I couldn't believe it was already here... I was already here, enjoying my well-deserved vacation. Stepping onto the deck, I glanced at the moonlit sky. It was clear; picture perfect. Well, almost. Miles wasn't here.

Stop it, Mick! He is a jerk who drugged you, fucked you, and broke your heart by cheating on you...not once, but twice. Only a fool-

"Don't you dare be thinking about Miles on such a wonderful night!"

Rob! I turned, coming face to face with the one human who had seen me at my best and at my worst; I could trust him with my eyes closed. How he-almost always-knew how I was feeling and how I shouldn't be feeling was like magic to me. "I thought you had turned in for the night," I said, avoiding his hawk-like honey-brown eyes. They always saw too much, even before the accident. How long had it been since we found Rob again, or rather, he found us? Four years? Maybe five.

"How can I possibly do that?" He raised a brow. "I can't turn in till I have tucked you in, boss."

True, but he didn't have to put it that way. Did he? Losing his memories had made him fearless, so much so that sometimes he seemed like a different man altogether. Turning my back to him, I continued my moon-gazing. It was surprisingly calming. "Fair enough. Come,"-I raised my glass and rested it on the railing of Little Dreams, my father's baby and the cruise ship that was going to host us for the next few days-"join me."

"You know I can't do that. Why do you even ask?"

His accusing tone hurt, but I ignored it and pressed on. "Can't you make an exception? We are on my father's ship. There are barely twenty of us here, including the staff. No one knows we have taken her for a ride. And those who do know are right here with us. A glass or two won't kill you, would it?"

Rob said nothing. Refusing me was something he hardly did. And at times when he had to, he chose silence over words. When I turned towards him, I noticed he hadn't moved an inch. His face gave away nothing; his silence spoke volumes. I hated it. The silence. My eyes dropped to the half-empty glass of red wine.

This shit's good.

I felt free, like I had escaped from my cage. In truth, though, I hadn't. Giving my wine a little swirl, I watched the liquid slosh against the rim before settling down. That was me. My life. Try as I may, all I could do was threaten to get out, but to escape would be to abandon who I was and where I belonged; I would have to fall but wasn't ready for it. Not yet. I wasn't brave enough to let myself turn into nothing. A nobody. Would Rob follow me like he does now if I wasn't Mick Carlton?

Why would he? I stole a glance at him through my lashes: mouth set in a straight line, eyes lowered to the floor, his jet-black mane was parted to the left and not a single hair was out of place. Nothing about him was ever out of place; we were like day and night. I couldn't help but wonder if he wasn't my nanny, would we have become friends? Probably not.

"I guess a little won't hurt."

"Mn?" I glanced up and caught Rob staring at the glass in my hand.

"I will take that if you don't mind."

Before I knew it or could refuse, Rob took my source of comfort out of my hand and brought it to his lips. Before I could wrap my mind around what he had done, my drink-all of it-was gone. The nerve! I was allowed only one drink tonight after the debacle with Miles a couple of days ago, and Rob had cheated me out of it!

I closed the distance between us and snatched the now-empty glass back.

"Why the hell did you do that, dumb-ass!?" He swayed on the spot. Something was wrong. Terribly so. Rob couldn't hold his liquor as well as others, but by no means was he a lightweight. He looked drugged. I moved closer, holding him by his shoulders just as his knees buckled. "Rob!" [2k milestone]

Regaining his composure, my protector threw his arms around me and whispered in my ear. "Not safe. Leave."

What?

Like a lunatic, my guardian stepped away from me and started pushing at my chest, slapping my hands away.

"Damn it, Rob. I am trying my best to keep you from falling face-first on the floor." I yelled. Slurred words tumbled out of his mouth, something along the lines of 'leave, fucker. Go inside now before some asshole shoots you.'

If he thought I would leave his drugged ass out on the deck, he didn't know me as much as I gave him credit for. "I will go, but you are coming with me," I replied in my big boy voice and tightened my grip on his shoulder. His usually alert eyes registered something akin to confusion. "Mick..." he whispered. His breath fanned the side of my face, and a moment later, our eyes met briefly.

"Did you..." he trailed. Searching my face, he moved to my eyes. I couldn't fathom what he saw in them but saw confusion replaced by betrayal.

O.M.G.! Did he think I had spiked my drink just because I was allowed only one?

"Don't you dare jump to conclusions, dumbass!" I tilted his face up. The emotion that shone in his amber eyes merely seconds ago had melted away already, leaving him smiling. What the fuck!?

My guardian's arms, which were trying to get rid of me moments ago, pulled me towards him unexpectedly. Our chests bumped. Were his pecks made of stone? I looked up from between us only to realize that this close I could count his lashes. Were his eyes always this alluring?

What the hell are you thinking, Mick!?

Wait. I had already had half a glass before Rob had joined me. Realization dawned on me just as my knees wobbled. We needed to get out of here. But where? If my drink was spiked, the culprit had to be here on the ship right now. Closing my eyes, I made a last-ditch effort to clear my head. I didn't have much time. We didn't have much time.

Cold, moist lips brushed over mine. Rob's lips. My eyes flew open. The shock cleared my mind just enough to recall that there was indeed a place we could go to. "Rob, snap out of it. Listen, I think we were drugged," I said, leaning away.

"Okay." Rob bobbed his head; it lolled from side to side while I snaked my arm around his waist and almost dragged him to my room. Would have been fun to video record the shit out of him and use it as fodder for blackmail. Unfortunately, our situation looked dire. I would have to wait for another opportunity to present itself.

Stumbling into my cabin, I bolted the door and threw him on my bed. I pulled the door to the washroom wide open. But as I moved to lift his mountain-like body off the bed, he wrapped his fingers around my wrist and jerked me towards him. I spiraled towards him. A pained 'fuck' was all I could let out before I crashed into him with force.

"Stay." Rob growled, trapping me in the circle of his arms, turning us over and pinning me under him.

Our chests heaved, rising and falling together. His weight should have crushed me, but it didn't. Every passing second stole my clarity, till there was nothing left but him and the feel of his lips on my blazing skin.

*****
[Chapter word count: 1333
Word count so far: 2617]