By early the next morning, Ty's smile was gone. Instead of the happy dizzy feeling, she was filled with uncertainty. Had she made a huge mistake kissing Hudson? It hadn't felt like a mistake last night but now she wasn't so sure.

She slipped out of her room before any of her roommates were even stirring and started walking. She didn't know where she was going, all she knew is that she felt better being on the move.

As she walked through the halls she thought about going to Jules' room. She knew she would receive a warm welcome and Jules would be thrilled to hear about the kiss. There was no doubt in Ty's mind that Jules would say the kiss was not a mistake. That very thought had Ty turning away from Jules' room.

Johnny's room was ahead. He had had his own romances with passengers and would definitely be able to tell Ty the pros and the cons, but Ty couldn't trust that he wouldn't then use her thing with Hudson for betting.

Kenny popped into Ty's mind. He was always level headed, never cared about employee drama and Ty knew he would have sound advice, but he was scheduled with her on all the Hamilton events. Did she really want him knowing she viewed Hudson as anything more then just a passenger if he was going to be the main person seeing them interact on excursions.

There was only one other person on the boat that Ty could go to and as she directed her feet towards her door she berated herself for not going to him to begin with. But first she needed to arm herself with coffee.

She arrived at Anders' door with two cups of steaming coffee just as he was coming out.

"Ty," he mumbled, his eyes only half opened.

"Morning!" she said, putting one of the coffees in his hand. He started walking and she followed along and let him get a few sips in before she started in on her problem. "I kissed Hudson," she blurted out. "Last night it felt like the best decision but now this morning...Lets just say eighty percent of me thinks it was a mistake and twenty percent is wondering why I'm not at his door kissing him again."

"Hmmm," Anders said. He took a few more sips and frowned thoughtfully. Ty remained silent, knowing Anders would talk when he had something to say. After a minute he said, "he is good at Sardines."

"That's not the issue," she said.

"You aren't the first person to kiss an passenger," he offered.

"That's true. But am I being a complete idiot? I mean, he is going to be gone in three days."

Ty stopped short. What was she thinking? Hudson would be gone in a matter of days and she was stupid to have even kissed him.

"You know what, I'm being an idiot," she said. "I should call the whole thing off."

"No," Anders said. "You aren't being an idiot and you definitely shouldn't call off whatever is going on."

Ty looked at him in surprise. Now he seemed like the idiot.

"Stop," Anders said firmly. "This is what you do."

"What I do?" she questioned.

"Yes," he said. "You get close to something you like then you decide that it is going to end badly so you end it before it can begin."

"Ha!" Ty laughed sharply, trying to ignore the punched-like feeling in her gut "I do not do that," she said, her voice coming out wobbly.

"You do it all the time. I'm not saying it's good or bad," he said, raising his hands to prove there wasn't any judgment. "I've just seen you do it enough times to know it's something you do."

Ty pursed her lips, frustrated to find there was no quick quip on the tip of her tongue.

"I see this Hudson guy being gone in three days as a good thing," Anders continued. "You know the deadline. You know this isn't going to last. Why not enjoy it while you can? Then the week will end and you guys will go your separate ways." He paused and let his words sink in.

Could it work like that? Maybe having an end date wasn't a bad thing.

"Besides," Anders said, "I know you are too smart to think this might be love."

Ty laughed loudly. The very idea that real love could come out of a week-long cruise! She had seen enough hopeful romances start between passengers at the beginning of the week to only end in tears by the time they returned to port.

Anders smiled. "Then I don't see a problem."

Ty frowned. This wasn't the answer she had thought he would give her. But she had also come to Anders knowing that he would give her an honest answer.

"Just think about it," he said as his final advice.

Their walk-n-talk had taken them to the cafeteria and as Anders pushed open the door Ty changed topics and Anders seamlessly followed along. By the time they found a table to eat at, a few other employees had joined them and Ty let them take-over the conversation while she zoned out as she ran through what Anders had said.

She was still thinking about what he had said when she headed to the main lobby to prep for the Hamilton Party excursion. Just the thought of seeing Hudson kicked up butterflies in her stomach.

In her years of working on the cruise ship she had never met anyone like Hudson, passenger or crew member. He was smart, quick-witted and hadn't backed down from any of her challenges. As she reached the main lobby she realized her decision was already made. As crazy as kissing had seemed it now felt just as crazy not to kiss him again and see where the week took them.

With her decision made and the weight off her shoulders, Ty felt like she was floating. She happily greeted Kenny and breezed through the paperwork as they prepped for the excursion, her eyes darting up every time she heard a group enter the lobby.

"Some one had too much coffee," Kenny joked when she looked up the third time in less then two minutes.

Ty laughed the comment off and worked harder on focusing on the folder in front of her.

"We're missing the reservation form," she said after a minute, all business. "Can you check with Cara to see if she has it?"

"Sure," Kenny said, heading towards the customer service desk.

She moved on to counting the insurance release forms when a hand gently brushed her side.

"Good morning," Hudson said.

He came to stand behind her and looked over her shoulders at the papers in her hand.

Her eyes flicked to the clock over the customer service desk.

"You're early," she said casually, trying to ignore the way her heart had started to race from his touch.

"I figured this was the only the chance I would get to see you alone before the mob descends."

She tried to suppress the smile that was fighting to overtake her face. There would be nothing professional about it. She turned to face Hudson and found him grinning at her. "You wanted to see me alone?"

He nodded, trying to rein in his smile without much success. "Yes. Umm...I just had a question about the insurance release form." He pointed to the papers in her hand.

"Bummer," she said, looking around to make sure no one was in earshot before she added, "I was hoping it was because you couldn't stop thinking about our kiss last night."

He looked at her in surprise, his mouth slightly agape which gave her time to add, "but we can discuss insurance forms if you want to."

He chuckled. "No. As exciting as that sounds lets go back to that first thing you mentioned. That was by far the best part of this cruise. I would like to sign up for the activity again. What do you think events coordinator? Interested?"

"I think I could make that happen," she said.

"Hudson. Hey!" Kenny called out and Ty became aware of how close together Hudson and she had drifted.

"And your insurance form is all set," she said, taking two steps back. "Thanks for filling in that info for me Mr Hamilton."

"Of course," Hudson said, mimicking her formal tone. "I would hate to leave a T uncrossed or an I un-dotted." He winked at her before he turned his attention to Kenny. "Good to see you Kenny."

"You too," Kenny said. "Ty, I got that form you were looking for."

"Great," Ty said, taking the paper he was offering her.

She turned her attention to the last minute details of the excursion and Hudson was smart enough to wander to another part of the lobby while Kenny was working with Ty. But when Kenny left to ran one more last minute errand Hudson appeared back at Ty's side.

"How long is zip-lining going to last?" he asked.

"A couple of hours," Ty said.

"Hmmm," he huffed not sounding pleased at all.

"Not excited for zip-lining?" she guessed.

"Zip-lining is fine. I'm not just excited for a couple of hours of pretending I'm interested in anything other then you."

She smiled and could feel her face heating up. "Are you this charming with all the girls?" she teased.

"Only the ones I really like." They had inched closer together again and Ty was practically leaning into his side when they heard the first loud greetings of the Hamilton Party. They were five feet apart in an instant and Ty's focus was solely on the folder in her hands while Hudson studied the group heading towards them.

"Wish me luck," he said under his breath.

"Good luck?" she questioned.

"I'm about to go start a debate with someone to keep myself from staring at you this whole trip. It's going to be painful."

She grinned as he braced himself then joined the group. True to his word, Hudson struck up a conversation with one of the guys and kept it going while they disembarked and through the whole bus ride, even pulling in the people sitting around them. It was a strange thing to watch for Ty. She had never seen him talk to anyone in the group longer then a few minutes. He always seemed keen to leave any conversation as quick as he could,

But today he kept the conversation going and by the time they reached their destination Hudson had almost half of the group involved in his topic. When they got to the zip-lining location and began the hike up the mountain, Hudson found his way to the front of the group and dove headfirst into the activity and the whole group responded to his energy.

He kept everyone moving at a brisk pace up the mountain. He made it to the top first, was one of the first people in their harness and one of the first people on the zip-line. It reminded Ty of how he had taken over her water aerobics class the first morning.

As the group returned to the port they found the streets transformed. Everywhere they looked everyone was dressed in bright yellow or green. The air was filled with overwhelming scents and loud music filled the air like the whole town had showed up for a party.

"Whats going on?" Hudson asked Ty.

"It's Jamaica's Independence Day," she said excitedly.

She had experienced the celebration a couple of years in a row and it was a party you didn't want to miss.

Ty waved the Hamilton Group to her and quickly explained what was going on. "Our official excursion is done," she told the group, "but you don't have to be back on the boat until 5pm today so I encourage you to look around and enjoy the local celebration."

"This all looks wonderful but my feet are killing me and I'm starving," Kate said with cheers of agreement ringing out from the group. "I need to sit down for a little bit if I want to really enjoy this. Ty, any restaurant suggestions?"

Ty suggested one restaurant and the group didn't wait around to hear any other options and headed towards the restaurant.

"Are you coming back to the boat?" Kenny asked Ty.

"I'm going to grab lunch here," she said. "Want to join?"

He shook his head. "I can't. I'm running the afternoon Scavenger Hunt."

"Okay." Kenny headed towards the boat while

Ty headed towards the rows of vendors. She loved wandering around crowded ports by herself and today felt extra special with the Independence Day Celebration. Everywhere she looked people seemed eager to smile and share their excitement with everyone around them.

She was dancing along catching the excitement of the crowd around her as she eyed all the colorful food. Suddenly Hudson was in front of her.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey!" she smiled in surprise, feeling her excitement go exponential at the sight of him. "You escaped!"

"I said I didn't feel good and was going back to the ship. Now, lets eat!" he said, looking at the vendors around them.

She shook her head. "No. First, we dance!"

Without needing anymore prompting, Hudson swept her into his arms as he caught the beat of the song and swirled her around. He twirled her free of the vendors and closer to where the music was coming from. He led with confidence and Ty happily handed over control if it meant she got to be in his arms.

As they moved in time to the music, it felt like they only existed in that moment. There was no cruise ship, or Hamilton Party waiting for them. There were no rules holding them back. The only thing that mattered for Ty was the cute boy holding her close and spinning her around to the music.

When they finally grew tired enough to stop, Ty felt like astronaut returning to earth. Being in Hudson's arms had made her feel like she was floating and when he let her go it felt like gravity setting back in. But he didn't let her go completely as he took her hand and led the way back to the vendors.

"Whats good?"

"Everything!" she said, reaching for his hand and pulled him along so they could get a closer look.

"Alright," Hudson said, his hold on her hand tightening.

They walked up one row and down the next, buying something from everyone. By the time they reached the end they were each carrying a stack of Styrofoam boxes.

"I didn't mean we had to get everything," Ty laughed as Hudson worked on placing the last box of food on his already teetering pile.

"I always accept a challenge. Now, where shall we eat?"

"I know just the spot." She led Hudson down the alley and then across a parking lot to the beach. The beach was crowded with families and groups of friends but they managed to find an open spot along a stone wall to sit and eat.

They had made it through half the food before Hudson said, "So... you ran away from home."

Ty chuckled. "I'm impressed you waited this long to ask about that again."

"I was waiting for the right time. And last time we were alone I wanted to kiss you more then I wanted to hear this answer."

She laughed and shook her head at the pleased look on his face. "I did run away from home," she said. "I was sixteen. But it's not that big of a deal."

"Not a big deal?" he questioned in surprise. "When I was sixteen the craziest thing I did was stay out past curfew."

She laughed. "Makes sense. You were a scout."

"Did you finish high school?" he asked, steering the conversation back on track.

"Yes. I graduated. I finished high school early," she explained. "I left the day after my graduation."

He nodded as he listened and ate. "And...?" She could see he was struggling to find the right question to ask.

"Why?" she guessed. "Why did I run away?" He nodded. "Like I told you before the rest of my family is very academic. They all have doctorates. And my parents made it very clear that they expected me to follow in my siblings footsteps when it came to college. I think they truly believed that my wildness was something that I would grow out of and eventually my interests would align more with the rest of my family. They just couldn't understand why I didn't want to go to college."

She paused, thinking about all the conversations she had had with her parents the fall of her senior year. She had told them she didn't plan on going to college so she saw no need to apply to any.

For their part, her parents had taken her declaration in stride, but the next day they had sat her down and told her not going to college wasn't an option. They said they would support her in whatever subject she wanted to study, within reason, but she was going to college.

The conversations had continued daily until Ty had finally given in and filled out a few applications. Her parents had seen it as a victory but she had only done it to buy herself some time to figure out what she was really going to do once she graduated.

"And running away was the only option?" Hudson guessed.

"No," Ty admitted. "But it was the most fun!" She let out a wild laugh and flashed Hudson a gleaming smile. He laughed. After a moment Ty turn more serious. "It was a dramatic decision. But at the time, I remember, feeling like I had no other option. I felt the only way to make my own path. And I've never regretted it."

"And how did you end up working on a cruise ship?" Hudson asked.

"So curious!" Ty joked.

He shrugged off her jab. "I like finding out things about the people I like."

"So you've already had this conversation with Johnny?"

"The other night. You thought we were placing bets but really I was finding out all about his failed app and his childhood."

Ty laughed and shook her head. "My best friend's uncle worked on a cruise ship and he would tell us all these wild stories." She shrugged. She could remember listening to all the uncle's stories about the exotic places he got to see and it sounded like freedom to Ty. "Traveling all the time and seeing these foreign places. It sounded like a dream."

"But you were so young."

Ty smiled slyly. "I might have forged a few signatures on some work-permit forms and gotten a very good recommendation from my friend's uncle."

"Wow," Hudson said. "I thought starting my own airline was impressive but your story is way more impressive."

"I'll take that compliment," she said.

She leaned in to kiss him on the cheek but before she could he turned and gently caught her face between his hands and kissed her.

"You really are impressed," she joked as she pulled away. "I would stay here all day letting you tell me exactly how amazing you think I am but if I want to remain impressive I should probably keep my job."

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안전한 여행 되세요 (Korean)

*grabs your hands* Let's dance!! *jumps, bounces, and bops around* I never said I could dance, I just said that we should.

If you care to share thoughts about the chapter then do so. 💭🗯💬💃🏽

Okay, what is that song that makes you want to dance even if you're in a public place?

It's that one that just has the beat you can't resist. We all have that one song, so I want to you know yours is.

Mine is Pied Piper by BTS because that song is such a bop! I mean how am I not supposed to dance around my kitchen when I listen to it? It's impossible!

That's it, that's all there is to this author's note, songs that make our inner wildness come out.

Vote, comment, follow but only as long as you have an inner wildness.

I feel like this would be me on a zip line