Read A Night to Forget for Free Online Page A

back inside the hotel to look for the restroom. “I’ll see you soon.”
    ***
    “Shit!” I said in disbelief as I watched the cruise ship moving further away from the beach several hundred yards away.
    It had taken me awhile to follow the directions to the restroom, and once I found it, I seemed to have lost track of time, because by the time I got out to the shore, the cruise ship had already left.
    “I’m sorry, señorita,” the man at the dock said. “The booze cruise was scheduled to leave at 6 p.m. and it’s already 6:20 p.m.,” he said as he pointed at his watch.
    My shoulders hunched in disappointment, and I was at a loss for words. How did this happen? This is not how imagined my last night in Cancun to be. Okay, so maybe I secretly imagined spending my last night in Cancun with him , but I was expecting to at least have a great time with my best friends. And neither was going to happen. What a mess.
    “ Señorita?” the man from the dock spoke up again.
    I looked up at him, the feeling of disappointment was palpable in the air that surrounded me.
    “I spoke with the cruise ship captain. He said that your friends wanted to see that you’re okay. Would you like to talk to them?” he asked.
    “Yes, please,” I said weakly.
    He handed me his portable communication device, which was already crackling with sound.
    “ Ohmygod, Emma?” said a voice through the device.
    “ Steph?”
    “Emma, are you okay? We thought you got on the ship first because we ended up taking a detour with some guys, but couldn’t find you when we got on the ship. What happened?” Steph asked with concern.
    “I don’t know. I think I got lost finding the restroom and then lost track of time, and by the time I got to the dock, the ship had already left,” I said, disappointment flooding through my body a second time.
    “That’s horrible! Is there anything we can do? Can they bring you out to the boat with a jet ski or something? There must be something they can do,” Steph said, an air of defiance in her voice.
    “No, I don’t think so,” I said and tried to keep my voice light and upbeat. “It’s really okay. This was my fault. Please don’t worry and have fun tonight! I’ll just have some drinks at the Omni, walk around the beach, and talk to some people,” I continued, trying to sound convincing.
    There was a pause on the other line.
    “ Steph, trust me, I’ll be fine here. Please have some extra fun for me, okay? And tell Jill and Gloria to not worry and to have fun.”
    “Emma, they must be able to—”
    “Really, have fun tonight. Hey, I gotta run, love you,” I interrupted quickly and then clicked the device off. If I stayed on the phone any longer, I knew I would not be able to hold back my tears.
    I handed the phone over to the man at the dock and thanked him.
    I then returned to the outdoor bar at the Omni, and ordered two shots of tequila. When the waiter brought the shots, I immediately downed one and grimaced as the alcohol burned on its way down.
    I let out a deep sigh. I was devastated and had never felt my spirits so low.
    ARGH! Where is he? The second the thought popped into my head, I knew that my disappointment had nothing to do with missing the booze cruise tonight—I was heartbroken over him.
    For the last couple of months, he had consumed my dreams, my thoughts, and my life.
    Then I saw him a few days ago on the beach, and the minute I realized that he was actually real and that he was right here in Cancun, I thought that this must have been a sign—a sign that maybe there was something more to my dreams, that maybe he was the one that I’ve been waiting for.
    It was serendipitous , I had told myself. It was fate. And over the last few days, these thoughts became more pronounced as he became more of a reality in my mind—and in my heart. In fact, I had caught myself daydreaming about our future together. Our future? I shook my head, and downed the second tequila shot.
    By this point,