I Will Remember You

Chapter 6

~ The Cruise, Day Four ~

Philipsburg, St.Maarten

The boys were eating breakfast a little early this morning. At least, for them it was early since it was before lunchtime. The ship would be set to disembark around 10pm and they didn't want to miss a thing today. Tee and Rick had made plans to join Michael and Brian on a catamaran trip to Marigot. Tris and Justin were planning to take the all-day tour of St. Maarten. Since it would be late when they'd be getting back, they were just planning to meet back up at the midnight buffet on board the ship.

On the way back to their room, Tris decided to stop and get another disposable camera (or two) since he'd used both the others he'd brought with him. Justin, the true artist of the group, was always teasing him that what he lacked in talent, he made up for in volume.

The other two boys headed on toward the room, while Tee wondered around the shop searching for cameras. While he wondered around, he found himself thinking of Brian and the wager they had made yesterday. He smiled to himself as he began thinking of ways that he could insure he won that bet.

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Rick was already waiting by the docks as Tee approached. He noticed that Michael and Brian had not yet made an appearance. He hoped that Michael's injury yesterday wasn't going to prevent them from coming. Several minutes passed before he saw their friends from yesterday heading towards them.

Brian was in a pensive mood as he and Michael joined the others for the voyage to Marigot. He tried to forget the dream (nightmare) from the night before and concentrate on the day's activity. Michael, sensing his friend needed to get his mind off of the previous night, kept a running commentary going.

Tee immediately noticed that Brian seemed especially quite today, while Michael was almost chatty. By the time they had boarded the yacht, Tee was coming to the conclusion that only one of them was allowed to be in a good mood at a time and it must be Michael's turn today. However, after a few drinks on board the catamaran, both men mellowed a bit, much to the relief of their companions.

Tee wasn't the only one who noticed the change in Michael. Rick thought that perhaps he had been too quick to judge the man the previous day. When he was in a good mood (and not scowling), Michael was actually rather good looking. Listening to Michael for a few minutes, he discovered that they had something in common; a love of comic books.

When Michael mentioned that he ran a comic book store, Tee almost groaned out loud. To his chagrin, Rick and Michael immediately started into a conversation about the early demise of Capt. Astro, former gay comic book hero. He noticed that Brian had much the same reaction, so they moved off a bit and found a couple of lounge chairs in a small niche near the bow.

They lay in silence for awhile, enjoying their drinks and the ocean breeze. Tee began to openly admire Brian stretched out on the lounger. He looked delicious, lying there in just a pair of white shorts. The cool breeze coming off the ocean tasseled his hair a bit. With the sunglasses on, Tee couldn't see if Brian was awake or not. He decided it was time for a bit of fun.

Moving so that they were only inches apart, Tee began talking softly in Brian's ear. "I bet if I were to run my tongue along your chest, you'd taste just a little bit salty, like a margarita." His voice was barely above a whisper, but he could tell by the way Brian shifted slightly, that he was listening. "Mmmm, I can close my eyes and picture what I'd do to you."

"I'd run my tongue around your left nipple, feeling it get hard, flicking it lightly, leaving it wet and glistening….Then, I'd move slowly to the other side, dragging my tongue across your ribs, letting the breeze off the water dry the wetness left behind and watch your nipple get even harder." Brian shifted again, finding himself just a tad uncomfortable. Other than that, he gave no indication that he'd heard Tee.

"I'd move slowly from one side to the other, up your chest…then back down…" as he said this, Tee moved his head along Brian's chest, puffing hot breaths where he described his tongue as being. He had to move slowly to make sure that he didn't touch Brian, but he could tell it was having the desired effect.

Brian tried to stay as still as possible. He knew the game. To show that Tee was getting to him would lose him the battle. He could feel his breath coming quicker and tried to concentrate on something besides those hot breaths teasing his flesh. Tried to tune out that soft voice describing what Tee would do for him if he gave in.

"Ummm, I bet you'd taste so good. I know your cock is hard and I want to taste it too…want to feel it slid into my mouth…taste the salty pre-cum I know is there….feel it hit the back of my throat…ohhh, god, can't you feel it?"

Oh, yeah. Brian could definitely feel it. Tee's breath was running along the top of his shorts, particularly right above where his cock lay, hard as a rock by now.

Brian's breathing picked up a bit more. He'd had phone sex before, but the combination of the voice and just the hint of physical contact (no actual contact here) was becoming more that he bargained for. And there was no way to hide the fact that he was getting very turned on. Tee didn't let up either. He moved back up to Brian's neck, his breath hot as he moved from one side to the other. Pausing just an inch from Brian's mouth, he held that position and continued.

"You'd feel so good in my mouth… but I want more… tell me you want more…you're so close now…. I can feel your mouth on mine…. Feel your tongue against my own…." Brian could feel the boy's hot breath against his lips. He only needed to reach forward a little bit and claim him as his own.

"Fuck!" Brian said, exasperated.

Tee moved back slightly, grinning impishly. "Was that an invitation?" He asked, knowing it wasn't going to be that easy.

"I need a drink." Brian responded, his mood darkened as he realized that he'd barely kept the control he prided himself on. Pushing himself to his feet, Brian realized he was retreating. But, fuck, he needed to find some relief somewhere far away from this lascivious teen.

Tee's laughter followed Brian as he headed toward the bar. Tee may not have won the game, but the first round was his.

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By the time Brian returned with his drink, Tee had rejoined Rick and Michael, listening to their conversation on the merits of this comic book versus that one. Tee had never understood his uncle's fascination for comics, but he had to admit that Michael seemed like a new man as he expounded on what was obviously his favorite subject.

Tee permitted himself a small smile as Brian chose a lounger on the other side of Michael versus one nearer to where Tee was sitting. He knew there'd be time for round two later. There was no way Brian would let it end with Tee ahead.

"Tee, Michael says he has a comic shop in Pittsburgh. You didn't happen to see it when you were there last summer, did you?" Rick finally seemed to notice that his nephew had rejoined them.

Michael felt his stomach clinch at the question. The last thing he wanted was for Tee to start talking about the Pitts and who he might have met there. "Oh, I just bought the shop a few months ago." Michael said, trying to divert the conversation.

Brian, curious despite himself, decided to join the conversation. "So what cruel twist of fate brought you to the Pitts for your summer recreation thrills?"

Tee laughed, "I was visiting some family friends for a week. Ended up staying the whole summer though."

Brian looked incredulous, "You mean, you voluntarily decided to recreate in lovely Pittsburgh for a whole summer? I thought there was something slightly unbalanced about you."

"Oh, I think the concussion, cracked ribs and broken arm had more to do with it." Rick said dryly.

Tee smiled, his eyes twinkling, "That and I met someone interesting while I was in the hospital."

Michael started getting very nervous about the direction the conversation was going. He tried to divert attention from whomever it was that Tee might have met. "So what happened? I mean, how did you get hurt?"

Tee just shrugged, "Oh, that. I fell down some stairs. Wasn't so bad really, except I couldn't go back to work for two months. Kind of made staying that much easier."

Rick stared at his nephew and raised his sunglasses as if not seeing him clearly. When he spoke, his voice was harder than before. "Jeez, Tee. You didn't *fall* down the steps. You were pushed. I still can't believe you would cover for that asshole."

Tee clinched his jaw. The last thing he wanted was to air his dirty laundry in front of virtual strangers. Rick, on the other hand, had never learned the value of keeping things to one's self. "I don't think that anyone else is interested in that much detail, Uncle Rick." He said, his voice indicating that he didn't want to continue this conversation.

Michael, however, felt that this was a safer topic than before. "You knew the guy who pushed you? Did they arrest him?"

Rick gave his nephew a hard look. "Oh, Tee knows him alright. But he wouldn't identify him. The prick got off without even a warning."

Tee had had enough of this. "Uncle Rick, I know you don't agree with what I did, or didn't do, but it was my decision, not yours. So just drop it." He got up and went to get himself another drink. He decided to wonder around the ship for a bit and cool off.

Brian found Tee later, leaning against the railing at the back of the ship, watching the shore come closer as the boat docked. "I believe Rick and Mikey are planning a little excursion on their own. Something about comics or some such nonsense." That got a smile out of Tee.

"Shall we see what kind of trouble we can get into on our own?" It was as close as Brian would get to saying he understood how Tee felt about what Rick had said.

Tee felt his good spirits returning. "Why don't we do that. After all, I believe I still have a bet to win."

Brian raised his eyebrow and gave a sardonic smile, "In your dreams, brat."

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After walking around Marigot for awhile, Brian and Tee decided to stop and have a drink at an outdoor café not far from the beach. As the two enjoyed a companionable silence, watching pedestrians go by, Brian let his thoughts wonder.

Amazingly enough, Brian found that he was still enjoying the boy's company. He would have thought that after all this time just talking (and no fucking), he'd have lost interest. Maybe it was just that the kid challenged him, something he didn't have much of outside of work. Not just because of the wager they'd made, but intellectually as well. He didn't want to think about how long it had been since he'd enjoyed just talking to someone.

Realizing that his thoughts were straying into territory that he didn't particularly want to visit, Brian decided to break the silence. "While I realize that seeing me would be enough of an incentive to visit New York, have you any plans beyond attempting to obtain a free dinner?"

Tee smiled, a little sadly, "Oh, the Guggenheim Museum is the first place I want to visit. My mom always said that one day she wanted to take me there, but…I guess it'll just be me now."

Brian was mildly surprised. Tee hadn't struck him as the artsy type. But then again, neither had Justin until he'd gotten to know him. Damn, he'd been trying to keep his thoughts from going there.

"Was your mother an artist?" That might explain the connection.

"Well, kind of, I suppose. She'd stayed with friends in Pittsburgh one summer when she was in college and visited NY a few times. She always loved that building and wanted to show it to me."

"Ahhh, so you were following a family tradition by spending the summer in the Pitts." Brian stated.

Tee smiled, "Yeah, same friends actually. After Mom died, they invited me to visit. When I turned eighteen, I decided to go."

That would make the boy about nineteen, certainly older than he looked. Of course, Justin had always looked even younger. Double damn, he was doing it again. "What else is on your agenda?" Brian found himself curious about the boy.

"Oh, a Broadway show, Empire State building, Times Square, Ellis Island, Grand Central Station, Statue of Liberty…you know, all the usual touristy stuff." Tee grinned, "Of course, if I had a native guide, I could get a real taste of the local culture."

Brian shook his head with a slight laugh. The kid's hint was totally transparent, but Brian wasn't ready to take him up on it just yet…. 'Just yet?' he thought to himself. 'When did I start considering letting the brat come visit at all?"

With a start, Brian realized just how dangerous this kid was becoming. He needed to get this bet won and over with and get this kid out of his system. He decided it was time to start turning on the Kinney charm.

Calling the waiter over, Brian ordered another round of drinks and some fresh fruit and cheese. It was getting toward afternoon and he thought the younger man might be getting hungry.

Once the drinks and food arrived, Brian began to try a small piece of each of the juicy treats. Tee found himself becoming mesmerized by the way Brian's tongue would sample the fruit first, then he'd put it between his lips as if gently sucking the juice from it. Finally, he'd slowly push the tidbit in with one finger, sucking the juice off as he pulled the digit back out.

This continued for several minutes and Tee couldn't ever remember getting so turned on by watching someone eat before. He realized that he was getting decidedly uncomfortable in the position he was in and began shifting in his seat, trying to get comfortable without being obvious. Brian caught the movement, however, and allowed himself a small smile.

Seeing that smile, Tee realized that Brian was deliberately seducing him with the fruit. He'd have never thought it was possible to be so damn sexy with food. He leaned forward, resting his arms on the table while he watched the show Brian was putting on for him.

Sensing this round was going his way, Brian leaned forward holding a strawberry a few inches from Tee's mouth, an open invitation on his face. Tee decided two could play at this game and let Brian put the fruit into his mouth, never once touching each other. After that, they started feeding each other bits of fruit and cheese, both getting hot at the game.

The tray finally empty, Brian sat back and began to lick the remaining juices off his fingers. Tee could picture his own fingers taking their place. When Brian sat back, his eyes half closed, slowly drawing two fingers in and out of his mouth, Tee decided he'd had enough.

Licking lips that were suddenly dry, Tee excused himself and went to find a restroom. OK, so round two had gone to Brian. The game wasn't over yet!

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Justin and Tris had a full day with their tour of St. Marteen. For once, Justin felt that he'd probably outdone Tee when it came to taking pictures. He'd taken a photography course at college and enjoyed putting the techniques he'd learned to work. While he really preferred taking pictures of people, the colors here were so brilliant, he didn't mind that it had been mostly fauna and flora.

They'd returned to the ship a little early, planning to clean up and relax a bit before heading out to the buffet. Tris had been mulling over the conversation they'd had at dinner the night before and there was something that he wanted to discuss with Justin. He wasn't sure how receptive Jus would be though.

Tris finally decided he would just have to bite the bullet (so to speak) and go for it. All Jus could do was say no.

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Despite having lost round two to Brian, Tee was in a good mood as he headed down to the cabin to get cleaned up before making the rounds of the 'clubs' tonight. He fumbled with his key card a bit, then finally managed to get the door open. 'Why do they make those things so difficult, anyway?'

Walking inside, he noticed that the shower was running. Seeing no one else in the room, he figured one of the guys had gone out early. Oh, well. They'd all meet up at midnight regardless.

Tee headed over toward the closet to pull out something to wear for tonight and heard some peculiar sounds coming from the bathroom. Well, peculiar unless you were walking through the backroom of the gay club back home.

Deciding that one of the guys must have brought a trick back to the room, Tee decided that a little surprise was in order. The door to the bathroom was only partially closed. Tee pushed it the rest of the way open and …. He stood there stunned as two pairs of eyes meet his in surprise; Justin's blue ones and Tris' green ones.

His mind having gone numb at the sight of his cousin and his roommate together, Tee backed out quickly, then stumbled back out the cabin door.

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