Wedding Fever by Ryland Reynolds

Author:Ryland Reynolds
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Published: 2020-04-01T04:00:00+00:00

12

Ben

When the cruise ship came into the harbor, Ben, Oliver and the rest of the passengers were given a brief tour of the tourist resort. Seven Mile Beach was lined with a continuous row of beach bars and multi-story hotels.

Ben and Oliver went to join the rest of the family at a local bar for a few drinks. Oliver’s dad had invited them out and Ben declined, suggesting that he wanted to spend the evening with Oliver. To his surprise, though, Oliver accepted the invitation without a moment’s hesitation.

In all the time Ben had known Oliver, he’d never seen him so enthusiastic about nightlife. As soon as his dad mentioned having a few drinks, Oliver almost leapt at the chance.

Ben, on the other hand, wished he could have a night in with Oliver, if he were being honest. Large crowds always disrupted his intimacy with Oliver. There was always a girl or guy ready to interrupt them, offering to buy them drinks or inviting them over to their booth. Ben was never interested, and neither was Oliver.

It was hard for him to believe that Oliver was so eager to go out and have fun among large groups of guys and girls. Especially girls, who acted surprised whenever Oliver told them he was gay. Both guys were out of their element when it came to bars. If they weren’t around each other, they often felt awkward or isolated in large social gatherings.

Ben couldn’t understand why Oliver wanted to go out for drinks. Even Erica and Brendan were having a romantic meal in their cabin. There was also the feeling that the mood had shifted at some point during the cruise. If Ben had to pinpoint when he first picked up on the change, it would have been the morning after his night out with Brendan and Oliver’s dad at the casino.

That morning Oliver barely maintained eye contact when they spoke, and he always happened to be in another room, away from Ben. When they were around Oliver’s family, things seemed normal, even better than normal. Oliver was comfortable with displaying his affection, whether it was a peck on the cheek, holding hands or a playful pinch. And although Ben enjoyed everything they were doing in public, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something had changed.

The changes in their relationship were subtle, but they were there.

It was hard to believe that Oliver was throwing back drinks, laughing and having fun at a bar. But Ben was witnessing it with his own eyes. At least he seemed to be having a good time.

The pulse of the music pounded Ben’s ears in the dimly-lit bar, which was jam-packed with tourists and locals. In order to be heard, Ben had to lean in to whisper into Oliver’s ear over the loud music.

“Shall I get us another drink?” he said to Oliver and swallowed down his beer.

“Next one’s on me,” Oliver said. “This place is fun!”

“I’m glad you’re having a great time. I’ve never seen you let loose like this before,” Ben said.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.