I Will Remember You

Chapter 9

~ The Cruise, Day Six ~

Labadee, Hispaniola

Once again, Brian found himself sitting by the couch watching the twink sleep as the sun rose and light slowly began to fill the room. The night before last, Brian had brought Tee back to the cabin because Tee had been upset about his cabin mates. What had prompted him to do the same last night though? He hadn't planned on it. In fact, he had been on the verge of calling off this stupid bet they had going and just get the kid out of his system once and for all.

Brian tried to recall the previous night and what had transpired. They had been at the club and Brian had been watching the kid dance. Brian also noticed that every other guy in the room had been watching the kid as well and for some reason that irritated him. Several times, Tee had come over, had a drink with Brian and then tried to get him on the floor too. Brian hadn't been in the mood, so Tee continued to dance without him. After several tries, Tee seemed to give up on getting Brian's attention, so he found a likely trick and was about to leave with him when Brian intercepted him and suggested they go back to his cabin.

When they had gotten to the cabin, they'd ordered some food, watched some television, made fun of the bad acting and just talked. The amazing part was, Brian had actually enjoyed that more than he had liked hanging out at the club. Tee had seemed to enjoy it as well. At least, they had until Michael had showed up, complaining about Tee's presence. They had decided to go to bed at that point and Brian had suggested Tee just crash on the couch again instead of making the long walk back to his cabin, just to sleep on a different couch.

So now, here Brian was again, watching the boy sleep and not understanding why.

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Tee woke early, taking a moment to realize that he had spent the night on Brian's couch again. By the amount of light shining into the room, Tee decided it must already be morning. Looking around, he saw Brian sitting on his bed, reading a book. Tee got up, pulled on his clothes from yesterday and walked over to sit on the bed.

"So, you still up for waverunners today?" Tee asked.

Brian had looked up from his book as Tee walked over and smirked. "Can't miss a chance to cruise the coast with a throbbing piece of machinery between my legs."

Tee laughed; glad to see Brain was in a better mood this morning. Must be Mikey's day to be in a bad mood, then. "I'll go get cleaned up then and meet you at the docks. Later."

"Later." Brian watched him leave, wondering what was going to happen when this cruise was over.

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When Tee arrived back at his own cabin, Justin and Tris were already up and discussing their plans for the day; a boat ride out to Malfini beach and then hang out at the Canoe bar. Rick decided that he needed a rest, so he was joining the beach goers today.

Telling them they were all being lazy bums, to which they agreed, Tee changed and got ready to head back out to meet Michael and Brian. Before he left, Rick reminded him that tonight was the night for their contest to see who would get the massage the next day. Promising to meet back up around 8:30, Tee left for his day's adventure.

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Brian and Tee had a blast on the waverunners. Michael had declined to drive, so had ridden on the back of Brian's. They'd cruised up and down the coast, racing each other, trying to do 'donuts' in the water without capsizing, then stopping to look at the scenery.

As usual, Tee had his camera (waterproof type) and would start taking pictures every time they stopped. After a while, Michael had started to complain, so they had headed back in. They'd spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach or in the water. There would only be one more day after this, so they were making the best of it.

Michael was starting to get worried about the amount of time that Brian was spending with this kid. He told himself that it was because of the boy's connection to Justin, but even on their outing, where there was little chance of running into the blond, Michael still didn't like them being together. He and Brian were supposed to be best friends and yet Brian seemed to prefer Tee's company to his. He felt left out, just like he had ever since Brian had moved to NY.

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Due to Michael's lousy mood, the trio headed back to the ship a little early. They had an early dinner together then Tee told them that he had promised to spend some time with his cabin mates tonight. He invited them to join him, but Michael had pointed out that he and Brian hadn't been spending much time together, so Brian agreed that he would meet up with Tee the next day.

Having finally gotten Brian alone again, Michael tried to reconnect with his friend. They talked over old times, old friends, reminiscing about the good times they had had in the past. Brian enjoyed their talk, but gradually, it began to dawn on him that everything they had together was in the past. He tried to picture Michael as part of his life in NY, but he just couldn't see it.

Michael would always be a part of his life, his past life. But he wasn't part of the future.

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Justin, Tee and Tris had gone down to their cabin to change into appropriate attire for their evening's wager. All three wore basically the same thing; loose fitting shorts and canvas sneakers.

"OK, boys, it's time to see who's going to win that massage." Rick said with a big grin. He handed them each some different colored pens on strings. "You can hang these around your necks so you don't loose them." He added.

Satisfied that they were all ready, he led them back up to the main deck where the band had started playing. There was already a crowd gathered, some dancing, some watching and some just standing around looking for some action.

Rick led the boys up to the stage area where he told them to wait for his signal to get started. As the band finished the song they had been playing, one of the ships social directors, Steven, got up on the stage. He started out by asking how everyone was enjoying the party, receiving a round of shouts and applause. He talked a little bit more about how the cruise had been going, some of the events planned for later tonight and tomorrow. Then he said he had one final announcement to make before turning it back over to the band.

As he spoke, the director walked across the stage until he was standing just above where the boys were waiting. "It seems that a few of our passengers are in a dilemma tonight. These three fine looking young men" here he stopped and motioned for the three boys to come up on the stage "have a wager going and they need your help to determine the winner."

Rick started pushing the boys toward the stage stairs, laughing. "That's your cue guys."

Never ones to be shy, the three grinned at each other and hoped onto the stage, walking over to Steven and waving to the audiance, who started yelling and applauding. The three hot, half-dressed twinks were definitely a crowd pleaser.

Waving for quiet, Steven spoke up again, "Now, as I understand it, these boys' objective tonight is to see who can get the most votes from their fellow passengers. The winner gets treated to an hour-long massage tomorrow at the spa, paid for by the other two. Have I got it right boys?" The director grinned at the teens, who nodded affirmation.

"Alright, we're almost ready to start then. So here are the rules. Pick your favorite twink and cast your vote using your room number and initials. One vote per person please." He waited until the catcalls and whistles died down. "Now, here's the twist. All votes are to be cast using these pens" he held up a pen hanging around Tris' neck "and I believe we have some of the band members who will demonstrate how to cast your votes."

At this, three of the band members came forward, took the offered pens; each writing their room number and initials across the chest of one of the boys. When they were finished, each of the boys was then sporting a 'vote' written on their bare skin. At this, the crowd really went wild. They couldn't wait to get their chance to get their hands on their 'favorite' and vote.

"Alright, boys. You have until 11pm to get as many votes as you can. We'll be back here at midnight to announce the winner. Off you go!"

And with that, the three headed off into the crowd to start collecting votes. Rick judged from the initial surge to cast a ballot that this was going to be a close call. Good thing they'd have an hour to tally the votes afterwards.

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Brian had disappeared with a trick, saying he'd meet Mikey back at the bar around 11pm. Michael decided to wonder around a bit. Maybe he'd run into Rick again. He'd enjoyed having someone else to talk comics with and the fact that Rick was hot didn't hurt any either.

It was hard to miss the flurry of activity going on when he walked up to the main deck. The band was playing, a few people were dancing, but most seemed to be standing around, cheering at something going on in the center of the huge circle. Someone grabbed his arm as soon as he stepped off the steps onto the deck proper. "Have you voted yet?"

Michael, having no idea what the guy was talking about, shook his head, "Voted for what?"

"Your fav, of course. Come on!" The guy kept hold of his arm and led him through the circle to the center. There he saw Justin, Tee and some other twink covered with red, blue and black writing. As he watched, someone stepped up and wrote something on Justin's leg, which he had propped up on a chair for easier access.

Tee spotted Michael watching them, although he didn't see Brian anywhere. "Hey, Mikey. Come on and vote." He laughed at Michael's bewildered expression.

Rick had noticed Michael also, "Hey, Michael. The boys are just having a bit of fun. The one that gets the most votes wins a massage tomorrow. Just pick who you want to win, and write your room number and initials."

"Are these your other nephews?" Michael asked Rick. He was wondering who the third kid was.

Rick grinned, "Well, you know Tee. Tristin is my nephew also" he pointed to the other brunette. Tris looked up at hearing his name and grinned. Sensing a chance to needle his nephew just a bit more, Rick continued, "And the blond is Tris' boyfriend, Justin."

Justin rolled his eyes when he heard that comment and glanced over at Tee. They both had a hard time not laughting at Tris' pained look.

Not noticing the looks that passed between the boys, Michael glanced around as other men stepped forward to cast their vote. He didn't really have a preference, but seeing as how it would put Justin out of the picture for awhile tomorrow if he won, he decided to play along and added his vote to the blonde's.

The voting continued for a while more. Finally, at 11pm sharp, Steven called a halt to the contest. There were numerous volunteers to help count the votes, but Steven decided that the ship personnel had better handle that chore. With a promise that they'd be back at midnight with the winner, the boys were taken off for the votes to be counted.

After Rick left with the boys, Michael headed back to the club to see if Brian had returned yet.

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Brian was waiting at the bar, having a drink when Michael returned. As they stood there, taking it easy, they overheard several comments made by other patrons about a contest going on up on the main deck. There were also several side bets going on as to who was going to win.

Getting curious about all the interest in this contest, Brian asked the bartender what was going on. Michael felt his heart sink as the bartender described the contest and the three contestants. Brian's interest was peaked and he suggested to Mikey that they take a walk up to the main deck and check out the winner.

After Michael made several attempts to interest him in something else, Brian, exasperated, told his friend that he could do whatever he wanted. He was going up to see the results of the contest. Michael had no choice but to follow, now hoping that Justin *didn't* win.

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As midnight approached, the crowd on the main deck and the walkway overhead were becoming packed. Michael was beginning to wonder if all 3000 passengers were on the deck, waiting to see who won this stupid contest these twinks dreamed up. He and Brian had found spot in a far corner of the main deck. Brian didn't really want to fight the crowd tonight and he could see the stage fine from where he was.

At midnight sharp, Steven appeared on the stage again. As he raised his hand, quiet slowly descended on the crowd. Michael couldn't see the three boys. Maybe, if Justin didn't win, Brian would never notice that he was out there. Dread was causing his stomach to tighten again.

Steven spoke. "Well, boys, it was a tough contest, let me tell you. And that was just to decided who would get to count the votes!" There were catcalls and laughter at that.

When it quieted down again, he continued. "It was a close race, gentlemen. Of course, with three hot young men like these, I'm not surprised." The crowd applauded in agreement. "But I'm sure you'd rather hear the results, so let's get on with it, shall we?" General applause at that.

Holding up a piece of paper, the director intoned, "And the winner is, by a margin of only 8 votes" he paused for the drumroll, "Justin!"

The crowd went wild as Justin bounded up onto the stage. Even looking as though he'd been caught by rogue tattoo artists on a spree, he was still gorgeous.

Michael held his breath and looked over at Brian, who was no longer there. Frantically looking around for his friend, Michael finally caught sight of him heading down the stairs, away from the celebration on the deck.

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As soon as Justin's name was announced and the blond hopped up onto the stage, Brian had felt his heart leap into his throat. The man he'd loved, left and then tried to find again was here. This whole past week, they'd been on this ship together and never known it.

Not knowing how to react to this, Brian headed down the stairs and away from the crowds. He needed a little time to get this into perspective. To figure out how to handle this. Know what to do.

Michael finally managed to catch up to his friend, "Brian…" he started, but was cut off.

"I don't want to talk about it." Was all Brian said. He'd had a shock and right now all he wanted was a chance to assimilate. He didn't want to have to deal with Mikey just yet.

"But Brian, I know you saw him too. It's got to be hurting you." Mikey had never known when it was time to just leave things alone.

Brian stopped at the door of their cabin and looked at his friend, anger building. "What part of 'I don't want to talk about it' did you not understand?"

Michael plowed on, oblivious. "What are you planning to do now? You're not going to try to see him, are you?"

Getting angrier, Brian opened the door and headed for his stash of shot bottles. "What I'm planning to do is none of your business. Whether or not I chose to see Justin has nothing to do with you."

Knowing that seeing Justin would be a mistake, Michael tried to dissuade his angry friend. "Brian, he's here with his boyfriend. He doesn't remember you. Hell, he walked right by me and never even blinked an eye. What would be the point of bringing all that back up?"

Brian froze. He slowly turned to Michael, a cold rage building inside. "And when, exactly, did you become aware of Justin's presence on this ship?"

Michael began to stutter, realizing that he's made a major slip. "I, uhh, I just …happened, umm, to see him, that's all."

Brian gazed never left Michael's face. "When?" He demanded.

Wilting under the weight of that stare, Michael finally managed to get out in a voice barely above a whisper, "The first night we were here."

Brian slowly advanced on his 'friend', his voice as cold as ice. "You've known since the first night and didn't say anything to me? You knew that there was a chance that I could run into him at any time and yet you didn't think to prepare me, just in case? You listened to me tell you how I'd searched for him, only to run into a dead end, and you still didn't say anything?" Brian was beyond rage at this point.

"Get out." Brian said softly, his voice soft but deadly.

"Brian…" Michael couldn't believe his friend was reacting this way. Not to him. Not after everything they had been through together.

"You. Are. Not. My. Friend." Brian enunciated every word clearly. "Get out, now, before I forget that you ever were."

Seeing the look in Brian's eyes, Michael did the only thing he could. He fled.

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