The Islandress

7: The Approach

It’s been a few days since Theodore and his friends climbed aboard the Viking Star and they’ve already had the time of their life. Throughout their stay, they already made friends with some of the passengers but most of them are women—and that’s all because of Evan. Colin too, but mostly Evan.

Although Theodore enjoyed the time he spent with his friends, he still didn't want to just follow them everywhere as they went gallivanting around the place. Those gallivants are the reason most of their new friends are women; not that he minded but he still had a tad different expectation when they arrived.

Instead of just traipsing behind them, Theodore exhausted most of his free time holed up in the library or in the atrium, where he played chess with fellow passengers. Evan and Colin found this incredibly boring but he listened to none of their protests; they eventually just let him be.

“Theo!” 

Theodore jumped slightly in his place as he heard Colin’s sudden exclamation of his name. He shot his friend an annoyed look and replied, “What?”

“What do you mean ‘what?’? You were out of it for God knows how long.” Colin shot back an annoyed look of his own, looking less pleased as the seconds passed by.

Evan gave Theodore a cheeky grin, the trace of a tease too palpable for the guy in question to ignore. “What were you thinking, huh?”

Theodore rolled his eyes, feeling the coolness of the water spiral up his body. “You and your malicious mind is going to be the death of you, Traw.” He sighed. “I think it’s about high time we come up with an idea on how to save you from you.”

“How you can be more insulting than you already are, I have no idea.” Evan glared at his friend but Theodore merely pretended he didn’t notice it. 

Colin laughed at the duo, his previous vexation about Theodore’s failure to keep up with their exchange seemingly forgotten. “He’s right though.” He grinned. “We do need to find a way to save you from yourself.”

Evan stared blankly at his two companions before succumbing to his childish urge and splashed the water towards them. As he laughed at his friends’ obvious surprise, Colin and Theodore were still trying to register in their minds what just happened. Evan’s laughter soon died out when he saw the dangerous glint in his friends’ eyes. He knew them well enough to know what that meant and a strong desire to flee plagued his entire being.

“Whatever the hell the both of you are thinking, it won’t work.” Evan cautioned, his voice trying to sound as strong as he felt—in this case, it’s not really working.

“Oh it will.” The glint in Theodore’s eyes never wavered even for a moment. “Just not in the way you expect.”

“You won’t even know what hit you.” Colin gave Evan an almost evil grin. An involuntary shudder ran through Evan. “We’ll be biding our time.” At this, Colin leaned over to Theodore and whispered in his ear, “We will be biding our time, right?”

Theodore sighed almost disappointedly. “Of course we will. Wouldn’t be fun otherwise.”

As Colin gave the slightly panicked Evan another one of his infamous grins, Theodore couldn’t help but think how they managed to stay friends this long without ending up killing each other. Surely, they would have had enough reason and chance to do just that but they didn’t and that really said something. Try as he might, Theodore would still do anything for the two of them despite their constant idiocy.

Evan’s wail brought back Theodore’s attention to his friends, who are now making a slight commotion. He felt—more than saw—the calculating and questioning stares they received from the other passengers who are also currently at the pool. Theodore, trying his best to appear undeterred by their gazes, still felt the feelings of embarrassment seep through him.

By now, almost all the people present looked on the ongoing scene with curiosity. Theodore grumbled incoherent things that were most likely an insult directed to his friends. Abandoning his need of wanting to preserve his dignity, he grabbed his two friends who are now glaring at each other and are close to landing a punch to the other. 

They were a lot of work, but Theodore did say he would do anything for them, didn’t he?

“What are you assholes doing?” hissed Theodore. When they disregarded his words, he made the both of them face him with such a strong force that Evan and Colin were dumbfounded in their places for a moment. “What were you thinking?”

Immediately, Colin spoke up. “The dumb i***t had the gall to insult me.”

“Weren’t you the same?” Evan queried through gritted teeth.

Theodore sighed, his prior feelings of secondhand embarrassment now subsiding. He obviously had a lot more to deal with rather than that certain emotion. “Why are the both of you getting mad now? We insult each other all the time.”

Evan and Colin shared a look before they turned their gazes back to Theodore with sheepish smiles on their faces. 

“It was only supposed to be fun and games but then the playful punches and playful shoves got a little bit more than fun and games.” Evan answered with his head slightly bowed down. He honestly looked like a kid who got scolded by his father and Theodore isn’t above making him feel any less than that.

“It was stupid.” Colin grumbled, squirming when he saw the thunderous look plastered on Theodore’s face.

“It was stupid.” Theodore glared at them. Seeing this now made him wonder about something. “Does this frequently happen when it’s just the both of you?”

The stares the three men received were starting to wane and the other passengers gradually went back to minding their own business. Theodore felt grateful for that but he still couldn’t help but look at some of them apologetically. Some women obviously took his stare the wrong way because they preened under his gaze. He looked away immediately after that.

If Evan and Colin noticed what transpired, they said nothing about it and merely focused on looking like the remorseful men that they are—well, as remorseful as they can look.

“Quite frequently.” Colin responded. “But we just make up right after.”

“It’s true.” Evan chorused, wincing when he realized just how fast his follow-up was, knowing for a fact that it would only make him sound more defensive. Still, he was quick to gather himself from that little mistake. “And we do get some advantages from that.”

Theodore didn’t need them to elaborate what Evan just said. Judging by the smirk slowly growing on Evan’s lips, he already has a pretty good idea about what it is. 

All the adrenaline and irritation he felt fully subsided. He knows that he can’t get mad at his idiotic friends that long especially when the source of his vexation is their constant petulant antics. 

“You’re idiots.” Theodore bit out. “Both of you.”

“Yeah, we already kind of had that down.” said Evan with a grin plastered on his face, gaining a similar grin from Colin.

“Well, good.” Theodore sighed. “At least you know that much.”

Evan and Colin’s grin never wavered even when the trio decided to move out of the pool and take refuge in the sun beds they chose. As Theodore wiped himself dry with his towel, he could feel the stares he received from various audiences. He tried to ignore it to the best of his abilities; he did not come here after all to try and find some woman to date. He appreciated it, but it’s still not something that interests him in the same way it appeals to both Colin and Evan.

This certain tidbit didn’t fail to pass his friends’ attention, despite all the gazes and simpers they received on their end. They kept their attention solely on Theodore, trying to see if it could help in gauging any reaction from the unemotional guy keeping the both of them company; they expected to obtain nothing but they still hoped for something—anything.

As Theodore relaxed into his sun bed and covered his eyes with the aviators he brought, he willed himself to remain unresponsive despite it being incredibly uncomfortable for him already. Without looking at his friends, he said, “Quit staring at me and enjoy the weather; it’s great.”

“I don’t understand how you can positively and determinedly ignore all of the women clearly trying to gain your attention.” Evan chuckled.

“It’s pretty obvious that they’ve got a thing for you, Theo.” Theodore glanced slightly at his left side and saw Colin mimicking his prior actions, a sly grin plastered on his lips. “Seriously—if you just try and give them at least a little bit of reaction, you would find them fairly pleasant.”

Theodore made a face. “If you already know that, then it makes me not want to even more. I don’t exactly take pleasure in swooping in on your nightly adventures; much less be a secondary choice.” He gave Evan a fleeting look before turning his attention back up to the blue, cloudy sky. “Or third.”

Evan laughed. “That’s because you don’t come with us when we try to make conversation with some of the lovely women here.”

Colin made some sort of noise of agreement upon hearing Evan’s statement.

Hearing all of that made Theodore slightly worried that maybe his friends have gone a bit kooky from their afternoon swim. “The both of you don’t give yourselves enough credit.” He remarked, the cool breeze of the wind touching his skin. Just that small action was enough to make him feel relaxed in his place.

Colin snorted. “Do you even know us at all, Landon? We were just being kind.”

“We’re your friends; we’re obligated to make you feel appreciated once in a while.” Evan added, the arrogance in his words definitely not something that one would be able to leave undetected.

Theodore let out a laugh. Of course that’s what they did. He didn’t know why he even got worried at all when those two are the most self-confident bastards he ever knew. It’s not like them to directly discredit their efforts, much less at Theodore’s expense. 

“How atypical of you.” Theodore grinned. “I got worried there for a second.”

“Well don’t get used to it.” Evan told him, earning a chuckle from Colin right after.

“Wasn’t planning on it.” replied Theodore.

They kept to themselves for a while after that conversation, enjoying the sound of their own thoughts even if only for a moment. It certainly helped that the weather is warm and sunny and they plan on taking advantage of that as much as they can.

Lying there, basking in the feel of the rays of the sun, Theodore let his mind wander wherever it deemed thinking about. There wasn’t really much to ponder on since he liked to keep his life as simple and as uncomplicated as possible. Not to mention that his occasional headaches are only because of his mother (the way she always pushes him to get married and have children constantly grate on his nerves), his job (the stress creeps up to him sometimes), and his friends (not much can be said about that).

That’s as much trouble he welcomes. Other than that, he pays no regard for it.

He can be callous, yes, but he decided that it’s what’s good for him; what he deems acceptable. He knows that it’s going to bite him back in the ass someday, but he’ll worry about that at a later date when that certain occurrence presents itself in front of him; when it’s too hard and too tricky for him to avoid.

Not a few moments later, he felt his dose of sunlight being shrouded from him. Feeling both surprise and irritation, Theodore opened his eyes and removed his aviators. What stood in front of him didn’t help in making his current emotions vanish nor dwindle.

Theodore suppressed a sigh to come out of his mouth as he sat up on his sun bed. “Can I help you with anything?” He queried.

At the sound of their friend’s voice, Evan and Colin simultaneously gazed at the man in between them. When they saw what caught Theodore’s attention, the duo looked at each other almost instinctively and shared a conspiratory grin. Averting their gazes from one another and back to the ongoing scene, they quietly anticipated what would happen from here on out.

The woman simpered. Theodore tried his hardest not to scowl at her. “Well, I was just passing by and I thought you looked familiar.”

How stereotypical, Theodore thought. As he narrowed his eyes slightly at the woman standing in front of him, Evan and Colin on the other hand tried not to let their laughter prevail. You didn't have to look at them to know how amused they are right now. 

“And you came here to ask if we’ve met before?” The tone in Theodore’s voice said all the unspoken irritation he felt. If the woman noticed it, she didn’t give any particular sign that she did.

The woman giggled in an attempt to look cute and flattering. “How did you know?”

“Because that’s an overused line that seems to have lost its appeal throughout the years.” quipped Theodore.

Evan and Colin already knew how this interaction is going to end. It’s going to be just like any other. This time though, they didn’t blame their friend for feeling the way he did. They like women and they equally found this woman annoying—which hardly happens.

“It is.” She replied. “But it did successfully get your attention though—that’s a good sign.”

Theodore wanted nothing more than to make this woman go away. He was not in the mood to be friendly to anyone. “No, you blocking my sunlight is what got my attention.”

By now, he’s hoping that the woman would simply get the hint and go away. Alas, fate just didn’t seem to side with him today.

The woman giggled again. Theodore was itching to cover his ears by now. When she held out her hand for a handshake and said, “I’m Drew.”, Theodore merely stared at it with incredulity.

Unfazed by his reaction, Drew grinned and wiggled her fingers. “I don’t bite, you know. It’s only a handshake.”

“I don’t like handshakes.” Theodore told her blandly. This is a lie, of course, because handshakes are what he prefers as a means to greet someone.

Drew withdrew her hand and took it upon herself to sit beside Theodore on the sun bed, the latter only staring at her with a gaze that loosely translated to, “Why the f**k is she sitting beside me?”. But of course, she took no heed to it and merely gave him another flirtatious smile. “What do you prefer then?”

“So kind of you to ask.” Theodore replied dryly. “I prefer distance.”

This time, Evan and Colin couldn’t suppress the chuckle that went out of their lips. Colin quickly shut himself up then so as not to be ruder and grumbled under his breath, “I am not laughing.” over and over again. Evan on the other hand just continued the sound he let loose but toned it down a bit.

Theodore could feel their amusement wash over him but he willed himself not to be deterred by it; he’ll share their amusement later when he successfully makes this irritating woman go away.

“Ah yes, distance is necessary sometimes.” Drew gave Theodore a sweet smile. “You know, your rudeness is appalling yet endearing at the same time.”

Could this woman seriously not take a hint? Just how dense is she?

“You don’t say.” Theodore drawled on. “Why are you still here?”

“Because, silly,” Drew started. “I want to make conversation.”

Theodore felt himself so close to exploding; he just couldn’t take it anymore. “Then make conversation with someone else. You are disturbing me.”

“Well surely I’m worth the disturbance.” She said smugly.

He knows he’s going to regret this later on but right now, he couldn’t care less; he just wants his peace and quiet. “I wouldn’t even look your way.”

She narrowed her eyes at him then as she crossed her arms. “You could try to be nice!”

“I did but you just didn’t seem to get it so now I’ve no choice but to spell it out for you.” Theodore replied looking at her with an equally irritated gaze.

“You pompous asshole.” She hissed.

Theodore merely shrugged. “Not something I haven’t heard before.” He stared at her blankly. “You’re not that great yourself anyway. Try to be more less irritating to the next male you lay your eyes on, would you? Not exactly an attractive trait.”

Eyes burning with contempt, Drew rose from the place she sat on and stomped her feet. “I can’t believe I found you attractive! I so regret coming over and talking to you! You should actually be grateful I came over and gave you some of my time! Do you know how many men would kill to be in your position right now? You’ll regret being rude to me!”

“Then they’re deplorable for feeling that way. And why would you assume I would feel that certain emotion?” Theodore made a show of yawning. “I didn’t remember telling you to come over nor beg for your time.”

“You are a complete jerk! No wonder no woman ever tried to talk to you!” 

“That’s because they’re smart enough to know when a person isn’t interested.” Theodore gave her a mocking grin. “Something you lack, of course.”

Drew gasped and glared at him. “Are you calling me stupid?”

Theodore’s glad she finally got the hint but with her still staying and trying to argue with him is making his head hurt a little. He needed her to get away from him now. With an aggravated sigh, Theodore said, “Stop putting words in my mouth, you narcissistic woman. I never said such a thing; I merely insinuated it. Please do learn the difference. Now go find some other male you can parade your incessant and inept flirting skills to because I am no longer in the mood to deal with your vexing complaints and ludicrous attempt at insults. Maybe one of the men you proudly presented prior.”

Needless to say, Theodore received a slap to the cheek after that. He knows he deserved that so he said nothing when she told him, “You can go piss off!” and stomped away like a spoiled little brat.

Theodore let out an exasperated sigh before putting his aviators back on and lying back down on his sun bed. Now that that’s done and over with, he can finally have the peace he desired—well, as peaceful as it can get.

A minute or two passed before Theodore heard rounds of laughter coming out of his friends’ mouths. Hearing it made a smile appear on his lips, despite knowing the feeling of guilt is going to gnaw on him a few minutes from now.

“Now I remember why you just can’t seem to get yourself a girlfriend.” He heard Colin comment beside him.

“‘Please do learn the difference.’” Evan snorted in amusement. “You are hopeless, Landon. I’ll be sure to tell Karen myself that she probably shouldn’t continue hoping for a grandchild from you.”

“Please do.” Came Theodore’s immediate response. If one listens close enough, one could hear the desperation in his words. “That would probably help in making her back off.”

“You do know that’s not going to work, right?” Colin chuckled.

Theodore shrugged. “It was worth a try.”

“Although, I’m pretty sure that sentiment of his would disappear if you let Alison interact with him and not some random chick.” Evan commented, earning a laugh from Colin and an eye roll from the guy in question.

“Looks like Karen’s finally going to get her way.” said Colin with a smirk on his face.

Theodore scoffed. “Hardly. Alison and I are just friends; nothing more.”

“That’s where it all begins, Theo.” Evan wriggled his eyebrows. 

“Not from where I’m standing.” Theodore muttered, ignoring the teasing grins and the kissy faces his friends are making.

“You’re so uptight, man.” Colin chuckled as he leaned back on his sun bed, putting his sunglasses back to his eyes. “Give some women a chance to get to know you.”

“I’ve said this once, and I’ll say it again: I don’t have time for relationships.” Theodore replied, already knowing that this conversation is going to last for a very long time. This is hardly the first time this came up, and he’s pretty sure this isn’t going to be the last.

Evan’s own chuckles echoed in Theodore’s ears. “Like that’s going to stop the numerous women who are vying for your attention.” He said. “It’s only going to keep increasing from here on out.”

Theodore couldn’t help the sigh that escaped his lips. While he knows that his friend’s words held some truth to them, he has zero plans of acknowledging that. “I doubt it.”

“Deny it all you want, but we all know I’m only telling the truth.”

Theodore sighed again. He just hopes that he would be able to avoid all of that during this fourteen-day trip.

Oh joy.