“You’re not overweight, Rob.”
Rob blushed. “Oh, I know, but if I ate like that all the time anddidn’texercise, it wouldn’t be pretty.”
“Yeah, I get it. I’ve never really had a weight problem, but I do find that I need to exercise a bit more as I get older.”
“Same. At home I have an elliptical machine and I try to get on that three or four times a week. I’m not trying to lose weight, I just don’t want to gain.”
When they got to Rob’s cabin, he pointed toward the guest bathroom and said, “Make yourself at home.”
Rob headed for the master bathroom, stopping to pull his bathing suit out of a drawer on the way.
He freshened up and changed, then grabbed his Kindle, phone, and sunglasses and went out onto the balcony. There was a small cabinet on the side containing some large beach towels; he pulled out two, placing them on the lounge chairs with a table between them.
Ben appeared at the sliding doors and Rob looked at him, admiring Ben’s hairy chest and the fur trail that disappeared below the waistband of his swimsuit. Ben’s suit was form-fitting trunks similar to his own. But his was a gray-to-black stripe in an ombre effect while Ben’s was a bright bottle-green that bulged nicely in the front. Clearing his now dry throat, he asked, “Can you grab a couple of bottles of water out of the fridge, please?”
“Sure, I’ll be right back.”
Rob couldn’t help but notice how the suit snugly cupped Ben’s ass when he turned to get the water.Give me strength!
They sat quietly reading and listening to the music coming from the Pool Deck. It was warm, but not overly so; a gentle breeze kept them both comfortable. Before they knew it, a couple of hours had passed in companionable silence.
Rob stretched and checked the time on his phone. “I was thinking of ordering something for lunch. Are you hungry?”
Ben’s stomach chose that moment to growl.
Rob laughed and Ben joined in. “I guess that’s your answer!”
Rob fetched the room service menu. Handing it to Ben he said, “I’ll be right back. Nature calls.”
When he returned, Ben got up and said, “My turn.” Before he left for the bathroom he added, “I’ll have the mixed green salad with grilled salmon, please.”
Rob quickly perused the menu and decided on the salad with spicy grilled shrimp. He called room service, adding a bottle of Pinot Grigio to the order.
When the food arrived, Rob asked the server to set it up on the balcony table. They ate alfresco and people-watched, admiring a few good-looking guys at the pool.
When they finished eating, Ben picked up the plates and went inside, placing the dishes on the bar in the dining area. The cabin attendant would remove them when they checked the suite later to replace towels and turn down the bed.
Rob picked up the wine bottle and glasses and followed, settling on the sofa.
“There’s something I wanted to ask you, Ben,” he said seriously.
“Hmm, that sounds a bit ominous,” Ben replied, narrowing his eyes. “But sure, what do you want to ask?”
“Well, do you remember the night we first kissed at the hotel in Barcelona, and you told me you thought you might be demi?” Rob paused, thinking about how to phrase this next part.
“I do,” Ben said, encouraging Rob to continue.
“You said you wanted to go out with me again. In fact, we both said that we wanted to see each other again. But what about your career? I don’t remember ever seeing anything about your personal life in the news. I’m not really comfortable hiding who I am but I also don’t want to put you in a weird position. I mean, it’s not my place to tell you that you have to come out for me or anything. Argh! I think I’m getting all this wrong. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”
Ben’s smile was sweet when he gazed at Rob. “I know exactly what you mean. And it’s not as bad or weird or whatever as what you have spinning around in your head.
“Look, I haven’t really done a big Hollywood blockbuster in about five years. And much of that was my choice. I’m getting older and I want to slow down. The last two films I did were indies and that’s what I want to focus on more. I made enough money early on in my career and I think I invested pretty wisely, so while I’m not a multibillionaire or anything, I’m very comfortable.”
“But you don’t want to stop acting, do you?” Rob asked.
“No, but I want to work on other projects. I’ve had a couple of offers to do something on Broadway and that’s definitely an avenue I want to pursue. When I get back to LA, I have a meeting with my agent during which I fully intend to talk about what’s next for me. And if it’s okay with you, I’d like to tell her about you and how I hope to have you in my life a lot more.”
“Really?” Rob looked at him, surprised. “You really want me in your life? You’re sure?”
