A Royal Christmas Cruise (Stonewall Investigations Miami 2.50)

I rolled my eyes. “Everything okay?” I asked, smiling, happy that Nick hadn’t secretly packed up and escaped on another boat.

“Not exactly.”

My heart dropped. “Come on, let’s talk over by the water.”

Hands entwined, we walked over to the edge of the water, where the ocean lapped up onto the sand in foamy turns. The waves were almost nonexistent. We sat down on the dry sand, putting our feet onto the wet side, letting the warm waters rise up to meet us.

“I spoke to my parents,” Nick said, his gaze turned out to the fire-orange horizon.

“And? How did it go?” I didn’t want my nerves to show, so I sat on my hands in case I started to chew on my fingernails.

“My mom took it well. She just thinks the world will be a thousand times harder now. She doesn’t realize how difficult it was for me before, and how easy it all seems now. But she will, though. That’ll come with time. I’m just glad she’s started that process of accepting already.”

“Good, yeah. My mom was the same way when I came out. She cried not because I was gay, but she said it was because she pictured me getting hurt. Beaten up for being gay. I told her that she doesn’t have to worry. I’ve got a good head on my shoulders and can run like a gay bat out of glittering hell if it ever came down to it.”

Nick laughed at that. I stopped sitting on my hand and instead reached for his.

“And your dad?”

“That didn’t go as well…” Nick shook his head, still looking out at the sea. “It didn’t really go at all. I spilled my guts out and told them how I felt, and he, well, just walked off. He got up and left. I didn’t think he’d do that. I thought he’d at least say something so that I could talk him down. But he didn’t even give me that chance. He just… left.”

I squeezed Nick’s hand. “Fuck… Nick. He just needs time. He’ll come around.”

“That’s what my mom said, but I don’t know. His expression… I don’t think I’ve ever seen him like that. I know what he’s thinking, too: How will I inherit the crown? Does the bloodline end with me? I’m sure that’s what he’s focused on.”

“Maybe a hundred years ago it would have ended with you, but science can do all kinds of things these days. Not only can kids make glow-in-the-dark slime now, but gay guys can have kids, too. And it’s not like you don’t have money for surrogacy.” I nudged into Nick’s shoulder.

“Do the kids come glow-in-the-dark, too?”

“I think you have to pay extra for that feature.”

Nick chuckled. I could tell he felt better having said his truth, but the worry about his dad wasn’t going anywhere.

“It’ll be hard,” he said. “Spaniards love tradition, and this throws tradition out the window.”

“Well, things change. People will come around. Maybe you can start an entirely new tradition. One of, I don’t know, acceptance? That’d be nice.”

“That would be nice, wouldn’t it?”

“Yup.”

Nick leaned in and kissed my cheek. It caught me by surprise. I looked his way, the both of us smiling. He leaned in and kissed me again, this time on the lips. When we parted, his blue eyes seemed to have a sudden storm in them.

“What will happen to us?” he asked, biting on his lower lip. “After this cruise.”

It was a question that had kept me up for the past few nights. I hadn’t really thought much of it when Nick and I were rolling around naked and having the time of our lives, but then reality would hit and I’d realize that this trip was quickly coming to an end and we would both be headed in totally different directions.

“I’ve got a ton of airline miles I’ve been meaning to use,” I said.

“And I have a private jet I can take whenever I want to.”

“Because of course you do,” I smirked, narrowing my eyes, “Prince Nick.”

“Did you expect anything less, banana boy?” He kissed me again. It sent little shocks coursing through my body. We were out in public, and Nick was kissing me, in front of plenty of eyes that could be looking our way.

“We’re going to make it work,” said Nick, conviction in his tone. “I really feel connected to you, Shy, in a way I’ve never felt before. And it’s not just because our relationship is shiny and new. I see way past that. I see how well we click, how everything just flows when you’re next to me. It doesn’t feel like I’m swimming upstream anymore, fighting the current. And, honestly, I thought that I’d want to go down the ‘app’ route and hook up with random guys, but I really don’t want any of that.” His foot playfully bumped mine. “All I want is you.”