Chelsea couldn't describe what she was feeling now, with Ella's head in her lap. As much as she was fighting it, this was love, or at the very least, lust. It had to be. Something electrifying seemed to be coursing through her body, even the parts she couldn't feel. It was different than she'd ever felt with anyone- even with Gary, and she'd been with him for a year and a half. She looked down at Ella, her fingers absentmindedly playing with Ella's hair. But did she dare do anything about it? Ella said she'd had a boyfriend before the cruise, she probably didn't even feel the same way. And even if she did go both ways or whatever, what would she want with someone like Chelsea? But for now it was fun to imagine.
She was pulled from her reverie when Ella spoke, and in the light of the flashlight and very dim emergency light, she could see the smile on Ella's face, in her beautiful eyes. "Huh?" She paused a moment to collect herself. "Oh, yeah, I'd like that. At least once the elevators are working, of course." She laughed very nervously. Her fingers continued to make little circles in Ella's hair. It felt like, for right now, the world was just the two of them. "God, you're beautiful," she whispered, barely aware she'd said the words until they were already out.