A/N: The image above does not belong to me. It belongs to the person who uploaded it on the internet.

Tay's POV

Never in a million years or more did I expect to see Joss on this cruise ship.

I had bumped across him just a week before my grandmother had booked this vacation for me.

But our first meeting goes way before that.

I was a volunteer lifeguard at one of the popular beaches close to my hometown and he had been there on a short vacation.

That was three years ago when I was twenty five and he was twenty.

One of his friends had suffered from leg cramps while in the water and I had gone to carry him out and treat the cramps.

He and his friend were grateful to me and asked to treat me for snacks and refreshments at one of the food booths within the resort grounds.

Joss and I hit it off from the start and we continued to keep in touch even after he left to go back to his own city.

We lost touch after I met the girl whom my grandmother disapproved of but whom I secretly liked and was planning to ask to be my girlfriend.

Then my girl friend's family scandal broke out and my grandmother was pressuring me to stop seeing her.

When it looked like I wasn't going to stop seeing her any time soon, she offered to book a vacation on a cruise ship for me.

I had not yet made up my mind to go on the cruise vacation that my grandmother had offered when by some stroke of fate, I bumped across Joss.

I was doing some window shopping in a nearby mall to see if I could find some suitable size luggage to bring with me on my cruise vacation.

My heart was beating fast when I saw him walking out of a men's clothing store.

I realized by the rapid heart rate I was experiencing that I was still attracted to him.

The reason that I had lost touch with him deliberately was because I had seen him post some photos on Instagram with a young man about his age or younger. They seemed to be really close. His arm was around the other guy's shoulder and the other guy's face was very close to him like they were just about to kiss. The background was dimly lit like they were having a romantic dinner in a restaurant. It seemed to be a special occasion for both of them.

When he tried to contact me I did not take his calls.

He tried several times more after that before he gave up.

In the meantime I had met the girl whom my grandmother disapproved of but to whom I was attracted and was not inclined to leave just to follow my grandmother's wishes

"Tay!" he had seen me before I could turn away.

"Hi," I said, keeping an expressionless face.

"How have you been?" he asked, taking my hand in his.

The physical contact made my heart beat even faster than it already was.

On impulse I said, "I'm leaving for a cruise vacation in a week."

"Oh," he said with a thoughtful expression on his face, "which cruise vacation is that?"

I mentioned a cruise line and its destination.

"What a coincidence!" he said with a big smile, "I was just about to book a vacation on that cruise line."

"Actually, I haven't finalized my vacation plans," I said, "I might cancel at the last minute."

"Come to think of it, I might not join the group that has invited me to go with them on that cruise line," he had said with obvious disappointment.

Well, I didn't think it would do me any good to keep in touch with him because in a few seconds someone came out from the same men's clothing store carrying two shopping bags in either hand and calling out to Joss, "I'm done choosing the shirts I wanted, P'Joss!"

I looked at the face of the other guy.

It was the same guy who was with him in the photo on Instagram.

"Good bye, Joss," I said, turning away from him.

I did not hear a response from Joss so I just kept walking.

I scolded myself for feeling hurt all over again. It wasn't as though Joss and I had been in an official relationship.

The only physical contact we had during the few months that we had been together when he had decided to come back to my hometown for a vacation was when, after he accompanied me back home after we had watched a movie, he had pulled me close and for a few seconds placed his lips on mine.

It wasn't even a deep and passionate kiss. It was a very chaste kiss which strangely enough had disappointed me. I would have wanted the kiss to go beyond a chaste kiss.

"Penny for your thoughts," I was brought back to earth by Newwie's voice.

I scolded him. "Haven't I told you already that your offer is not good enough because the dollar has gone through inflation a long time ago?"

"And don't you remember that I had told you that in place of a cash offer I was going to buy you drinks later tonight?" Newwie countered.

I shook my head. I wasn't going to tell him about Joss. I didn't know Newwie enough to trust him with my personal love life.

"What are you shaking your head for?" Newwie asked, "have you changed your mind about having a drink with me?"

"No, I haven't," I replied.

"Then why were you shaking your head?" he insisted on knowing.

I really wasn't ready to tell him all about Joss so I had to think quickly of a credible answer to his question.

"I was trying to decide between watching a movie and taking a dip in the pool, and when I thought about watching a movie, I shook my head because I preferred swimming and watching the girls in their scanty bikinis either swimming or just lazing in the lounging chairs by the pool," I replied.

The last bit earned me a smack on the back of my head.

"Let's meet at the pool in half an hour," Newwie suggested.

"By the way, do you want to exchange contact numbers?" he asked before leaving me to go back to his cabin to change into swimming trunks.

"Sure," I said, handing him my phone.

He keyed in his number after which I tapped on it to call his number.

"See you at the pool in a half hour," I said before making my way to my own cabin.

While I was rummaging through my suitcase for my swimming trunks, my thoughts kept going back to Joss.

Was I still emotionally attached to him? Why did his presence continue to affect me so much?

I have to find a way to get him out of my mind, but how was I to do that when there was always a chance of us bumping into each other in this ship?

Then I remembered Newwie. Yes, Newwie. I could focus on Newwie throughout this vacation.

Maybe, just maybe, I could fall in love with Newwie, and he with me.

With that in mind, I put a smile on my face as I put my swimming trunks on and gathered my towel.

It wasn't half an hour yet but I didn't mind waiting for Newwie by the poolside.

As I rounded the corner of the corridor, I bumped hard into someone.

A/N: The image above does not belong to me. It belongs to the person who uploaded it on the internet.

Shit, it was Joss. He was also in his swimming trunks.

He was wearing a pair of sunglasses which made him look sizzling hot.

He had caught me before I could lose my balance.

I could feel his eyes searching my face from behind the dark shades.

I was melting fast in his arms.

"Hey!" both of us looked around in the direction of the voice.

Oh shit, Newwie was earlier than half an hour as well.

Joss let go of me quickly but not before whispering, "My apologies to your boyfriend."