6 inin mymy Cruise Suite

I’ve always been a one-at-a-time kind of woman, and growing up, lived a particularly frigid lifestyle.

But holidaying on water changed everything.

And now there’s no going back to my old life.

Behold the Mediterranean Cruise.

No signal.

No connection to the outside world.

It makes you do the wildest things.

“You should try a San Pellegrino with that,” says the man next to me at the bar. He’s a dashing man with soft, brown eyes and a kind smile. A Dylan O’Brien look alike. “Lemon is the best, but orange also works.”

“Lemon it is,” I say to the barman who’s also in on the conversation.

I drum my fingers on the counter as he crafts my drink. Regret started to sink deep into me earlier on today that I came here alone – everybody else is with at least one other. I dragged myself to the bar and talked myself into it with a drink.

Which tastes amazing.

“Mmm.” I take another sip through the paper straw. “Great recommendation. Thanks.”

“I’m Mars.” He offers me his hand and gives me a firm handshake. “And you are?”

“Elloise.”

“What an interesting name.”

From somebody called Mars.

“Thanks.” I take another sip and pop it on the bar when it starts to freeze my hand. “What brings you here?”

“Alcohol.”

I roll my eyes.

“Oh. You mean onto the cruise.” He leans against the bar and turns his body to face me. “A lads holiday.”

He’s an interesting man and his smile reveals a perfect set of teeth that he definitely achieved with the help of braces. It’s night one, and he’s the first person I’ve spoken to so far (aside from the bar staff). I don’t know what I was thinking, booking myself onto a Mediterranean cruise alone. Your mind isn’t your own when you’re going through a breakup. Setting sail for a week somehow seemed like the right thing to do, so here I am, nursing a vodka-San Pellegrino and chatting to some guy called Mars who invites me over to sit with the rest of his group.

“They’re all very nice.”

And all probably very horny.

We all know what lads holiday is code for.

Trouble is, I’m here alone and can’t afford to turn down a social invite.

“Sure. Why not.”