Love's Call (6 page)

***

The rest of lunch had been uneventful, as they continued to make small talk and enjoyed their meals. Liana made every effort she could to steer the conversation into the neutral direction that she preferred. When she’d felt he was again attempting to get in a little too close for comfort, she’d glanced at her watch and told him that it was about time to head back to the ship before its scheduled departure.

Kyle reluctantly walked her back to the ship. He had hoped to get a little more time with her, but of course, the obstinate Liana would have none of that.

When they’d arrived on the main deck, Liana turned to him, “Thanks for sharing lunch with me.  I really did have a good time.”

“Glad to hear that.  Wasn’t so bad after all then, right?”

“No, not at all. I’ll catch you later, Kyle.” Liana turned, adjusted her shopping bags on her arms and headed toward the hall leading to her cabin. Kyle watched her as she walked off.

He felt a strong, forceful blow on his back and looked over his shoulder for the source of the hit.  It was Duane. “Hey man, have you been out all day with her?” He motioned to Liana, as she rounded the corner, walking out of sight.

“Something like that,” Kyle answered.

“Here you go again. All of these women and you get stuck on one.  That’s just like you, Kyle.”

Kyle shook his head, and didn’t humor Duane’s assessment with an answer.  Instead, he headed back to his own room, leaving Duane to run off and find his next conquest. Kyle couldn’t offer up any defense for himself.  He did start to feel silly for getting so caught up in a woman who, though she seemed to be opening up more, was still hell-bent on keeping him at arms length.

But Duane wasn’t completely correct.  She wasn’t like most of the other women he’d dated or been interested in before.  She wasn’t even like Shaila.  If anything, she was the opposite of Shaila.  

She was laid back, with a sense of humor, and from what he could tell--unimpressed by money and status. But the main quality that made her different from most of the other women he’d encountered, was her unyielding nature and the way she closed herself off to him. That was a problem he’d rarely faced before.  But now he was starting to think that she might be worth the challenge.

“So, you’re coming to the dance tonight, right Lia?” Alyssa stood, fumbling through her suitcase that she’d laid on her bed.

Liana, seated on her own bed and facing Alyssa, groaned loudly. “I don’t feel like doing any dancing.”

“Then don’t.  But don’t stay cooped up in this room all night. You can just sit at a table somewhere.  As long as you’re getting out.”

“No, I think I’m going to just pass.  Maybe I’ll go sit by the pool.”

“Come on, Liana.  You have all day to sit by the pool.  Come see the nightlife with me.”

Liana sighed.

Alyssa sat down on her bed and faced Liana. “Okay, Liana, we’re not going to keep going through the rest of the vacation like this.  You said you’d enjoy yourself and embrace it, and you still aren’t doing it.”

“I don’t see how going to a dance will make or break this vacation.”

“It’s not the dance itself; it’s the principle of it. You’re doing everything you can to avoid every man on this ship.  And you’re probably missing out on a good time because of it.”

“But I don’t have to be with a man to have a good time.”

“Okay, maybe not, but you could at least talk, get to know some people. Take Kyle, for instance. He seems nice enough, and he’s been trying his best to get to you, but you cut him off every time.  It’s really getting ridiculous.  How long are you going to let Brian have power over your life?”

Liana flinched when Alyssa mentioned his name. Alyssa continued on, “Brian was a fool, and yeah, he tricked you, he played you, whatever you want to call it.  But are you going to let that man control your life from here on out, steal your joy and steal your chance at happiness?  I mean, you don’t even have fun like you used to.  Brian’s been out of the picture for almost a year now.  You can’t keep this up.”

Liana, usually quick witted and ready with a comeback, was left speechless. This was the first time Alyssa had confronted her about the way she was behaving and she didn’t like it.  She didn’t like what her friend said, but realized that Alyssa was completely right. She had been letting her past negative experience with Brian control her actions and interactions with men.  She was hyper-vigilant and always on the lookout for more game, in an attempt to avoid a repeat of her past relationship.

And as Liana sat quietly, contemplating Alyssa’s words on the bed, she knew that it wasn’t just Brian who was keeping her from trusting, or just enjoying her life.

She was only affected so much by what had happened with Brian because she’d thought she’d been as careful as humanly possible before she’d begun a relationship with him.

Liana was so cautious in all relationships because she’d witnessed, first-hand, the effect of her own father’s cheating on her mother. She’d never been naive about marriage or happily-ever-after endings, and felt that most people’s ideas of romance and love were a lie.  

But even with her analysis and being careful, she’d been taken in and seduced by Brian, and all of his lies.

“Lia?”

Liana had been quiet for a while, and Alyssa watched her staring blankly ahead into space, wrapped up in her thoughts.

“Yeah.”

“You okay, Lia?”

Liana nodded, fighting back tears as she allowed herself to feel the sting of the hurt from her past. “I’m fine.”

“I didn’t mean to be such a hard ass, but, I just don’t want you to keep doing this to yourself.”

“I know,” Liana said quietly.

Alyssa rose and sat next to Liana on her bed.  She wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “You good?”

“Yeah, I am.”

“You coming?”

Liana nodded.  “Yeah. Yeah, I’ll come.”

***

Liana watched Alyssa on the dance floor with another tall, handsome man as they moved in step with the rhythm of the old school song that blared through the speakers.

Alyssa had promised, again, to try to get out and meet new people, if Liana promised to try to be more open at the dance that night.  Lloyd hadn’t been there when they’d arrived and   Alyssa had gladly accepted the offer to dance, from the new handsome stranger.

Liana bobbed her head to the music, enjoying the song, when she heard the chair beside her move back.  She looked over to see a stocky, mildly attractive man take a seat next to her.  She forced a smile.  
I’m trying
, she thought, as she attempted to at least look friendly.

“How are you tonight, Ms.Lady? May I ask your name?”

“It’s Liana.”

“Liana. A pretty name for an even prettier lady. I’m James.”

Liana groaned inwardly.
Where the hell did he get that one from?
 She knew it was going to be hard to be nice and friendly if men kept coming up to her with these lame pick-up lines.

“You know I’ve been watching you, and wanting to come over to talk to you since the first day of the cruise.”

Stalker alert
,
maybe?
Liana turned her head back to watch the dancers on the floor.

“I want to buy you a drink.”

“Sorry, I don’t drink,” she said. She lifted the half-full glass of water she had in front of her on the table, and showed him. “I’m good.”

“You don’t drink, why is that?”

She was getting annoyed, quite quickly, with James.

“I just don’t.”

“You don’t know what you’re missing.  I’ll be right back.” Liana watched him go to the bar and hoped something or someone would side-track him and keep him from returning as promised. She even considered getting up and leaving, but didn’t want to just leave Alyssa there.  

Minutes later, James returned with a drink in each hand. He placed one in front of her. “I brought you a drink, anyway.  Figured you might want one after all.”

She cut her eyes at him, fed up with James and his assumptions.
So much for being open
, she thought.

***

Kyle and Lloyd had arrived at the dance and taken a seat at the bar, scoping out the scene.  The deejay was a true professional, playing one old school hit after another, hyping up the crowd. More and more passengers became caught up in the music, and couldn’t resist stepping out onto the dance floor to enjoy it.

Kyle searched the room.  He realized that the first thing he had started to do now, at every event or location, was look for Liana.

It wasn’t long before he saw her, and the man that sat next to her, leaned over and attempting to hold a conversation.

Good luck,
he thought to himself. But as he watched them, he noticed that Liana seemed a bit more smiley and even friendly. Kyle studied the man next to her, looking him up and down, trying to figure out what it could be about him that had made her seem to open up to him.

But before he could analyze the situation more, he heard Lloyd say next to him, “Who is that joker Alyssa’s dancing with?”

Kyle scanned the room until his eyes landed on Alyssa and the tall, lanky guy whose hand she held as she twirled and two-stepped with him.

“Don’t know, but this
is
a singles cruise, right?  She’s got a right to dance with whoever she wants.” Kyle looked over and saw the scowl on Lloyd’s face.  He laughed. “Oh, wait a minute, bro; are you catching a feeling over there?”

“Naw, of course not, “Lloyd said and straightened his face to look as normal as he could.

“I mean, it looks like you’re the one who’s catching that “monogamy” over there. Am I contagious now?”

“Nuh-uh.  I ain’t got
none
of what you have,” Lloyd said, and placed his drink down on the bar.  “As a matter of fact, I see a new lady over there in need of some attention.” Lloyd left and walked toward the woman he’d noticed sitting alone at a table a few feet away.

Kyle turned to look over again at Liana’s table and noticed that the man had left.  He breathed a sigh of relief, but then saw her glancing toward the far end of the bar.  He looked over to see the man ordering drinks. Kyle watched him return to Liana’s table with two drinks.  Kyle raised a curious brow.  
I thought she didn’t drink
.  And he kept his eyes on them wondering what that was all about.

Kyle watched Liana shake her head, and reach forward, pushing the drink away from her. Kyle leaned forward, watching the man’s next move.  

The man seemed visibly irritated, but seemed to calm back down and gulped down his own drink. He then reached for the other that he’d intended for Liana.  Kyle didn’t like the way he was taking in so much, so quickly, and he didn’t like the body language from Liana as she looked at him with disgust on her face.

He watched Liana rise to leave, and the man reach out to grab her arm, forcing her to sit back down.

Kyle was up and headed toward the table.

***

“Excuse me,” Kyle said.  He stood beside the table, looming over James.

“Yeah, what is it?”

“Would you kindly take your hand off of the lady?”

James looked up at him and stood on wobbly feet. He slurred out, “This ain’t any of your business.”

“Well, when you put your hands on a woman like that, it becomes my business.”

Kyle stood facing off with a bleary-eyed, inebriated and wobbly James.  James pushed past him colliding into his shoulder and cursed as he walked away.

 Kyle took in a deep breath, calming the adrenaline rush that had begun to build.  He looked down at Liana, still seated but shaken.

He sat next to her in the seat that James had vacated.  “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.  You didn’t have to do that.  I could have handled him myself.”

Kyle smiled.  
Stubborn to the end.
 “I know you could have.”

“You know, I think I’m gonna head on back.” Liana rose from her chair and walked toward Alyssa on the dance floor.

Alyssa, who had somehow ended up once again with Lloyd, was locked in a tight embrace as they slow danced to the music. Liana tapped her on the shoulder, interrupting their moment, and told Alyssa that she was going back to the room, and walked toward the exit.

Kyle was waiting for her beside the exit door, and walked out with her. “I know you can handle yourself, but I just wanted to make sure you made it safely back to your room.  I’d hate for that dude to follow you back.”

Liana may have talked a good game, but she had to admit that even she had thought of that scenario and was a bit rattled by the thought that James may have followed her back.  She was grateful for Kyle’s concern. And instead of protesting, she gave him a quiet, “Thank you.”

Their walk back to her room was nearly silent, as she seemed preoccupied with her thoughts.  And Kyle wanted desperately to ask her what she had seen in that clown back there, in the first place.

Kyle could spot the guy’s instability a mile away, and he’d wondered why she would have let her guard down for the likes of him.  She was becoming more and more confusing by the minute.

At her door, Liana turned to him, “Thanks again, Kyle.  I know I come off as hard, but...I appreciate your help tonight.”

His heart softened at her confession. “You’re very welcome,” he told her.  “And next time when the security guard needs a bodyguard, you can call on me again.”