I woke up a few hours after my incident with Dean, confused about him but ready to move on with my life. We had arrived at our destination, so whatever had happened during the journey, we were to pretend it never happened. There was no scenario where we were going to acknowledge what happened anyway.
We arrived at the port and one by one got off the ship. There were so many people, some I hadn't initially noticed were even there, including a captain and a whole crew of workers. I would have been better off fucking these studs instead. If only I had known they were there.
I was probably overestimating, but there had to be around fifty of us in total.
There were taxis waiting for us specifically, and we all got in and were taken to a hotel, where there were reserved rooms on two different floors.
"Anything on the agenda today?" Steve, Frank Senior's best friend asked. He was really most likely to be found next to Sr during the whole trip, which made me wonder if he already knew about us.
"Not today no, today we're just gonna rest and get used to not rocking about all the damn time," was Sr's reply. There were various sounds from the people, of relief. We all understood that that was the best idea. Hanging out at a hotel didn't sound so bad.
I was paired to share a room with Frank as expected, and we took our keys and ran to our room. For whatever reason there was one bed. We both didn't mind, but something about it still bugged Frank.
"They really made us share a bed huh?"
He was still in shock that people knew he was gay. It wasn't so obvious but like Jeff said, my relationship with him had made the fact plenty obvious.
The day consisted of eating exotic food in the same old unusual fashion, hanging out at the swimming pool, mingling and just enjoying a casual good time.
I didn't know what to expect when the sun went down, but, as usual, I was up when everybody else wasn't. It was midnight, and I snuck out of bed and got some clothes on, then out of my room. I checked the hallway and the coast was clear, then proceeded to the elevator. The ride down was nerve-wracking for some reason, and as soon as the doors opened, I zoomed past the whole floor until I was out of the hotel.
I had a basic idea of where I was supposed to be going, and I just started walking to where I assumed that was.
Two streets away, I was in the lobby of a different hotel, waiting for someone.
"Rick!" he shouted out to me. I wasn't lost.
"Teddy!" I called back as he approached with his arms wide open. He held me in an embrace, and was almost afraid to let go.
I guessed bear hugs like these were why everyone called Ronny Teddy. He was like a teddy bear, a gentle giant. It felt safe in his arms.
"So glad to see you Rick," Ronny said with a smile on his face. He looked so happy.
"Thanks, great to see you too."
He smiled.
"Lead the way," I finally said to him.
He pulled me by the hand to the elevator, then pressed 8, which was coincidentally the floor I was on back at my hotel. He was fidgety with his hand, and I noticed that mine was still in his other hand. I didn't say anything, and the doors opened and we went to his room like that.
He started giggling as soon as we were both inside.
"This is crazy," he said, nervous and excited.
"Welcome to the wild side Ronny," I said.
He walked over to the bed, his foot right beside the foot of a bedside table with a full bottle of whiskey on it. He was big and tall, a heavy-set face with the usual genetic brown eyes, but hair darker than his counterparts. His size was that of a football player, but he'd never really been into sports.
"Thanks for calling me out here," he said before taking a sip, or a gulp. I was surprised by his conduct, because I'd never known him to drink and also because he was drinking straight from the bottle.
I hadn't really invited him out here. I'd merely, in passing, suggested that he come over and see me when we land just to make him feel better. He'd taken the half-hearted suggestion and ran with it, getting on a plane and flying out here. I never believed I was worth this much attention so I felt a little bad, and also a tiny bit uncomfortable that he came. I couldn't lie though, I was a bit flattered too.
"Want some?" he offered, extending a bottled arm towards me.
"No thanks," I shrugged it off, mainly because I didn't want to get carried away and forget to go back to my hotel.
I moved and sat beside him.
"Jeff and I got into a big argument about it. He said "it's too late to tell him now"," I told him.
He sighed. "Whatever."
Ronny looked in my face, and I could tell that I'd made a mistake and was seated way too close to him. His face was so close to mine and I could see every feature on the smooth surface.
"Thanks for telling me," he said. "You're the only one who really cares about me."
"No problem bro," I said placing a hand on his knee and rubbing.
"I love you," he said.
"I love you too bro," I said pulling him in for a hug. His big body let out a big sigh in my arms. His hugs felt good, but this one was tinged with sadness.
"Would you have come if someone had told you?" I asked him as I let him go. He chuckled, and I knew the right answer was the most obvious one.
"Probably not, but maybe... Just to hang out with you," he said. I couldn't tell if he was hitting on me or just being nice.
"But if it was only you and me, I definitely would've come."
He had his hand on my neck and a dreamy look in his eyes, and I knew at that point that he wasn't just being nice.
"I'm in love with you," he said sternly, phrasing it so that there wasn't any way for me to maneuver around it. I didn't know what to say, so I just felt it for a second, felt his hand caressing my neck, his eyes looking through me, and his words swirling around in my head.
