Page 23 of Ship Happens

Owen spies his black suitcase—decorated with various stickers—at the foot right next to Jacob’s.

Well . . . he thinks, arms crossed as he leans against the doorframe. Fuck.

“How’s it looking in here?” Jacob’s voice stirs something in Owen’s chest, and he lets Jacob step past him, hoping that he’ll realize what’s wrong on his own.

“Oh, well.” He looks at the bed, then Owen. “Are we sharing? News to me.”

He lets his backpack slip gently off his shoulders. Like a pole vaulter, Jacob turns horizontal in the air as he jumps onto the bed, the mattress bouncing him up and down.

“Have you picked a side yet?” The question comes out so plainly that Owen can’t tell if he’s joking or not.

Owen shakes his head, stepping out into the hallway where he finds Kaitlyn in the master, having won the fight against Kevin for the space. “We’ve got a problem,” he tells her quietly, not wanting to cause tension this early in the vacation.

“Problem?” Abigail pokes her head out of the more private section of their bathroom, where the toilet and shower are hidden behind a frosted glass wall.

“It’s nothing,” Owen tells her. “Just, uh . . .” He motions for Kaitlyn to follow him into the hallway where this can be a more private discussion.

“What’s up?” she asks.

“There’s only one bed,” Owen says, a little quiet. “In the rooms.”

“Yeah. That’s yours, and Jacob and Kevin have two queens in their room.” Then she snorts. “Well, one queen and a straight.”

She keeps on laughing, but Owen remains inscrutable.

“No, in every room,” Owen continues. “Every room only has one bed.” Owen takes her by the hand, leading her to the third bedroom where Jacob is still stretched out on top of the comforter, his legs crossed at the ankles as he scrolls through videos on his phone.

“Oh.”

Jacob barely gives them a glance before Owen is shutting the door and pulling them both back into the hallway.

“‘Oh’ is right!” he says to her. “I don’t want to sound ungrateful, Kaitlyn. I appreciate this trip, but I have to draw the line somewhere.”

“I swear the description said there’d be at least one room with two queen beds. I even called ahead—” Then she stops short of finishing her thought. “Or . . . wait . . . did I call? Or did I just say I’d call?”

“Kait—” Owen grumbles, but before he can get much else out, the door slides open again, and Jacob pokes his head out.

“I’m guessing we got mixed up somewhere?” Jacob asks, tilting his head to the side like a puppy.

“That’s an understatement,” Owen answers without looking at him.

That’s when Kevin decides to join in on the conversation, because Owen wasn’t already feeling enough like an asshole. “What’s going on?”

“We thought there’d be two beds,” Kaitlyn explains quickly.

“Oh, well, O-dog and I can share!” Kevin beams from ear to ear, disregarding Owen’s boundaries to lock his arm around Owen’s neck, digging his knuckles into his hair. “What’s a lil’ no-homo cuddling between bros?”

“Please stop!” Owen grunts, pulling himself away and flattening out his hair.

Kevin cocks an eyebrow. “Afraid of a little straight-guy spooning? I don’t bite, I promise! But listen, I can’t be responsible for what happens . . . down there, if you catch my meaning. Sometimes she has a mind of her own in the morning.”

Everyone pauses, blinking at Kevin.

“Your penis uses she/her pronouns?” Owen finally asks.

“Oh, I’m sorry! I thought everyone here was aware that gender is a spectrum!” Kevin holds his hands up defensively. “You know, you guys really surprise me sometimes.”

“I—” Owen starts to say before he remembers they’re getting off topic. “I can share with Kevin,” he finally manages.