Willa stared out at the horizon, willing her stomach to settle. Despite her seasickness, she couldn't help admiring the way the sun kissed the surface of the ocean. It was almost blinding to look at, but the shades of pink and red painted by the clouds were simply irresistible. The ocean was calm now, but earlier in the day the waves had been choppy. Willa had been under the impression that she'd gotten over the initial seasickness, but it had come back with a vengeance today. It came in waves, much like the waves that caused it, but after dinner it had become unbearable below deck. So she'd come up here, to calm both her mind and her nausea.

Earlier that day, Philby had made a particularly cruel comment, and she'd barely managed to not burst into tears in front of all of the Keepers. She'd held onto her dignity until she reached her stateroom, then sobbed into her pillow. Why was he acting this way? And why was she allowing it to hurt her so much? Well, she knew that answer to that. Anyone with a long-term crush on someone would be heartbroken if said someone started ignoring them most of the time, and insulting them the rest of the time. It was all she could do to try to keep being kind.

Since boarding the ship, he'd done nothing but boss the rest of them around and flaunt his mastery of DHI 2.0. She and Finn had confronted him about it that afternoon, and she hadn't seen Philby at dinner, although he sat at Finn's table. She'd scanned the dining room for him, concerned, but he hadn't made an appearance as far as she could see. She would have to ask Finn later.

Philby came up next to her, looking out at the horizon, too.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Hey, yourself." Her tone was shy. She'd never had a conversation as difficult as the one

they'd had earlier, and she had no clue what to expect from this interaction.

"It's a beautiful evening, don't you think? Especially after the storm we had earlier."

Willa couldn't help noticing the way their interactions that day had paralleled the weather. "It sure is. It looks like a watercolor painting out there."

"Mm hmm." Philby cleared his throat. "Um, Willa?"

Willa pulled her gaze away from the horizon to look at him. He was tense, his hands shoved in his pockets as he stood next to her, his gaze on the deck.

He blurted out, "I'm sorry. For everything. All the things you said this afternoon… you were right. I'm sorry I didn't see it. But I want to make things right."

She blinked, surprised. This was possibly the last thing she'd expected from this new Philby. However, she was pleasantly surprised. She smiled at him quickly before turning her gaze back to the horizon. Oh boy, her stomach had not appreciated the diversion. She tightened her grip on the railing.

"Thank you for telling me I was acting like a jerk, instead of just giving up on me."

"Dell, you're forgiven. Seriously. I told you this afternoon, it's okay. I just wanted your normal self back."

He nodded. "Thanks."

"Of course. That's what friends are for." She mentally kicked herself. Willa, did you seriously just friendzone yourself for Philby? Classy.

"Yeah, I actually wanted to talk about that, too. The friend thing. I was, uh, sort of hoping we could maybe be… more than friends?" Her heart leapt at his words. "What I mean is, I-I really like you."

Willa's eyes widened as she whipped around to look at Philby. She'd never seen his expression so vulnerable. He looked so nervous, terrified of her response. She wanted nothing more than to assure him that she would love to be more than friends, but her dumb seasick stomach had different plans. She spun back to face the horizon, taking deep breaths and trying to calm her churning stomach as she leaned heavily on the railing.

He moved closer to her. "Um, Wills, you look a little green… I'm sorry, it's not a big deal, I just thought… maybe, I don't know," he shrugged, "maybe you felt the same." He sounded crushed.

Surprisingly, she laughed. "Oh gosh, Philby, I get seasick! That's all that was, I'm not turning you down. I really like you, too," she blushed. "I just can't look away from the horizon right now."

He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "Oh my gosh Willa, you scared me there for a minute."

She glanced at him sheepishly. "Sorry."

"Want some company out here?"

"Honestly? I'd love some."

He stroked a hand up and down her back, which helped the nausea, surprisingly enough. They both enjoyed the silence as the sun set fully. Willa leaned against his side, feeling better.

"Thank you."

"Not a problem. Hey, um, once we get back on land, do you want to do something, just the two of us?"

"Like a date?"

He grinned. "Yeah, like a date."

She closed her eyes contentedly. "Absolutely. Just as long as it has nothing to do with waves. I've had enough ocean for a lifetime."

He chuckled. "Noted."