Going Nowhere (A Romantic Comedy Novella) Read Online Free Page B

pulled into one of the covered long-term parking garages and found a space near the elevator.
    I got out of the car, and as soon as I heard the distinctive sound of the trunk lock popping open, I retrieved my two heavy suitcases. I was moving a lot faster than usual, and I tried to stop myself because I knew it was entirely due to nerves. I took a couple of deep breaths as I watched April pull out her cases.
    After going through security and a long line to check in, we were ready to board the ship. I could begin to take the future into my own hands. I realized how out of the ordinary the whole thing was, but it wasn’t that different from networking. I was trying something, which was a whole lot better than sitting at home feeling sorry for myself.
    I pulled out the handles on both rolling carry-ons and angled them toward the entrance. “Shall we?”
    Promotion or bust!

Chapter Four
    T HE WALK ONTO the ship was anticlimactic.
    From the terminal, we went up connected metal ramps that ended in a short tunnel that led from the terminal to the ship itself. We walked onto Deck Five, where the most eye-catching feature was the view of the life rafts.
    April and I headed for the nearest automatic door, following the crowd. It opened with a whoosh and then we were inside the frigidly air-conditioned promenade level. A man in a Hawaiian shirt was holding a tray of piña coladas. “Would you like to try the drink of the day?”
    I shook my head at the same time April said, “No, thank you,” and we hurried to the elevator. We’d done extensive research since we’d decided to take the cruise. Those drinks were almost ten dollars.
    We found our cabin and I was very happy that April had insisted we carry on our luggage so we didn’t have to wait for it to arrive. I shut the door behind me and took my first look around.
    “Well?” April said. “What do you think?”
    It was an inside cabin with no windows‌—‌like an apartment bathroom. With the lights off, it would be pitch dark in there. I hoped I wouldn’t wake up in the middle of the night and try to pee on the bedside table.
    The two beds were small, but adequate, with a Miami-Vice-style bedside table between them. I think I had a similar one when I was twelve. I sat on one of the beds. “These cabins looked bigger in the pictures.”
    “I know, right? And fancier, too. No one spends time in their room, so I think we made the right choice from a financial standpoint.”
    “True. And no windows means no early morning sunlight. Perfect for sleeping in.”
    April lifted her suitcase onto her bed. She unzipped and pulled out a twelve pack of Diet Coke. “Want a drink?”
    “Sounds great. Thanks.”
    She grabbed two glasses from a corner shelf above the vanity. The room steward had already filled our ice bucket, so she got ice for the glasses from there, then filled each with half a can of soda. Then she went back to her suitcase and pulled out a large bottle of Pantene Pro-V. April popped the top of the shampoo and squirted an ounce in each glass.
    “Really, April?”
    “What?”
    I accepted the drink from her and took a sip. Even though I hadn’t been aware of her plan, I knew without asking her that she wasn’t trying to poison us with shampoo. “You filled that whole thing up with vodka?”
    She nodded. “And this is the family-sized shampoo. Free drinks all week.”
    I shrugged. It would save us a lot of money on alcohol. I couldn’t fault her for that. “Hopefully we don’t get caught.”
    “What are they going to do? Throw us overboard?” April laughed a bit nervously.
    “I read they have a jail on the bottom deck of the ship. I mean, it makes sense, right? In case someone goes crazy or something.”
    She squirted more shampoo-vodka into her glass. “That’s true. And actually, I heard that the captain has the authority to throw someone overboard if necessary.”
    “That’s great. Should I be wearing an inflatable life vest at all