I'm fucked up

The trip back wasn't as boring as we came.

"You went through all the hassle to write a whole damn love poem, only to end up losing. Must be hard on your ego," I teased. Turns out the other guy won because he came back to save me at the last minute during the competition on cruise. I'm honestly grateful for it.

"Excuse you. There were some ungrateful fish that I had to save from drowning." He shot back, his hands flexing as he turned the wheel. "Did you just call me a fish?" I huffed. "Did you hear me mention a name?" He clapped back.

"The fish says thank you, by the way." I blurted after a short silence. He paused and then turned to me. "Thank you for saving my life," I added. He looked taken aback before he nodded with a small smile and faced forward. "Thank you for helping my sister." He murmured.

I'd never thought a day would come for us to have a normal conversation, yet here we were. I just thanked the man whom I felt irritated to be around with for years. And it felt nice to have someone who matches your energy to some level. I would never tell him that.

"Hey. Can you teach me how to do that?" I ask, taking off my headscarf. It was beginning to suffocate me. My hair wildly danced with the wind the moment I did. "I mean, I can drive a car. It shouldn't be that hard to control a wheel." I added, gathering my hair together and tying it up, some loose strands fell on the sides.

Carmelo turned to me, "Car driving has nothing to do with helming a boat. Thought you were smart enough to figure that out." He replied, controlling the wheel despite looking at me. And why was that so fucking hot? Must be something in the water.

"Stop being such a bore and teach me something, Mr. Smartest," I remarked. His shoulders shook as he snorted. Then he tipped his head at me, "Come here." My lips curled. I shot up hurriedly and went to stand right beside him. He moved back a little, creating a room for me while still steering the boat with a single hand. I was impressed.

My gaze shot up to his, asking, Are you sure? "What? Have you changed your mind?" He asked.

I quickly squeezed in, standing before the wheel. My heart drummed in my chest, and my body stilled when I felt him behind me and he moved to hold the wheel steady with both hands. I felt like a meat, sandwiched between him and the wheel. Sparks of electricity surged on my body, making my skin come alive again. My lips parted when his chest pressed against my back. Holy shit. What was going on?

"Why so quiet, fish? Are you okay?" He asked, his voice tingling my ears. "I-I'm good. What do I do from here?" Liar. Bloody white liar! Nothing was good about our current position for me. But hey, I came here for a reason, and I refused to leave without anything.

"Grab the wheel." He uttered, and I shut my eyes as his voice vibrated on my body. How was I going to survive this? That's why I should've dated instead of staying single this whole time. Now, even an innocent act made my body react sinfully.

I did as I was told. Then his hands enclosed mine on top of the wheel. My hands were nowhere to be seen in the presence of his. A quiet sigh escaped my parted lips. Act normal. Act normal, Chiara. Good lord, if you help me survive this, I'll try to become a better person.

"You are going to want to know how to steer the wheel if you want to helm a boat. Keeping the boat on course while adjusting for wind and waves." He explained.

All the words he'd said went in through my left ear and out through the right. At least pay attention to his effort, Chiara. I blew out and concentrated on his words. "Pay attention to the feel of both the boat and the sail." He spoke. Pay ttention? How could I when he was up this close? "Remember to stay alert and aware of your surroundings for safety." He added. Hell, I wasn't safe in his surroundings. What safety was he talking about again?

He steered the wheel with both our hands, turning the boat through the wind all of a sudden. I had to balance myself from falling. And then he turned it away to the other side. "What are you doing?" I bit out.

He loosened his hands and let go of the wheel, still standing behind me. A scream tore from my lips when it finally registered in my mind that I was the one controlling the wheel now. Swerving the boat in a whole lot of messy maneuvers.

My heart was beating in my throat. Was that even possible? My hands became clammy. "Hold your fucking wheel, Carmelo. This is not funny." I cried out. If I thought, it wasn't going to be a hard then I was so fucking wrong. This thing was diabolical. I'd pick a car wheel on any other day.

"You are controlling it now." He replied coolly. "Yes, and I'm going to kill both of us. Quit messing around." I snarled. "Just breathe, Chiara. And focus on keeping it steady." He replied and held my arms instead, directing me.

It went on for quite a while before my breathing calmed down and I relaxed to it. But that was only because he moved back to our former position. He was controlling the wheel with our hands. "How are you so good at this?" I asked, awed at his skills with the boat. "My father taught me." He replied, sailing us to the port.

Must be nice. To grow up doing such fun things with your parents. I had no such privilege. "If you want, you could sign up for a short course with Strada Magica." He said, I could see his grin without even having to turn to him. Despite his travelling agency having a good reputation… nope, thank you very much.

"And witness my own death?" I remarked. "You are being dramatic." He replied, amusement dripping in his voice. "Yeah, dramatic or not. I'll pass." I declared. Carmelo threw his head back, laughing. His laughter was so infectious that I found myself smiling hard. Glad that he couldn't see me.