The Royal Contract

"You should have said that we are going sailing. I would have moved my ass faster." She told him mockingly, seeing the boat he was pointing at a dock on the other side of the wooden walkway.

Although she was not against going on a cruise on an open ocean, she was not fond of small boats. Put her on a big yacht or a cruise ship, and she would enjoy her time under the sun, in the middle of the blue waters.

But boats that barely accommodate two to three people frightened her. It gave her the chill to be confined in a small space, seeing the vast ocean around her. 

It felt like the ocean or whatever creatures lived beneath it would suddenly gobble them up in one enormous bite. Well, she had an active imagination. What could she do? She could not help it.

"I thought that you might be interested in some adventure." Alex guided her towards the direction of the boat.

"If you mean riding that not-so-big boat, I might as well hold to an oar and start rowing it myself. I think I feel much better." Dani pointed on a boat moored on the far end.

She suddenly imaged a movie they had watched together where the boat suddenly capsized in the middle of nowhere.

"Come on. It is not that bad." He tried to reassure her that it would be fun. Then, he followed the direction she was pointing, seeing the lone boat at the end of the dock.

"Hmmm." He thought of something adventurous that they did to convince her that it would be great. But the only thing he could remember was the bike ride which did not end well.

But he was enjoying the discomfort she felt as they neared the boat in question. He could feel her hesitation to go on a boat trip with him. He was counting the seconds on how long before she declined to join him.

A few meters away, upon seeing the size of the boat up close, she knew that it was not happening, not in a million years. "I'm sorry, but I will have to put a rain check on that. I think my foot could not handle the pressure of sailing."

She had no idea actually of what happened during sailing, but one thing was for sure. She was not riding that to find out, not now or ever.

"But I thought you said that your foot is doing well. I do remember you saying that it was as good as new." He challenged her, catching her lie with her own words.

"Fine. It is not yet that fully heal, but it is doing much better now. But I won't still risk it by riding that boat." She insisted as she turned around to walk back to where they came from before.

"Wait." He said, trying to stop her from leaving.

"Besides, I am hungry, and you promised me breakfast. I don't think we can eat in that cramped space." She interrupted him as she continued to walk, distancing herself from the boat and away from him.

Then, she suddenly stopped when she heard him laugh out loud. She turned around to learn that he was not following her. "What is so funny?" She asked as she went back closed to him.

"You," Alex answered her question with a chuckle. He was finding it hard to control his laughter.

He did not intend to mislead her, but it was not his fault if she jumped to her conclusion. Besides, he only wanted to see how she would handle such a situation. Now, he knew.

"What do you mean?" Puzzled by his unruly reaction. 

She did not understand why he found it funny that she did not want to ride the small boat. It did not make sense.

"Come on. Indulge me and walk with me." He offered his arm for assistance and waited for her to take it.

They continued to walk, but instead of going for the small boat, they turned ninety degrees on another pathway not quite visible to her because of the structure covering it.

It revealed a bigger boat moored on the end of the dock. "I think this is more to your liking." He whispered in her ears as they approached the boarding ladder connecting to the yacht.

"You should have told me that I made a mistake instead of making a fool of me." She pinched him on the side of his body, but he easily dodged her second try.

"Well, that should teach you not to assume the worse." He pointed out as he ushered her near the not-so-small boat. 

"Still." She halted her words before she said something she would regret. She admitted that he was also correct. She kept assuming for the worse in him when she should be trusting him.

"Welcome aboard to the Lady Rose." A man dressed as a cabin crew assisted them to the top of the deck. "This way, Sir, Mam."

"Is this yours or David's?" She asked, curious about its history and the name. In her limited knowledge of boats, she remembered that owners usually named after an important person or a significant meaning in their life.

"David, of course." He assisted her on the stairs that led them to the upper deck.

"We already prepared what you instructed." He showed them at a table with an already set breakfast. 

"Thanks," Alex said to the young man. "Can you inform the captain that we are ready to set sail?" He ordered, in which the man nodded in understanding.

"If you need anything else, just ring this bell." He pointed on an old-fashioned ringer used to call someone's attention. After serving them some drinks, the man hurriedly walked away down the stairs to the lower deck.

"Well, what do you think?" He picked up the lone rose on the table and handed it to her. "Happy more than a month anniversary." He picked up her other hand and kissed it gently.

"It is perfect." She did not count the luxurious ship they were on, but the effort he had made to make this weekend getaway very special and memorable. "Sorry for forgetting about our month anniversary too."

She never did celebrate such a romantic tradition before, but she appreciated the gesture Alex had made. Nick had never been the romantic one. She could not remember if he ever thought about a single person other than himself.

She suddenly questioned what made her fall in love with him in the first place. Alex and Nick were millions apart. There was just no comparison.

Every time Alex took her into one of his surprises, she experienced something first, which was quite exciting. She believed that she was becoming addicted to his surprises.

"Shall we eat? I don't think I can continue to listen to your stomach grumbling." He once again teased her as he opened the lid of their special breakfast.

Well, he would admit that David outdid himself by gifting them with this trip. He was the one who suggested it to him. Now, he wondered if his friend also caught the love bug as he named his boat to a particular girl.