CHAPTER 102: GOODBYE PARTY

~Bonus Chapter for today:

This Chapter is dedicated to "Yami_Cha". Thank you so much for the review! I owe you a big thanks!

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Georgia’s POV

With the help of the two cadets, Nick’s cabin was stripped bare in minutes. The air still carried his scent, and part of me hated how easily the room became just another empty space.

Steven insisted we join the crew for one last dinner, a farewell for Nick.

Nick tried to decline, but the Chief Cook bribed him with all his favorite dishes, and that was the end of his protest.

By the time Liam, Vicky, and Ella returned to the ship, the mess hall had transformed. Streamers hung above the tables, warm light casting a golden glow over the room.

A lavish buffet stretched along the left side, the scent of roasted meat and spiced sauces drifting down the hallway, teasing my senses and making my stomach growl.

We entered together, Nick and Steven leading, Liam following, while us, ladies trailed behind. The moment we stepped in, a chorus of cheers, welcomes, and tearful goodbyes wrapped around us.

Evelyn launched herself into Nick’s arms, clutching him so tightly he had to pry her off just to breathe.

"Captain! How could you leave us so soon?" she sobbed against his chest, her voice raw.

Nick’s voice softened, though his words carried a weight only I seemed to notice.

"You know why... There’s no point fighting for my license when I’m not stepping back on board after my contract." He hugged her again, murmuring something low enough that I couldn’t hear.

Whatever it was made Evelyn’s eyes widen before she broke into a slow, knowing smile. My curiosity sharpened like a blade; I would find out later what he told her.

The goodbyes swirled around me, but I was scanning for Sarah when Evelyn reappeared at my side, making me jump.

"She’s not here," Evelyn said lightly. "Stayed on the bridge."

"Oh, so she’s not saying goodbye," I replied.

"She already did," Evelyn teased, arching a brow. "And in a very dramatic way, I heard."

She guided us toward a table by the window. The view outside was nothing picturesque—just the dark water shifting under the floodlights, but somehow it felt private, secluded.

The crew, ever the gentlemen, insisted we get our food first. I felt their gazes linger as Nick guided me toward the buffet, his palm warm at the small of my back. Even in a crowded room, his touch made my skin hum.

But the crew seems to be friendlier towards me now, unlike before. I guess Nick has lifted his order to ban everyone from approaching me.

By the time we settled into our seats, Evelyn wasted no time leaning forward, eyes gleaming with curiosity. "Alright, spill it—what happened after you jumped off the ship?"

I hesitated, my fork hovering in mid-air. But Vicky and Ella joined in, their persistence chipping away at my resolve. So I told them, leaving out the parts where Nick’s mouth had claimed every inch of me, the parts that were still etched into my skin.

Vicky already knew, anyway; she’d seen the constellation of kiss marks when we were on the island.

"My God, you survived all that?" Evelyn exclaimed, half in shock, half in admiration.

I smiled faintly. "I think we just got lucky. The island was... paradise. Plenty of food. I can’t imagine why no one owns it."

"It has an owner," Vicky cut in smoothly.

"Really? I hope the owner doesn’t mind us harvesting all the mussels and oysters," I said, half-teasing.

"I’m sure he wouldn’t mind," she replied with an almost careless shrug, but there was something guarded in her eyes.

So, the owner was a ’he’. Too bad for Nick—he’d already mentioned wanting to buy that place.

The conversation shifted as Evelyn recounted what happened after Nick jumped, chaos, panic, voices raised over the radio.

Ella added her part, explaining how everyone on the cruise ship assumed I was asleep in my suite, when in reality, I was already on another vessel entirely.

Then Vicky spoke, her voice animated. "We thought our father was going to have a heart attack when we got the news that Nick jumped during the storm. It was super stressful. And then—" she shook her head with mock outrage—"Nick reached out to me. I wanted to smash his head in right then and there."

We all laughed, even me, but there was warmth in the sound, an undercurrent of shared relief.

"But then," Vicky continued, "he told me he’d jumped to save a woman, and gave me a list of instructions. I knew I had to do everything I could." She looked at me then, her smile softening.

There was something almost protective in her gaze, familial, even, and I felt my chest warm. "You two seem close," I said.

"Yes," she replied, the corners of her lips lifting faintly. "Nick’s close to me and Liam. Not so much with our eldest brother... He’s always buried in work. Liam’s closer to him than I am." Her voice dipped, carrying a note of melancholy.

I didn’t pry. Whatever history lay between her words wasn’t mine to open. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the tension in their family ran deeper than I’d imagined.

When we finished eating, Steven asked Liam to take a picture of the crew with Nick before they said their final goodbyes.

Evelyn pulled me into a warm, lingering hug. "See you in two months. My contract ends the same day as Captain Nick’s, we always board together. I’ll make sure to visit. Something tells me we’ll be seeing each other a lot more from now on," she said with a knowing smile.

I tilted my head, not fully grasping her meaning, but her words stirred a strange mix of curiosity and anticipation in my chest. I forced a smile and nodded. "That would be great, Evelyn. I don’t have many friends... I’d love to have you as one."

As we prepared to leave the ship, each crew member embraced Nick, their eyes glossy with unshed tears. Even Nick, stoic, a commanding Captain, looked moved, his jaw tight, his gaze softened, teary-eyed.

My heart ached, a pang of guilt cutting through me. I had been part of the reason this farewell carried such weight, and it both warmed and unsettled me.