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The next day was a day at sea. Ethan and I slept in, both of us exhausted from the previous few days’ events. I woke first so I slipped out of bed and sat on the deck outside our room, enjoying the sunshine and warm breeze while I worked out the last of the song I’d been composing the past week. Through the open slider, I watched Ethan sleep. The morning sun shone on his golden tanned skin, and his long dark lashes framed his eyes in perfect half-moons. He looked so relaxed, peaceful—almost innocent. And so handsome, I could hardly breathe. I wondered what D.D. and Sami would say.
Grinning like I’d won the lottery, I put the finishing touches on my song, woke Ethan with a soft kiss on the cheek, and headed for the shower, leaving him smiling sleepily at me as I closed the door.
When I came out, he was gone. A note, written in neat left-handed scrawl, lay on the pillow.
Best night ever! Thanks for letting me stay. Meet you at breakfast.
Ethan
Xoxoxo
∞∞∞
After a hardy breakfast, Ethan made a call to his father, who let me talk to Maddie. She sounded tired but good, and another wave of relief and gratitude rolled through me. She would fly home the same day as me, and I would meet her at the hospital in L.A. when she arrived. Ethan’s dad would make arrangements for a driver to pick me up at the airport. It seemed everything was covered.
I had already determined I would stay with Maddie for a few more weeks to help take care of her once she was well enough to go home. Mom and Mitch deserved a chance to spend some time alone when she got out of the hospital—which she’d said would be soon when I called her to update her on Maddie’s condition. I looked forward to getting to know my father through Maddie’s eyes and seeing pictures of him growing up.
Relieved of the burden of worrying about all the details of our immediate future, Ethan and I enjoyed our day. We hung out by the pool, played a couple of vicious games of Ping-Pong, and spent a ridiculous amount of time playing Minecraft. I felt lighter—and completely relaxed with Ethan at my side. With new hope for my future, it seemed the cloud I’d been under had lifted.
Later that night, after another amazing dinner, we ended up in the Crow’s Nest. The room was already crowded. Mr. and Mrs. Feinbaum waved us over and asked how Maddie was doing. Having fielded the question several times throughout the day, Ethan jumped in to give them the rundown. It seemed his heroic deed of saving Maddie’s life had spread among the ship’s passengers and Ethan was somewhat of a celebrity. He handled it humbly, but I could tell it made him feel good to know his quick reaction had made a difference in saving a life.
Tommy—apparently recovered from his bout of laryngitis—caught my attention. I excused myself.
“You had such a great reception here the other night. Do you want to play a set with me?”
I glanced at Ethan, proud to have him as my date and thinking this might be the perfect opportunity to show him how much I appreciated him. I pulled my song out of my pocket and unfolded the paper.
“You think we can play this one?” I gave Tommy a few instructions on chord structure and key changes while I checked the tuning on his guitar and he looked over the music. Ethan looked up and smiled, then made his way over to a seat near the window, the dark night and moon-drenched sea behind him. Anticipation lit his eyes and the room grew quiet.
Tommy played the intro and I strummed in, shifting my gaze over the audience, the tables all full and people standing in the entryway. I let out a long slow breath and spoke softly into the mic, barely aware of my own voice over the pounding of my pulse in my ears.
“This is called, Because of You.” I glanced at Ethan and a shy smile took my lips. I drew in a deep breath and let my heart sing.
When I look into your eyes
I see the window to my soul
You show me who I am
And suddenly I’m whole
And I want you to know
You see the me I never saw
You see the me no one knew
You see the me I am today
Because of you
You showed me how to smile
You made me laugh again
Through the tears we shed together
I know I’ve found a friend
You gave me courage to look back
Courage to face the ugly truth
That love can’t save us from ourselves
My life before is surely proof
And I want you to know
You see the me I never saw
You see the me no one knew
You see the me I am today
Because of you
When this day is finally over
And our journey finds its end
We’ll both go on to bigger things
But I’ll always be your friend
’Cause love knows no distance
And love knows no bounds
All you have to do is call on me
And I’ll always be around
And I want you to know
You see the me I never saw
You see the me no one knew
You see the me I am today
Because of you