A Snapshot Of Chaos

Xavier woke up feeling refreshed as if he was finally finding himself again after ages. Surprisingly, it was the fourth day without internet, and he was enjoying the forced detox, courtesy of Logan. He was happy, wearing shorts, sunglasses, and a splash of perfume. He even found himself singing along to his favorite song—a rarity for him.

Entering the dining hall for breakfast, he was momentarily startled by the noise of a kid. He turned, bracing himself for a possible encounter with the twins. To his relief, it wasn’t them.

However, as he looked around, Xavier spotted the wild twin siblings already causing chaos near the buffet tables, bickering over something that involved a lot of arm-waving and loud voices. His mood soured instantly. He considered making a hasty retreat, thinking that perhaps it would be wiser to skip breakfast and avoid the dining hall altogether.

Just as he was about to turn on his heel, a woman approached him with a warm, inviting smile.

“Hey,” she greeted him. “I just wanted to apologize for the behavior of my kids.” She gestured toward the twins, who were standing a short distance away, engrossed in their antics.

Xavier glanced over at the children, then back at her, noting the embarrassment on her face. “Oh, these are your kids?” he asked, a hint of frustration in his voice. “They are a mess.”

The woman smiled softly, her eyes twinkling with empathy. “Yes, they can be quite a handful, but that’s the essence of childhood, isn’t it? Their energy and mischief are part of the fun.”

Xavier raised an eyebrow, a wry smile tugging at his lips. “I suppose that’s one way to look at it. I’m not exactly used to being around kids, so their antics were a bit jarring. I might have overreacted a bit.”

“No need to be hard on yourself,” she said gently. “Kids can be overwhelming, especially when you’re not used to their energy. But please, join me for breakfast. Let me make up for their mischief and offer you a more peaceful start to the day.”

Xavier hesitated, the tension of the morning still lingering. But her sincere offer and the warmth in her voice made it hard to refuse. After a brief pause, he nodded, a small smile breaking through his earlier frustration. “All right, I’ll take you up on that.”

“Great!” she said warmly. “I appreciate your understanding.”

As they walked toward the breakfast table, Xavier couldn't help but feel a bit more at ease. The woman's genuine tone and the thought of starting the day on a better note helped shift his perspective.

“I’m Leila, and these two are my niece and nephew, Alana and Zane,” the lady said with a warm smile while starting the breakfast. “But to me, they’re like my own children. I love them just the same.”

“Hmm,” Xavier replied, then added, “I’m Xavier Donovan. You must be traveling with their parents, then?”

Leila shook her head as she started to prepare her breakfast, pouring juice into a glass and slicing fresh fruit. “No, they don’t have their parents around. They were unfortunate not to have the love of their mother and father from the start.” She looked down with a hint of sadness in her eyes.

Xavier’s expression softened. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

Leila offered a reassuring smile as she placed a plate of fruit in front of him. “But they’re my family, just as I am everything to them.”

While holding a glass of juice, Xavier looked around, noticing that the twins were nowhere in sight.

“Where are they?” he asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

Leila glanced at him, her lips curling into a chuckle. “You seem to be quite wary of them,” she said with a playful smile.

Xavier raised both hands in a gesture of mock surrender. “Yes, they’ve got me a bit on edge. I admit, I’m not exactly equipped to handle their energy and mischief,” he said with a laugh, his tone light and self-deprecating.

Leila sighed, her eyes sparkling with affection. “Don’t worry… they’ve gone to our room to play a game, so you’re safe now,” she said with a teasing smile, guiding Xavier toward the buffet table.

“That sounds good,” Xavier replied with a smile as he grabbed a plate.

“You didn’t tell me—how did you end up on this ship?” Leila asked, placing a pancake on her plate and drizzling honey syrup over it.

“My buddy-turned-therapist, Logan, convinced me to take a break from work. I guess I really needed it,” Xavier said, speaking slowly.

“He was right… sometimes a break is exactly what you need,” Leila agreed, nodding thoughtfully.

Xavier felt a pang of curiosity about why he couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d seen her before, but he let it go and continued chatting with her about random topics.

After breakfast, he headed back to his room to get dressed. As he opened the door, he was greeted with a surprise: Tina was sitting on his bed, her legs crossed and a sly smile on her lips.

Xavier froze in his tracks. “Tina? What… how did you get in here?”

Tina’s grin widened and she said, “Your nephew and niece let me in… they were so sweet and I told them we are friends.”

“My nephew and niece?” Xavier asked in a tone full of shock.

“I don’t have any…” Xavier was about to tell Tina that he didn’t have any nephews and nieces, but suddenly something struck his mind and he became silent midway.

“The twins?” Xavier thought silently.

“Did they open the door of my room? But how do they do it?” Xavier thought again.

He didn’t understand, why were those twin siblings constantly trying to irritate him. They seemed to be everywhere, and now, apparently, letting strangers into his room.

He rubbed his temples, and said, “Tina, You shouldn’t be here.” He said again.

Tina stood and walked toward him, her eyes glinting with a sultry, intense desire.

“Why not, Xavier? Last night, we were having a good time, weren’t we? And then you left me midway…. So, I came to finish the undone thing.” She reached out, running a finger down his chest.

He wanted to tell her to leave, but as he looked into her eyes, her beauty seemed to soften his resolve.

Without thinking, he pulled her close, kissing her again. For a moment, the tension in his body melted, and he let himself get lost in the warmth of her touch. Both Tina and Xavier were about to flow at the moment and get more intimate, when, a bright flash made them, stop and look toward the flash.

“We took a picture!”

They saw on the doorstep, that twin siblings were standing and grinning mischievously, and one of them holding up a phone.

Xavier’s heart sank because the situation was spiraling out of control.