Cruising by Sean Ashcroft

Author:Sean Ashcroft [Ashcroft, Sean]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-10-15T16:00:00+00:00

16

Lee

“Is that a cannonball?” Benji asked, pointing up at one of the walls of the inner courtyard of Fort Amsterdam—built by the Dutch West India Company, which wasn’t nearly as famous as the East India Company and a little more fascinating to me because of it.

“It is,” I said, grinning at him. He was a different person when he was away from Craig. Enthusiastic and eager to learn, always ready with a bright smile.

I couldn’t help seeing a younger version of myself in him. Desperate to please, afraid of showing too much personality in case it made him less likeable.

“Fired by William Bligh’s men, from the harbor. That’s the William Bligh—”

“Of the Bounty, right? With the mutiny?” Benji asked.

Smarter than he looked, then. Or not smarter, and it wasn’t really fair to categorize people as smart or not smart, anyway. But he’d obviously absorbed one or two things about history, either before now or while he’d been out here.

“That’s the one,” I said. “Pre-mutiny, though.”

“Wow.” Benji stared at the still-embedded cannonball for a handful of seconds. “Wonder why they left it there.”

Lots of reasons came to mind—structural integrity, the ball being stuck too tight to pry it out, sheer laziness that’d eventually turned into tradition…

“Probably so we could stand here two hundred years later and ask that question,” I joked, fanning my face with my hat. I was glad I’d brought it along after all. Craig always said I looked stupid in it, but Rowan hadn’t said a thing.

Benji looked at me, confused for a second, but then smiled.

He was very pretty. I could see what Craig saw in him, but I was glad he’d seen through him so quickly. Much faster than me. He deserved better than Craig.

Maybe I was the idiot. After all, Benji had only lasted a handful of days with him. I’d lasted three years.

“You’re so lucky,” Benji said before I had a chance to think of anything. “To have Rowan, I mean.”

“I am,” I agreed. He’d gone to grab water, now that the tour was over and all three of us were exhausted. I couldn’t wait to sit down in a darkened, ideally air-conditioned bakery and sip something cold over a late lunch.

“He’s so handsome,” Benji said. “And so kind. And he clearly loves you so much. Where do I find someone like him?”

“Not sure,” I admitted. I couldn’t exactly tell Benji how Rowan and I had really met, could I? “I think he’s one of a kind.”

Benji sighed dramatically. “Can you ask him if he’s got a gay brother?”

“Who’s got a gay brother?” Rowan asked, appearing behind us and passing me and Benji a bottle of water each, squeezing my shoulder warmly.

“Benji’s wondering if you do,” I said. I was pretty sure Rowan didn’t have any brothers, gay or otherwise.

“Ah, no. I do have a bisexual brother-in-law, but he’s married with two kids to my sister, so… probably off the market.”

Benji sighed again. “Guess I should… head back to the ship, maybe,” he said, crestfallen.

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