Page 1 of No Reservations

Chapter 1

Matthew

Wes poked his head out of the left-side bedroom and pointed at Deandre. “We’re in here. Hurry up. Grab your bag.” One of my best friends disappeared back through the doorway on the far side of the rental cabin.

“Hey!” I set my own suitcase next to the couch and planted my fists on my hips. “You’re sharing? What’s Joe going to say about that?” Dee’s long-time boyfriend couldn’t take time off from his teaching job to come on vacation with us.

Deandre shot a look over his shoulder. “He’ll say a lot less than if I share with you.”

I pushed open the door to the second bedroom. The cozy room held a queen-sized bed with a dark blue quilt, a nightstand,and a window facing the trees. We didn’t have a huge budget for our end of summer adventure, but Halcyon Inn’s most affordable two-bed cabin didn’t skimp on the comforts. It helped that it was close enough to home that the only travel expenses involved a tank of gas and some snacks for the road. I met the guys back in the living room. “What’s that supposed to mean anyway?”

Wes shot me his patented sass look, eyebrows disappearing under his pale blond fringe and lips pursed. “I’m safer.”

My other best friend rejoined us, still tapping away at his phone where he was probably texting his long-term boyfriend, Joe. “Last time I shared a bed with you, it felt likeAttack of the Octopods Two.”

“I wasn’t aware there was anAttack of the OctopodsOne.”

“You’re a very clingy sleeper, Matthew. Joe doesn’t mind me sharing a bed, but with you, it’s like sharing a soul.” He tapped another message into his phone before slipping it into the pocket of his bright red shorts.

“Hey, it just means that if you find someone to have a bit of fun with, you have an empty bed to share with them.” Wes’s smile lit up his face, but he looked away quickly.

I didn’t bother responding. My friends had been hinting that I should move on for a while, but the whole thing just felt awkward. It had been nearly three years since Santi died. The space he used to fill in my heart still lay empty, but it didn’t hurt like the gaping wound it once was. I had filled up the rest of it with other things since then: work, volunteering, and friends.

Deandre stretched and rolled his shoulders. “What are we going to do first?”

“I want to explore. Look around, you know?” I said.

“Check out the other guys staying here,” Dee teased.

“And that cutie at the front desk.” Wes’s eyebrows bounced. He could turn a trip to the grocery store into a potential hookup.He certainly wasn’t going to turn off his flirty charm on a vacation at an LGBTQ+ friendly inn.

I slipped my flip-flops back on by the door and headed out to the front porch. Blue-painted clay pots held yellow and white flowers, and a cobalt glass suncatcher of a bluebird hung from a hook beyond the four cushioned chairs.

“The review sites rank their restaurant highly, so that’s dinner planned.” Despite his small stature and slender physique, Wes could eat. Maybe he needed all that fuel for his active sex life. I didn’t know where he put it all, so I guess he had to work it off.

After years of counting carbs and working out every day for my former job, I appreciated my current laid-back approach to eating and exercising. A marketing guy didn’t need a six pack, and skintight or crop tops weren’t really my style. I was more an old t-shirt and cargo shorts guy, something that drove Deandre mad. Cargo shorts, he insisted, were only suitable for men over forty who also preferred Velcro sneakers and tucked in Hawaiian shirts. I didn’t care. The pockets came in handy.

Dee tapped me on the arm and jerked his chin toward a trio of men passing us on the paved path under the trees. “Hi there,” he said and flashed a bright grin.

“Hello.” The one in the middle tipped his shades down his nose and gave us all a once over. The lanky guy next to him nodded and smiled, but the third kept his nose in his phone.

Wes giggled and did a funny skip-hop when they were past us. “I love it here.”

“You’re such a little horn dog.” He shrugged while we all laughed.

The amazing pictures on the inn’s website weren’t Photoshopped. The lake really did sparkle bright blue as it reflected the summer sky. The gardens erupted with color, and the wide green lawn invited folks to lounge and sunbathe or justrelax. Men lay shirtless on large towels. Two cuddled under a tree and fed each other bites of fruit. More stood at the water’s edge or waded in the glass-smooth lake.

The broad deck held a few benches and chairs with small tables. A couple of waiters circulated bringing fresh drinks and taking away empties. A young blond carried a couple of rolled floats down the dock toward the water. His black uniform polo skimmed over his slender form. The place promised and delivered beauty at every turn.

“It’s like paradise.” Wes sighed and clasped his hands together under his chin.

The Halcyon Inn was one of the most highly rated LGBTQ+ friendly destinations in the northeastern US. It wasn’t a resort or some hook-up spot for wild weekends. That wasn’t what Dee, Wes, and I wanted when we had researched options for vacation.

Besides Wes, our little group wasn’t on the prowl for hookups. Dee had Joe. I had my memories and a true sense of comfort in being myself and being alone. “It really is,” I said. Relaxation, rejuvenation, and refreshment were on the to-do list. Exactly what I needed.

***

The slender blond from the hotel, whose nametag read ‘Tyler’, handed me the last float with a smile. They weren’t the usual blow-up mattresses my parents used in their pool back home. Each side was a broad foam tube that supported a soft hammock between them.

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