CHAPTER3
Gabe
“But how doI tell him I have feelings for him?” Gabe asked Anton. They were sitting in the crew mess, finishing their breakfast. “I don’t even know if he likes guys. I certainly don’t want to offend him, but I don’t know how much more I can take.”
“What do you mean, how much more you can take? What are you thinking of doing?”
“Oh, nothing, really,” Gabe admitted. “But whenever I’m standing next to him, I just want to lean over and give him a kiss or something.”
“He’s never given you any indication that he might be interested?”
“No. He knows I like guys, and he doesn’t seem to have any issues with that. He was even joking with me about how I like to try and play matchmaker at the LGBTQ meetups in the bar. He said he thought it was sweet that I was trying to help guys fall in love. He said everyone deserves love.”
“Well, I think that’s a definite plus.”
Just then, Theo walked in and got in line to grab some breakfast. Then he sauntered over and sat next to Gabe. “Merry Christmas, guys. How are things?”
“Fine,” Gabe replied. “Did you sleep well? I know how tired you were last night.”
“I did, thanks. And Carlos isn’t starting his shift until eleven this morning, so he didn’t wake me up at some ungodly hour.”
“Bonus!” Anton said.
They chatted amicably as they drank their coffee.
Shortly after they arrived at Neptune’s Reef, the phone rang. “Neptune’s Reef, this is Theo.”
Gabe couldn’t hear the other end of the conversation but heard Theo agree to something before hanging up.
“Hey, guys,” Theo called out to them. “That was Jacob at the Quarterdeck Bar. Jasmine is sick and can’t take her shift. They need some help since they’re already open. Can one of you help out for a while? Manuela will get someone to cover for the rest of the day, but they could use a hand for a couple of hours.”
“Yeah, I’ll go,” Gabe said, smiling. He figured some time away from Theo would keep him less distracted.
“Thanks, Gabe,” Theo told him, patting his shoulder. “I appreciate it.”
* * *
Two hours turned into three,then almost three and a half. Manuela finally walked in with Ernest, who often worked at the casino bar.
“Hey, Gabe,” she said to him when he returned to the bar to place a drink order. “Once you deliver those drinks, take a break and then go back to Neptune’s for the rest of the day.”
“Will do,” he said cheerfully. “Thanks, boss.”
“And I want you to know how much I appreciate you stepping up to help out. I’ll definitely be making a note in your file about how cooperative you are.”
“I appreciate it, Manuela. I know I’d want someone to offer to help if I were out sick, so it only makes sense for me to do the same. We’re all in this together, right?”
“We sure are,” Manuela said, chuckling. “I only wish I had more like you around here.”
As Gabe walked to the crew mess to have a quick lunch, he thought about how it was nice of Manuela to make a note in his file. Maybe this would help his chances for a promotion. Before getting in line to pick up some food, he called Theo to make sure they could do without him for a bit longer.
“Yeah,” Theo told him. “Callie’s here, but she’ll need to get a break soon.”
“No problem. It won’t take me long to eat; I’ll be there before you know it.”
When they finished cleaning up the bar at the end of the day, Gabe found himself alone with Theo. The others had all managed to scoot out as soon as they were finished. They were off to the crew bar for a Christmas drink together.
“Are you going to grab a drink with the others?” Gabe asked as he pulled a nondescript bag out from one of the cabinets under the bar.
