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."
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."