“No way!” snorted Syd, standing across the cabin in nothing but her bra and underwear, laughing so hard that tears were rolling down her face as she clutched her sides. “Is this what guys talk about when there are no girls around?”

“Hell no! Cesar is just off his rocker, and his girlfriend is the only thing keeping him in check.” I looked at myself in the mirror by the bed as I finished tying my tie.

“I don’t have to worry about any horses stealing you away, do I?” Syd snickered while she wiped the tears from her eyes.

“Haha, you’re so funny.” I glared over at her; she raised her hands to show she surrendered as she continued to snicker. I cracked a smile and continued, “I can’t believe how fast time is flying on this trip. We were so exhausted from hanging out at port yesterday we collapsed onto the bed the moment we came back to our cabin.”

“Your right, I can’t believe it’s our second-to-last day.” Syd said. Finally calmed down, she walked over to the chair in front of the mirror. She grabbed one of her moisturizers and started to rub it into her face. “I can’t believe how much fun we’re having with them.”

“Your right, even though I had my reservations about Cesar. He may…no…he definitely has his flaws, but he’s anal right guy deep down.” Straightening my tie, I walked over and sat on the couch, taking my phone out of my pocket.

“It's even shocking that we're on the same floor as them. I think it's strange how this boat really feels so small at times.” Syd finished applying her concealer before she started using her sponge to blend it in. “I hope they like us; I really want to see them again. They’re so much fun to hang out with.”

As I was reading an article, I saw a notification from the cruise line messaging app; I received a new message. “We can just ask them at dinner, babe. If they're interested in traveling again, we’ll plan another vacation.”

Syd looked at how she was holding the tube with her foundation. With watery eyes, “You say that like the whole mafia mess is going to get wrapped up soon. Remember, you need to hit the road when we get back?”

“I'm confident things will get wrapped up soon because I trust Karlo has everything under control.” I said, looking back at my phone, clicking the notification. “Sooner rather than later, I’m going to be back home, and our lives will go back to normal.”

“I hope so,” Syd said, buffing her foundation onto her forehead.

There was a new message from Cesar: “Yo, bro, tonight’s the night I’m breaking things off with both of them.”

“Great news! I'm proud you made the right decision.” I texted back.

“Thanks brother. I’m going to sneak over to their rooms when Maria is asleep. Then, I'll tell her everything in the morning.”

"You're not seriously thinking about climbing over the railing tonight, right? The captain warned the entire ship about this severe storm coming in." I texted back. I glanced over at Syd; she had finished putting on her makeup and was putting on a pair of leggings.

“Nah, bro, I’m still too paranoid to go out the front door. Plus, it would break our nighttime routine. If I told her I’m going to read somewhere else; she might get suspicious. I’ve done this on other stormy nights, so I’ll be fine.”

“You’ve done this before?”

“I told you I’ve been an adrenaline junky my whole life, haha.”

“That’s just suicidal.”

“Hey, remember what I told you? I’ve never been suicidal. See you at dinner.” Cesar said with a winking face emoji.

Syd walked over to me sitting on the couch. “What do you think?” she said with her hands outstretched as if to say ‘Ta-Dah’. Delicate bat-shaped earrings hung from Syd's earlobes, complementing the special birthday necklace I gave her when we started dating. It lay against her black turtleneck. A vibrant, multi-colored plaid skirt contained her neatly tucked top, and simple black leggings she wore beneath completed her layered look.

“You look absolutely gorgeous. How late do you think we can be for dinner? I need more time to take in this lovely sight.” I said, putting my phone in my pocket.

Syd’s face flushed red. She covered her face shyly with her hands, closing her eyes momentarily. “Oh, I wish, but we can’t keep them waiting.” A huge, kid-like smile took over her entire face.

I let out an exaggerated sigh and playfully rolled my eyes. “Okay, fine, I guess.” I walked over and gave her a kiss, “But you should know I’m going to be thinking about you all night. And how I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”

Locking eyes, “You always know how to make me feel so pretty, Tom. I love you.” Syd said.

“I love you too, Syd.” I said before giving her another kiss. “Now let's get going before we're late.”

When we entered the dininghall, we saw Cesar and Maria sitting at the table chatting with half-filled wineglasses. “Sorry we’re late; I hope we didn’t keep you guys waiting.” Syd said, taking a seat.

“Oh, stop it, you’re not even 5 minutes late.” Cesar chuckled, taking a sip from his glass.

“You guys are totally fine; we just got here ourselves.” Maria said with a smile, moving her finger around the rim of her glass.

“Good evening, Mr. Morningstar, Ms. Walker. Will you be having the chef’s recommended wine, or would you like something else to drink tonight?”

“Wait, your last name is Morningstar? With those soulless black eyes, you’re not the devil in disguise, are you?” Cesar laughed.

Maria nudged him with her elbow. “Stop it and be nice. But don’t make any deals with him; the only person who can have your soul is me.” She looked over at me and winked.

“Don't worry about it. The contract business has been slow lately, and I keep getting terrible reviews.” I laughed.

Dinner continued, and we quickly fell into our usual rhythm of playful banter. We were enjoying ourselves so much that before we knew it, dinner was nearly over and the servers started bringing out dessert. "I wish we'd met so much sooner! We've had so much fun with you guys on this trip!" Maria said, then took a spoonful of ice cream.

“I have to agree with Maria; it’s always hit or miss finding new couples. They’re boring or complete weirdos.” Cesar said, taking another sip of his wine. I looked over at Syd, and I could tell she was trying her hardest to not laugh.

“I agree; let's exchange information so we can plan another trip together.” I said, slicing a piece of chocolate cake with my fork and then eating it.

"That sounds amazing. We're actually planning a trip to Iceland next year!" Maria said, clapping.

“What!? No way, I’ve always wanted to see the aurora lights!” Syd dropped her spoon next to her parfait.

“We do too! Okay, it's settled. When we’re back in the city, we’ll plan everything out. You guys seem to have the more restrictive schedules.”

We kept talking about plans, and it turned out Maria and Cesar actually live in our city, so we could see them regularly. Well, at least once this whole mafia case gets resolved. The night ended with everyone heading back to their cabins.

I went to the window to check outside. The storm was raging outside. Lightning lit up the distance while thunder followed closely. Rain hammered the patio door, running down in sheets to the balcony below. "You're not thinking about going out there, are you?" Syd said, sitting up in bed and watching me.

I didn’t tell her about Cesar cheating on Maria and/or the crazy stunt he did to not get caught. Which means I also didn’t tell her what he’s going to do tonight. “No, of course not. I just wanted to take a peek at the storm raging outside.” I said, getting under the covers.

The next morning, we were jarred awake by chilling screams. "Cesar! Cesar! Cesar, come out; this isn't funny!

Without a second thought, I leaped out of bed, putting on a shirt and shorts. I wasn't making the same mistake of running out in boxers like last time. Syd was right behind me as we bolted from our room and crossed the corridor to Maria and Cesar's cabin.

As we approached the source of the screams, we found a crew member holding his hat to his chest, looking down at Maria, who sat on the ground sobbing while clutching her phone with trembling hands. "There's no way Cesar jumped; it's not possible! This text isn't real!" When Maria spotted us, she held up her phone in our direction. "Tell them, Tom! Tell them this text is not some dumb suicide note. You knew him well enough! Tell them that Cesar must have fallen off the balcony while he was reading! Tell them this suicide note isn't real!"

Maria was right; I couldn’t believe it. There’s no way Cesar jumped. I’ve only known him for a short time, but that cocky bastard would never throw his life away not unless it was he had to sacrifice himself in some hero's death.

Not to mention, there's a chance Cesar wasn't alone last night. If he made it, then he would have been with one girl.

That's if he made it.

Because if he didn't make it, then he must’ve accidentally fallen over during the storm because of some bad weather.

But that doesn’t explain the note. Why did he leave that note?

The man told me he wanted to accept the consequences and make things right. Most importantly, he swore he wasn't suicidal.

He swore he wasn't suicidal.

This can only mean one thing: Cesar didn’t commit suicide. Cesar was murdered.