The Devil Wears Pink by Matthew Dante

Author:Matthew Dante [Dante, Matthew]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-07-31T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter 18

Austin

The warm evening air brushed against Austin’s face as he stepped out onto the upper deck. The stifling heat from earlier in the day had cooled, becoming a warm soothing blanket that wrapped itself around the passengers enjoying the fresh ocean air.

Austin walked along the deck admiring the string of white lights that illuminated the ship at night, adding a touch of romance to an already heated evening.

While this cruise may have been designed as a gay party ship; allowing queer men to let loose, be themselves and party like they were teenagers; the cruise ship also offered another unintended consequence… romance.

Being surrounded by soft lighting, gorgeous sunsets, and warm ocean breezes, it was hard for someone not to let their guard down and open their heart to the possibilities of love – even a heart as battered and broken as Austin’s.

After the humiliating incident that took place earlier today, Austin had spent the remainder of the day feeling depressed and self-conscious.

Having people laugh and joke about him had stirred up emotions and feelings that he had long since buried. Emotions he kept in check, and concealed from the world by the bravado mask that he presented each day – that “fuck you” attitude that he had become famous for these last few years.

Apparently, all it took was one small incident to crack through his armor and bring to the surface all those damaging emotions and vulnerabilities that he struggled to keep locked away from the world to see.

Pathetic.

So weak.

He hated feeling small and insignificant. He worked so hard to maintain power and control; yet today was a sad reminder that no matter how hard he tried, his insecurities and vulnerabilities still existed. They followed him around like his shadow, threatening to expose his secrets to those who dared to look closer.

To be honest, Austin had been caught off guard when William apologized for the prank he played earlier in the day. William claimed that it was not his intention to humiliate him and felt horrible for hurting him.

At first, Austin didn’t know how to respond. He worried that William’s apology might be another attempt at humiliating him, but his words seemed so sincere and genuine. Deciding to take a chance, Austin decided to accept his apology, and see if William’s words were true.

There was something about the big lug sitting across from him that made Austin let down his walls and defenses. He wasn’t sure if it was his warm words or his gentle blue eyes, or that crooked-ass smile that he made whenever he found something amusing.

Before Austin was even aware, he was acting like his true self, the high-energy, adventurous young man that was thirsty to experience life. Sharing his adventures with William had surprised him. Usually, Austin never told anyone the truth. He lied and created fictitious stories, all designed to keep his audience mystified by the illusion that was Austin Dean.

Yet, for some reason, he found himself telling William about his time living in Canada, and things he learned while trekking across the States.

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.