Sail Away [COMPLETED]

Chapter 19 - "Sorry, I just can't..."

All the energy Ty had felt from being freed from the Batcave had been sucked out of her during her conversation with Hudson. When she had left the offices, Hudson had been in the far regions of her mind and she was even considering being around her co-workers but all she wanted to do now was find somewhere she could be alone.

There was really only one place she could go to find solitude but it meant she had to pass the cafeteria. She checked her watch to find the time. Seven-thirty. It would take a miracle from above for her to pass the cafeteria without running into one of her co-workers.

She risked it anyways and found luck was not on her side. She hadn't even reached the cafeteria when she saw Anders walking towards her. "Hey," he called out. He walked quicker and Ty didn't like the fact that he was eager to see her. One look at his face told her he knew about Hudson, which made him the only person who knew the whole story.

"Hey," she said, pulling on her last little bit of energy to try and seem like her normal peppy self. "Are you grabbing dinner?" she asked as they reached the door to the cafeteria at the same time.

"Yeah," he said, "but wait." He grabbed her arm and pulled her gently away from the door. "What happened with Hudson?"

She sucked in a deep breath ready to spew nonsense but she took one look at the sympathetic look on his face and let the breath out slowly. It was pointless to lie to him. Nico had his well-founded suspicions but Anders had heard the truth from Ty's very mouth. She shrugged. "He kissed another girl." She watched his concerned frown deepen and knew she didn't want his sympathy. She waved it away as she laughed sardonically. "I guess I wasn't the only one thinking about having some fun this week."

"Are you okay?"

Was she okay? At the moment her answer was no, but she knew that eventually she would be okay. It might take days or weeks for the sting of the situation to wear off but she knew she would be okay. And even though everything felt raw after her fight with Hudson, she was aware that she was standing in the hallway outside the cafeteria. She would rather grin and bear it on her own than fall apart in front of her co-workers.

"I'm fine," she said with a smile. "Really, I should have seen this coming." She managed a little chuckle. "I mean, how many times have we seen passengers treat cruises as an excuse to kiss as many people as they can? I got to kiss a cute boy and now I don't have to worry about dealing with the goodbye. Sounds like a win-win to me."

Ty knew how hollow the words felt to her but she could see some of Anders' concern fading. "I mean, you saw me yesterday. I was ready to end it then," she added, hoping to send all his doubt away and she could see her words working.

Before he could argue anything Jules came around the corner and Ty's eye's lit up with eagerness. Jules was the perfect distraction to put this conversation to rest. "Ty!" Jules said when she spotted them. "Are you guys getting dinner?"

Anders nodded and started heading for the door.

"Are you guys going to The Deck?" Jules asked, unaware that Ty hadn't started moving with Anders.

"Of course," Anders grunted. "Kenny owes me a Ping-Pong rematch."

"Shoot!" Ty said loudly to get their attention before they entered the cafeteria. "I just realized Louis needed to see me." She took a step back into the hall. "I'll catch you guys later." She walked away quickly so they couldn't ask any questions.

She didn't stop moving until she reached the door leading to her favorite spot. She pulled it open and breathed the fresh air in deeply. She could still hear the passengers below on the deck and in the pool but she knew she wouldn't be bothered here. She walked to her normal spot and sat. The sun was just starting to set and the sky was turning a light blue.