Mia's cruise of desires

The sun scorched the deck mercilessly as the ship slowly glided out of Barcelona’s harbor. The humming vibration of the engines beneath my feet felt like an excited shiver—as if the ship itself were urging me to finally let go. Katrin’s empty bed in the cabin reminded me I was alone. „Unthinkable “, I thought, „that she’s stuck sweating through rain and grief at a funeral right now, while I’m here… “.

I let my hand glide over the balcony railing, salty spray mixing with the sweat on my skin. The balcony was tiny, just big enough for two lounge chairs and a table, but the advertisement hadn’t lied: the tall glass walls and a cleverly placed windscreen turned it into a secret world. Even if someone leaned over from the upper decks—no. This space belonged entirely to me.

My fingers trembled slightly as I unzipped my sundress. Not from insecurity, but from that strange tension that always surfaced when I undressed „outside “. The fabric slid off my shoulders, suddenly cooling skin seized by the sun. I stepped out of the dress as if shedding an old skin, letting it crumple like a discarded serpent.

The wind was the first to touch me. It toyed with the straps of my bikini as I sank onto the lounge chair. The air smelled of sea and freedom, of nothing that knew rules. My toes curled into the rubberized deck as I unhooked my bra. „So much better “, I sighed inwardly as the tight garment joined the pile of fabric. My nipples stiffened instantly under the salty breeze—no judgment, no gazes, just the pure sensation of being alive.

I hesitated for a moment with my panties. A laugh floated down from somewhere above, distant as seagull cries. But then I heard only the waves slapping the ship’s hull, a rhythmic „shhhh “ inviting me to sway along. The elastic waistband slid over my hips, and suddenly I was as naked as Venus born from this very sea.

I spread my arms, let the sun reach places always hidden. The heat kissed my navel, the soft insides of my thighs, as if recreating me piece by piece. A laugh rose in my throat—unrestrained, unfiltered. Maybe Katrin’s cancellation was a gift. Who needed company when you could feel yourself this boundlessly?

But as I closed my eyes, I suddenly sensed a shift in the air. Not the wind. Not the ship. Something… „present “. As if I were being watched.

My heart thudded once, but when I lifted my eyelids, there was nothing but endless blue.