Sunday, April 14th, The Year 2219

Brooke's POV

I had a great first day on this cruise. I texted my parents and told them what happened. They were happy for me and told me to be cautious. I made a mistake of not listening to my parents with Asher. But Asher and I did love each other until I cheated. I won't make that mistake with Jason.

Today, Jason is going to give us a tour of the ship. He is also going to join us for breakfast.

(Outfit to the right is what Brooke is wearing.)

I put a pair of flat shoes in my bag just in case. My sisters are joining Jason and me for breakfast and the tour. Miki and Kristina are going out with the guys they met yesterday.

I heard a knock on my suite door. After peeping through the door hole, I saw Jason and my sisters. So, I opened it.

"I'll just grab my bag real quick." My bag was on my bed, so I went to grab it, locked my door, and we made our way to breakfast.

"Is there a gym on the ship because I am definitely going to need it?"

Jason answered, "Yes there is. I'll show you after breakfast."

"Okay. Thanks." We then made our way to the dining room. We took a short ride on the elevator to the main deck, then walked towards the dining room.

"It's packed. Should we find seats first?"

"No, we don't need to. Because I own my suite, I have seating at every restaurant, club, theater, and bar on the ship. Let's go get our food first."

"Okay, because I was wondering how the hostess at the restaurant last night knew who you were. I now have the answer that I was looking for." We followed Jason to the buffet of food that was set up. And, boy was it a buffet. I'm going to need a diet when I get home.

After fixing our plates, we followed Jason to his table. It has an amazing view of the Galaxy!

"So, Mr. Maisel, if you don't mind me asking, how old are you? I'm 26 years old and the middle child."

"I don't mind. I recently turned 38 years old back in March." Jason answered. Why does it seem like I have a thing for older guys? Asher was 30 years old when we started dating 5 years ago. Meh, age ain't nothing but a number to me.

"My birthday is in March too - the 12th. That is at least one thing we have in common. Oh, and you are a dynamite kisser." We all chuckled.

"Ms. Palmer, what are some of your favorite hobbies?" Jason asked me.

"I love shopping, going for walks, hiking, dancing, cooking, and creating my own jewelry. I also like going to the beach and swimming."

"I've traveled this route before. There are some beautiful beaches, as well as places to shop. Me, I like camping, hiking, photography, working out in the gym, surfing, and computer programming. Besides owning my club, I own a small computer programming company. It is really starting to grow."

No wonder he has a hot body. The man is well built.

The rest of the time at breakfast, Jason got to know my sisters better. They told him their likes and dislikes. Once again, we had a great time.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are now approaching our first port. The first stop is the Planet Gutania. Please be back on the ship by 10:00 pm. We will be pulling away from Gutania promptly at 10:30 pm. Please have a great day," The captain of the ship announced.

I have read and seen news reports about this planet. It was always listed as one of the best planets to visit for a vacation. We shall see. The ship docked at the spaceport within 20 minutes.

"Well ladies, how about the best tour guide there is from the planet? We can say the ship tour for tomorrow," Jason says to us. We looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

"Lead the way, Mr. Maisel." We emptied our trash and then left the dining room for the plank off the ship. Then, we got off.

While we walked around, I took in the scenery, and it was beautiful - lush trees, parks, loads of shops, etc.

"I know the perfect place to go shopping." He then grabbed my hand and led us into a humongous shopping mall.

"Uh, Jason what kind of currency do they take here?" Simone asked him.

"Gutanians use the Chrono dollar. Why did ask?"

"Because Chanelle and I are about to ditch you guys. We'll meet you back here in 3 hours."

We couldn't stop laughing as they walked away.

"Where to first?"

"I want to find gifts for my parents and brothers. My mom likes jewelry too, so that is what I want to get for her. For my brothers and dad, I want some cologne for them."

"Okay." We continued holding hands as we took the escalator up to the second floor.

Asher's POV

I'm glad Crystal stayed on the ship because I needed a break from her. She is driving me insane. Why did I date her, then get engaged to her in the first place?

Everyone warned me about her, but I didn't listen. Even my folks kept asking me, "Why didn't you give Brooke a second chance?" I ask myself that sometimes. But, why would she take me back after what I said to her after we broke up? And, I made it worse by having her arrested.

Seeing her beautiful smile with Jason is making me jealous. I saw them walk off the ship together, but I lost sight of them. Dang.

Anywhere from Crystal is fine with me. I just went to the beach to relax.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My cell phone rang for a couple of hours. I already knew who it was and didn't care.

After showering and changing into my clothes, I went to dinner. I saw Jason, Brooke, and her sisters enter the restaurant that I went to. Once again, I have no right to be jealous, but I am.

Even when my dinner came, I didn't bother eating it. I had a clear view of Brooke and watched her smile all night. She's happy, and I'm miserable.

I just paid for what I didn't eat and left to go back to the ship. It's 9:30 pm anyway, so why not head back?

As I approached my room, I overheard Crystal talking to somebody but didn't know who. And, she sure was talking in a lovey-dovey tone.

She hung up real fast as I entered.

"Who were you talking to?"

"My mother. You left me all alone today."

"You're a grown woman. You could have done something on the ship."

"But we are engaged. How do I know you weren't with that cheating ex of yours?"

"And, how do I know you weren't cheating with someone on the ship? And, why are you so worried about Brooke? She's happy with Jason. Duh. Just leave me alone. I'm taking a shower and going to bed."

Brooke's POV

"Gutania is beautiful at night."

"I had a great time, Jason. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Brooke. This is my hometown. I love coming back for a visit. Let's head back to the ship."

"Okay." We did so much shopping that Jason paid for us to have our bags taken to the ship. That was sweet of him. And, you guessed it, I sure did change into my flat shoes.

We made it back to the ship exactly at 10:00 pm. My sisters went to their rooms. "Good night, Jason and Brooke. And, thank you for the tour."

"You're welcome, ladies. And, good night." My sisters opened their doors and went inside their rooms.

Jason held me hostage against the wall and kissed me. I had to push him back or a bit so I could breathe.

"I had a great time today. Thank you."

"Not as great as I did. And, your welcome. How about you, your sisters, and friends join me for dinner tomorrow evening?"

"That sounds great. I'm just going to relax by the pool tomorrow. What time should we be ready?"

"I'll come by your room at 7:00 pm."

"Okay. I'll tell everyone to be ready by then. Well, good night Jason. I can't let you in my room because I don't want to mess whatever we have up. And, we just met yesterday."

"Don't worry about it. We'll see each other tomorrow. Good night, Brooke. Sleep tight." Jason kissed my cheek, then walked away towards his room.

I pulled my key out of my bag to open my door. Just as I was about to close it, I saw Asher walk by. He was upset and by himself. I could care less. After the way he treated me, I don't ever want to talk to him again.

We felt the ship pull away from the port. I jumped in the shower for a bit.

Once I finished showering and changed into my pajamas, I went to sleep for the night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Monday, April 15th, The Year 2219

I had a good night's rest. I showered again and dressed to relax by the pool.

I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around my waist, then I went to see if my sisters were coming.

They were leaving out of their room at the same time I did.

"Great minds think alike." I knocked on Kristina's and Miki's doors.

"I'm staying in today. Something I ate while on Gutania made me sick."

She looked terrible - eyes were red, throat was scratchy, and Kristina was clutching her stomach.

"I'll get you some tea or ginger ale. And, have the ship's doctor come to see you."

"Thanks, Brooke." As soon as she closed the door, I heard Kristina run to the bathroom. Miki came out of her room.

"Hey, Brooke, Chanelle, and Simone how was your day yesterday?" Miki asked.

"We had a great time. Jason gave us a tour, then we went shopping. Gutania is his home planet."

"I'm glad you guys had a great time. So, did I. I spent the whole day with Kyler, that's the guy that I met. We had a great time too."

We started walking to the pool area. "Can you guys save me a seat? I need to get some tea or ginger ale for Kristina. And, I need to find the ship's doctor."

"Go ahead, Brooke. We'll save you a seat," Simone says.

I made my way to the bar. "Excuse me, but can I get a glass of ginger ale? My friend is in her cabin, and she doesn't feel well."

"Sure. Give me a second." The bartender went to get a glass and poured some ginger ale. Then, he came back.

"Thank you. Oh, can you tell me where I can find the ship's doctor?"

He gave me directions to the doctor's office. "Thank you so much." I picked up the glass and walked to find it.

Once I did, I knocked on the door.

"How can I help you?"

"My friend doesn't feel well after our port day in Gutania. I can take you to her room."

"Let me just grab my bag real quick." The doctor took a few steps towards his desk, grabbed the bag, and we walked towards Kristina's room.

We made it to her room in five minutes. I knocked on the door. She opened it but immediately ran to the bathroom.

"She did that earlier this morning too." The doctor and I entered her room. After Kristina finished in the bathroom, she walked slowly towards the bed.

"I'm sorry, Brooke. My insides feel like they are on fire."

"I brought the doctor with me."

"My name is Doctor Travis Beard, Kristina. Can you tell me your symptoms?"

"I feel hot, nauseous, my eyes are red like the crayon, and my body hurts."

"Okay. I'm going to have a stretcher brought to your room so we can take you for some x-rays."

The doctor pulled out his phone and called for the stretcher.

"I'll let the girls know that I am staying with you."

"You don't have to do that. This is your time to enjoy yourself."

"It's okay. I won't see Jason until dinner time. You're my friend, and I am not leaving you alone."

"Thank you, Brooke." It hurt to watch Kristina sick like this. I hope it is not bad.

We heard a knock on the door. The doctor opened the door and in came two men with a stretcher. I helped Kristina up from her bed and onto the stretcher.

I texted the girls that I am staying with Kristina because she is being taken to the sickbay for x-rays. They texted back saying okay. And, they were on their way.

Kristina blacked out on the way. "Let's get her to sickbay fast!!"

While Kristina was rushed into an exam room, I took a seat in the waiting area. Chanelle, Simone, and Miki ran in the waiting room.

"I hope Kristi will be okay," Simone says.

"I hope so too. We all have been friends forever. She can't die, ladies."

***************************************

It's been an hour, and we haven't heard a thing yet.

Suddenly, we saw the doctor coming our way.

"Kristina has a very severe case of food poisoning. We are going to keep her for observation and treatment."

"When can we see her?"

"She's resting right now. I would say come back in about an hour or two."

"Brooke, go relax by the pool for a little bit. I'll come with you. How about we visit in pairs?" Miki suggested.

"You both go. I'll text you when she wakes up," Chanelle says.

"Okay. But, call me ASAP. Let's go, Miki."

On our way to the pool, we saw Asher and Crystal. I can't stand her.

"Oh look, if it isn't the cheating who..."

I didn't say one word. But Miki punched her in the mouth. "What has Brooke done to you?! She is getting her second chance with Jason. Shut up!"

"If I was you, Crystal I would watch your fiancé, who is staring at me in my bikini. Read my lips - I DON'T WANT ASHER. Miki, let's go."

Miki and I continued on our way to the pool.

Asher's POV

"Why are you staring at her?! She cheated on you, remember?! Then, you stood there and watched her friend punch me in the mouth! I'm filling a lawsuit!"

Because I never should have broken up with Brooke in the first place. "Watch who you are talking to, Crystal."

I need to get her away from me and fast. Crystal is a money-sucking leech. But I fall for it every time. Well, not anymore.

"You aren't filing anything. You deserved it. Leave Brooke alone. It's pretty obvious she wants nothing to do with me."

But I want everything to be with her.

***************************************

Narrator's POV

Simone texted Brooke about Kristina, but it was to tell her she was still asleep.

After trying to relax for a bit, Brooke and Miki made their way to the sickbay.

****************************************

Brooke's POV

"Brooke, go ahead and get ready for your dinner with Jason. I'll stay until visiting hours are over. I'll text you with an update."

"Okay. I called Kristi's parents about what happened. They are going to meet up with us at the next port stop."

"Okay. Hopefully, she will be awake by then."

"I hope so too. Thanks, Miki. Please wake up, Kristi. We miss you."

I got up from my chair, then headed back to my room to get ready for dinner.

**********************************

"That's a beautiful dress, Brooke."

"Thanks, Simone. I bought it while we were on Gutania."

We heard a knock on the door. Chanelle opened it, and Jason entered.

"You look amazing, Brooke." Jason then walked over with his hands behind his back.

"This is for you."

He handed me a wrist corsage that was made of red and white roses.

"It's beautiful, Jason. Thank you." After placing the corsage on my wrist, we left my room for dinner.

The dining room is amazing! The tablecloths and chairs are purple and gold. Each table has a vase of beautiful flowers with silver dinnerware and wine glasses.

"Let's go to our table." Jason put his hand on the small of my back and led us to the table.

"At dinner time, it will not just be us at the table. The other couple will be here shortly. I'll order wine for the four of us."

A waiter came over, and Jason ordered a bottle of wine. We also went ahead and ordered what we wanted for dinner.

"How is your friend doing? Is she okay?" Jason asked.

"She hasn't woken up yet. Miki is sitting with her. She is going to text me an update. She can't die, Jason. Kristina is our best friend. We have known her since childhood. I called her parents. They are going to come to the next port stop. The doctor said it was a severe case of food poisoning. I hope it's nothing too serious than that."

"Sorry about that. I hope she gets better soon."

"Thank you, Jason. I hope she does too." The waiter brought the bottle of wine to the table and poured each of us a glass.

We turned the conversation from sad to happy. However, the mood changed from happy to angry when the couple who was sitting with us came - Asher and Crystal.

Can't I just have one day of peace?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~