• Every glance I took of him stole my breath away. When he whispered my name, "Catherine" those perfect lips slowly curled into a smile. The sun cast its scorching beams upon us and his eyes . . . his eyes . . . were a lovely green with flecks of gold. Nathaniel, was that his name? I wasn't paying much attention when he mentioned it. He was so . . . enchanting . . .
    "W-we should get off the ship." I said, breaking the silence between us.
    "Yes" Nathaniel replied, and gently took my hand.
    Besides the staff, Nathaniel and I were the last ones off the ship. I stopped walking. Nathaniel gave me a puzzled look and tugged my arm a bit.
    "What's wrong?" he asked.
    "My father," I began, "I was supposed to wait for him. He's the captain of this shi-"
    "Catherine?" I heard a voice say, Daddy's voice.
    Daddy's eyes slowly drifted towards Nathaniel, then to our hands that were still intertwined. I tore my hand away from Nathaniel's and instantly felt my face redden. How was Daddy going to react? Yes, Daddy was protective, but that had never really interfered with anything important in my life before. Was Nathaniel important enough?
    Daddy placed a serious stare at Nathaniel. Daddy was two heads taller, three times wider, and could have easily tossed Nathaniel off the ship. It really seemed like he was going to do just that, but instead he held his stare, tipped his dashing captain's hat, and nodded. Nathaniel returned his gesture with a nod and a slight smile. I almost fainted from joy. That was it??? Daddy wasn't going to lecture me about relationship and men? I flashed Daddy a wide grin to show my appreciation, which he returned with a wink.
    There were no words to describe the rest of the day. Nathaniel and I spent the whole afternoon at the shore of the island and before I we knew it, the sky had turned a bright orange and the clouds a hot pink. It was sunset already. The day had passed in such a warm, cozy blur. Nathaniel walked me to the water and gently splashed me with the crystal clear waves. I giggled and splashed back with my feet. I watched as the salty water rose to the air and caught in the light. The droplets shimmered like diamonds and landed in Nathaniel's hair- his soft, feathery hair.
    When the sun had finally set, fireworks lit up the sky. Nathaniel and I stayed near the waves to watch while discussing our lives. Nathaniel's mother had recently died and had given her son all her money.
    "I didn't know what to do with it, " Nathaniel said, "so I gave most of the money to charity and spent the rest on this vacation. I honestly didn't know what I was expecting out of this, but . . . I have to say I found something truly special." he said, locking eyes with me.
    The trip to our next destination was a joy. Just as on the beach, time passed by warm, sweet and quickly (much like tea). I met Nathaniel every morning after breakfast at 9:30 in the ship's library. There, we read books, discussed our lives, and showed off our skills. I showed Nathaniel my photographs I had taken on this vacation, while Nathaniel would often sing softly in my ear. And every morning when I woke up, and every night when I went to bed I hoped that we would be able to continue this relationship after the vacation was over.