“Currently, I’m a waiter at a place called the Sage Bistro in Boston. That’s how Kris and I met.” Kris and Drew had talked about sticking to as much of the truth as possible when they talked about themselves. “Kris and Izzy come in for lunch fairly often, and I’ve waited on them more than a few times.”
“Nice,” Kat said. “So how long have you been seeing each other?”
“We’ve known each other for about six months,” Kris answered. “But we’ve only been dating about three months.”
“And Izzy knows him. That makes me feel better.” Kat nodded.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kris asked.
“Well, brother, you haven’t always had the best luck with guys. I mean, c’mon, Paul was no prize.”
“Okay, point taken,” Kris conceded. No doubt about it, Paul had been a real dick.
“You might say it was Izzy that encouraged us to get together,” Drew added.
“Okay, I like you even more now.” Kat laughed. “Seriously, I liked you when we first met, but if you’ve got Izzy’s stamp of approval, even better.”
“Do you have any plans for after dinner?” Court asked the group. “I know we have to have dinner with the folks, but we can do something on our own after, right?”
“Oh, absolutely,” Kris said.
“Fuckin’ A,” Kat uttered at the same time. They all laughed.
“I heard they have a nightclub called the Kraken’s Cave down on Deck 3,” said Drew. “If that’s something you’re interested in. And we could always come back here for a nightcap.”
“Deal,” Court agreed. “We’ll start there and end here for a drink.”
* * *
Dinner endedup being more fun than expected. It had been a while since Kris had seen his aunt and uncle, and they all had a lot to catch up on. But by the time they’d finished dessert, Kris was ready for a break.
“We’re going to the Blue Coral for drinks and dancing,” Diane told the group over coffee. “Do you kids want to join us?”
“Actually, Mom,” Courtney said, “we’re going to the Kraken’s Cave to dance.” Nodding to the group, she, along with Kat, Drew, and Kris, rose and left the table.
“That wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” Kris remarked as they sauntered toward the elevator. “But I’m still glad it’s over.”
The club was crowded, and they hung out there for a while, the four of them dancing as a group. Being a nightclub, it was quite loud, and eventually, they’d all had enough, so they wandered back to Neptune’s Reef for a nightcap.
Gabe greeted them and once they sat, took their orders.
“That was fun, but frankly, I’m bushed. It’s been a long day,” Drew said, yawning. “After this drink, I’m heading to bed.”
* * *
When they got backto their cabin, they were both a bit giddy. Kris pointed to the queen-sized bed and said, “We need to talk about the elephant in the room.”
“Why is there an elephant in our room, and where is he gonna sleep?” Drew giggled.
“I’m serious. There’s a good chance that my mom may come here at some point during the cruise, so I can’t ask the cabin steward to separate this into two twins, but I don’t want to make you uncomfortable either. I can sleep on the love seat.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Drew told him as he unbuttoned his shirt. “You’re what, six one? You won’t fit on the love seat, and neither will I. We’re adults here. I think we can behave ourselves and share a bed.”
Kris shrugged and grabbed his sleep shorts and a t-shirt, retreating to the bathroom. When he returned, he couldn’t help but stare at Drew’s ass in the bright-red briefs he wore.Stop it, he’s not really your boyfriend. This is just a job for him.
Drew hung up his slacks and padded into the bathroom. A few minutes later, he dropped into bed, barely covering himself with the sheet.
“I’m not gonna set an alarm for the morning,” Kris told him.
