Page 62 of Ship Happens

Fair enough, Owen thinks, standing there awkwardly as Jacob snaps a handful of photos. It’s only after a second or two that Owen realizes he should probably do something with his hands, settling on the standard peace sign and an awkward smile.

Jacob pauses, staring at the screen of his phone with an almost fond expression on his face.

“No good?” Owen asks.

“Nope,” Jacob reassures him. “They’re great! I’ll send them to you.”

Owen feels a twisting in his stomach when the texts come through and he’s forced to reread the last things that he and Jacob said to each other last year.

Jacob: Can we please call? I want to keep talking about this . . .

Jacob: Owen, please.

Owen glances up at Jacob, wondering if he’s rereading the messages too. Or maybe he deleted his side of the texts between them. The boat pulls into the dock, deckhands tossing ropes to help lead the boat back into place.

“Did you have fun?” Kaitlyn asks as they’re ordered to take their seats again.

“Yeah . . .” Owen nods. Truthfully, he did, sans all of the anxiety he feels being this close to Jacob again.

“See what happens when you try new things?” she teases, pulling Owen in closer. “Imagine if you’d never come on this trip.”

“Yeah . . .” Owen repeats, glancing up at where Jacob is seated across from him, looking at something with Kevin on his phone.

“Okay, so!” Kaitlyn starts to say, leaning forward to talk to everyone. “There’s this really cool-looking diner near the port. I figure we eat there, then head back to the room and shower, get the salt water off of us.”

“Probably a good idea,” Owen says, giving himself a sniff.

“Then we get changed and head to the New Year’s Eve party?”

“Sounds good to me,” Owen says, flipping through the photos that Jacob sent him. From across the aisle, his eyes meet Jacob’s, and Owen feels his heart fluttering in his chest. Only one thought comes to mind as he stares into those tender brown eyes, letting himself fall deeper and deeper and deeper.

Oh no.

“God, I shouldn’t have eaten all of those pancakes,” Kevin says, pulling his belt tight around his waist.

“I told you to stop at five,” Owen chastises, pressing his towel to his hair to try and get as much water out as he can. Normally he’d just let it air dry, but there’s no time for that tonight. “Then you went for the second bowl of grits.”

“I’m bulking!” Kevin says, letting out a guttural breath as he readjusts himself.

“Are you going to see the girl you’ve been talking to tonight?” He almost feels like a teenager getting ready for homecoming, asking Kevin about who he’s going to dance with.

“Nah, I’m on to fresher waters, O-dog.”

“She dumped you?” Owen asks, tone deadpan.

Kevin shrugs. “Eh, it was never anything official.”

Owen stares at Kevin’s reflection in the mirror, watching him flatten his collar before he starts to play with his permed hair. He’s always been jealous of Kevin’s ability to move on, to get what he needs out of a relationship and leave it without being weighed down by emotions. It might’ve made things easier with Jacob if he knew how to move through life that way.

“What about you?” Kevin asks, switching places with Owen in front of the mirror. Owen squats on the floor, readying all of his hair products in front of him. “Any sweethearts catching your eye?”

“Pfft, yeah, right.” Owen scoffs, scrunching the first of his serums into his hair, letting it absorb before he moves on to the next.

“You could always find a rebound? I can give you the room for the night, do a little spooning with Jacob.”

“I’m good.”

“I could be your wingman,” Kevin offers. “I’ve been told I’m really good at it. I even helped my gay friend Patrick hook up with a guy a few weeks ago.”