Spring Break Cruise (3)
--MONDAY: DAY THREE--
After a great night's sleep, I joined my folks and Ruthie for breakfast with the family. Although I was still pretty wiped out, I was in a good mood and tried hard to be a little more social than I had been at dinner the night before.
"So," said my Dad, "are we ever going to hear about what, exactly, happens at 'The Stack' or is this some teen conspiracy designed to keep all parents in the dark?"
"Dad," I said, "I'd love to tell you, but if I did, then I'd have to kill you. Ya know, rules are rules. Sorry." I said with a smirk on my face.
"Well," said Aunt Sarah, "maybe you could at least tell us something about your new friends. I'm quite certain I saw you with two rather pretty young ladies at the pool yesterday morning."
Dad looked at me with a gleam in his eye. It occurred to me that despite the size of the ship, there really wasn't much privacy on board.
"Well Aunt Sarah," I said. "you're right. I was at the pool yesterday morning with some new friends. Kristin is from Boston, Susan is from Indianapolis and Travis is from San Diego."
"Do you have a girlfriend now?" asked Ruthie smiling.
Just what I needed. Another member of my family trying to marry me off.
"No, Ruthie," I said, "although I heard that you like one of the boys you met in the lab, yesterday."
"Ewwww!" said Ruthie. "That's not true! All boys are weird. I only sat next to Cody because the counselor made me. So there." She stuck her tongue out at me.
I returned the favor.
"Now Ruthie," said my mother. "I'm sure Andy was only teasing. And besides, it's not polite to stick your tongue out at the table."
"OK," Ruthie whined.
"Pete and I are interested in playing a little basketball this morning Andy," said my Dad. "You wanna join us?"
"Umm . . . sure . . . I guess," I said. "Can I bring Travis?"
"Of course," said Dad. "The more the merrier. I should check if Michael wants to play as well. I think it's sort of like an organized pick up game or something. Wait. That's kind of an oxymoron isn't it? Anyway, the Navigator says we're supposed to meet up at the fitness area at 11. We'll just plan to meet you there."
"Great," I replied. "I think I'm gonna head out. The gang is meeting at the pool again this morning."
"You certainly don't want to keep anyone waiting," said Dad, once again showing me his not-too-subtle sly smile. "Have fun!"
"Remember, Andy . . ." Mom piped up.
"I know, I know," I said. "I'll be ready for dinner at 6. No tie tonight, right?"
"Right," she said smiling at me.
After putting my swimsuit and gathering my things I headed back up to the pool deck. I wandered over toward where we were sitting yesterday and immediately saw Kristin there. Alone.
"Morning, Andy!" she said cheerfully.
"Good morning, Kristin" I replied. "Another perfect day on deck nine, huh?"
"Absolutely!" she said grinning from ear to ear. "So what do you think? Is the cruise as much fun as you expected?"
"Actually," I said, "I really was kind of dreading it to be honest. But it's been a lot more fun than I expected. Especially since you guys have all been so cool."
"I know what you mean," she said. "I wasn't sure what to expect either, but being around you has been a lot of fun. So have you figured out your schedule for today, yet."
"Nope," I replied. "I told my Dad I'd meet him for some basketball this morning but otherwise, I haven't really thought about much." As soon as the words came out of my mouth I knew I had stepped into a trap.
"That's neat," Kristin said. "Because I was thinking that, if you're interested, maybe we could do something this afternoon. There's an animation class that actually sounds kind of cool. They have some of the actual movie animators on board and you wind up drawing your own cartoon. Wouldn't that be awesome?" She was clearly very excited about this.
"Umm . . . yeah," I said. "Sure. I mean if everyone wants to do that I'd be up for it." I knew my only hope now was to somehow arrange for Kristin's 'date' to turn into a group activity.
"Well, I don't think Susan's very excited about it," Kristin said. "At least, she didn't sound too enthusiastic yesterday."
Duh. Of course she and Susan had totally worked this out ahead of time. I tell you, my own dumbness can really be pretty staggering sometimes.
"Of course," Kristin continued. "I don't know about Travis. He definitely seems the artistic type though." Kristin giggled.
"You mean because of his singing?" I asked, puzzled.
"Um, yeah," Kristin said a little sarcastically. "Among other things. I mean, don't get me wrong or anything Travis is a great guy, but didn't it seem pretty obvious that Travis is gay? Didn't you notice him eyeing Brad and Mark at The Stack? He karaoked a song about a Mermaid last night for crying out loud. And he was, like, totally flirting with you at the pool as well. I can't believe you didn't notice."
I felt like I had been kicked in the stomach. I couldn't tell what was more shocking, the fact the Kristin could tell Travis was gay, or the fact that she just come right out and say so.
"Wow," I said, trying to figure out how to reply. "I guess . . . um . . . I guess I didn't think about that. I just thought that he was . . . ya know, just kind of friendly or something. You really think he's gay?"
"I'm sorry Andy," said Kristin giggling a little bit. "I didn't mean to shock you or anything. And I'm totally cool with Travis, honestly. One of my friends at home is gay and it's no big deal to me whether Travis is gay or straight."
"Oh." I said. I had no idea what to say next. It seemed like every time I opened my mouth with Kristin I dug a deeper hole.
Just then, Susan walked over to us. I had never been so grateful to see another human being in my life.
"Morning, Kristin," she said. "Morning, Andy."
"Good Morning!" I said a bit too enthusiastically.
"Morning, Susan," said Kristin. "Andy and I were just talking about our conversation from last night. About Travis."
Oh my God! We weren't through with this yet! I thought Susan was going to get me out of this train wreck of a discussion and instead she was totally part of it. Girls can be so sneaky.
"You mean whether or not he's gay?" she asked matter of factly.
"Look guys," I said, trying to sound calm and rational even though my heart was racing at about a zillion miles an hour. "I don't know that we should be talking about Travis behind his back. I mean, he might not appreciate it."
"We're not saying anything bad," said Kristin. "We're just talking about whether a friend likes boys or girls. It's no big deal."
"Yeah," said Susan, as she arranged her things on the chair. "It's like discussing whether or not you think somebody will enjoy a book or a movie. In this case we're trying to figure out if Travis would prefer . . . The Lion King or The Lion Queen." She burst into laughter.
"Toy Story or Boy Story," Kristin added, cracking herself up.
I had no idea what they found so hysterical about any of this. Just then Travis arrived in front of us.
"What's so funny?" he asked with a smile on his face. "What did I miss?"
"Nothing," I said, totally feeling embarrassed for the conversation we had been having. "How are you this morning, Travis?" I asked, desperately trying to change the subject.
"I'm awesome," he said. And then he winked at me. Right in front of the girls. I couldn't believe it. I was petrified. "You all seem in a good mood this morning."
"Well, we are," said Kristin looking over at me and winking. I couldn't tell if she was flirting with me or trying to point out Travis' behavior. Either way, it seemed to spell disaster for me.
"And you certainly seem in a much better mood than you did when we last saw you," Kristin said to Travis.
"Yeah," said Susan. "What was that all about? You were completely amazing on stage and then you looked like your grandmother died or something."
"Oh, yeah," Travis grinned. "I wasn't feeling very well. Maybe it was something I ate. But I'm a lot better now." He looked right at me with his incredible smile.
"I'm ready for a swim," I said abruptly. "Anyone going to join me?" I stared at Travis, trying to clearly convey that he really didn't have a choice in the matter.
"Ah, sure," he replied quickly. Finally! Somebody was cooperating with my plans for the morning's activities.
"I think I'll lay out a bit," said Kristin finally taking off her robe. "Before you go, Andy. Would you mind?" She held out the sun tan lotion bottle.
"Of course not," I sighed. Like I had a choice. I attempted to smooth the lotion on her skin as quickly as I could without actually touching her, which, I figured out, ain't easy to do.
Finally, Travis and I wandered off to the other end of the pool. I dived in immediately and swam around a bit trying to cool down both mentally and physically. Travis swam behind me and occasionally I could feel him grab at my legs, but I didn't stop for a few more minutes.
Finally I swam over to a relatively quiet side of the pool and sat on the edge, wiping my face with my hands. Travis came up right beside me. He pulled himself up gracefully and sat with his right leg ever so gently touching mine.
"Dude," he laughed. "You look like you've seen a ghost or something. You OK, there?"
"Travis," I looked over at him and whispered. "They know."
"Who knows?" he laughed. "Who knows what?"
"The girls," I said. "They know you're . . . you know."
"The girls know I'm sexy?" he whispered in my ear laughing.
"I'm serious, Travis," I said, still panicked. "They know you . . . you like guys."
"Oh!" said Travis in his normal voice. "Really? The girls know I'm gay? That's what they said to you?"
"Yes!" I hissed. "I told them I didn't think it was any of our business to discuss it, especially not behind your back but they were all 'it's no big deal' and 'it doesn't matter' and stuff. I couldn't believe it."
Once again Travis was laughing.
"Andy," he said. "It's OK. Honest. I don't care that they know. I'm not surprised they figured it out, they're not dumb after all. I mean I sang a friggin' Mermaid song last night. That's pretty gay."
"It's OK?" I said, still confused. "It doesn't bother you that they know?"
"No," he said. "In fact, ya know what, I'm kind of glad." He leaned back a bit with his arms on the pool deck. "Didn't I tell you I wasn't going to lie on this trip? Well I started being myself and look at the results. The sun still came up, the earth kept spinning and I don't even have to worry any more that one of them might want to come on to me cause now they know there's no point. And most important of all," he said slowly rubbing his leg against mine "I get to be with you."
"So it doesn't bother you?" I asked.
"Nope."
"You don't mind them knowing you're . . . ah . . . gay?"
"Nope." Travis replied with a smile.
"Huh." I sat there for a moment and thought about what Travis said. In a really weird way, it kind of made sense. I mean, the girls didn't seem to like Travis any less since they figured out he liked guys. According to them it was no different than learning his favorite restaurant or something. And Travis was definitely right about one thing. Unlike the mess I was in with Kristin, he didn't have to worry about how he was going to avoid dating one of them. Still, the idea was pretty frightening to me.
"Travis," I said.
"Yeah?" he replied
"Um . . . I don't think I'm ready for them to know about . . . well what we talked about last night, about us," I said. "Is that OK with you."
"Of course, Andy," he said. "Remember, I don't want you doing anything you don't want to do. Besides, we don't really even know what "us" is yet, right? So we'll just take it as it comes and let the girls know whatever we want them to know. I'm totally cool with that."
I looked at him with the biggest smile I had had all morning. A wave of happiness came over me as I recalled last night and reminded myself what a terrific guy Travis was. Now I was the one rubbing my leg against to his.
"You are so awesome," I said. "I sure hope we can find some time to, well, some time by ourselves today." I winked at him.
"Me, too." He said with a smile. "Now come on, the girls will definitely be talking if we don't get back there soon."
We walked back over to where the girls were seated.
"I understand I've been the talk of the town," Travis said with a smirk on his face. I don't know who was more shocked, the girls or me. This whole conversation just would not die!
"Um," said Kristin a little sheepishly. "Well, we were just . . . ah talking about um . . . ." This is the first time I had seen her at a loss for words.
Travis laughed.
"Don't worry, Kristin," Travis said. "Andy told me what you guys were talking about and it's fine by me. It's cool. No worries. By the way, what gave me away? It was that damn mermaid song, wasn't it?"
We all laughed.
"That was the clincher for me." said Kristin smiling, once again regaining her confidence. "So are you like, out at home and at school and stuff, Travis?"
Travis took a deep breath. I could tell that as much as he wanted to make this look easy he was still a pretty nervous.
"Well," he said. "Not really. I mean, none of my friends know and I sure haven't told my parents yet. But having seen how fast you guys figured it out, it probably isn't going to be a huge surprise to anyone, right?" he laughed nervously.
"Do you have a boyfriend?" Susan asked with a warm twinkle in her eye.
"Umm," Travis glanced at me nervously with a smile. "Sorta."
"What does that mean?" said Susan.
"Well," Travis was blushing. "There's this guy who I really like and I think he likes me too but, ya know, we haven't dated or . . . like done anything. I think he's really good looking and he's like the nicest, sweetest guy in the world. Plus he loves to listen to me sing."
"Well, who wouldn't?" said Kristin.
I was totally embarrassed by what Travis was saying. This whole conversation still seemed really uncomfortable to me.
"Um, could we talk about something else now," I asked hopefully.
"Straight boys are always freaked out about this stuff," said Susan.
"Yeah," said Kristin. "What's wrong Andy? Does the thought of Travis kissing another guy gross you out?"
Actually, the thought of Travis kissing a guy other than me sort of did freak me out. But I don't think that's what Kristin meant.
"No," I said defensively. "I think he should lavish kisses on whoever he wants." I was looking right at him and smiling as I said this.
"I just meant that we've been talking about Travis all morning, Travis this, Travis that," I was trying to sound funny. "I don't think his ego needs any more feeding."
"All right then," said Kristin. "Why don't we talk about you for a while?"
"Yes, let's!" said Travis with a goofy smile.
"So do you have a girlfriend, Andy?" asked Kristin with great interest.
Shit! How was I gonna answer this? Lying was not my strongest talent.
"Well, actually," I said slowly. "There is someone I'm interested in right now. But it's kind of early on. We're . . . still just getting comfortable with one another."
"Doesn't that sound sweet," Kristin said lighting up. I think she thought I was talking about her. Once again, I had merely succeeded in digging myself a bigger hole. Double shit!
"What about you, Kristin," I said. "I'm sure you've got to be seeing someone."
"No," she said. "I mean, I was. Until last Christmas. And then my boyfriend dumped me. Or I dumped him. I don't know I guess it was sort of a mutual thing. But I'm over him now which is good."
"That just leaves you Susan," said Travis. "Anyone special in your life right now?"
"A boyfriend would merely distract me from my duties as Theater Goddess at my school," she said quickly.
We all laughed. Finally it seemed as though the personal sharing hour had come to a close. We all kicked back and relaxed a bit, occasionally heading over to the pool to cool down. I looked down at my watch and it was already 10:45.
"Travis," I said. "I almost forgot, I'm meeting my Dad and my uncle to play some basketball at 11. Do you want to join us?
"I dunno," he replied. "I'm really not very good at basketball."
"Please," I whined a bit. "It will be fun I promise. My Dad's really cool and I'm sure it'll be relaxed. You'll have a good time, I swear."
He rolled his eyes at me.
"All right," he said. "Just don't forget I warned you. Me and basketball. Not a good combination."
I laughed and started gathering my things.
"What did you decide about the animation class, Andy?" asked Kristin.
"Umm," I said. Given the way virtually everything I had said so far this morning had been exactly wrong, I figured I might as well give in on this one right away. Besides, maybe I could convince Travis to join us. "Sure. I'm in. 2:30, right?"
"Yeah," Kristin said excitedly. "It's listed in the Navigator. I'll see you there. Hope you guys have fun at basketball practice."
"See ya later," Travis said.
"See ya," said Susan.
Travis and I started heading down the deck to the basketball courts.
"So," he said quietly. "Should I be jealous of your little date this afternoon with Kristin?"
"Don't you start with me," I said exasperated. "Remind me to fill you in on that whole conversation. As for this afternoon, you shouldn't worry about my date with Kristin since you'll be joining us."
"Oh I will, will I?" he said surprised.
"Damn, right!" I said. "From now on, I am not to be alone with Kristin ever again. I'm serious. She's a hunter, I tell ya. And right now, she's working very hard to trap me. If you don't join me this afternoon there's no telling what could happen. I might have to gnaw off my own foot or something just to get free."
"In that case," he said cracking up, "I guess I'll be there. I certainly wouldn't want to anything like that to happen. By the way, you said something earlier that I wanted to ask you about. Let me see . . . what were the exact words . . . 'he should lavish kisses on whoever he wants.' Yes I believe that's what you . . . ."
"Shut up," I said blushing. "There's my Dad. We'll finish this conversation later."
I made introductions between Travis and my Dad, Uncle Michael and Uncle Pete. There were a couple of other guys interested in playing as well, including a few Travis and I had met at The Stack on Sunday night. It was a little more competitive than I had promised Travis. But luckily, he was better than he said. More importantly, he had a great attitude about the whole thing which was awesome.
Dad totally took to Travis. Of course, my Dad is always really cool around my friends, but for some reason it felt really good watching them get along so well.
After the game we all had lunch together--my uncles, my dad, Travis and me. Actually this was really cool. It was one of the first times that I felt like an adult on this trip, just us guys hanging out, talking and laughing.
After a while Dad and my uncles got up to find my Mom and aunts, so Travis and I were finally by ourselves. We had an hour or so before we had to meet Kristin at the animating class.
"Come on," said Travis getting up from our table.
"What do you want to do?," I asked.
"I thought we might go back to my cabin," he said slyly.
I was a pretty nervous as we headed down to Travis' cabin. But I was also kind of excited. We hadn't spent any time alone since last night and I didn't really know what to expect.
He opened the door to his cabin and I noticed it was a little smaller than ours, which made sense as it was just Travis and his folks traveling together. Travis opened the door and I followed him in. As soon as we were both inside and he turned around and gave me a hug.
"Sorry," he said letting me go. "I just really wanted to do that all morning."
"That's cool," I said smiling. "I kinda liked it." I wandered over to the couch and sat down, putting my legs across the cushions and stretching out.
Travis looked down at me.
"Just make yourself at home," he said sarcastically. He lifted my feet and sat down opposite me, putting his own legs right next to mine, his feet near my chest. He left his hand on my leg and was gently rubbing my calf.
I took my left hand slowly slid it up along his leg as well. He had awesome, tan legs. I gently slid my fingers up and down his hairy calf, surprised at how soft and warm it felt.
"You know what?" Travis asked smiling as my hand continued to graze along his leg.
"What?" I said looking up.
"I realized when we were having lunch with your Dad, that there's a lot about you I don't know," he said.
"Like what?" I replied.
"I dunno, . . . like do you play any sports at school?" he asked
"Yeah," I said. "Soccer. Although I'm not very good at it. What about you?"
"I used to play baseball in Junior High," he said. "But then I got kind of serious about my music so I quit. Have you ever had a girlfriend before?"
"Not really," I said. "There was this one girl earlier this year, last semester actually, who asked me out a few times but I never got very excited about her, if you know what I mean. And yourself? Any girl . . . er . . . ah boyfriends in your past?"
"No," Travis said. "I've pretty much always known I didn't want to date girls. And it's only in the last few months that I actually dealt with the fact that I was more into guys. I'm still way too nervous to try to ask any of the guys at my school out."
"That's so hard for me to believe," I said. "You seem so confident. So at ease with this whole thing."
Travis laughed.
"If only! I told you, this is a whole new deal for me, trying to be honest all the time. I was sweating bullets when we were having that conversation at the pool."
"Well," I said, "You could have fooled me. In fact, I'd say you're almost as good an actor as a singer."
"Ugh," he groaned. "I know. That's what I'm trying to change. I don't want to act through my entire life. But sometimes it just feels easier, ya know?"
"Oh yeah," I smiled. "Hey, that reminds me. I want to hear you sing again."
"Again?" he whined. "What is this? The cruise of a thousand show-tunes or something? Since when did you become the world's number one fan of a capella vocals?"
"I don't' know what a capella or whatever you said even is," I said laughing. "But I do know I became the number one fan of Travis Larson last night at about midnight. So now, I'm hoping he'll endulge his audience and sing something."
"Hmmmm," Travis thought for a moment. "All right. I've got something I can sing for you. BUT! It's gonna cost you, this time."
"All right," I said. "What's the price?"
"One kiss per line," he said.
"Hmmm," I said, squinting my eyes and scratching my chin pretending to be studying this offer. "How many lines are in this song of yours?"
"I'll let you know when I'm done!" he said as he lept off the couch. He moved the coffee table out of the way and went into the bathroom. A second later he came back out with his sunglasses on and a hairbrush in his hand which he was holding like a microphone.
I started laughing hysterically. And then he started singing to me as if he were on stage, dancing and pointing to me as he went.
Oh oh the sun beats down
and burns the tar up on the roof.
And your shoes get so hot,
you wish your tired feet were fireproof.
Under the boardwalk, down by the sea,
on a blanket with my baby is where I'll be.
From the park you hear
happy sounds from the carousel.
You can almost taste the hot dogs
and french fries they sell.
Under the boardwalk, down by the sea,
on a blanket with my baby is where I'll be.
Under the boardwalk
Out of the sun.
Under the boardwalk
We'll be havin' some fun.
Under the boardwalk
People walkin' above.
Under the boardwalk
We'll be fallin' in love
under the boardwalk, boardwalk.
I smiled at him and started clapping.
Travis bowed deeply, still in performance mode.
"Thank you!" he said. "Thank you all very much."
I got up and walked toward him. He put his hands on my waist and pulled me closer.
"So," I said softly, "what do I owe you?"
Travis smiled and leaned in toward me. I closed my eyes and felt his lips, soft and moist, touch mine. Moments later I could feel the slightest change as he opened his mouth and started licking my lips with his tongue. I opened my mouth and our tongues met for the first time. I couldn't believe what I was feeling. It was so gentle, so simple. And completely wonderful. After a few minutes, I pulled away slowly.
"Travis," I said. "I've . . . um . . . never done this before. I mean, not with anyone. Ever."
"Neither have I," he said still smiling. "I guess we'll just have to figure things out on our own."
Once again our faces moved together. The kiss was more intense this time, our tongues learning to wrestle with one another. Travis moved his arm up from my hip, firmly rubbing along my back, exploring each inch as he went. Finally his hand touched my bare skin as he arrived at my neck. He pulled my head in even further, pulling us close as we could possibly be.
It seemed like we stayed pressed together, 'figuring things out' for the longest time. Eventually Travis slowly pulled himself from me.
"This isn't too fast is it?" he said quietly, stroking my hair.
"This," I replied almost out of breath, "this . . . is amazing. It's great. For me anyway."
"It's great for me, too," Travis replied. "I think we might be getting pretty good at this. At least, for first timers."
I laughed.
"You're going to hate me then," I said.
"Why?" asked Travis.
"Because it's 2:30 already," I said. "And we should probably go meet up with Kristin."
"Oh I see," Travis said sarcastically. "Apparently you'd rather keep your date with Kristin than hang out with me. Is that it?"
I put both of my hands on the back of his head and dramatically pulled him in for one last kiss.
"No," I said pulling away. "That's not it at all. Besides. Kristin's date, as you keep calling it, only lasts for an hour. You, I plan to see a lot more of."
"I'll hold you to that," said Travis as we headed back out the door and up to the animation lab.
I actually felt a little bad for Kristin when we arrived. I mean, she was clearly bummed that Travis had come along and I knew that from her point of view I had been kind of leading her on. As the hour went on I came to realize that I had to do something I didn't want to do. I had to have "The Talk" with Kristin. The, "I like you as a friend, but I actually have no interest in your breasts." talk. (OK, so maybe that wasn't exactly the phrase I was going to use.) As much as I didn't want to do that, I knew I couldn't last another day with this kind of awkward pressure between us.
I will give Kristin credit for one thing, however, the class was way cool. Put yet one more cruise experience on my list of Things-That-Sound-Stupid-But-Are-Actually-Kind-of-Fun. The instructor was really funny and talented. He told us all sorts of stories and inside jokes about working on "The Lion King." I even learned to draw something that didn't look unlike a mouse.
As the class was wrapping up, I decided I wanted to get my talk with Kristin over with. Right now.
"Hey Kristin," I said. "Do you want to go downstairs and get a drink or something?"
"Of course," she said cheerfully.
"That sounds like a great idea," said Travis trying to be helpful.
"Actually Travis," I said. "Would you mind if, ah, maybe Kristin and I went by ourselves this time?" I was trying to look reassuring as I said this. The poor guy probably couldn't understand why I was insisting he never leave me alone with Kristin one minute and then I'm asking him to buzz off the next.
It had not been a very good day for me and talking.
"Ah sure," he said trying to sound cool. He looked at me with a slightly puzzled expression. "I'll probably just head up to the pool. Stop by if you guys want to meet up later."
"Thanks man," I said winking at him. "I'll catch up with you."
Kristin and I headed down to the Topsider where she got some lemonade and I got a fruit smoothie. We sat about one table away from where Travis and I had our conversation yesterday. And given how well that went . . . .
"This was such a great idea Andy," said Kristin. "I was beginning to think you and I were never going to have any chance to talk with just the two of us."
"Yeah," I said laughing. "Well, actually that's pretty much what I wanted to talk to you about."
"It is?" she asked flirtatiously.
This was not cool. Once again, what I thought was non-committal was being interpreted as a come on. Not cool at all.
"Yeah," I said taking a deep breath. "See, I sort of get the impression that maybe you'd like it if, um, well if we were like able to date or something on the cruise. And . . . well, it's just. I mean I really like what we've got going on with the group and everything and I think you're really awesome I'm just not really, um, interested in like a relationship or anything right now. I hope I'm not mis-reading things or anything."
Babble? Mr. Babble? Table for one?
"Oh," said Kristin trying not to look particularly disappointed. "Well, I guess I did kind of think you were interested in me, but if that's how you feel, than I'm glad you let me know. We'll have a good time being friends."
That's it? No screaming? No crying? No hitting?
"You sure you're OK with this?" I asked shyly.
"Of course," she said more confidently. "Look, we're only on this ship for five more days. I'd rather not waste time trying to go after something that isn't going to happen. Besides, I mean you're a great guy Andy, but you do know there ARE other guys on this ship."
"Oh," I said finally exhaling. "Well, I'm glad we're able to talk like this cause . . . well, cause you really are fun to be around with and I don't anything to happen to our little group."
"Neither do I," she said. "And speaking of that, what's going on tonight?"
"I dunno," I said. "I thought the schedule in The Stack actually looked kind of lame. I think they're doing Bingo or something for the 13 and 14 year olds. What do you think we should do?"
"Well," Kristin said, "Susan and I thought the comedian sounded like fun. I think his show is at 9 or so. Do you think Travis would want to join us?"
"I'll bet he would," I said. "I'll ask him as soon as we're finished."
"Great," said Kristin. "Let's just plan on it. Regardless of what those guys decide to do, at least you and I can meet up at 9. Even if it isn't a date."
We both laughed.
"Perfect," I said. Finally a conversation that had not ended up with me more confused than when I started.
We chatted a little more until we had finished our drinks. Kristin said she wanted to go for a jog before dinner. I decided I would head up and see if Travis was still at the pool.
When I arrived at the pool at it was packed! I guess our little plan of spending time up here in the morning was smarter than we realized. Eventually, I found Travis sandwiched between two very loud, very active families. He didn't look especially happy.
"Hey," I said as I approached his chair.
"Hey," he replied looking me up and down.
"I just finished talking to Kristin," I said.
"Uh huh," he said. "And how did that go?"
"It went great," I said with a smile. "I told her I wasn't interested in her. She told me that she had never loved a man as much as she loved me but that, somehow, with lots of hard work and therapy, she thought she would be able to carry on with her life."
Travis laughed.
"Seriously," I said. "She was totally cool about it. She's so awesome. We should totally help her find someone to hook up with this trip."
One of the mothers sitting next to Travis turned and looked rather sternly at me. OK. So I guess maybe that wasn't the best choice of words.
Travis rolled his eyes.
"Well," he said. "Good for you. You get a gold star in your honesty book for the day. It's way too hot and crowded up here," he said looking over at the woman who had just glared at me. He started gathering his things.
"I'll walk to you to your cabin," I said
As we headed to his cabin I told him about our plans to see the comedian at nine. He thought that sounded like a good idea, once I assured him there would be some time afterward for the two of us. I gave him a kiss on the cheek when I left to get cleaned up for dinner and it just felt . . . right.
Of course, all four of us did make it to the comedian and we had a blast. It was one of those magician/comedian kinds of shows that can be really fun with the right group of friends. Luckily for me, I was with the right group of friends and we all had a good time.
Afterwards the girls said they were going to back up to The Stack since they had heard some guys talking about music or a dance or something around midnight. Travis and I told them we were gonna wander the ship some more and maybe catch up with them later.
So we lied a little bit.
We headed to the back overlook where we had been the last few nights. There were actually a number of people out there which bummed me out. I had already grown accustomed to our little tradition of watching the ocean in privacy at the end of the night.
"Andy," said Travis, "um, If you wanted we could ah, go downstairs. To my cabin. I mean, we don't have to or anything, I just thought ya know, it might be a little more, um, private." He seemed a little nervous.
"Won't your parents be there?" I asked, a little nervous myself.
"Nah," he said. "They really like to go to dancing and stuff. I've turned in before them every night we've been on board.
"Well then let's go," I said more excitedly.
We walked in and Travis turned on a few lights. I went over and sat on the couch in the same spot I had occupied this afternoon.
"You wanna watch some TV or something?" Travis said.
"Are you kidding?" I laughed. "Come here."
He sat down right next to me. I put my arm around him and rested my hand on his shoulder. Travis looked at me.
"I'm sorry Andy," he said. "I don't know why I'm so nervous all of a sudden. I just . . . I just don't want to screw anything up I guess."
"Well, this is certainly a role reversal," I said grinning.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I mean, you're kind of nervous and feeling a little unsure of yourself and I'm feeling like I could rip all of your clothes off right now," I said leaning in for a kiss.
As soon as our lips met I felt Travis begin to relax. He moved his hand up to the back of my head and gently rubbed his fingers into my scalp.
"Promise me you'll say something if I screw up, or do something you don't like, OK?" I asked.
"I promise," Travis replied. "Same goes for you, right?"
"Deal," I said. I put both my hands on his shoulders and gently pushed him back against the side of the couch. I straddled him at the waist and leaned down for another long kiss. I couldn't believe how incredible I felt. How incredible Travis felt. I had never done anything like this before in my life and yet somehow I felt like I knew exactly what I was doing.
I took my right hand and slid it down off his shoulder, slowly surveying his chest, his pecs, his stomach. I finally arrived at the top of his pants and I started tugging on his polo shirt. It came untucked and I slid my hand underneath, feeling the warmth of his soft, furry tummy.
Meanwhile Travis had pulled the back of my shirt out of my pants. Both of his hands were under my shirt, rubbing up and down my back. If it had felt good to have him put suntan lotion on me for five seconds, it felt incredible to feel his strong, firm hands graze across my entire back over and over. He was pulling me closer and closer to him, as if we couldn't get close enough.
I lifted my head slowly and we both just stared into one another's eyes. Our hands continued to explore each others bodies.
"Andy," Travis said, "This feels incredible. I can't believe it. I've never felt like this before in my life."
"Me too," I said. "Um, do you think we'd be more comfortable on the bed?"
"Yeah," he said smiling. "My legs are killing me in this position but I didn't want to say anything."
We both laughed as we moved over to the bed. We got on our knees, facing one another.
"Can I take your shirt off?" I asked quietly, staring into his eyes.
"Yes," he said gently. I untucked the rest of his soft shirt and pulled it over his head and tossed it on the ground. I sat back on my heels for just a second, staring at Travis.
"You look incredible," I said. I took both hands and placed them next on either side of his belly button, my thumbs rubbing over the silky soft hairs in the center of his stomach. Slowly I started moving my hand up his body, exploring every detail. I arrived at his pecs, firm and full. I twisted his nipples gently and his eyes seemed to roll into the back of his head.
"Oh my God Andy," he whispered.
I slid my hands into the middle of his chest which felt a bit like sandpaper. It finally occurred to me that he had shaved there.
"You shaved your chest," I said excitedly.
"Yeah," he said, coming out of his trance. "Well, there wasn't that much to shave, but I wanted to try it."
"Why?" I asked, my finger tips still rubbing over his rough spot. I couldn't believe what a turn on it was to feel this little patch of stubble.
"I dunno," he said. "I guess you never see any models with any hair there so I figured it was sexy or something. Do you mind?"
I laughed.
"I don't mind at all," I said. "I think everything about you is sexy. Especially your stubbly chest." I leaned in for a kiss.
Travis pulled me forcefully toward him, resting his left hand on my ass as we continued to kiss.
"So," he said. "Do I get to take your shirt off now?"
"Sure," I said smiling.
He pulled my shirt out of my pants and lifted it over my head and tossed it on the ground. He put his hands on my stomach and I twitched.
Travis giggled.
"Sorry," I said . "Guess I'm not used to having someone touch me there."
"It's OK," he said gently moving his hands up to my chest. "I think everything about you is sexy, too. Especially your twitches."
He twisted my nipples in his hand and then leaned forward and put his mouth right in the center of my chest, kissing me. I felt his tongue dart in and out as he made his way across to my nipple. He took my right nipple into his mouth, licking it clean with his tongue and then, unbelievably, he took it softly in his teeth, biting me gently.
"Shit, Travis," I said beginning to breath heavily. "That's so amazing."
He looked up at me.
"I'm glad you like it," he replied looking up at me, his eyes twinkling.
He gave me a playful shove and I fell back against the bed. We slid around for a moment and I put my head on the pillows. Now Travis crawled on top of me. He took my arms and put them above my head and then ran his hands through the hairs in my armpits. He lowered his mouth to once again devour my nipples.
Lying flat I finally noticed just how much my cock was aching. I could feel it pressing against my pants directly into Travis. For a split second I was embarrassed, worried that it might bother him. Then I realized he was moving gently, sliding up and down in rhythm, rubbing his whole body against my hard dick.
He looked up at me, smiling.
"This must be Mr. Happy Pants," he said, starting to slide his hand down my chest toward my pants. "I don't think we've been introduced, yet."
I laughed, blushing.
Just then we heard the a key card sliding into the door lock. We both panicked and Travis pointed to the bathroom. I lept off the bed as I heard the door to the hall open. Travis threw a shirt at me and I practically fell running into the bathroom as I closed the door. I heard Travis talking to his mother outside.
"Hi honey," she said. "I didn't expect to see you here."
"Hey Mom," Travis said.
"I just forgot to bring my camera tonight and wanted to take some pictures," his mother continued. "Are you OK? You look a little green or something. Are you feeling seasick? Why is your shirt off?"
"I'm fine Mom," said Travis. "Um . . . I was just changing my shirt and my friend Andy and I were exploring the ship a little and well, ah, he needed to use the bathroom and so I told him he could use ours."
Jeez. Travis was as lousy at lying as I was. But I had heard my cue. I put on the shirt, took a deep breath and opened the door.
"Oh hi," I said. "I'm Andy. Sorry if we startled you." I put out my hand.
"How nice to meet you," said Travis' Mom shaking my hand. She looked really nice. A little bewildered, but nice.
"Well, this really was all I needed," she said grabbing her camera and heading to the door. "I hope you boys have fun."
"We will," said Travis as the door closed behind her.
We both stood in silence for what felt like twenty minutes. I looked over at Travis and burst into laughter.
"Oh my God!" I said. "I can't believe that just happened. We were so busted."
"Yeah," he said putting on a shirt and crawling back into the bed. "That was kind of close wasn't it?"
"I'd say so," I said lying down next to him.
"Do you think she knew what we were doing?" he asked me.
"No way," I said. "Nah. She didn't see anything."
As we lay in the bed, Travis reached over and took my hand in his. He rolled on his side, wrapping my arm over him and resting our hands together on his chest. I slid around and aligned myself behind him, my chest against his back, our legs intertwined. I can't really explain how great it felt simply being in the same bed with him, just being together. I could have stayed right there for hours. Part of me wanted to get back to where we had been, but it felt so . . . perfect just lying together.
After several minutes I began to hear Travis very very quietly humming. It grew louder and louder and I closed my eyes. I waited and soon he started singing.
I don't get many things right the first time
In fact, I am told that a lot
Now I know all the wrong turns, the stumbles and falls
Brought me here
And where was I before the day
That I first saw your lovely face?
Now I see it everyday
And I know
That I am
I am
I am
The luckiest
What if I'd been born fifty years before you
In a house on a street where you lived?
Maybe I'd be outside as you passed on your bike
Would I know?
And in a white sea of eyes
I see one pair that I recognize
And I know
That I am
I am
I am
The luckiest
I squeezed his hand tightly and opened my eyes. Slowly he rolled over and we stared into each others' eyes.
"Thank you," I said. "Thank you for that song. For today. Thank you for giving me another chance after I . . . after I was so mean to you. I don't know what I've done to deserve having someone like you in my life, but I'm really glad I do."
"Shush," said Travis, putting his finger up to my lips. "You don't have to thank me. You don't have to say anything."
I leaned in and kissed him again.
After a few more moments, I found myself dozing off.
"I should probably go," I said eventually.
"I wish you didn't have to leave."
"Yeah," I said, getting out of the bed slowly. "Me too."
"At least," Travis said with a wink. "We've got all day tomorrow. By the way, nice shirt, dude."
"Huh?" I said once looking down. I was wearing his shirt. When his mom had arrived he tossed me the first one he could get a hold of which was his own. Meanwhile, he was wearing mine. I smiled at Travis.
"Do you want it back now?" I asked.
"No way," he said. "Actually, I find it kind of sexy to be wearing your clothes. I get to have you near me all night long now. Maybe tomorrow you can leave your boxers." Travis winked.
I laughed and wrapped my arms around his waist, pulling him in close. We leaned in for one long, final goodnight kiss.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- SPRING BREAK CRUISE January 2004
This is a story in eight parts, which are all complete and will be posted in the next few weeks in accordance with Nifty's schedule. Part eight includes more information about the songs/lyrics used in this story.
This is a work of fiction. I hope you enjoy it! Comments and critiques are welcome at: billynkyle@yahoo.com .
I have one other story posted on Nifty and if you liked this one you might check
that one out. There's definitely a lot of similarities between the two stories. Unfortunately, I never posted the end to that one. (Hence, the defined time frame of this.) Anyway, it's at: gay/highschool/summer-at-the-lake/ I do have a few more chapters of that somewhere (but still no ending!) and perhaps I'll get them posted. Let me know if you'd like to see them.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs-NonCommercial License.
To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd-nc/1.0/ or send a letter to:
Creative Commons, 559 Nathan Abbott Way, Stanford, California 94305, USA.