good day to get some stuff done. Maybe get a bit of studying in for her test or something.

She walked out of the room and toward the library for a good place to be alone. It was quite the selection there and her surprise did not go unnoticed by the librarian. She smiled sheepishly and walked quickly to a seat. Addy took her text book out and her highlighter, preparing herself for torture. She also took out her notes, which were mostly doodles and song lyrics, and laid them all out in front of her. She put her glasses on and started working.

---

Julius walked towards the exit of library with one book in hand. He honestly doubted he’d read more than that throughout the entire cruise. It was just something to spend the downtime: a short rest in his room or just before he went to sleep. The library had rather lavish reading chairs. He wondered who would actually use those. Why waste all your limited time reading in the library when there was so much more to see? He thought he didn’t know anybody like that, but one quick glance at one specific table had proven him wrong. Of course, of all people who could’ve been in the library, it had to be her. Why was she here? She didn’t even like reading. Or did she? Honestly, Jules wasn’t even sure at this point. Sometimes he felt he didn’t know her at all. They had only been together for two months, so it was logical that he didn’t know every tiny detail about her. But the more he thought back, the more he felt he actually just knew so little. Did he really pay so little attention to her during the time they were together? Sometimes he just didn’t know. He had thought to himself many times that it may have been indeed him that was the problem. But that only made him feel worse. And that feeling intensified whenever he saw her. The feeling that he might’ve possibly failed, it brought a huge pain in his gut of disgust.

Part of him didn’t want to approach her. It was only nine o’ clock. He did not feel like dealing with his annoying ex before breakfast. Not to mention, she’d probably run away again. However, there was a different part that thought differently. Maybe something could be gained by trying to approach her. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? If she’d run away, nothing was gained. If she didn’t, maybe he could make it so he could get the enjoyment out of this vacation that he had hoped for. And really, Julius wasn’t the type to back away from something like this. He was better than her. He would not run away like a coward. And that was something little Addy would have to learn. She would have to learn to live with the fact that Julius was here and that he did not want his vacation ruined.

With that attitude he approached, chin up and chest forward. Like always, he tried to show confidence and power. Those were the elements that made Jules himself. He tried to look as if he never hesitated a moment in the decision to approach her. Such lies had always been his strongest shield, giving the others the mindset that he was indomitable, undefeatable. Luckily for him, she chose to sit at an empty table. The last thing he wanted was for other people to overhear their little issues. Even if he didn’t know them, it was none of their business. He claimed the seat next to her and put his book down on the table, closed. He had decided on Shakespeare’s Othello. Now that he sat next to her, he could see her study books. He took a deep breath “You shouldn’t let studying ruin your vacation. Neither should running from your ex, for that matter.” he said in a hushed voice, this was a library after all. He waited for her to turn towards her, expecting some sort of shock or surprise. He would stare her in the eyes, he was serious. “How about we talk this out?”

Adelisa heard the voice and almost, almost, cringed. She put her highlighter down and looked up at him with a curious look. "You, Julius Vaughn Bergman, want to actually talk to me? Well, isn't this new!" she said in a soft hush. Addy looked into his eyes and noticed his serious expression. That just made this a bit more unnerving. She bit her bottom lip nervously and hesitantly stood up from her seat. She pushed up her glasses a bit, her bottom lip still in her mouth as anxiety took its course.

Why was she so nervous? Because confrontation was just not something she could deal without such. Her eyes stayed on Julius' as she stood from her seat and said "fine, let's talk outside." Addy walked toward the door, hoping he would follow, and stepped out of the library. She was pretty sure no one was going to take her business textbook as it was worth nothing. She waited for him to come out before moving out of the way of the door and leaning against the wall. She wasn't sure how this conversation would play out, but she was pretty determined for it to be a good one.

In their relationship, they didn't really talk. There was fault on both sides, but talking should have been the basis of their relationship right? Well, a healthy relationship starts out wit conversation. Addy looked up at Julius expectantly, not wanting to start it off. Maybe he'll actually want to listen what she has to say for once instead of just assuming he's right all the time? Well, that would be a stretch. That would be something Jules probably wouldn't be comfortable with. She erased the thoughts, knowing it would upset her and right now she did not need to be upset.

---

Addy’s response was about as positive as he had expected, but that didn’t make it irk him any less. The only other person that ever spoke his full name was his father, and only when he was very displeased. It wasn’t something that had happened too often, especially not after he left home, but he just couldn’t stand it whenever someone did it. He had the urge to respond to her in the same fashion ‘And you, Adelisa Davis, are not running away?’ But he held his tongue this once. Her lips betrayed that she was actually very nervous despite her witty comment. That tendency of hers was one of the few things he did remember very well. She was willing to talk, and this might be the only chance he’d get.

He nodded as he stood up, following her outside. Just like Addy, he left the book on the table. It wasn’t his book anyway. If someone would take it, he’d just take another copy. The library had a few of them. It wasn’t a big deal. What was a big deal, however, was making sure that his vacation wasn’t going sour over his issues with his ex-girlfriend.
Their relationship had been one with many faults. He could never really pinpoint what exactly had been the reason everything went to badly. Sure, he was incredibly busy those two months: His start-up company had reeled in a huge job, college was busier than ever and he was moving to a new apartment. Julius had pulled several all-nighters. Even so, the time they actually were able to spend together just didn’t go smoothly. Julius wasn’t a good listener, and Addy wasn’t the type that liked to confront him whenever he said something disagreeable. It felt as if they just didn’t work well together. It was weird, he remembered that before things got serious they were actually hitting it off quite well.

Julius took a few seconds to get his act together, thinking out exactly what his preferred outcome of this conversation was and how he wanted to get there. He had told Hunter to seek to understand before being understood, but that wasn’t something he was actually good at himself. Nevertheless, he was the one that had to start this conversation, he was the one who started this after all. His eyes were still trained on hers. He kept his earlier posture. He tried to show that he was confident and strong, despite actually being rather unsure. “Look… I know you hate me, and I didn’t want to see you here either.” he said, then sighed “However, I don’t want my vacation ruined by this, and I’m sure neither do you. I’d like for us to be able to see eye-to-eye again.“ He fell silent for a few seconds, allowing Addy to take in the information “How about you?”

---

“Hello Jar,” Clover spoke in her soft soprano tone, an obvious attempt at being cordial. Her voice used to be a soothing balm on his soul, and in that moment, it felt like salt in his wounds…. three-month-old wounds that he had thought he’d long since treated with the help of his therapist. 'Relationships turn sour sometimes, that is a part of the dating culture. It is not always one person’s fault, or the other’s, often times it’s nobody’s fault. Some things aren’t meant to be, and we can’t internalize it when they aren’t, it isn’t good for us.' Wendy was always so careful with her words, and sometimes her shrink-talk actually helped. In the first few weeks after the breakup Jar was a mess, but now that 3 months had passed, he thought he had started to move on.

“I’m here with a couple of friends,” she broke the awkward silence since Jareth was still stunned speechless. Meanwhile, Jar fought the urge to move that adorable lock of hair behind her ear like he used to, and let his thumb linger on the freckled skin of her cheek. He remembered how soft her skin had felt, and his fingers thirsted to drink in every curve of her once again.

“Well, this was lovely, Jar, but I have a couple of chapters left on the roaming habits of the jaguarundi,” Clo said as she ran her hands down her shirt, obviously trying to brush him away just as much as the non-existent dust. “So, I guess I’ll see you around?”

Jareth looked down, his eyelashes brushing the crests of his cheekbones as he did his best not to look to hurt. Did she have to go there, really? “You always were more interested in your books than me anyway.” his tone held an icy edge when he looked back up to make eye contact with her. He wasn’t intentionally being a dick, but hurting people hurt people. Translating pain into bad behavior was a defensive mechanism Jar picked up at a very young age, and his mouth had often landed him into trouble. “Let’s try not to see each other around, yeah? I’d like to try to enjoy the rest of my break.” And that was all he said before brushing past her. No ‘you try to enjoy it too’, nope, nothing even close to cordial. Jar put his earbuds back in and took a sip from his umbrella drink. His mood made the tropical punch taste sour in his mouth, so he chucked it in the nearest trash can before stalking off to the guys' suite.

After taking a shower that was so hot that it threatened to melt off some of his tattoos, Jar felt mildly better. Julius and Hunter had both woken up and left since his early departure, so he unabashedly walked around the suite in nothing but the plush white towel wrapped around his waist. In his room, he stared at his luggage, grappling with the idea of getting high. But what would that solve?



No, he was trying to get better. Getting high wouldn’t erase his feelings, and it wouldn’t erase her. Clover was his past, not his future. What he needed to do was start again. With that in mind, he lit up a cigarette and poured himself a glass of dutch courage back in the kitchen. What? He settled to not get high right now, not that he was joining the priesthood, he had to keep some vices.

Jar scanned the events pamphlet housekeeping had left on the counter sometime this morning and found the perfect opportunity for a fresh start. There was a deck party tonight with drink specials AND karaoke. Jar never could resist the call of the stage, or a good party. He looked at the clock - only six hours until the party started. His stomach grumbled and he realized that the only thing in their right now was whiskey and whatever was left of last night’s dinner. At that, Jar headed to get dressed so he could head out.

---

After talking to his plate for a while Hunter eventually decided to part ways with the closest he has had to true love. Too many complications to try to handle well on break. Though when Hunter started walking he started thinking, when he started thinking.... he really started thinking. Things like, why did he decide to start drinking when he knew that he was supposed to be quitting? He was doing so good too! What had throw him off Last night? What was so different that made it so he decided to drink, so he ended up fucking things up with Delilah so much more? Then he stopped. "Jareth..." Hunter turned himself around back to his suite, chances were Jareth wasn't back yet but he still had some things he could use to help prove how pissed off he was.

To Hunter's surprise Jareth was already back, not only that had opened the door before Hunter had even gotten the chance to. Before he had a chance to speak Hunter put forth his mind. "You asshole! You fucking asshole!" He wasn't drunk, though Hunter is pretty sure if he wasn't he wouldn't feel so much like passing out. "You knew I had a problem! And what's the first thing you do once we get on this god dammed ship?! YOU FUCKING SERVED FUCKING DRINKS!?" Hunter wasn't... The only time he would ever get loud was when he was drunk, also the only time he even considered fighting was when he was drunk. "I was sober for three fucking weeks! Then you come along and fuck it all up! And now I fucked things up with Delilah who is gonna now tell her father about all this fucking shit! And on top of that! He's likely gonna kill me! OR WORSE!" Hunter was about to speak more before he started getting dizzy, he soon straitened himself out but he was still pushing his own stress limits. "How the hell am I supposed to live a decent life when I am fucking recovering from my own problems all the time!" He stood still dizzy again... the blood rushing to his face.

---

“You always were more interested in your books than me anyway.”

Clover’s hands twitch when their eyes meet and she sees that his brown ones have more venom in them than during their actual breakup. ’That’s not how I meant it,’ she wants to tell him, she really did have those chapters due, but what good would it have done? He wanted to be mad at her, she could see it in the way he held himself, all rigid and stiff, and nothing she said would change that.

“Let’s try not to see each other around, yeah? I’d like to try to enjoy the rest of my break.” Jar murmurs indifferently, pushing past her and brushing their shoulders together in the process. Clover’s eyes flit closed and she lets herself enjoy the touch for just a moment.

“Alright,” she answers softly, but he’s already gone. Her eyes are hot and there is a lump in her throat, but she just swallows it down.

Then she gets back on the treadmill and keeps running.

---

Clover has reread the same page at least four times now, but nothing is sinking in. By all accounts the Jaguarundi seems to be a central/south american cat, so the ginger girl can not understand for the life of her why she’s even having to learn about it.


“I wonder…,” she starts, letting her fingers trail over the glossy pages. “...if it would be alright to put it off, just this once.” She lets the book fall closed and lays it down on the bed next to her. The world doesn’t end, so the lithe girl decides that it might be okay to take a shower. Then she would come back and check on things.

Once she is clean and she’s done blow drying her hair, Clover comes back to see the book is exactly where she left it and the universe seems to be in order. Her phone is flashing on the nightstand so the redhead leans over and unlocks the home screen, seeing a new message from Delilah telling her and Addy that she had gone to the Solarium. “That could be fun,” she decides, shooting her textbook a quick glance.

It keeps mum. Clover decides to take its silence for acceptance.

She goes over to her bags and sorts through them until she finds all the different bikinis she had packed. The blue eyed girl had bought them during winter, when they were on sale and back when Jareth and her had still been together. Clover had never owned a two piece swimsuit before (her father had always told her they weren’t decent) but she had purchased these ones specifically to turn the musician’s head and make him proud to have her on his arm. She feels a bit of apprehension well up inside her but stomps it down quickly, selecting one of the more modest ones and dropping her towel to pull it on. Clover checks herself out in the mirror and lets out a nervous chuckle, because it’s a lot more skin than she’s used to showing, but maybe that’s just what she needs right now. ’Best not to overthink it,’ she tells herself, grabbing the essentials and heading out to find Delilah.

She finds her friend in the Solarium, exactly where she said she would be. “Hey,” Clover greets as she slips into the jacuzzi as quickly as possible, seeking refuge from prying eyes. She had gotten a lot more attention than normal in this getup. “Jesus, you always smell so good,” She comments, flashing the younger girl a grin as she bumps their feet together playfully under the water. “I’m astonished that you don’t have at least three guys fawning over you right now. Are you losing your touch, Delilah?” she teases, but her eyes are full of nothing but affection for the gorgeous brunette.

---

Just as Jar was crossing the hall to his room to get dressed, Hunter came through the door. Thankfully he wasn’t the bashful type, so Jar didn’t blush at his state of undress, not that there was much time to be embarrassed because Hunter began hurling venom at him after slamming the door closed. “You asshole! You fucking asshole!” he bellowed and stormed towards him.

“Jesus!” Jar swore to a god he had never believed in as he stepped back and clutched a hand around the towel to keep it up. Was Hunter going to hit him? Sure, Jareth and Hunter had gotten into their fair share of fist fights through the years, but never with each other. Honestly, Jareth didn’t even know what he had done, so he just kept backing away from Hunter’s advance with a dumbfounded expression.

“You knew I had a problem! And what’s the first thing you do once we get on this god dammed ship?! YOU FUCKING SERVED FUCKING DRINKS!?” Hunter did all the explaining that Jareth needed. Shit… He thought guiltily. It was true, he did do that. But it’s not like he was being malicious, hell, it was fucking vacation for crying out loud. And not for nothing, but it was only a few shots, because he had convinced the waiter to give him virgin drinks without Hunter noticing last night.

“I-I’m sorry.” Jar stammered out a quick apology. “You’re right, that was an asshole thing to do. I wasn’t thinking about that, you know how I am.” And how was he, exactly... inconsiderate? Selfish? An asshole? He could be all three, sometimes. Hunter continued angrily venting his frustrations. Jareth’s cheeks flushed, not a blush, but a response to getting upset. He was about to apologize again when he got really fed up. No, he wasn’t supposed to internalize things… it wasn’t healthy, that’s what Wendy had said. “You know what? Whatever, man. It was just a few shots before dinner. Those drinks you think you had at dinner were alcohol-free. No need to thank me for that, though, asshole! Because you’re right, I’m the best scapegoat for your fucking problems, right? No, no, no, I don’t think so! Yeah, I gave you a drink, but I was also looking out for you. Whatever you did to fuck up after that is on you, don’t put that shit on me.” Jareth broke his rant to refill his lungs with air.

“Waitwaitwait… hold up.” Something that Hunter said was finally just registering in his frazzled mind. “Did you just say Delilah? As in your ex, Delilah? ‘So-super-hot-you’ll-never-believe-it-Jar-but-no-I-don’t-have-any-pictures-to-prove-it’, Delilah?” Still pissed, Hunter managed to nod his head in acknowledgement. Actually, he looked less pissed and more sick now.

“That’s fucking crazy!” Jar mused, “I just ran into Clo too.” Saying his pet name for her out loud stung a bit more than it should have. He could hardly remember why he was arguing anymore. “Man… why are we fighting? This is supposed to be the vacation of our lives. I’m sorry things went downhill for you last night. Look, no more alcohol.” Jar said before picking up his glass of whiskey and dumping it down the sink. No more alcohol for Hunter, that is. “See? Let’s just go get some pizza and waste some time in the arcade or something. Just us, and forget all about exes and drama. Okay?” He flashed a smile, the stupidly perfect white grin serving as a flag of surrender... and an apology.

---

---

Delilah was peacefully contemplating the open sea when a woman's voice called out “hey” to her, shifting Lila's thoughts back to the present. She turned in the direction of the woman and smiled as her her best friend Clover slipped into the jacuzzi beside her. “Jesus, you always smell so good,” Clover commented, flashing Lila a grin as she bumped their feet together playfully under the water.

"Hello yourself! Thank you so much! You know I practically drench myself in perfume before going anywhere." Lila greeted and thanked enthusiastically, taking note of how amazing Clo looked in her bathing suit. It was a very pleasant surprise for Lila to see her friend venturing from her usual conservative items and trying out new things, as she knew how hesitant Clo could be about taking risks. Lila was usually very open, honest and vocal about her opinions whenever good or bad, so she quickly went on to compliment Clover's looks. "And, babe, let me tell you that you are slaying with that bathing suit!" Lila could be a bitch, but she always gave praise and credit when it was well-deserved.

“I’m astonished that you don’t have at least three guys fawning over you right now. Are you losing your touch, Delilah?” Clover teased affectionately.

Lila raised her sunglasses to give a mocking scowl towards Clover. "Me? Losing my touch? Oh, please! Do you know who you're talking to?" she replied, playfully splashing water in Clover's direction and sliding her sunglasses back in place with a laugh. "So, what were you up to this morning?" she asked, genuinely curious about what she'd been up to because by the time Lila had woken up, none of the other girls had been at the suite. But before Clover could even begin to formulate an answer to Lila's question, the latter's eyes fell on her best friend's smooth, sleek red hair and she was unable to hold back the giggles. "Oh my God. Tell me you did not actually blow-dry your hair to come hang out at a jacuzzi?!" Lila exclaimed, clearly amused at the sight. She had always been jealous of Clover's hair and skin color (in a good way, of course). It was a dream of hers to be a redhead, but she knew it would clash horribly with her skin tone. And as for Clo's skin tone, Lila thought of it as perfect because pretty much all hair colors would suit her. Lila wasn't making the comment to humiliate or make fun of her in any way, but was instead trying to understand the strange logic that drove Clover to take the time to blow-dry her hair when their trip would mostly be spent on hot and humid places where it would get wet.