His Naughty Lessons-Chapter 177: A Deck With a View

** Eli **

Cutting straight to where she was standing, Eli made it quickly to Harper’s side. "Everything alright?" he asked, growing increasingly concerned when he saw that she was keeping her eyes lowered instead of meeting his gaze.

Whatever this was, it must be so bad that—

Slowly, Harper lifted her head. Her eyes were slightly hazy as they focused on him. "Oh ... hey." She gave him an odd smile. "Yeah, everything’s fine. I’m just ... um, getting some fresh air." freewēbnoveℓ.com

Fresh air? Eli furrowed his brow. The dining hall wasn’t packed, and this part of the deck was far from stuffy with all the open doors and windows letting in the sea breeze. Why would anyone need fresh air? "Are you feeling alright?" he asked again, studying her expression dubiously. "If you aren’t—"

The ship rocked a little at his next word, tilting to one side, and Harper let out an anguished groan at the motion, clutching tighter to the pillar she was leaning against.

... Oh. Was she ... seasick?

It hadn’t occurred to Eli to consider that possibility. Back when they were kids, they had traveled together to a lot of places, and his adventurous friend had never been bothered by a rough journey. He had long grown used to the image of a tough girl pitching up a tent in the most remote backcountry camps. But then again, they had never taken a cruise before ... which meant that this might be the first time she had ever set foot on a ship.

Damn. Who would’ve thought that such a brave spirit couldn’t take some bumpiness on the sea? Eli felt sorry for her, but at the same time, a tiny bit amused by the surprise discovery.

The fleeting thought must’ve shown on his face, because the next moment, Harper was suddenly feeling well enough to bristle. "Hey, don’t judge!" She straightened her back indignantly. "I’m just not used to all the rocking around, and I need some time! Even the swivel chair last night wasn’t this bad ..."

Ha. She must not be feeling that bad then, if she could still think about that swivel chair.

Eli chuckled. "I’m not judging," he said in all seriousness. "Sorry, my fault for not considering this sooner. The ship being on the small side probably isn’t helping either. Here, let’s get you to the open deck where there’s some real fresh air."

He wrapped an arm behind her shoulders, lightly nudging her toward the door.

Harper seemed to hesitate a little. She twisted to turn around, probably to check if anyone else was watching them at the moment. But then another bumpy sway of the ship cut her short, and her motion turned into a low gasp as she stumbled in her steps to fall right into his embrace.

Well, that was quite a welcome accident.

Eli used the opportunity to keep his arm tight around her, leading them steadily onto the side of the ship where the deck was open and empty. Water splashed against the railings below them as he carefully neared the edge, holding on tight to his girl.

"How is it here?" He clasped one of her hands in his and helped her wrap the other around the railing. "The breeze should be good for you. You can open your eyes too," — he added when he saw her eyelids squeezed shut uncomfortably — "looking in the distance will help with the dizziness."

"R-Really?" Harper sounded dubious. Her hand in his tightened, but when he gave her a reassuring squeeze back, her lashes fluttered with a careful curiosity, and she slowly opened her eyes.

Then she let out a delighted gasp at the sight.

The island they had just left from was retreating in the distance, the long beaches slowly fading into streaks of gold lining the coast. The emerald mountains looked even more breathtaking from afar, their knife-sharp edges painted a stark contrast of light and shadows by the sunlight, and the glittering ocean framed it all like a crystal blue cradle, turning the view into a perfect tropical postcard.

"Wow, it seems even more beautiful than I remember," Harper marveled. She seemed to be already feeling better, smiling as she leaned naturally into his arm.

"I always love the view from the ocean," Eli agreed. That was why he had chosen the day cruise for their Saturday activity in the first place, so that he could show her this different side of the island that he knew she’d like. "I think you’ll like seeing our destination approach over the horizon too, once we’re there. It’s like watching a page from a picture book stretch larger and larger, getting more detailed and vibrant until it becomes alive and sweeps you in. Quite a unique experience."

Harper grinned, turning expectantly to the open ocean in front of them. The bow of the ship was cutting smoothly through the endless blue, stirring up thick waves of sea foam dancing around them like white snow. She took a deep breath of the salty air and raised her face to the sun, tucking her head comfortably into his chest.

Eli nuzzled her hair, welcoming the sea wind whipping her stray strands against his face just the way he liked. It was one of his favorite moments to stay with her like this, quiet and peaceful, holding her softly and feeling her body relax so instinctively into him. He buried a soft smile into the top of her head. Maybe he should feel a little guilty that he was enjoying the moment so much when she wasn’t feeling well ... but at the same time, he couldn’t help but greedily wish they could stay right this way for the rest of the trip. He wouldn’t have to brood over the farness of their rooms then. He wouldn’t have to keep searching for her in the middle of a packed crowd. He wouldn’t have to—

"Ahem." An unwelcome sound of someone clearing his throat came from behind them, interrupting the precious silence.