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- >You never thought you'd be so disappointed that you were going on a cruise.
- >When you initially received the news from your one of your close friends, you were stoked.
- >How often was it that you got the chance to go on a fucking cruise?
- >With your current job, not very often.
- >Your (arguably better off) friend explained that he'd be covering all the expenses, so you could do whatever the hell you wanted for the four-day trip.
- >It all sounded too good to be true.
- >When the big day finally came, you quickly discovered that it was.
- "Why the fuck didn't you tell me it was a singles cruise?!"
- >"If I did, would you have agreed to it?"
- "Hell no!"
- >"Exactly."
- >You resisted the urge to smack the fruity drink out of Kevin's hand.
- >You couldn't hate him, because you knew he believed he was doing something nice for you, but the anger and frustration was still there.
- >You'd been single since high school, mostly due to you focusing on college and other more important (in your mind) things.
- >Kevin always gave you shit for it, but in the friendly, well-meaning way.
- >Still, he'd try to set you up with a date every now and then.
- >He just wanted you to be happy, and you couldn't really blame him for that.
- >Nor could you really blame him for all the shitty ways those dates ended.
- >You seriously thought you had some kind of curse placed on you, resulting in every girl you dated just vanishing after (or even during) the first date.
- >Eventually, the disappointment just became too much for you, and you gave up on the dating scene all together.
- >You told Kevin to stop with the blind dates for a while, and he respected your wishes.
- >Or so you thought.
- >"Alright, it was wrong of me to leave out the singles part. I'm sorry. Still, it's a fucking cruise, Anon! You can still have fun! You don't even have to hook up with anyone if you don't want to!"
- "Never said I didn't want to..."
- >Deep down, you were craving a serious relationship.
- >All the rejections and stand-ups had rendered you desperately lonely.
- >You wanted to believe that there was someone out there for you, but all the disappointments made you reconsider that philosophy.
- >Kevin puts a hand on your shoulder.
- >"Look, Anon, don't worry about the past. You'll find someone, alright? And even if you don't, you've still got me. That's worth something, right?"
- >You smile.
- >Kevin had been your friend since 4th grade for a reason, and not just because he had a trampoline in his backyard.
- >"...I'm going to take your silence as a resounding 'yes.' Now, what do you say we get this cruise started and hit the buffet?"
- >You can't really say no to free food, so you nod.
- >After devouring as much of the buffet as the staff would allow, you and Kevin explore the rest of the ship.
- >It's a bit small, as the trip is only a few days long, but it still has plenty to keep you entertained.
- >Restaurants, a sports bar, some dance clubs, a spa, a fitness center, etc.
- >Even if you didn't end up with a date at any point, you were still going to make the most out of this free vacation.
- >You spend the next few hours messing around, engaging in some cruise activities like bingo and trivia.
- >Kevin manages to hit it off with a fox.
- >A real fox, mind you; this cruise in particular is a mix of human and anthro passengers.
- >You have to give the cruise line credit for being progressive.
- >As good as a time you were having with Kevin and his new lady friend, it eventually ended when she asked him to accompany her to her room.
- >You told him it was fine if he wanted to go, and the two left the ice cream social eagerly.
- >You were happy to see Kevin was enjoying himself, but now you were alone for the next however long he and his date decided to hang out.
- >Since you were taking a break from dating, your social skills had all but atrophied, so talking to any other cruise-goers one-on-one was out of the question.
- >You resorted to just walking around the various decks, occasionally perusing the art gallery or getting some ice cream on the lido deck.
- >As evening came around, there was still no sign of Kevin anywhere.
- >He must've been having a lot of fun with his date.
- >You'd be lying if you said you weren't jealous.
- >The fun you were having earlier fades from your memory as you ponder about just how lonely you truly are.
- >A cruise ship full of single women, and you don't feel like talking to any of them.
- >Some vacation.
- >Depressed, you decide to head back in the direction of your cabin, passing by one of the dance venues, full of partying humans and furs.
- >That's when you hear her voice.
- Please don't talk about love tonight
- Please don't talk about sweet love
- >It's coming from inside the club, carrying out into the hallway.
- >Your feet move on their own, taking you into the hustle and bustle.
- >As you push through the crowd of dancers, the voice and music become louder.
- Please don't talk about bein' true
- And all the trouble we've been through
- >You don't know what it is about that voice that draws you closer and closer.
- >It was smooth as silk and carried the tune of the song perfectly.
- >You don't get ASMR, but you have a feeling it's something similar to what you're feeling right now.
- Please don't talk about all of the plans we had
- For fixin' this broken romance
- I've got to go where the people dance
- I want some
- Action
- I want to live
- >Finally, you make your way to the front of the crowd.
- >You cast your gaze on the stage.
- >Front in center is the source of the voice that has you mysteriously entranced.
- >She's a bright blue macaw women, wearing a red dress that compliments her curvy figure.
- >You couldn't care less about her figure, though; you're more focused on her singing.
- Action, I've got so much to give
- I've got to give it
- I want to get some too
- >The other club-goers around you continue dancing, while you stand completely still, watching the macaw perform.
- >You can tell that she's really into the song, swaying her hips to the beat as she sings.
- I love the night life
- I've got to boogie
- On the disco 'round
- >All you can do is just watch and listen.
- >You feel your heart pounding in your chest as the bird finishes her song.
- >The crowd erupts into applause and cheer as a human steps onto the stage.
- >"Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for our very own Jewel of The Sea!"
- >The woman gives a wave and a smile to the audience before leaving your sight.
- >The band starts up another song, and the crowd gets back to dancing.
- >You can't move; you're still processing the events that just took place.
- >Your heart is beating like a drunk redneck does to his wife, and your brain is muddled with thoughts of the macaw and her voice.
- >You expected to leave this cruise without much of an impact on your romantic life.
- >What you didn't expect was falling in love on the first night.
- >"She used to be a model! Can you believe that?"
- >You snap out of your daze, looking up at Kevin's excited face across the table.
- "Huh? Oh, yeah, that's cool."
- >You immediately go back to prodding the remains of your soggy waffles with your fork.
- >It's the morning after the first night on the ship.
- >While Kevin was going on about his night, your mind drifted back to the alluring macaw woman.
- >Ever since you saw her that night, you couldn't get her out of your head.
- >The remnants of her voice echoed endlessly in your brain.
- >"Hey, you okay, dude? You seem kind of out of it."
- >Yeah, no kidding.
- >"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm glad you had a fun night."
- >You avert your gaze, not wanting to look Kevin in the eye.
- >That serves to be a mistake, as you suddenly notice the very same macaw sitting not a few tables away.
- >She's happily chatting with a few of the band members, but she doesn't seem to notice you.
- >You freeze up, nearly dropping your fork.
- >Kevin takes notice right away and turns to see just what was affecting you.
- >He scans the room for a bit before turning back to you and gesturing to the macaw.
- >"Friend of yours?"
- >You shake your head.
- "No, she's just the singer at one of the clubs. Saw her perform last night and I recognized her."
- >You busy yourself by grabbing another bite of waffle, keeping your head down.
- >Even without looking at Kevin, you're pretty sure he's gone back to looking at her.
- >"She's pretty cute. Why don't you go talk to her?"
- "Fuck no."
- >"Come on, Anon, this could be your chance. You guys might hit it off."
- "And if we don't?"
- >Kevin shrugs.
- >"There's other fish in the sea. Or...birds in the tree, if you prefer."
- >That actually gets a smile out of you.
- >A small one, but it's still there.
- >You set your fork down and look up at Kevin.
- >He gives you a "you got this" look.
- >You take a sip of orange juice.
- >Fuck it.
- >You push yourself up and out of your chair, taking a deep breath.
- >Kevin smiles.
- >You begin approaching the band's table.
- >You feel your heart starting to pound in your chest.
- >Your forehead feels sweaty.
- >You think of what to say to introduce yourself.
- >'Hey, your show was pretty good.'
- >PRETTY good? It was way better than that!
- >'Hey, I tought your show last night was amazing.'
- >No, too forward.
- >You're five steps away from her table.
- >Four.
- >Three.
- >Two.
- >One...
- >You reach the table.
- >Your feet don't stop moving.
- >You keep walking.
- >You head for the exit.
- >The macaw didn't even notice you.
- >You just keep walking, not even looking back to gauge Kevin's reaction to your bail.
- >You start down the stairs.
- >You make it all the way to your stateroom.
- >You open the door.
- >You crawl into bed.
- >You decide to spend the rest of the cruise here.
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