"Why the hell are we stuck doing this?" Zach complained with his black hair moving in the ocean breeze as he stabbed the base of an oversized beach umbrella into the sand.

The metal spike went in deep with each forceful thrust until the umbrella stood secure.

Zach spread the canopy open with a sharp pull with the fabric snapping taut then turned back to look at his fellow young men.

He positioned two beach chairs beneath the shade with exaggerated theatrical movements.

"Isn’t this unfair?" Zach continued, wiping sweat from his forehead.

Derek was a few meters away setting up his own umbrella... a large double-wide model with two chairs clearly meant for him and Priya.

"I don’t really think it is," Derek said, driving his umbrella pole into the packed sand with steady motions. "We’re men, so we have to do this. What else do you want us to do? Sit around while the girls carry everything?"

He adjusted the angle of the canopy to block the mid-morning sun, then tested the stability by shaking the pole.

It was solid...

"Blah-blah-blah..." Zach muttered, rolling his eyes dramatically. "We could literally be doing anything else right now. Swimming, exploring, drinking... don’t you agree, Tob—"

He cut himself off mid-sentence as about twenty feet down the beach, a beautiful woman with long black hair and a stunning red bikini was standing with her hands clasped together watching Toby work.

Toby... the tall dark-skinned young man with rectangular glasses and gym-sculpted shoulders was setting up her beach umbrella with focused efficiency.

His muscles flexed as he drove the pole deep into the sand, positioned the chairs at perfect angles and smoothed out the mat beneath.

"Aw, thank you~" the black-haired woman said sweetly, clapping her hands together as Toby finished and stood up.

Toby smiled at her, pushing his glasses up his nose with one finger in what he clearly thought was a smooth gesture.

"It’s all in a day’s work," Toby said, his voice trying to sound more masculine. "You know, I was wondering if I could maybe get your numb—"

"Babe!" a female voice called from further down the beach and the black-haired woman’s head whipped around.

"Babe!" she called back excitedly as her entire demeanor changing instantly.

A shorter woman with blonde hair jogged over, and the two immediately embraced and kissed each other on the cheeks... they were clearly a couple and very much together.

Toby’s heart visibly died right there in his chest and his shoulders slumped as his smile became a grimace.

"Uh hey, what did you want to ask m—" the black-haired woman started, turning back to him politely but Toby was already turning away, trudging back toward the boys with the defeated posture of a man who’d just wasted fifteen minutes of labor for nothing.

Once he rejoined the group, Toby raised his hand up for a commiserating high-five.

"Ayy," Toby said weakly however nobody took the handshake as Zach looked at him with pure disgust.

"You can go fuck yourself," Zach said flatly while Derek turned his face away entirely, pretending Toby didn’t exist.

"Don’t be gay, guys," Toby protested, lowering his rejected hand. "You can’t blame me for trying—"

"Instead of doing your own work," Zach interrupted sharply, "you’re doing it for random women? That’s pathetic, man."

Toby adjusted his glasses defensively.

"I thought we were collectively agreeing to give Wren shit to help us out?" Toby said, deflecting.

All three of them turned simultaneously to look at Wren.

Wren stood about thirty feet away, surrounded by a small field of perfectly arranged beach setups.

He’d already installed at least seven or eight large umbrellas, each with either comfortable mats or chairs positioned beneath them for maximum shade and relaxation.

He wore simple black swim shorts that sat low on his hips, and a resistance band was wrapped around his waist... he’d apparently been doing core exercises while setting everything up, because of course he had.

The blonde man ran a hand across his forehead, wiping away barely any sweat despite having done triple the work of everyone else combined.

"I think this is good enough," Wren said, surveying his handiwork with quiet satisfaction and he turned toward the other guys when he noticed them all staring.

"What’s up?" Wren asked innocently and Zach immediately flipped him off with both hands.

"Stop showing off, fucker!" Zach shouted.

"Showing off?" Wren’s voice trailed down questioningly. He looked down at his own exposed six-pack abs with the defined V-lines leading into his shorts then over at Zach’s notably flat stomach and a small smirk crossed Wren’s face.

"Pfft."

The single sound was devastating as Zach’s face went bright red with rage.

He raised both fists in the air and lunged forward, only to be immediately grabbed and held back by Toby’s longer arms.

"Talk like that again and I’ll fucking kill you!" Zach screamed, struggling against Toby’s grip. "I’ll drown you in the ocean! I’ll bury you in the sand!"

"Calm down..." A smooth female voice said from behind them and Wren turned around.

Leah stood there in a bikini that could only be described as strategically minimal.

She’d chosen a deep burgundy two-piece that highlighted every single one of her curves... the swell of her hips, the dip of her waist, and especially her full breasts that bounced slightly with every step she took as she approached.

Behind her came the rest of the girls, emerging from the beach changing building like a runway show.

Priya wore a floral print one-piece with a plunging neckline while Dani had on a sporty navy blue bikini with white trim.

Zoe wore a bright yellow two-piece that contrasted beautifully with her skin and Diana walked slightly behind everyone else in an elegant black swimsuit that hugged her figure perfectly.

Every guy on the beach stopped what they were doing to watch them walk past.

Leah stopped directly in front of Wren, close enough that he could smell her coconut sunscreen and struck a subtle pose with one hand on her hip.

"Like what you see?" Leah asked with a knowing smile and Wren looked her up and down deliberately.

"Meh..." Wren said with a shrug.

Leah’s smile vanished as her hand shot out and grabbed his ear, twisting hard.

"Ow, ow...that actually hurts, you know," Wren protested while wincing and she pulled her hand back, satisfied with his pain.

"Whatever, I know you love how I look."

Dani stepped forward with a bright grin and did a little twirl, showing off her athletic body from all angles.

"What do you think of my swimsuit?" Dani asked cheerfully. Wren put his hand on his chin, examining her with exaggerated seriousness.

"Pretty good," Wren said finally. "Just... you don’t really have the breasts or ass for it."

Dani’s smile didn’t falter even slightly.

"Ragebait of that level won’t work on me anymore..." Dani said smugly. "I’ve built up immunity."

"It’s not ragebait if it’s true though..."

"Say that one more time and I’ll murder you!" A vein popped on her head as she walked off.

Priya twirled a strand of her dark hair around one finger, clearly wanting Wren’s attention on her swimsuit as well but Derek was standing right there, watching her with obvious affection.

Priya made a split-second decision and crossed over to her boyfriend instead. She gave him a little spin, the floral pattern of her swimsuit catching the sunlight.

"How do you think I look, babe?" Priya asked Derek sweetly. Derek’s face lit up like she’d just given him the greatest gift in the world.

"You look amazing..." Derek said sincerely.

Zoe suddenly crossed her arms in front of Wren, blocking his view of everyone else and Wren raised an eyebrow, looking down at her.

"Not that I care," Zoe said quickly. "but how do I look?"

Wren examined her yellow bikini for exactly half a second and his face squeezed up in exaggerated disgust.

"As ugly as usual," Wren said flatly and Zoe showed him her middle finger immediately.

"Fuck off," Zoe snapped. "I shouldn’t have even helped you back then."

She stormed off toward the water with her cheeks slightly pink despite her anger and that left Diana.

She stood at the edge of the group with her hands clasped nervously in front of her black swimsuit. Her dark hair moved slightly in the ocean breeze.

Wren looked at her with a genuine smile and Diana’s cheeks immediately flushed pink, and she looked down at the sand.

"Did you already apply sunscreen?" Wren asked gently and Diana nodded, still not meeting his eyes as she gestured at her exposed skin.

"Zoe helped me," Diana said quietly. "All the girls did."

Wren nodded approvingly.

"That’s Good."

An awkward silence settled between them. Both of them clearly wanted to say something but didn’t know how to start, especially not with eight other people standing around watching and then Zoe’s voice suddenly cut through the tension, calling from near the water.

"Alright everyone, let’s get in the water!"

The group cheered in scattered agreement and started moving toward the ocean with Derek and Priya holding hands, Leah and Dani racing each other, Zach still muttering about Wren’s abs then they all turned back expectantly, waiting for Wren to follow and Wren shrugged apologetically.

"I can’t swim," Wren admitted as every single person froze mid-step. Their eyes went wide as even Leah looked genuinely surprised.

Who the hell didn’t know how to swim?

"I... also don’t know how," Toby admitted quietly, raising one hand like a student in class and Zoe stuck out her tongue at Wren with a delighted expression.

"This is why you’re a loser~" Zoe called out.

After a few nods and some sympathetic looks directed at Toby, everyone headed into the waves leaving Wren behind and him behind.

Wren settled into one of the beach chairs he’d set up, pulling out his phone from his waterproof bag and Toby lingered for a moment, sitting in the chair beside him.

"Aren’t you going to use this opportunity to find a girl to talk with or something?" Toby asked. "The beach is full of them."

"I’m not really inte—" Wren started then he looked at his phone screen.

"What the fuck?"

Toby leaned over immediately and his eyes widening as Wren was on Toktik..

The photos those girls had taken last night at dinner... the ones where Wren had been swarmed by that group asking for pictures had been posted online by multiple accounts and the top post had 589,000 likes.

It had been posted less than twelve hours ago.

"What the fuck?" Toby repeated, staring at the screen. "You’re a fucking celebrity now. Why am I even bothered with you?"

With that declaration, Toby stood up and stormed off down the beach, presumably to find another unavailable woman to waste his time on.

Wren scrolled through the comments section with his expression growing more bewildered with each swipe.

[@Rearussy: He’s really cute though?? 😍 Like genuinely gorgeous]

[@Wavey_44: OK BUT THE JAWLINE?? 💀💀 I would let him ruin my life]

[@MarriedButLooking: My husband doesn’t need to know I saved this 👀🔥 That man is FINE]

[@ThirstyOnMain: Girl same 💅 Already showed my girlfriends, we’re all dying]

[@CougarHunter2024: If he’s over 18 I’m over at his room 🍷😈 Mama needs a vacation]

[Host~ You’re popular now! All you need to do is find the married ladies in these comments and get to work. Also, you haven’t opened your rewards for sleeping with your stepmother yesterday~]

’Later, Nyx,’ Wren thought firmly.

He sighed and put his phone face-down on his chest, staring up at the blue sky through the umbrella fabric.

Why were all the comments so thirsty? He didn’t even look that good, honestly or did he?

"Ren-Ren!"

Wren tilted his head and saw Isabella running toward him, waving enthusiastically.

She wore a white bikini with gold accents that complemented her blonde hair perfectly as her athletic body moved with the fluid grace of someone used to high-speed running though she wore a cap over her head.

"I’ve been looking for you everywhere," Isabella said with a bright smile as she arrived at his chair while looking slightly out of breath.

"Well, I’ve been here since we arrived," Wren said with a slight sigh, gesturing at the umbrella setup around him and Isabella’s green eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Should we hang out?" she suggested.

"Before we do, I’ll just say it... I can’t swim." Wren reminded her and Isabella reached down and grabbed both his hands, pulling him up out of the chair with surprising strength.

"So what?" Isabella said, grinning wider. "Let’s go snorkeling."

Wren blinked at her.

"Snorkeling requires being in water," Wren pointed out. "Which requires swimming."

"Not if you have a life vest," Isabella countered immediately with her green eyes bright with determination. "Come on! The reef here is supposed to be amazing. Tropical fish, coral formations, maybe even sea turtles!"

She was already pulling him toward the beach equipment rental station, not giving him a chance to protest further and Wren wondered why she wasn’t wearing a hoodie though he looked up and got the answer, it was too hot for one.

Wren let himself be dragged along with his bare feet sinking slightly into the warm sand with each step.

The rental station was a small wooden hut painted in cheerful turquoise and white, with various water sports equipment hanging on display... there were kayaks, paddleboards, snorkel sets.

"You’re not going to let this go, are you?" Wren asked as they approached.

"Nope!" Isabella said cheerfully, finally releasing his hand to wave at the attendant. A tanned middle-aged man with sun-bleached hair looked up from organizing fins.

"Two snorkel sets, please," Isabella said. "And one life vest."

The attendant nodded and gathered the equipment and Isabella turned back to Wren, practically bouncing.

"I haven’t been snorkeling in years..." Isabella admitted. "I used to go with my dad before racing got serious but the water’s crystal clear here..."

Isabella continued brightly. "And the fish swim right up to you, like a giant aquarium."

The attendant returned with the gear... there were masks, breathing tubes, fins, and a bright orange life vest. As Isabella brought out her card to pay, he raised his hand.

"It’s covered under your cruise package," the attendant said. "Just return it by seven PM."

Isabella immediately started distributing equipment, helping Wren with the life vest.

"Put this on first," Isabella instructed, adjusting his straps and her fingers brushed against his chest as she tightened buckles. "You’ll float naturally so you literally can’t sink."

"That’s... reassuring," Wren admitted. She handed him the mask and snorkel.

"Put the mask over your eyes and nose in a tight seal as the breathing tube lets you breathe underwater. You just have to breathe normally through the tube."

She demonstrated on her own mask.

Wren copied her movements, pulling the mask into place. The silicone sealed against his face, and the world suddenly looked slightly distorted through the glass.

"How do I look?" Wren asked with his voice muffled.

Isabella giggled.

"Like a very attractive dork who doesn’t know what he’s doing..." Isabella said honestly. "Come on."

She grabbed his hand again... seeming to enjoy any excuse to do so and led him toward the water’s edge. It wasn’t the same waters that the others were in though as this was further away.

The waves lapped gently at the shore and the water was so clear that Wren could see smooth pebbles and small shells on the bottom even from several feet away.

Further out, the turquoise water deepened into rich sapphire blue where the reef began.

Other cruise passengers were already scattered throughout the swimming area... some floating on their backs with others diving down to examine the underwater scenery as a few couples holding hands while they explored together.

Isabella waded in first with the water rising from her ankles to her knees to her waist and she turned back, extending her hand toward Wren.

"Trust me?" Isabella asked and Wren looked at her hand, then at her face that looked open and excited to share this experience with him.

He took her hand and stepped into the water.

It was warmer than he’d expected, like bathwater heated by the tropical sun. His feet found purchase on the sandy bottom and with each step forward, the water rose higher on his body.

When it reached his chest, the life vest’s buoyancy kicked in properly and he felt himself being lifted slightly, supported by the flotation.

"See?" Isabella said while squeezing his hand. "You’re floating already. Just relax and let the vest do the work."

She pulled her mask down over her eyes and positioned her snorkel tube as her voice became muffled but still clear.

"Ready?"

Wren adjusted his own mask and gave her a thumbs up. Isabella smiled around her breathing tube, then slowly leaned forward and put her face in the water.

Wren did the same and the underwater world exploded into view.