Page 14 of Love On Deck
“You sure you want to know?” He and Will haven’t talked about his conquests in years. Not since college, and doing so feels a bit strange after all this time.
Will makes a “gimme” motion with his hand.
“He picked me up in the bar the first night out. We went back to his cabin and, well, you know…”
Will nods, grinning. “I have an idea, yeah. Go on.”
Will’s not the least bit gay, but Andrew supposes it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what men do with one another. God, this is awkward and weird, but he really could use a sounding board. He clears his throat. “Connor’s incredible. Have you seen him dance?”
The server brings their drinks. Will takes a sip of his beer and shakes his head.
“There’s this purity about him. A truthfulness of spirit. It was…” Beautiful. Amazing. Inspiring. Andrew sounds like a romance novel. Opting to keep those sentiments to himself, he shakes his head. “…something to see.” He sighs. That’s why he’s not ready to accept Connor’s rejection. Andrew’s drawn to that untainted aura. “It was a surprise of course that I’m your best man and he’s Casey’s gentleman of honor. He doesn’t want to risk things going badly between us so that future events and gatherings aren’t weird down the road once y’all are married, so all I got was one night.”
“Mmm…” says Will before indulging in a long swallow of the lager he’d ordered.
Andrew leans back in his chair and stretches his legs. “I like him, Will. He’s a cool guy. I want to get to know him better. The sex was amazing.”
Will’s brown eyes bug out at that. “More than I needed to know about my future brother-in-law, thank you very much.”
Andrew grins. “No, but seriously. We’re both adults. Surely Connor and I could be civil if it didn’t work out.”
“I’m sure you could,” Will says. “Listen, Andrew, don’t give up, all right? I saw the look on his face when you called him and his suit hot. He denies himself a lot. He thinks he has to. If it’s that important to you to change his mind, then go for it. Just remember, he can’t be out and proud right now. If that’s going to be a deal breaker for you, then don’t pursue him.”
Yeah, Andrew’s given up hiding. He doesn’t advertise or flaunt his sexuality, but he doesn’t deny it either. Hiding isn’t worth it. He’s had the love and support of his family since high school, and after getting fired from his first job he refused to be ashamed. He hadn’t even been fired for being gay, but for having seen one of the senior partners at a bath house. He’s been honest about his orientation since.
What he does in a bed or with whom he does it shouldn’t be anybody’s business but his own, but he didn’t want there to be any surprises on anyone’s part. It’s one thing to run into a co-worker or a boss in a restaurant or at the dry cleaners, but seeing them cruising for a lay at a gay bar or getting their dick sucked in a bath house is a whole ‘nother level of too-much-information.
“Do you think he’d ever come out?” Andrew asks. “I mean baseball players play well into their forties. That’s a decade. I could wait for a while, but if things work out between us? Ten years is a long time.”
“That’s a discussion you have to have with him, buddy.”
“Yeah.” Andrew figured. “I don’t think he’ll talk to me outside of anything we do as a foursome though.”
Will snorts and waggles his eyebrows.
“You know what I mean,” Andrew says, but he can’t help his answering smile.
“Yeah.” Will laughs and turns thoughtful. “How about a ball game?”
“I don’t follow.”
“There’s a Mexican Triple A league, and if I’m not mistaken, there’s a team in Yucatan. See if there’s a game. If Connor’s missing games back in the States, then games are probably being played here too. See how far the stadium is from the port. See if there are any tickets available. See if you can entice him into an excursion. If anything will get him off the boat, it’ll be baseball.”
Excitement whirls inside Andrew as Will speaks. Maybe, just maybe, he’s got a chance to change Connor’s mind, to at least get him to consider friendship. They could build from there. He claps Will on the forearm. “You’re a genius.”
* * *
That night’s post-dinner plans include another show. Not a formal thing like the previous evening, but there’s a live band playing popular music from the 60s to the present day. Casey and Will are dancing, so it’s just Andrew and Connor in their booth.
Andrew imbibes some liquid courage and clears his throat. “I, uh, I did a thing…”
Connor glances at his sister and meets Andrew’s gaze, eyes going wide with worry.
“No. God. No.” Andrew shakes his head. “I didn’t say anything to her. I wouldn’t do that.”
“Shit. I know. I’m sorry. I’m just paranoid.” Connor scrapes a hand through his hair. “So what’s this thing you did then?”
“Apparently there’s a Triple A Mexican league team based in Yucatan.”
