Derrick threw back his head in laughter, stumbling back and nearly falling in the process.
“Jesus Christ,” Christina hissed, keeping her expression neutral as she grabbed his arm. “Is this honestly funny to you, D?”
Derrick took a moment to compose himself before smiling at Christina with large, drug-glazed eyes. “It’s hard to say really. Yes… and, um, no.” He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her roughly into his chest. “But I know you’d be acting the same way as I am if you knew even half of what’s happening right now. So do me a favor and wipe that judgmental fucking expression off your face.”
Christina stared at her boyfriend silently. Even though he stood only inches away from her, she felt like he was miles away, and growing more distant with each second.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, D.”
“I know,” he said quietly, releasing her from his grip. “And you’re never going to.”
Christina sensed the presence of Max’s huge figure looming next to her even before she looked over to see him. He nodded curtly at her before fixing his stare onto Derrick.
“Sorry to interrupt. Derrick, can I speak to you for a second?”
Derrick stared up at his massive colleague for a moment before nodding. Christina saw a flicker of something in Derrick’s stare that looked eerily close to terror, but as quickly as it appeared it was gone. He turned and met her stare.
“I’ll be right back,” he said, looking at her for a brief moment before staring off into the dark night. “And I’ll bring some more champagne with me.”
“Great. Have fun,” she said, waving dismissively as she turned to watch the band. She felt Derrick linger for a moment before walking off with Max. A few minutes later, Christina glanced over her shoulder to see the two men talking at the front of the ship. She noticed with alarm that Derrick was sitting on the bow rail, perched precariously over the water as he laughed at something Max was saying. She started walking towards them, but then stopped herself. If Derrick had made anything clear in his actions and words tonight, it was that she was becoming an intrusion in his life. She knew the last thing he’d want is his annoying girlfriend looking out for his safety. “Whatever,” she said under her breath, forcing herself to turn back and stare sullenly at the dancing crowd.
And then suddenly the sky exploded above her.
Christina immediately kneeled down in fright as the intense flash of light erased the darkness of the Caribbean night, shrieking in terror as the shockwave of the concussion washed over her. She looked up to see fiery embers streaking overhead, trailing long fingers of ruby-red sparks that burned into nothingness as they fell towards the ship’s deck. A moment later, as the outer embers of red began to fade, a second explosion followed, filling the sky with a brilliant display of arching blue showers.
Christina quickly stood and straightened her dress, glancing around with an embarrassed smile as the rest of the party-goers stared transfixed at the unexpected fireworks show. She looked behind her to see Derrick still slumped awkwardly on the bow rail, gazing upwards with a silly, childlike grin on his face. Next to him, Max caught her stare and waved back politely.
A quickening tempo of explosions signaled the coming crescendo, and Christina hastily grabbed another flute of champagne from a passing server as the volume of the band rose with anticipation. She emptied the glass in a single swallow, feeling the effervescent cascade of bubbles tease her throat as they flowed over her tongue. Then, with a climactic display of exploding color and perfectly timed music, the show suddenly ended and the lights of the ship went dark. Christina and everyone around her immediately raised their glasses and roared with excitement under the beautiful starry night, clapping and cheering as the lights were slowly brought back to life. She turned to see Max standing at the bow of the boat, staring up at the smoke-filled sky as his massive hands clapped with the crowd.
Next to him, the bow rail was empty.
Christina’s mind seemed to process the moment in slow-motion as the color drained from her face. She took a half-step towards the bow of the ship as her eyes darted quickly across the faces around her. Derrick could have gone to get another drink she thought to herself, but instinctively knew this wasn’t the truth. From halfway across the ship, Max’s eyes dropped from the sky and locked onto hers. His wide smile suddenly faded as he read the terror in Christina’s expression. In an instant he turned his huge frame and seized the railing where Derrick had been sitting a moment before. At that same moment, beneath the vacuous silence