The Cruise Ch. 01

"Don't pay any attention to dad," my sister said tanning on her large white towel. The ocean quietly sloshed against the shore as the laughter from the next door neighbor's kids grew louder.

"I'm not," I answered holding my tanning position on the towel next to my sister. "It's just, I....I.. I don't know," I exclaimed with a sigh. "I don't like-."

"Yes, we know you don't like talking about this stuff," my sister interrupted angrily. "Noah, we've changed since you came out," my sister said honestly, sitting up slowly to look at me, her large black round glasses blocking her large green eyes. "I don't like it."

I sat up to look at her, trying to figure her out by looking at her expression. I couldn't do that with the glasses clouding her face, so I looked out over the vast blue ocean. "Me either."

The breeze was soft and salty flowing off the now dark blue, hazy ocean. It was dusk, and the sunlight was making deep red streaks in the once light blue sky. I was on my balcony that overlooked the ocean, that meant I looked to the east. This neglected me the opportunity to see the sun drop below the horizon in the west, over the large suburban houses. As I got up from the chair on the balcony, there was a knock.

My aunt had this house built fully aware of the beauty of sunsets. She had knocked, telling me to get my camera. She knew that I loved to take pictures of different things. I was by no means a professional photographer, but I liked pictures of things that don't happen too often, that was my speciality. Accompanying me down the long hallway, my aunt followed me gaze as I looked around. The hallway was decorated with many different portraits of unknown people, who my aunt pointed out by names I didn't recognize. Fancy vases had a assortment of beautiful lilies arranged in them. I almost stopped to take a picture if she hadn't pushed me along to a door on our left. It was a dark room that had stairs that twisted up to our right. I climbed them slowly, my aunt closing the door silently. She flicked the lights on beneath me as I continued to climb, emerging around the corner and looking at the door I front of me. I opened it slowly to find myself in a small lookout patch on the roof that didn't seem to be visible from the street, but could give you a magnificent glimpse of the sky above. I wished I could live here as the sunsets and rises seemed to always be magnificent.

Maybe I didn't need to take a picture, I thought. Maybe there was always a beautiful sunset in Florida. In Atlanta, they too always had beautiful sunsets, and only recently had D.C had seeable sunsets as the city pulled away from the grips of winter. I took photos anyway because life was short and,my god, was it was beautiful.

There were so many colors I hadn't seen because I was on the wrong side. A light orange mixed with a deep passionate red and the brightest yellow I had ever seen. Every so often the scene would change. Instead of the red being in one spot, a deep orange would take its place. I wished secretly I had Gabriel by my side, flashing his pearly white teeth and soft blue eyes at me. I felt butterflies as I watched the warm sunset, and my mind filled with memories of him.

They actually had a fire pit up here, and everyone came up to see the sun set. Looking at the sunset before us. It looked like something was ending and something else was beginning in its place. It lasted like that for about 30 minutes before we could see the stars and hear then ocean. The warm breeze passing over us as we lay on our backs, me and my sister. The adults laughed above us, drinking their wine and talking. Me and my sister giggled about college and boys, about sour patch kids and money and love. We talked about the cruise and stargazed and laughed. How I really had missed her, and we weren't out there not too long before the adults went in and watched some program on TV.

"I'm going in," she said propping herself up on her elbows, not even a hour after the adult left. She stretched and yawned as she stood. The moon was right behind her; it made her look enormous. "Don't stay up too late Noah."

"Okay mother," I giggled, smiling at her. I couldn't make out her features, because of the moonlight that radiated out from behind her, but I swore I saw her role her eyes and smile. "Goodnight," I said as she stepped down the first step.

"'night," she reiterated and was gone.

I looked up at the world above me. Stars twinkled and flashed as I smiled. It was quiet for a while as I almost dozed off by the fire. I heard someone coming up the stairs, waking me up fully. I turned behind me to see the large frame of my dad lumbering towards me, beer and Cuban cigar in hand.

"You weren't in your room, I figured ya'd be up here," he said in his southern drawl that I'm glad I didn't pick up.

"Just watching the sky, dad." I answered modestly, sitting myself up to look at him. He leaned his long, skinny hand against the wood of the couch opposite me. The slowly dying fire made his blue eyes stand out over his other features.

"Noah, about the cruise," he started, sitting down opposite me and throwing his cigar in the fire and taking a large swig of his beer. "Can you not," he paused apparently deciding if he should say what he had to say. "Could you not bring any boys around," he said apprehensively after a moments silence. I surveyed him and felt a sting of distaste and butterflies. Why the butterflies?

"What do you mean?" I said. Fully aware of what he meant.

"Ya know, not to partake in that lifestyle of partying and sex," he answered, the butterflies in my stomach grew at the mention of sex. "On the cruise," he added a second later, and for some reason, some of those butterflies also turned into anger. I rolled my eyes at him and smiled.

"You wouldn't say this to me if I was straight," I protested, folding my arms and turning my head to watch the stars above.

"Well, if your sister -who you know at this point looks up to you in every way- sees you doing that she might be tempted." He said taking another swig of the emptying beer. "Son look at me," he cried in a firm but soft voice. I turned my head to look at his chilly blue eyes. "Ya know me and your mother love you, and we have and always will want the best for ya, ya know that right Noah." He proclaimed our eyes both focused on one another. Not waiting for a nod or a 'yes' he continued, "just because we don't see eye to eye on everything doesn't mean that I don't love ya."

"Okay," I answered after a silence that seemed to enflame the butterflies in my stomach.

"Thank you," he said rather frustratingly, laying back on the wooden couch. "How was your day?"

"Good, I think I'm going to go to bed though," I said getting up and hurrying towards the stairs.

"Goodnight, then," I heard as he took the last swig of his beer.

The morning light radiated in from the long shades across the room. My mom stuck her head in, her sleek black hair falling over her shoulders..

"It's that time honey! Get the hell up!" she yelled before shutting the door quite loud. I groaned and got up from the soft bed. I got the clothes and toiletries I set out last night and headed for the shower. I was glad that it was attached to my room because I really didn't feel like dealing with my sister. The shower was exquisite; intend of having a knob that turned to hot or cold, there was a electronic dial that displayed the water's temperature. My aunt was so rich, she owned a Fortune 500 company, I thought as I hopped in for a quick steamy shower. It got me pretty horny as I saw the hot steamy water hit my lifeless dick. It cascaded down my shaft, flowing around my pink head and dangling balls. I thought about jerking off, until my mother raped the door again.

"I'll be out in a second," I proclaimed as I combed my fingers through my dirty blond hair.

I got out a couple of moments later, packing my stuff up and shuffling it downstairs in a sigh. The light hit my sister hair, and illumined it brilliantly as she and my family smiled at me. My uncle had made us breakfast and I scoffed it down quickly; my dad helped me with my luggage that I had abandoned after I saw breakfast on the table. By 9:55, my uncle helped us pack his giant truck again with our bags, and by 10 the familiar house faded from view as we drove along the rows of palm trees and large villas. All of us eager to get to our vacation. To spend time with and away from each other.

Though, it was a rather quiet ride to the pier, the morning light streamed in just as silent as us. My dad and uncle couldn't stop talking about some religious show that my parents love watching on TV. I guessed that it was what they all watched after they left the roof. My mother and aunt talked about the drama and gossip that filled my aunt's CEO job. My sister and I were quiet as the villas turned into skyscrapers, and small roads turned into 8-lane highways. The palm trees grew taller and I seemed to grow smaller. Though, I grew even more minuscule as the ship came into view. It was a beast of a ship that seemed to stand at least a 1000 feet high. You could see everything, from water slides at the top to the small portholes that lined the ship at the bottom. My mother pointed out her window, and my sister almost crashed into me as she lunged to get a better look. We both pressed our faces to the window in excitement as the ship glided closer to us.

The next hour or two went by in a blaze of excitement and urgency. We were almost late, as the ship was just about to undock, but we got there just in time. We had to go through security, and get checked in, but by lunchtime, I glided up to my big blue door. My parents were down the long blue colored hall, and had just went inside their room. My sister's room was connected to their's, and I was eternally grateful I had my own room. She smiled and waved at me as she leaped inside her room, luggage in tow.

I opened my door silently, hulling my many pieces of luggage into the tiny room. A large TV stood at the foot of a single-blue colored bed. On the left side of the bed, directly across from me, sat a small couch and desk, with a small round porthole between the two. The room was small, but it sure was cute and I'll have to do. I picked up my luggage and sat it on my bed, running my hands through my unkempt curly hair, and sat down with a long sigh.

"Oh my God. This room is so small, but I'm so jealous," I heard, looking up to see the large blue door open slowly. My sister glided in, she had changed into a long white dress with her signature large black fedora over her head. It looked like the quintessential Celine Clarke uniform. It looked really nice on her.

"Well, don't you look fancy," I smiled looking her up and down, moving my hand in a circular motion at her. She beamed, twirling like she was a ballerina.

"Okay you two, we are gonna go and watch the ship undock," my mom said entering with dad directly behind her, papers in hand. "Don't you look pretty," she exclaimed, taking her large blue eye-glasses off.

I left my stuff, looking around for my own large eye glasses that I bought in Washington DC. I found them in my suitcase and put them on, hurrying out to catch up with my family.

We walked out to the deck where hundreds of people had gathered. Celine and I shoveled past the many people, gliding up to rail and looked over with a gasp. The vast skyline of Miami loomed over the entire beach. I looked down to see a few people waving to friends and family below. I looked for my aunt and uncle, but they must of gone home already. The ship's horn rang out as I looked over the sea of people around me, many were happy, and smilies filled their faces. Little children hopped up and down at their parents side, wanting to be picked up so they could see over the edge. Teenagers took photos on Snapchat and texted their friends about their experience so far.

Behind me, staff started to fill the deck of the ship as a voice over the intercom came on. The women's voice talked about the ship and thanked passengers for riding. People clapped and applauded as a man, who appeared to be the ship's manager talked about the events scheduled for the first day at sea. The horn sounded again and we started to move silently and slowly towards the open sea. I grinned at Celine who had a wide smile on her face. I scanned the crowd for my parents as we had lost them while rushing for the railing.

While looking, my eyes fluttered by bright red and my heart gave a terrible lurch. Butterflies seemed to feel my stomach instantly as my mouth gapped wide open. The whole room seem to move by in slow motion.

"Noah," my sister whispered in my ear over the sound of the. crowd. "Isn't that the guy who sat next to you on the plane?"

"Yeah," I answered slowly, suppressing the faint urge to vomit as I starred at Gabriel, who was starring back, smiling.