It's Not a Boat

In the week since the Capitana debacle, Oto and Hayami had been enjoying life at the villa. Their mornings were spent exercising, and afternoons lounging on the terrace. When evenings came, and supper had finished, the beautiful tigress would retire to her room while Oto took advantage of the time free from hosting to sort through the day's pictures. And every night, before he went to bed, he would send off his favourites to Sasha for touch-ups and posting over the evening.

Luckily, in her time with him, Hayami had grown accustomed to his influencer lifestyle. And, while she mostly kept to herself, occasionally Oto was able to sneak a photo or two out of her. These pictures, like diamonds in a sea of quartz, shone brighter than the others and generated more than their fair share of traction online. Fans and trolls alike loved to leave comments, and while Oto didn’t like some of the mean things said about either of them, Hayami had chosen to laugh most of them off.

That brought them to their ride down to the docks and the short trip to the private island that his father owned just off the coast. A short day trip that the boy hoped would be filled with iconic summer-time photos that could be slowly released over the coming weeks.

Oto was positively vibrating with excitement. Not only because it was his first outing since the Capitana business, but also his first summer trip out on the open water. It was something he looked forward to every year, and this year was especially special since Hayami was with him.

“You excited, Hayami?” Oto asked, looking to the girl at his side.

“Excited? I have no idea what we’re doing.” She replied, staring at the three mirrored walls that surrounded her. “I’m still confused why you have an elevator in your mansion. And how after two weeks I never found this.”

“Oh, there are plenty of secret passages around the villa. How do you think the servants move about so efficiently?”

“I-you—” She shot him an intense look, raising her fist. “Are you forcing people to live in your walls, Oto?!”

“What, no, I would never!” He flinched, holding up his hands as he pressed his back against the doors. “They’re free to venture into the sunlight whenever they wish.”

Ding!

The elevator slid open, and Oto tumbled backwards to the floor.

“Ack—owww.”

“So help me, Oto,” Hayami growled as she stepped over him. “If I find you’ve been concealing—whoa…”

She froze at the edge of the railing separating the elevator landing and the docks built into the magnificent sea cave. Her jaw hung slack as she stared at the large, moored vessel and the dozens of figures moving about on the deck.

“Holy shit,” She finally managed to exhale with awe. “That’s a big boat.”

“It’s not—ugh,” Oto pulled himself to his feet, standing beside Hayami. “It’s not a boat. It’s a yacht.”

“Boat, yacht—what’s the difference?”

“Yachts are luxury! Boats, well, those are for catching fish.”

“Pretty sure a yacht is a boat.”

“A yacht is a yacht!” Oto snapped in reply with a stomp of his foot. “There’s a big difference! H-here, let me show you.”

Rushing off without Hayami, the boy quickly descended the stone steps to the concrete wharf built into the cavernous walls. He raced excitedly towards the gangway and paused, posing as he awaited his friend’s arrival.

Oto, placing one of his brown deck shoes on the ramp, turned himself towards the girl to present his nautical summer outfit in its entirety. He was wearing a pair of bright, multicoloured swim trunks with a swirling paisley print and a white dress shirt with a collar slightly popped. Over this, his unbuttoned, slim-fit navy blazer hung at his sides, giving the entire look a splash of sophistication and whimsy all in one.

As he waited, he watched Hayami approaching in her contrasting summery sundress. Unlike Oto’s splash of colour, her look was a simple off-white A-line sundress. The large black polka dots gave it a retro vibe and coordinated with the solid black shoulder straps. A pair of large sunglasses rested atop her head, holding back the silver hair that flowed as the skirt did with every step.

He admired her and the dress for a moment before shaking his head and returning to the task at hand.

“This is a gangplank!” He explained. “We opted for a metal one and not a wooden board, because—yacht! Now, it’s proper to ask permission to come aboard.”

Stepping onto the ramp, Oto blocked the passage as Hayami came to a stop before him. Their eyes locked as he smiled back at her stern expression. They remained fixed like this for several moments before the girl finally caught on to what was happening.

Hayami released an exaggerated sigh before rubbing her face.

“Oto, can I come aboard your boat?”

“Eherm!” He cleared his throat, to which she sighed louder, rolling her eyes.

“Yacht...”

“Mayyy-be. I only ask for a small payment. That kiss I am owed—mmgrrhh!”

Hayami pressed her palm to Oto’s face, pushing him out of the way as she moved past. She stepped aboard the vessel, immediately noticing the fine wood floors and perfectly polished walls.

Not waiting for her host, she began to explore the space, noticing and acknowledging the numerous maids and servants she had run into before, as well as a dozen other nautically attired figures. They all bowed politely to her as she passed in her determined march to investigate the lavish bedrooms, living and dining areas, theatre room, and exercise room. Finally reaching the topmost deck, she came to a stop at a well-furnished hosting area with a jacuzzi and bar.

“Jesus…” She remarked, sitting down in the comfortable furniture. “This boat has more features than my apartment.”

“Miss, sparkling cucumber water?” The bartender approached with a tray and a tall glass.

“I—yuh, sure,” Hayami replied, not wanting to be rude to the waitstaff.

Taking the glass, she sipped, exhaling a pleased breath.

“Damn, that’s good.”

“Hayami!” Oto had finally caught up to her.

Rubbing at his face, he dropped down into the seat beside her. Within moments, the bartender was back at his side with a drink, which he took without question before gently clinking his glass to hers.

As if triggered by the sound of their glasses touching, the ship began to move, casting off from the sea cave and embarking on its slow journey to open water. The unsuspecting Hayami suddenly shifted anxiously, moving around in her seat to watch as the vessel cruised into the morning sunlight.

“Wait, we’re actually—” She panicked, looking around frantically. “The boat is moving.”

“Yacht—” Oto coughed before continuing. “And of course. We’re heading onto open water to the family island.”

“Like, onto the ocea—wait, family island?!”

“Of course!” He sipped his water. “AH! Sparkling cucumber water is so refreshing. And technically it’s pa-pa’s, but I do love to vacation here over the summer.”

“I-I’ve never left the mainland or even been on a boat!”

Hayami stood from her seat and began to move awkwardly. The world beneath her feet rolled in an unfamiliar way and, in an instant, she tumbled backwards into Oto’s lap. Catching her in his arms, he looked at her with a shake of his head.

“Well, good news, you still haven’t been on a boat. This. Is. A. Yacht.” He flashed a strained smile before resting a hand comfortably on her side. “Now, relax. Giles is quite the sailor. He’ll get us there.”

“G-I Giles is driving the—?” Hayami responded, slapping Oto’s hand away from her hip before sliding from his lap and back into her seat. “What can’t your butler do?”

“Tie a proper Eldredge knot.” Oto chuckled to himself as he sipped from his glass. “This yacht has enough fuel to make it all the way to my island off Costa Rica. Luckily, we won’t be going that far today.”

Hayami promptly spat up her water as a fine mist. “Your island?”

“Oh yes, I won it off a bet with Jamie. He said I couldn’t do that cinnamon challenge—but I managed.” Oto laughed proudly, leaning back into his seat. “Here’s the kicker, though. If I’d lost, I would’ve had to give up my estate in the Dolomites. But I don’t even like the Dolomites! Alas, now I have both.”

The girl looked down at the drink in her hands before glancing off the side of the vessel at the open water and slowly shrinking cliffs and mansion behind her. Unlike being in the villa or Capitana, on the open ocean, she felt completely out of control.

In a rare event, she felt as though she had been transported to an entirely separate world, and it bothered her. Hayami did not like losing control, meaning she would fall back to what she did best.

With a disbelieving shake of her head, Hayami released an aggravated sigh. “You rich folks have no limit, huh?”

“What do you mean?” Oto asked, confusion crossing his face as he lowered his glass. “I just told you this yacht can only go as far as Costa Rica—”

“I mean for excess. Like, how many houses do you have? Cars? Yachts? If you lost any of them, would it even matter to you?”

“Well, I mean—I’d just get another?”

“Gah!” Hayami snapped, standing and walking away from Oto with wobbly steps.

Grabbing onto a table for support, she stabilized herself before turning to look back at him with a furious gaze.

“Like, don’t you feel disgusted with yourself? Do you even care about overconsumption or climate change or—”

“Hey!” Oto bellowed, his tone suddenly serious as he stood from his seat. “I would never take climate change lightly, Hayami. And I am offended that you would think so little of me!”

Hayami, taken aback by the drastic shift in intensity, quickly quieted herself. She watched as he stood from his seat, glass still clenched in his hand, and confidently marched towards her. His steps were sure and unaffected by the gentle sway of the boat that made her uneasy.

“Our planet is undergoing a terrible instance of manmade climate change, and it is despicable that some people care so little.” He began to lecture, swinging his glass as he gestured to the world around him.

“But I am not one of them. The villa where we stay—and the town of Capitana—are powered by solar and wind renewable energy, which I petitioned to have installed and funded. Meanwhile, the fruits, vegetables and meats we consume daily are sourced locally from regeneratively certified agricultural farms. And the same is true for the fabrics I've chosen for our clothes because environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, and soil nutrient depletion are just as bad as atmospheric emissions. So, Hayami, I do not appreciate the assumption that I do not care for the climate. There is no Planet B, after all.”

She was shocked. In the weeks she had spent with Oto, she had never seen him so passionate and well spoken about anything except fashion and their pictures trending. As she stared into his stern gaze, she felt a strange sense of respect for the boy wash over her as though this passion stirred something inside of her. And, for a moment, she forgot about all of the idiotic things he had done and said in the time she had been at his side. For the first time since they met on the train, he wasn’t a pretty boy. He was a man.

“Hey,” Hayami spoke softly. “I’m—I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to assume.”

“It’s fine, just—the planet is important, okay? We should all respect it.”

“I agree. I’m sorry.” She paused, trying to find something to add to the conversation and move past the awkward moment. “It must be hard knowing your private islands won’t be in the family much longer.”

“What?” Oto tilted his head in confusion.

A confused look that Hayami quickly returned his way.

“Be-Because of glacial melt and rising sea levels?”

“Oh, Hayami,” The boy chuckled, taking a sip of his drink before shaking his head. “Come now. Everyone knows islands float. How else would they be in the ocean?”

And, with a sigh, Hayami rubbed at her face. The stupid pretty boy had already returned.