“Merry Christmas, Theo. How are you doing?”
“Okay. No early shift for you today?”
“No,” Carlos said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “I’m closing the Trident Buffet tonight, so I don’t have to report until eleven.”
“I see,” Theo said as he pulled on black slacks and a white shirt along with the dark-teal vest bearing the cruise line’s logo. It was his standard bar uniform.
As he sat on the edge of his bed to tie his shoes, Carlos said, “You seem a bit off, Theo. Is anything wrong?”
“Well, um, it’s nothing, really.” Theo didn’t want to burden Carlos with what was on his mind.
“Go on, spill. What’s bothering you?”
“It’s Gabe.”
“Gabe, huh?” Carlos grinned. “Are you finally at the point where you’re willing to admit you have some feelings for him?”
“Huh? What do you mean, I don’t …”
“Cut the bullshit, Theo. I’m not blind. I see how you look at him sometimes.”
“But how, um, well …” Theo stammered.
“How did I know you like guys? Again, not blind here, buddy. Granted, I much prefer the ladies myself, but I’ve seen you when you two are together, and trust me, it’s clear that you’re interested. At least, it’s clear to me.”
Theo shook his head. “I had no idea I was that obvious. So you don’t mind that I like guys?”
“Not at all, my friend. Less competition for me.” He smiled deviously. “Seriously, though, to each his own. I don’t care who you’re interested in. You deserve some happiness too, right?”
“Thanks. I haven’t really told a lot of people. A few friends back home know, and I did tell my folks a couple of years ago.”
“How did that go?” Theo heard concern in Carlos’s voice.
“Okay, I guess. They seem to be fine with it. A cousin of mine came out to the whole family a few years before me, so I think that helped.”
“Okay, good.” Carlos looked across the small space between them. “But back to the original topic. I take it Gabe doesn’t know how you feel?”
“No. And I don’t know how to tell him. I mean, I know he likes guys, and that’s never been a problem. You know how he’s always trying to set guys up during the LGBTQ get togethers at the bar.”
“Oh, yeah, our Gabe is a regular matchmaker, he is.”
“And he’s so good at it. But I’ve never said anything about how I like guys too, and I’m afraid if I say anything now, Gabe will be upset that I didn’t tell him sooner. I consider us good friends, so what kind of friend am I that I couldn’t be honest with him before now?”
“Let me think about that.” Carlos stood and placed his hand on Theo’s shoulder. “He’s not the only one who can play matchmaker, you know.”
And with that, Carlos ambled off to the bathroom, and Theo headed out the door to have breakfast.
His mind was working as he walked along the crew corridor. He really needed to gather his courage and say something to Gabe before it was too late.
