Strolling the promenade deck, the list of people they came across included vacationing couples, bros with popped collars and attendees of the wedding. The ship was basically an alluring city with a stream of people, a tributary to the large crowd gathered in the shopping plaza.
They bought badges, matching t-shirts and large traveling mugs. When they came across a store selling funny hats, Oliver pointed out a Perry the Platypus inspired hat. A laugh sputtered from him.
“This looks ridiculous,” he acknowledged.
“Really?” Ben asked. Excitement radiated in his eyes, and he immediately bought it. And wore it in the shopping plaza.
Oliver should have never told Ben about the hat. He spent the entire morning fighting back his laughter. The earflaps and the braids had Oliver stifling a chuckle every few minutes, and he started to feel normal again.
Ben told him that he didn’t care how much Oliver laughed, the hat was badass. Even so, he couldn’t help.
They discovered a wonderful dive bar tucked in a corner of the walkway — Sid’s Place. After Ben displayed a bit of nautical knowledge to Sid, the proprietor, they hit it off with him and allowed him to recommend something light. Sid brought them two beers and a large plate of spicy fries to share between them.
Oliver tried one. After he finished the first fry, his mouth danced with the delicious aftertaste. “These fries are great!”
“Thanks.” Sid winked. “Sometimes the simplest meals are the best.”
“I’d have to agree,” Ben chimed. He too had tasted a french fry.
Sid shared his culinary ideals.
“People tended to think that they need to go elsewhere and find a luxurious meal when they already have the ingredients for the best-tasting dish. Anyone can prepare the meals I like to serve; the dishes are mainly singular, but I have secrets to bring out the flavors of the simplest meal.”
“They’re totally delicious. And, yet, deceptively simple,” Ben said. He popped another fry into his mouth. “I love them. I’m going to indulge on this trip.”
“Enjoy!” Sid smiled. He left them to their meal.
“Are you a nautical fanboy?” Oliver asked, intrigued. Ben’s knowledge of ships came as a big surprise, especially as Ben had never mentioned or displayed an interest in them to him in all the years they’d know each other.
“My dad worked on a trade ship as a marine engineer in his twenties. I learned a lot from him by simple osmosis.”
“Wow. Unreal.” Oliver ate another french fry. “He must have loved it.”
Ben shrugged. “He never said.”
“You told me that he owns his own business — but to think he worked on a ship, I don’t know, it just sounds so romantic.”
“Do you think?” Ben asked.
“Yes. Working at sea must have been so wonderful, like a dream. I wouldn't want it to end. Your dad must have had a great time.”
“I don’t know.” Ben inhaled deeply. “Being at sea, it does seem like a cool idea. But I don’t know much more than his work schedule. He talked about machinery and what usually went wrong with them. He knew a lot about all types of ships, including cruise liners.”
“He never had fun at sea?” Oliver asked.
“He left everything, his friends, and my mom to go to sea. He never had a social life,” Ben explained. “When I used to listen to Dad’s tales about the sea, he never got deeper that than his work. Sometimes it was like pulling teeth to get something as basic as pollution regulations.”
Oliver blinked, surprised. He nodded. It was refreshing to learn new things about Ben after four years of friendship.
Ben sat back and lifted his beer. “Man, three years we’ve been friends, we should’ve done this sooner.”
“Four years.” Oliver sipped his beer, unconsciously mirroring Ben. “This is nice, you’re right. We definitely should have done this sooner.”
In unison, they placed their beers down, met each other’s eyes and grinned. They were so attuned to each other that they’d often moved, gestured, angled their heads and spoke in sync.
One day while they were at work, Heidi noticed them, and ever since then they couldn’t help noticing themselves either. They seemingly knew what the other was thinking. They had this down pat, so much so that they didn’t always need words to interact when they were hanging out together. They could move about, cooking together or watching a tv show comfortable in the silence. Sometimes the other would dole out a smile or a laugh. Oliver came to appreciate their steady groove of nonverbal interaction.
They left Sid’s Place and continued their stroll down the plaza. They visited an aquarium that mainly housed lobsters and crabs. They looked round a vintage bookstore and they even checked out a Bath & Body Works, where Oliver sniffed candles and tried lotions.
And somewhere along the way, they met up with Erica and Brendan who were making their way to the pool area.
“You should join us,” Erica suggested.
“That sounds like a great idea,” Oliver said.
“We need to try the SkyBike first,” Ben said. “C’mon, Oliver. It’ll be fun.”
Oliver looked up to where Ben was pointing.
“Yeah, sure.”
8
Oliver
Oliver’s stomach flipped upside-down as they stood in line for the SkyBike, a recumbent bike suspended high on a dual racing track above the deck.
He never imagined he would be among the ten percent of the U.S. population scared of heights. But as he glanced down from high at the sparkling sea, he began to wonder.
“Are you all right?” Ben asked.
“Yep.”
“Are you scared, dude?”
“Do I look scared?” Oliver asked. He tried to act cool.
“No, you don’t look scared. You do look a little tense, though,” Ben observed.
They reached the end of the plaza when Ben’s eyes grew huge at the sight of the two-lane suspended course and the pedal-powered bike riding high above the deck. Looking up at the ride, Oliver swallowed his own gasp. He was sure that Ben heard the gulp.
Before he knew it, they were lining up to have a turn on the ride. He’d never been terrified of heights. So why now? He had the creeping feeling that he was about to make a complete fool of himself.
“I can’t wait,” Ben said. “This is going to be a breeze.”
“Yeah.” Oliver huffed out his fear. His sweat-dampened undershirt clung to his chest. His throat turned bone-dry as he stared ahead at the launch platform. There was a moment where he was ecstatic, where Ben’s excitement must have rubbed off on him and he was looking forward to the ride.
His delight didn’t last long.
“Amanda, stop!”
Oliver jerked at the shrill of a woman’s voice. Two blonde women in hot bathing suits stood behind them. The one with the pixie haircut was tickling the other, a woman with shoulder-length blonde hair. They noticed Oliver and immediately stopped.
“Sorry,” said the pixie haircut girl. “We’re newlyweds and…”
“And you’re drawing attention to us, sweetheart,” the blonde said. She smiled at Oliver and Ben. “Sorry.”
“There’s really no need to apologize, ladies,” Ben said.
“We eloped a few weeks ago. Our dog was our only witness. The craziest part was that we were friends, and I only found out that she was into me when she moved in with me.”
“I met Amanda when I was walking my dog, and we bonded instantly.” The pixie haircut girl turned to Amanda. “I immediately knew you were The One.”
“I felt the same way, Karen. But I pushed the feeling aside.”
“It took me years to embrace my intuition,” Karen admitted.
“I think I understand how you feel, “ Oliver murmured. He instantly regretted it when he saw the questioning looks on Karen’s and Amanda’s faces. Ben had a quizzical expression. “I mean… Congratulations!”
“Hey, what did you mean, Oliver?” Ben cocked a brow. His wo
rds came out a whisper, not at all the loud dramatic question that could make Oliver jump back.
Oliver’s response was to freeze up.
“You’re up next, buddy,” the ride’s facilitator called.
Oliver was saved from answering by the facilitator’s yelped instructions, then he turned to the bike, gulped, and turned back to Ben.
“I guess I’m up next,” Oliver said.
“Okay.” Ben wrinkled his brow. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Of course.” Oliver sounded flighty.
He fled onto the ride, hesitated for a second, but then got into it. He cinched the belts across his body and tried to ignore the tightness of the belt. He tilted his head back and exhaled until his lungs felt flat. What was he doing?
“What in the world are you thinking?” Oliver whispered to himself. His stomach was in knots, and his heart suddenly hammered in his chest. Discomfort crawled up his spine. “Why now? This is stupid, probably the most stupid thing you’ve done in a long time.”
He didn’t know why, but he felt it would have been silly if he told Ben that he was afraid. But this had been a bad idea from the start.
Pathetic didn’t even begin to describe how he was feeling. If Ben had any idea how he was feeling, he’d never be able to live it down. For once, he wanted to be cool, fun and adventurous, a fake boyfriend who was fun.
He tried to pedal, but his legs wouldn’t move.
“Hey, you don’t look too good. Are you all right?”
Ben tugged on his shoulder.
Oliver stifled an awkward laugh. He decided to be honest. “No.”
“Let’s go,” Ben said, nodding decisively. “You’re not well.”
Oliver scrubbed a hand across his sweat-beaded face, clambered out of the ride and gingerly leaned on Ben’s shoulder. Ben’s fingers curled around his hand.
“I’ll be fine, I just need to have a seat.”
“That’s okay. If you faint on me, I won’t mind carrying you back to our cabin in my arms,” Ben said. His grin chased away the tension in Oliver’s body.
“You are such a sweet fake boyfriend,” Oliver said.
“For the next few days, we’re a real couple,” Ben said. “We wouldn’t want the wrong person to hear that I’m your fake boyfriend.”
“Good point,” Oliver said. He took a seat and rested against the railings on the platform. He felt safe in Ben’s arms. He felt like a baby. “I’m sorry.”
“What are you apologizing for?” Ben asked.
“I’m being a pain.” Oliver closed his eyes and focused on the way Ben’s thumb was lightly stroking his hand.
“Stop it.” Ben tutted. “You’ve never been a pain. What happened back there?”
“I panicked. It’s the first time I’ve been afraid of being so high up,” Oliver confessed. “I don’t get it.”
Oliver felt needy, even if he wasn’t sure of what he needed. But it was enough that Ben didn’t let go of his hand.
“Take your time. It looked like you were having a panic attack.” Ben’s voice was gentle, and he gazed at Oliver with a mixture of concern and affection. “I’m taking you back to our room as soon as you’re okay to stand again. You need to lay down.”
“What about the ride?” Oliver said. “Oh man, I don’t want you to stay indoors just because I had a panic attack. You were so excited about the SkyBike.”
“Listen, I’m not leaving you for a second.” Ben was nothing but tender, caring…loving. “I’m staying with you until you’re better.”
“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Oliver murmured.
“We’ll see about that,” Ben said.
Oliver opened his mouth to argue, but one look at Ben told him that nothing he said would matter, Ben wasn’t going to leave his side. Oliver groaned. It seemed as if Ben had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to fuss over him.
“There’s no point in arguing, is there?” Oliver asked.
“No,” Ben said with a smile that would have melted ice.
“You can be so headstrong sometimes, you know that?” Oliver said.
“I’m not gonna leave you in the cabin and have fun by myself,” Ben said. “It won’t be the same if I can’t impress you with my cycling. You know you’re the only guy who gets my competitive juices flowing. And…I wanted to show off my calves.”
Ben’s grin was playful.
Oliver laughed. An honest-to-goodness, laugh. His discomfort evaporated at their weightless, warm exchange. But his light-hearted feeling quickly curled at the sight of three people standing over them.
“Are you all right, buddy?”
It was the ride facilitator; next to him were Amanda and Karen. Both women’s brows were pinched in concern.
Oliver’s shoulders tensed. He began to lift himself up, pressing his palms to the floor. “I’m—”
Coming to Oliver’s rescue, Ben touched his shoulder and stopped him from getting up. “We’ll be fine,” Ben said, apparently not about to allow others to crowd around Oliver. “We just need to take a seat for a moment.”
“I’ll be fine,” Oliver said, firmly. He saw the surprise in Ben’s eyes at his tone. “I want you to go to the SkyBike.”
“But Oliver,” Ben protested. “I—”
I’ll watch from over here,” Oliver said, cutting him off. He addressed the facilitator. “Is it okay if I sit and watch?”
“No problem, I don’t see why not,” he shrugged. “You’re not blocking the line.”
Oliver reached out and took Ben’s hand. “I want you to go. Have fun. After, we can go back to the cabin, and who knows, we might be lucky enough to catch up with Erica and Brendan at the pool.”
“If you want, I’ll wait with you?” Karen asked, sitting and moving closer to Oliver.
“That might be a good idea,” Ben said.
“You look pretty in shape.” Amanda stepped forward and looked Ben in the eye. “I don’t know, you might be a challenge.”
At this, Ben raised his eyebrow. He smiled. “Are you sure about that? I love cycling, and I’m not accustomed to losing.”
“I won the Race on the Rock’s Los Angeles Triathlon,” Amanda said. “so you’re going to have to get used to losing, my friend. Let’s go. One lap.”
Interest and reluctance mingled in Ben’s expression. “Oliver—”
“Win. I’ll be rooting for you,” Oliver said.
Oliver could have kicked himself at the way his heart leaped too far out of control at Ben’s smile. He had to rein it in. He felt so special with the way Ben’s eyes were hooked on him. He was loath to leave Oliver, but Amanda clapped a hand down on his shoulder, drawing his gaze to her.
“I’ll make it quick, and then you can get back to your boyfriend,” she said with a grin.
“All right.” Ben stood, glanced over at Oliver and gave him a determined look. “This won’t take long, then we’re getting you back to the cabin.”
“Right.” Oliver gave him a thumbs up.
Karen reached over and gave Oliver’s hand a gentle squeeze. He forced himself to relax. They watched as Ben and Amanda got into their SkyBikes and set off. Their words were barely audible from where Oliver sat, but it was obvious that both were giddy, bantering back-and-forth.
Oliver turned to Karen, who shook her head and rolled her eyes.
“Amanda is extremely competitive. If she loses, they’ll probably keep going.” Her tone sounded impressed. She paused. A brief silence fell between them. “Your boyfriend is really cute.”
“Thanks,” Oliver said. He started feeling relaxed. “I’m Oliver, my boyfriend’s Ben.”
“The two of you really make a hot couple,” she said. Her piercing eyes locked on him. “How long have you been together?”
“Well…we’re not actually a real couple,” Oliver said. No more words came out. He hadn’t planned on telling her about his fake relationship, but he felt a connection with her.
“Wait. Did I miss something?”
Karen demanded some kind of clarification. “What’d you mean?”
Oliver looked away. He scanned the deck below, which was abuzz with excitement. Families strolled about, groups of people were having fun in the pool, and couples walked languidly, hand-in-hand.
A voice deep inside Oliver told him that he could trust Karen. She studied his face, waiting to hear his explanation.
Oliver told her about his pretend relationship with Ben. He also told her about his feelings for him.
“I’ve dated boyfriends and even had the occasional hookup. Nothing comes close to the happy routine I have with Ben,” Oliver said. He stalled, his gaze snagging on Ben and Amanda racing in the distance. “He’s got everything that I want in a man. I realized it the moment we first met. The attraction was instantaneous. Impossible to ignore.”
Karen sighed and rested her back against the platform booth.
“Finding your soulmate is very real. Falling in love with a best friend is very real too. I should know, everything changed after I met Amanda,” she said.
“I can see a lot of what Ben and I have in you and Amanda. Maybe that’s why I’m finding it easy to tell you right now.” Oliver couldn’t believe he was actually telling a stranger about his feelings for Ben. It was liberating to have a confidante and a confessor.
“It’s really a pity that he’s straight,” Karen said. “Maybe it would be good to let him know how you feel, and then find a guy who isn’t straight to enjoy a romantic getaway with. I’m sorry, but your heart is entangled in your friendship, and it will only bring heartache.”
Oliver nibbled on his bottom lip.
They sat in companionable silence. She’d hit a nerve. But whether or not it was because she was right, he didn’t know. Finally, when the silence stretched, he sighed.
“You’re probably right, even though it’s a tough pill to swallow. It’s getting hard to fake romantic feelings that I’ve had all along. It’s hard to keep pretending when I’ve never felt how Ben makes me feel with anyone else.”
Wedding Fever Page 7
