A cool morning breeze blew across the port area, sending a shiver through those who stood outside on this early morning. James, Jack, Nathan, and Ethan were gathered together in a small group, waiting for the rest of their friends to arrive before they could begin their planned trip on Jack's yacht. The sky above them was bright blue, and the first rays of sunlight began illuminating everything around in a warm orange hue.
Find exclusive stories on empiren/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"Hey! Are you sure about this? You know I'm not good with seasickness," Ethan complained while staring out over the ocean.
He was a slender young man with delicate features and light brown hair that contrasted well against his fair complexion. Despite being part of the group, he usually preferred spending most of his time indoors instead of hanging out in social settings like these.
Jack laughed at the sight of Ethan's nervous face and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't be such a pussy, man. You'll get used to it soon enough after being on board."
Ethan gave him a look that made it clear he didn't believe his friend. "That's easy for you to say... You've done this before, unlike me. Not to mention you're also the type who always trains his body by playing sports. I don't do any physical activity besides sitting behind my desk studying all day long."
He looked at Jack as an example of how different they were in terms of physique: tall, well-toned muscles, strong arms, broad shoulders... Everything about him showed that he worked hard every single day to stay fit and healthy. Meanwhile, Ethan had nothing like that to show off since his lifestyle revolved solely around studying and attending classes at university.
"Hey! Are you thinking about something perverted?" Nathan interjected upon noticing the way Jack's expression changed when mentioning Layla. "Stop fantasizing already. You'll only end up disappointed later if she doesn't respond to your advances again like last time."
He was referring to an incident where Jack tried to flirt with Layla several times in the past without success; however, today might be different considering it would just be a small group of friends going out together for fun.
"I'm not going to force myself onto her if that's what you're thinking." Jack shrugged nonchalantly at the accusation thrown his way by Nathan. "I'm planning to take things slow this time. First, I'll make her feel comfortable around me. Then comes step two... getting into her panties!"
Ethan rolled his eyes as he heard the conversation unfolding in front of him between those two. "Seriously? That's your plan? I thought you were smarter than that... You know very well Layla isn't like most girls who fall head over heels just because someone shows interest in them. She isn't easy to impress either."
"Don't compare me to yourself!" Jack snapped back at once. "At least I'm trying my luck with her instead of hiding behind excuses every time someone brings up the topic of confessing your feelings to Madison. This time, however, you better step up and do it. Because if not, I'll kick your ass afterward."
"Ouch... No need to be so harsh," Ethan replied as he rubbed his forehead where Jack flicked him before continuing, "Fine, I'll confess to Madison during the trip, okay? Happy now?"
Nathan intervened again before they started bickering again. "Good! That's settled then. We'll have a lot of fun on this little adventure we've got planned here. And you, Jack, don't screw things up with Layla! Remember, she isn't just another random chick who'll spread her legs after hearing some cheap pickup lines. You need to show her what kind of guy you really are deep down inside. Show off your best traits and try not to mess everything up by doing something stupid or saying idiotic comments about women again."