“Thanks. It looks delicious.”
“You said Mr. Drew was napping; is he feeling okay?” Kris could hear the concern in Gabe’s question.
“Oh, yeah, he’s fine. Just a bit too much time in the sun. We were with my family in an over-the-water cabana earlier, and it took a lot out of him. I’m sure he’ll feel much better after his nap.”
“Good. It would be awful if he was feeling ill on your vacation.” Gabe paused as if deciding whether to say anything else. “I hope I’m not overstepping, but the two of you look so nice together. It’s clear that you are very much in love.”
Kris felt himself blush just a little. “Really, you think so?”
“Why of course, Mr. Kris. The way Drew looks at you, even when you don’t notice. I think the word is ‘smitten’; yes, he is definitely smitten with you.”
“Um, thank you,” Kris said quietly.Hmmm, is what Gabe said true? Is Drew interested?
“Well, I must get back to work, but let me know if you need anything else.” Gabe retreated, picking up a few stray glasses and wiping down tables.
Kris sat, sipping his drink—it was quite tasty—and thought about what Gabe had said. Perhaps he and Drew needed to talk about this. He needed to know if Drew did have feelings for him. Maybe Izzy’s idea hadn’t been so bad after all.
* * *
After mullingover everything Gabe had told him and replaying scenes from the past couple of days in his head, Kris realized how much Drew had come to mean to him. There was a warmth about him, and just being with him made Kris feel good. And Kris didn’t want to wait any longer. But as he stepped quietly into the cabin, he saw Drew was still fast asleep on his side of the bed.God, he looks adorable!
Kris pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it onto the chair in the corner. Kicking off his flip-flops, he lay down beside Drew and studied his face. He looked younger than his thirty years when he slept, a lock of blond hair falling over his forehead. It was all Kris could donotto brush it aside. His full lips, slightly parted, were meant for kissing. Kris had always held back a little when they kissed before. He had been afraid of Drew finding out how he really felt, but if what Gabe had said was true …
Drew slowly opened his eyes. “Hey,” he said sleepily. “Sorry.” He scooted back a little, as if he were afraid to be too close to Kris.
“It’s okay,” Kris whispered. “Sorry I woke you.”
“What time is it? Do I have time to change before dinner?”
“Relax, there’s plenty of time.” Kris smiled. “Actually, there’s something I’d like to talk with you about.”
“Oh, this sounds serious.” Drew rubbed his eyes. “Did I fuck something up? Does your mom suspect something?”
“No, silly. Everything’s fine.”
“Oh, good.” Drew lay back, raised his arm, and rested it on his forehead.
Kris’s mouth suddenly went dry as he caught himself staring at the patch of golden hair in Drew’s pit. “Um, so I have a question to ask you, and I’d like you to be completely honest with me. Can you do that?”
“Sure.”
“Do you like me?” Kris spoke softly.
“Yeah, I like you. You’re a nice guy.”
“Okay.” Kris closed his eyes, trying to think of how to better phrase the question. “This is gonna sound really ‘high school,’ but do you ‘like’ like me?”
“Oh,” Drew said, his eyes going wide. “Do I ‘like’ like you? Hmmm, I dunno, doyou‘like’ like me?” Amusement was clear on his face.
Kris took in a deep breath. “Right, so you think this is funny, but I have to be honest with you. At first this was just a, um, I dunno, I guess a business arrangement for me.” Drew turned his head to look directly at Kris. “But it’s become more than that. At least for me. So yeah, I do ‘like’ like you.” He smiled. “I wasn’t gonna say anything, because I didn’t think you felt the same way, and I didn’t want to make things uncomfortable between us, but I, ah, I mean, um, well … let’s just say a little birdie told me that you might ‘like’ like me too.”
“A little birdie, huh? Where were you while I was napping?”
“Oh, I walked around a bit and stopped for a drink at Neptune’s Reef.”
“Ah! By any chance, is that little birdie’s name Gabe?” Drew’s grin reached from ear to ear.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Kris said, but he couldn’t hide his smile.
