“Um, yeah, actually.” He sighed. “This wasn’t supposed to happen. I do like him. More than I should at this point, but it doesn’t seem like he feels the same way. Why do I get myself into these situations?”
“Have you thought about telling him how you feel?”
“Shit, no! I couldn’t do that. I don’t want to do anything that could make matters worse. For whatever reason, he doesn’t want his folks to know he doesn’t have a boyfriend right now, and if I confess my feelings, that could set him off or something.”
“Okay,” Gabe reassured him. “I understand what you mean. But I must tell you, I have seen the way Kris looks at you sometimes, and while I don’t know for sure, it may not be as one-sided as you think.”
“Really?” Drew heard his voice perk up. “Do you think so?”
“I’m not entirely sure, but I’m looking at people all the time. I notice things.” Gabe glanced around as if to assure himself no one was listening. “Don’t do anything yet. Let me think about this. I will say nothing to anyone, but I may have an idea.”
“Thank you, Gabe. I’m very happy we chatted today.”
CHAPTER5
Kris
He lay in bed,listening to the shower running. Things had seemed to go well yesterday. He and Drew had showed some affection when they met for drinks, and from the look on Kat’s face last night, they had been convincing.This is harder than I thought it would be. Why did Izzy think I could pull this off?
Drew stepped out of the bathroom wearing lime-green swim trunks. Kris noted how they hugged his ass as Drew reached for a t-shirt.Stop perving! It’s not like he’s interested in you.
“Your turn,” Drew announced, slipping a pair of shorts over his swimsuit since beach attire wasn’t allowed in the dining room. The whole family was meeting for breakfast before they headed out to the line’s private island for the day.
Once the group got to the island, they caught a tram to the private OceanClub, where Kris’s parents, along with his aunt and uncle, had rented an over-the-water cabana for the day. It featured comfortable seating that was semi-enclosed and also had a private bathroom, so they didn’t need to go traipsing off to find the facilities.
“Wow, this is so cool.” Drew was clearly in awe of the space. “I never imagined anything like this.”
“A few years ago, we rented one of the cabanas on the beach,” Tony said, pointing back to the white-sand beach behind them. “We always said if we came back, we’d do one of these.”
The guy who’d led them to their digs for the day told them, “I’m Paulo, and I’ll be taking care of you today. I’ll get your drinks, and later on I can bring lunch out to you. If you need something, and I’m not around, you can use the touch screen on the wall inside the cabana to call me.”
They spent a wonderful day hanging out together. Even Drew, who admitted he wasn’t a big fan of swimming in the ocean, took a few turns down the small waterslide and splashed along with everyone. Kris kept an eye on him, trying to determine if this felt like something more than just a job to Drew, but nothing stood out to him.Ah, well, I’ll just try to play it cool.
* * *
Back on board,they showered off the salt and sunscreen.
“Wow, I’m not used to spending that much time in the sun,” Drew said. “I had a great time, but now I’m beat. I think I’ll take a little nap before we meet your family for drinks.”
“Okay. I’m feeling a bit restless,” Kris said. “I’m gonna go for a walk.”
He grabbed his phone and set out with no real direction in mind. He hoped that walking around might help settle him down. Skipping the elevators, he took the stairs down a couple of decks and meandered, window-shopping along the promenade and people watching although the ship was still pretty empty since it would be in port for another few hours.
His eye caught movement, and he looked up to see Gabe waving at him from one deck above. “Hi, Gabe,” he called out.
“Alone, Mr. Kris?”
“Yeah, Drew is napping, and my family is still on the island.”
“If you’d like something cool to drink, we’re open, and it’s not very busy.” Gabe smiled warmly.
Deciding a drink was a good idea, he replied, “Thanks, I’ll be right up.”
Gabe escorted him to a seat at a small sofa grouping in the nearly empty bar. “Is there anything in particular you’d like?”
“Surprise me.” Kris grinned.
Gabe returned a few moments later carrying a wine glass filled with a bright-orange liquid. “This is an Aperol Spritz,” he told Kris. “Very light and refreshing. Theo always adds a splash of St-Germain liqueur, which makes it extra special.”
