**Lydia**

"This is crazy," Lydia whispered to herself as she stood at the docks, staring up at the huge cruise ship in the water in front of her. It was bigger than she had expected it to be and she could already envision herself getting lost once she boarded. That was not what was crazy about this situation, however. The crazy part was that she'd sold her spare ticket to a man that she didn't even know. Mark had assured her that he and this Steven guy were good friends and that she wouldn't have any trouble with him but even so, she felt a nervous ball of energy knot low in her stomach. She had managed to convince the travel agency to change the room from a double to a twin but she would still have to share a room with a virtual stranger. Mark had also implied that it would be good for her to get to know Steven because he would likely need her assistance navigating a new place until he was more familiar with his surroundings. He had explained that the young man had lost his sight in a house fire and had showed her a picture of him so that she would know who to look for once he arrived considering he would not be able to see her. That must have been awful for him. To go from having perfect vision one day to losing complete sight the next must have been a terrifying thing to endure. It was a shame that he would not be able to see how beautiful the waves looked as they glittered beneath the sun, or take in the sights they would likely see along their way.

Lydia turned her attention from the ship and focused once more on the crowds of people, her eyes searching for her travel companion. She leaned her weight against the suitcase she had with her, brushing her hair back from her face as it ruffled in the sea breeze. It was a beautiful day and she was excited to finally board and get going, despite her worries about making a potentially terrible decision. At least it would be a story to tell, she just wished one of her friends had been able to join her. She was sure Steven was nice and all, but things were likely to be awkward for a little while. What if they did not get along at all? She caught her bottom lip between her teeth as she worried. At least it was only for a week. She could get through a week with him if he did happen to be a total ass. Mark was usually a good judge of character, however. She had to imagine that Steven would be as nice as he'd claimed.