Flipside

Setting Sail, Sort Of

Several Weeks Later

I’m back home, continuing making YouTube videos and podcasts when finally I get a call from Nick that it’s time to announce my casting. I make up a video and send it to him, and a few days later, Netflix releases it. Over the next few days, my boyfriend get grilled by his co-workers and I get massive traffic to my YouTube channel and my podcast as well. I decide to put out a video on YouTube explaining my excitement and happiness, and also that it might mean longer breaks between videos but I assure my subscribers that I’m working on taking precautions so I can minimize the distance between episodes.

One day, as I’m editing a video, I see a call from Nick. I answer quickly, “Hey, Nick!”

“Hey there, Harmony! What’s your schedule looking like in the upcoming weeks?” I can hear a hint of playful excitement in his tone.

“I don’t know, just more prepping I guess. Why? What’s up?”

“Well. Get your prepping done quick, we’ve got a show to film! I’ll email you flight details and meet you there.”

I grin, “really? We’re ready to film?”

“Yep! So get packing! Your flight is in three days.”

“Okay, awesome!” We hang up. I finish my editing quickly and start some laundry. I dig out a big suitcase and set it on the bed. I’ve got a couple days to get everything in order but I’d never been one to wait until the last moment. As laundry goes, I sit back down in my office and film a short YouTube video, then place it for release on Monday, the day I leave. It’s sort of an “If you’re seeing this” kind of video, to let my subscribers know I’m officially out working on my new project, but I have plenty of pre-recorded videos scheduled. I do the same for my podcast. I hear a notification and see an email from Nick.

Harmony,

I’ve attached your plane tickets to this email. I’ll be meeting you at the airport in Phoenix and traveling to South Africa with you. Give me a call when you get to the airport and I’ll meet you at the baggage check.

See you soon,

Nick

I smile and reply that I’ve received his email and will give him a call when I get there. I print out my ticket and place it inside my passport, which I immediately put in my purse.

Later that evening, I tell my boyfriend about how it’s time to film, and I have to leave for South Africa on Monday. For most of the evening, he tries to stay happy and supportive, but finally, he gets quiet and says, “are you sure you want to do this?”

I look at him for a minute, “are you serious? Of course! This is a dream come true. Plus, it’s far too late to back out now.” We stare at each other in silence for a long time.

Finally he sighs, “well. I can’t stop you from seeing your dreams through. I just, I’m really gonna miss you. I’m scared to lose you.”

I wrap him up in a tight hug, “babe, you’re not gonna lose me! I’m just gonna be away for a while. But I’ll be back! And it won’t be long.” He nods and we hug, holding each other tight. We go to bed, snuggling all night.

The next day I do more laundry and pack my suitcase, as well as packing a few nice dresses in a garment bag. My boyfriend mostly ignores me while I pack, trying not to look at me. I ignore it, since it’s no use in arguing about it. Once my bags are all packed, I set them by the door. Having to bring up another difficult conversation with my boyfriend, I ask him if he’ll take me to the airport on Monday morning. He agrees quickly, to my surprise.

The next few days drag on, spending the rest of my time home arguing and then making up with my boyfriend. Sunday night we have a nice dinner together and I lay down with him until he falls asleep. After he’s asleep, I get up and walk out to the deck, staring up at the moonlight through the pine trees, my nerves keeping my mind racing. My phone chimes and I look at it. A text from “Sanji Hey! Can’t wait to see you tomorrow!”

I reply back, “Yeah, same! I’m so nervous!”

“No need to feel nervous. You’re gonna do great. And if you need any help, I’ll be right there with you.”

I grin at my phone, “Thanks, Taz. I really appreciate it. So what are you doing up so late anyway?”

“Excitement. I can’t wait to start filming again. What about you?”

“Like I said, nerves! And excitement too. :)”

“Well, I know it’s easier said than done, but try to get some rest. :)”

“Will do. See you tomorrow!”

“Can’t wait!”

I smile and close my eyes in the moonlight, taking a long, deep breath. After a while, I feel nice and relaxed. I go back inside and go through all my things. Checking my purse carefully to make sure I have everything I need ready to go. Once I’m certain, I go lay down, falling asleep shortly.

My boyfriend wakes me up early and he has the car all loaded already. We get in the car and he stops at Dutch Bros for my favorite drink. We hold hands the whole way to the airport and to my surprise, he parks instead of dropping me off. As we start the walk inside, I call Nick. He tells me he’s just arrived as well, and he’ll meet me at baggage check shortly. My boyfriend walks side by side with me, handling my suitcase for me. We arrive at the baggage check area and it’s early enough in the morning that there’s not many people. I see a familiar face in the distance and wave to Nick.

He smiles as he reaches us, “Hey there, you must be Harmony’s boyfriend.” He extends his hand and my boyfriend shakes it tentatively. “I’m glad I got the chance to meet you.” He grabs my suitcase and rolls it with his own to the counter, checking them for us.

As he does so, I say goodbye to my boyfriend. He wraps his arms tightly around me and swings me in a circle, kissing me deeply. He looks in my eyes and holds me softly, “don’t forget me, okay? Call me every night.”

“I will baby. I love you.” I look tenderly in his eyes.

“I love you too. Okay. Now go, be safe.” He lets me go slowly and backs away. I turn and walk towards Nick, looking back at him as he smiles warmly. I wipe a tear from my eye and keep walking. As we round the corner towards the security checkpoint, Nick wraps his arm around my shoulders.

“Hey, it’s okay. I promise.” He grins at me, comforting me. I nod as we walk through the fast pass line at security. He shows our tickets and tells me to pull out my passport. I do as he says and the security guard escorts us through.

We get to the gate and wait for a little less than an hour before boarding the plane. We’re in the first couple rows, and I enjoy this experience, feeling very much so like a VIP. Nick works during the flight, and I listen to some podcasts.

A few hours later, we land at JFK. Nick and I walk to baggage claim and then begin the process again, checking our bags and going back through security. He leads me to a fancy lounge and Nick buys us lunch. I sit back when we finish and relax a bit while he works. Then I feel a hand on my shoulder and a familiar manly accent say, “Wanna go grab a drink with me?” I look up and see Taz and Emily behind me, Nick smiles. I jump to my feet and run around to them, wrapping them both into a tight hug.

“Hey guys! I’m so happy to see you! And yes, I’d love a drink!” I look over at Nick, who holds a hand up.

“I’m alright, thanks though. I’ll catch up to you later.” Nick says.

We nod and walk over to the lounge’s bar. Taz orders us a round of drinks and we all sit, catching up and laughing. Time flies by and Nick comes over, grabbing a drink just in time before boarding begins. My friends and I board the plane and I’m super excited to see that we’re in first class, or maybe business class. Emily sits in the window seat next to me, and Taz sits across the aisle and slightly behind me next to Nick. I grin as we all get comfortable in our seats. Taz leans forward and says to me, “is this your first time in business class too?”

I look over at him, “Yeah! This is awesome! It’s so roomy!”

He laughs softly, “Yes it is. My first flight in first class was filming season one, so I definitely understand your excitement.”

I nod, still smiling at him, “I think I’m more excited to land and start filming. And to see the sets!”

“Yeah, it’s gonna be so awesome!”

Emily leans over as the flight crew shuts the airplane door and gets ready to begin pre-flight safety measures, “hey, do you guys wanna switch seats so you don’t have to talk across the aisle?”

I look from her to Taz and he says, “yeah! I’d love that!” We all stand up and Emily slides into Taz’s seat.

Face to face in the aisle he says, “do you want the window or the aisle then?”

I look behind me and then meet his eyes again, “it doesn’t matter to me.”

“Okay, cool.” He grins and sits down, taking the window seat. We sit and watch the crew patiently as they speak. The captain makes his announcement and then we take off, Taz watching out the window as we ascend. Once we’re among the clouds, he turns to me and we talk for hours, learning everything about each other. We talk through dinner and only take a quick break when I go to the bathroom. After a while, he and I head to the lounge and grab a couple drinks. We keep talking late into the night, drinking and learning more about each other. Finally at around midnight, when most others had cleared out and gone to bed, we make our way back to our seats, giggling quietly to each other as we sit down.

“We should try to get a little sleep,” he whispers, leaning over the partition.

I lay my head on the partition next to his arms, “I can try. I’m just so wired!”

He smiles and nods, resting his chin on his arms, “I know, me too. Our flight doesn’t land for another three hours though, and we’ll have a long layover in Zurich before another excruciatingly long flight to South Africa. We need to rest when we can.” He pokes my nose softly and sits back, throwing his blanket over himself and reclining his seat.

I smile and watch him get comfortable, then whisper, “hey Taz?”

He looks up at me, putting his arms behind his head, “hmm?”

“Thanks for hanging out with me tonight. I really do appreciate it.”

“It was my pleasure. We’re gonna be best friends, you and I.” He grins up at me and whispers back, “goodnight, my Robin.”

I grin, “goodnight, Sanji.” And with that, I sit back, wrapping my blanket tight around me and reclining my seat. My eyes grow heavy quickly and I fall asleep fast.

Several hours later, Taz wakes me up. The plane is about to land so I sit up and buckle my seat belt. He holds his hand out for me between the partition, and I look over at him. He can clearly sense my confusion and worry. I take his hand and hold it softly as the plane descends and lands. Once we disembark and grab our bags from baggage claim, Nick takes all of us out to a limousine, which delivers us to a fancy hotel. He checks us in and then we disperse to our rooms. The moment my head hits the pillows, I fall asleep.

When I wake up the next morning, I freshen up with a hot shower then I get dressed in a cute and comfortable sun dress. I pack my suitcase back up and head downstairs. Emily and Nick are seated in the lobby, sipping tea and coffee. I go and order myself a latte with extra espresso. Taz appears shortly, and orders himself the same drink as me. Nick loads the four of us and our luggage back into the limo from earlier and takes us to a small cafe, where we sit and order brunch.

Not long into our meal, Mackenyu walks up and joins us. Emily laughs and nudges my arm, looking at him as he sits, “hey, you finally found your way here!”

He smirks and laughs, “yeah, yeah. Hey, you must be Harmony! I’m Mackenyu and I play Roronoa Zoro.” He shakes my hand.

I smile back at him warmly, “even if I somehow didn’t know you were Zoro, I think I would have gathered that from the getting lost joke. It’s lovely to meet you.”

Taz grins, “Or I could call him mosshead.”

“And I could call you curly brows!” Mackenyu jeers at him playfully.

I smile wide, enjoying their dynamic. I look over to Nick, “So, are we expecting Iñaki too?”

He looks up from his food smiling, “actually Iñaki’s already in South Africa. He was there during set building filming some promos.”

I nod and Mackenyu orders a small lunch. We all eat in relative silence. Finally once we’re done we head back out to the limo, finding some paparazzi outside, who snap a few photos of us. We all tuck into the limo and Nick sighs, “better get used to that, Harmony. You’ll get that a lot now.” He smiles and adds, “I wish you could experience Zurich more but we need to get back to the airport.” I just nod and smile. On the drive back to the airport, Emily falls asleep on Mackenyu’s shoulder and Taz points out the window past me at various landmarks viewable from the car.

We arrive at the airport in the early afternoon and check our luggage. As a group, we go through the first class private security. I marvel at the ease of the process. We settle into the quiet first class lounge, ordering drinks. Taz comes up to me and asks if I’d like to go with him to the cigar lounge, where we’re allowed to vape. I agree, and we head over. We sit and smoke, sipping our drinks and chatting about everything and nothing before rejoining the others.

Time comes to board and there’s a separate boarding area for first class. We climb into the cabin and find our seats. Emily switches with Taz again, so he can sit with me. I think she can tell he’s becoming my new best friend and think it’s really sweet of her to let us bond. Mackenyu sits across the aisle from me, with Nick behind him, and Emily sits across the aisle from Taz. Taz opens the partition so we can easily see each other. The flight crew closes the doors and a safety presentation shows on the television screens. Before I know it, the plane travels down the runway and lifts off the ground.

As soon as we’re up in the air, Taz leans closer to me, “it’s a 13 hour flight from Zurich to Cape Town, so we’ve got a long flight ahead of us.”

I nod and smile, “whatever shall we do?”

He grins back at me, “hmm. Drink?”

We both laugh. As the plane reaches cruising altitude and we’re allowed to unfasten our seat belts, the stewardesses come and take our beverage orders. I decide on a glass of champagne and Taz tells her he’d like the same. They bring us our champagne and he comes around, sitting on the bench/ottoman in my seating area. He holds up his glass and we toast to the future. We sip our champagne slowly and talk. Before long, the stewardesses return to take our dinner order. They hand us paper ordering menus, to which I decide on some kind of fancy sounding pasta and Taz chooses a steak dinner. When our food arrives, he returns to his seat and we eat side by side. After we finish and they take our trays, we order a whiskey and Coke each. They return with our drinks and Taz comes back to me. We talk some more and play a fun drinking game. The cabin darkens so we head to the lounge, where Emily and Mackenyu follow us. Joined by more of our crew, we play another drinking game, Never have I ever.

I learn a ton about all of them, and them about me. I think to myself, this was a really nice way to break the ice and learn more about my new friends. I smile fondly at all of them. Hours pass by and Mackenyu heads to bed first, followed by Emily. When Taz and I return to our seats, to my surprise, he follows me to mine. I yawn, but smile at him. He grins and grabs my blanket, placing it gently around me and pulling my legs onto his lap as he sits down. “You should get to bed. We’ll have a really long, jet packed day tomorrow.”

I nod as he takes my shoes off and rubs my feet gently, “mmm. That feels good.” I lean my head back and enjoy his touch. He says nothing, just nods. I start to nod off so he stands and brushes my hair out of my face.

“I’ll be here when you wake up. Goodnight, Robin.”

I watch as he walks around to his seat, “goodnight, Sanji.” He closes the partition gently and my heavy eyes close as I drift off to sleep. I awaken to a stewardess gently tapping my shoulder. She says the flight will land in about two hours, and if I’d like to freshen up before breakfast, there is a shower room just before the lounge. She takes my breakfast order and I grab my things and head to the shower room. I take a quick hot shower and then wash my face and brush my teeth. I had no idea showers were ever on airplanes so the whole experience completely shocks me. I take one last look in the mirror and open the door, coming face to face with Taz.

“Enjoy your shower?” He says with a playful grin.

I nod and smile back at him, “yeah, it was amazing. I think added excitement due to showering on an airplane!” I point back to the room, “how many people do you think have done inappropriate things in there?”

He laughs and shifts his weight, slowly wiggling between me and the door, then opening it and stepping in. “I think this room asks for inappropriate conduct. But, to answer your question,” he leans his arm against the door frame and smiles, “a LOT of people.”

I laugh and look at him as he goes into the room. I give him a playful smirk and shut the door, then return to my seat. The stewardess brings my breakfast and a cup of coffee with a small kettle for refills. I’m halfway through my meal by the time Taz gets back. The stewardess brings his breakfast and he eats next to me in a comfortable silence. When we’re both finished, sipping our coffee, I look over at him. “Do you know the things I would do for a Red Bull?”

He raises an eyebrow and grins, then stands and come around to sit on the bench in my area, kicking his feet up on my arm rest. “Tell me. What would you do for a Red Bull?”

I laugh and cross my legs, leaning towards him. “Almost anything.”

He smirks, “almost? So, maybe a better question would be what wouldn’t you do?” He reaches around the partition and pulls a Red Bull out of his bag. A big one too.

I stare at it for a moment and then shake my head, “well, I wouldn’t take yours! That’s one thing I wouldn’t do.”

He nods, “okay, no theft. Well,” he reaches over and grabs another, “theft is off the table.” He laughs and hands me one. I take it gently and look at him. “I know, I’m your hero. It’s okay, you’re in my debt.” He laughs out loud and opens the one he keeps.

“You’re terrible. But yes! I owe you big time.” I open mine and take a long drink with a happy sigh. We talk more, finding out more strange similarities, until an announcement chimes that we are beginning to our descent and for passengers to please return to their seats and fasten seatbelts. Taz gets up and goes back to his seat. Mackenyu catches my gaze out his window and leans over.

“Hey, do you wanna switch places with me? You should enjoy the view of Cape Town.” He smiles warmly.

“Really? Oh, sure!” He stands up and trades places with me. I watch the beautiful scenery as we land, grinning out the window, bubbling over with excitement to start this new journey. When the plane lands and we pull into the terminal, Mackenyu and I trade places again to gather up our things. As we disembark, Nick wraps his arm around my shoulders.

“Alright, Harmony. So let me tell you a little bit about this next part. It might be hard for you to hear, but I think you’ll come around.” He grins at me.

I laugh nervously, “uh, okay. What?”

“From here on out, you’re not just Harmony Morris. You’re Harmony, the actress playing Nico Robin. You won’t be handling your luggage, we have a staff for that. You won’t be opening your doors, we’ve got plenty of people to do that for you, myself included.” He let’s go of me to jump in front of a door and open it for me and the crew, I catch the others grinning as he explains this to me, “you, my dear, will be treated like royalty from here on out. Anything you need is just a call away.”

A small smile transforms into a huge grin across my face, as we walk out to a large SUV, and a chauffeur opens my door. I slide into the vehicle, with Taz and Mackenyu getting in the second row seats, and Emily and I sitting in the pilot seats in the back. Nick climbs into the passenger seat as the chauffeur jumps in quickly and drives us off.

Nick turns and looks back at me, “Now, your first decision here. Taz and Iñaki share a house here, where we provide a cleaning staff, although Taz demands to do their own cooking. Emily and Mackenyu stay in a resort not too far from their house. You can either stay at the resort, or room with Iñaki and Taz. What would you like to do?”

I look back at Taz who grins, “our place is really nice, right on the beach, with a huge pool. Perfect place to chill after a long day of filming.”

Emily shakes her head and laughs, “yeah, I fell for that too. Those boys are nuts! If you enjoy loud music all the time, alcohol, smoking, and bar games, you’ll love it there.”

I laugh and shake my head, Emily smiles and I can tell she’s playfully joking. I turn my head and look back at Taz, who is grinning and watching me eagerly. “Well, I could really go for a smoke.” He grins wider.

Nick nods his head, “so be it. You just let me know if you decide to agree with Emily and want to move to the resort.” He reaches back and gives my knee a light tap.

I laugh and nod my head. After a little bit, we pull up to a gorgeous gated house. The driver enters a PIN number at the gate and we pull up the driveway. The chauffeur comes around and opens my door, then runs around to the back to grab our bags. I put my hands behind my head and study the house. It’s breathtaking. Taz comes up behind me and lights a cigarette, holding it out for me. I grin and take it, taking a long drag and blowing it out. He lights one for himself and takes a deep breath. Mackenyu slides to the front next to Emily and Nick gets back in the truck after helping take our suitcases inside. He calls out the window, “call me if you two need anything!” We both nod, and I thank him.

We watch as they drive away, then Taz looks at me and holds his arms out wide, “well. Welcome to the cool kids club!”

I smile, “Super excited to be here! One quick order of business though,” I pull out my phone and start looking up what time is would be back home.

“Just send a text,” he says, I look up to see him on his own phone, hearing the sound of a text sending. “We’re about 10 hours ahead of LA time, so it’s currently about 10 PM back home. I don’t know about your boyfriend, but my girlfriend goes to sleep pretty early. I usually text her and see if she’s not busy or awake.”

“You have a girlfriend?” I cross my arms and smile, “how have we been talking for like, a full day and you haven’t mentioned her?”

He looks up at me as he slides his phone in his pocket, “you never asked.” He shrugs, taking another drag off his cigarette, “why? Problem with that?”

I smirk and send my boyfriend a text, Hey baby, just landed safely in South Africa, FINALLY. If you’re awake, give me a call. Otherwise, just call me when you wake up. I put my phone in my purse and take a drag off my own cigarette, “No, not at all. Just curious.” He grins and finishes his cigarette, waiting for me. I quickly finish mine and he opens the front door for me. I walk inside and marvel at the house. It’s huge on the inside, clean and bright. “Wow…”

“C’mon, let me show you around.” He holds out his arm. I take it haphazardly. He leads me to the living room with a huge TV and a big plushy couch, and then to the kitchen which is loaded with tons of cooking equipment. We go through a large sliding glass door to the backyard. There’s a huge swimming pool and hot tub, with a gate leading to the private beach. He takes me through a different set of glass doors into what he calls “the game room”- there’s anything you could think of, pool, darts, shuffleboard, everything. Then he leads me back into the living room and up the long staircase. He motions to a closed door and tells me that’s Iñaki’s room. The next room is empty and he tells me that room stays open for guests, same with the room across the hall from that one. The next room he shows me is his- a large room with his own bathroom, a huge, comfy looking four post bed, and a beautiful balcony out a sliding glass door.

“And saved the best for last,” he tells me as he leads me into a bright bedroom with tons of huge windows, including one large bay window with a bench seat. “Your room, Harmony.” He releases my arm as I walk slowly inside. There’s another huge four post bed, with plush white bedding. There are a few large doors to a balcony with an amazing ocean view. I walk out, running my fingers along the railing. I re-enter the room and leave the doors open, then explore my bathroom. It’s mostly marble, with a huge soaking tub.

“You get settled in. Catch up with you later.” He smiles and walks out.

It still doesn’t feel real!