After Ethan made his pick, Brandon and Kevin chose their companions next, followed by Tony, and finally Preston and Logan.
This seemingly casual order confirmed, once again, the subtle pecking order within this little temporary circle.
In the world of trust-fund kids, the unspoken rules and hierarchy were often clearer than anything stated outright.
Otherwise, Marcus, who'd dared to mock Ethan every way he could back at the bar, wouldn't have dared say a word in front of Kevin.
Brandon, with a tall, elegant girl in a bikini at his side, raised his chin at Ethan. "Come on, Ethan, take your girl over and loosen up a bit."
Ethan, holding the gentle Madison, followed Brandon toward the more open activity area on the deck.
...
Even though the river was wide and breezy in the afternoon, the deck, sitting in direct sunlight, still held onto the summer heat.
Since Kevin had gone through the trouble of arranging all these girls in bikinis, he obviously wasn't going to let the mood get awkward.
In the center of the deck, a dozen or so big, brightly colored water guns of all shapes had already been set out, along with a few large buckets filled with clean water nearby.
Of course, water games were a must.
Kevin, Tony, Preston, and the others immediately perked up, grinning mischievously as they each grabbed a water gun and filled it up fast.
Then, still grinning, they all aimed at the girls and opened fire.
"Ladies, watch out!" Kevin let out some kind of war cry and was the first to pull the trigger!
The water hit the girl square on, soaking her bikini instantly.
They all started shouting at once:
"Ah—!"
"Kevin, you're so mean!"
"Brandon, not my hair!"
"Preston, have mercy!"
In an instant, jets of water, full of mischief and excitement, sprayed toward the girls in their skimpy outfits, some hitting their mark, some not!
The crystal-clear water splashed against their smooth skin, instantly soaking the thin bikini fabric and outlining their curves even more.
The girls screamed, laughed, and teased back, scattering across the deck like startled fawns. Their wet hair stuck to their cheeks and necks, water dripping down their bodies, glinting in the sunlight.
Their playful resistance and cute little shrieks only egged the guys on even more. Water flew everywhere across the deck, shouts and laughter mixing together, the whole scene practically glowing with energy and beauty.
Ethan stood a bit further off with Madison, under the shade, watching the lively water fight with interest.
The scene in front of him was honestly a lot more interesting than the dull yacht sightseeing he'd originally pictured.
A thought suddenly crossed his mind: when the time was right, maybe he should get a bigger yacht and take it out on the open sea, throw a bigger, even better party. That would feel like a whole different thing.
Madison, nestled against him, quietly glanced up at Ethan's calm profile.
He watched the chaos with a faint smile at the corner of his mouth, but showed no interest in joining in.
She couldn't help whispering, "Ethan, you... aren't you gonna go play with them? It looks pretty fun."
Ethan lowered his head, his eyes meeting hers, clear and full of curiosity with a hint of probing. His tone stayed calm. "What, you want to go join them?"
Madison glanced quickly at the other girls on deck, getting chased around by water guns, soaked and shrieking but laughing nonstop, and shook her head fast. "No, no, no! I'll just stay with you. Whatever you want to do, Maddie's happy to go along."
She thought to herself: this Ethan really did seem different from the others... that kind of detached calm was even harder to read.
Hearing that, Ethan's faint smile only deepened a little. He didn't say anything else, his gaze drifting back to the shimmering river, as if he were just admiring the view.
Madison didn't press any further, just leaned in closer and quietly stayed by his side.
...
Kevin had been at it with Brandon and the others for almost half an hour and was completely worn out.
Only then did he finally call it quits.
Each of them grabbed a girl and started heading toward their rooms.
Kevin walked over to Ethan, looking completely casual, and said, "I'm gonna head in first. There's plenty of rooms inside. If you wanna go in later, just check if the door's unlocked, and you're good to go."
With that, he carried a girl down into the cabin.
Brandon, Tony, and the rest each said something to Ethan before heading down to the cabin too.
In the end, only Ethan and Madison were left on the deck.
Ethan watched the scenery for a bit, but got bored of it, and turned to Madison beside him. "Let's go in too."
Madison lowered her head slightly, her face flushed, and softly replied, "Mm~"
She obviously knew exactly why.
...
Two and a half hours later.
Ethan pushed open the cabin door and walked into the spacious lounge on the lower deck of the yacht.
Under the soft lighting, Kevin, Brandon, Tony, Preston, Logan, and a few others were already gathered there, lounging on genuine leather sofas, sipping chilled drinks or champagne, chatting casually in a relaxed atmosphere.
Their companions for the day sat in small groups over by the bar or on lounge chairs a bit further away, whispering to each other or scrolling on their phones.
Ethan's arrival instantly drew everyone's attention.
The laughter and chatter in the room quieted down a bit without anyone meaning it to, and several pairs of eyes, full of mischief, curiosity, and that knowing "guys get it" kind of smile, all landed on him at once.
Kevin set down his glass and was the first to speak, his face full of teasing, the smile of someone who'd been there before. "Oh, Ethan! There you are! We've already gone through, like, three rounds of conversation out here. So, how'd it go? Did you accidentally pass out from exhaustion in there or something?"
He put extra emphasis on "exhaustion," and Brandon and the others all chuckled knowingly.
"Honestly, it's nothing to be embarrassed about," Kevin continued, putting on his most understanding tone, waving a hand grandly. "We're all brothers here, let's keep it real! Things happen the way they happen, no point forcing it if you're not feeling it. Was it... a little too quick? Go ahead and say it, none of us are gonna laugh... hahaha!"
In the end, he couldn't help laughing at his own joke, clearly thinking it was hilarious.
Seeing this, Ethan didn't bother arguing, just said calmly, "I'm gonna go use the bathroom."
"Oh hey, what a coincidence! I gotta go too, wait up!" Kevin immediately sprang up off the sofa, still wearing that same joking grin, and hurried after Ethan.
As he walked off, he shot the others in the room a wink, like he was saying, "Bros, I'll go gather some intel."
The two of them walked into the fairly spacious yacht bathroom, one after the other.
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