The Young Men and the Sea #4
And on that thought, they started stacking the detritus that had sheltered them, trying to make it comfortable enough to give Reynaldo some relief from the rigors of travel.
ON EBEN’S advice, Reg left the floor of the cabin, where he’d huddled with Reynaldo for an hour, regretting every life choice he’d ever made.
Instead, he stood on the port bow, leaning against the railing of the little cruiser and letting the spray hit his face and cloud his glasses.
He was cold—no question—and it hit him that it was mid-September.
Without warning, a sudden homesickness hit him—he would have to contact his clients soon, explain why he hadn’t worked in almost a week.
Would he tell them he was sick? Called out of town?
Tell them he’d been on the run with two terrified teenagers and his boyfriend, trying to keep the kids safe and the world from dumping completely upside down on him?
The thought brought back the queasiness he’d almost forgotten about, and he shuddered, pulling himself deeper into his hoodie and the rain poncho Anthony had draped over his shoulders to help keep him dry in the foggy spray.
There was a sudden warmth at his back, and he almost cried with relief as Anthony plastered himself over Reg’s shoulders, flooding him with body heat and comfort.
“How we doing?”
“Haven’t blown chum yet,” Reg said. “I must be okay.”
Anthony laughed softly. “Funny. You’re funny, Registrar. That’s not in the thumbnail sketch, but I like it.”
Reg frowned and turned to him. “What thumbnail sketch?”
“You know—the little image you sell the world. ‘Reg Royal, quiet, studious, prepared, practical.’ Yours is totally misleading, by the way.”
Reg gave him an indignant look. “How? How? How is that misleading? That is everything I am!”
Anthony snorted. “Like hell it is. It’s all you let your family see, but we’ve just spent three days together on the run from criminals and the law. I think I’ve got the inside track now.”
“Like what?” Reg asked, suddenly afraid.
“Funny,” Anthony said, touching his cheek with the edge of a curled finger. “Way smarter than anybody in his family knows. Caring—so caring. He’s spent his whole life worried that his family will get taken from him, and he’s taken rather extreme measures to keep that from happening.”
“Extreme measures—”
“Illegal computer equipment and a tunnel under the house, Reg. That counts as extreme. But I’m not done.”
Reg swallowed, uncomfortable at hearing all this… well, praise, really, but also curious. Anthony seemed to see him—see him, as nobody else had in his entire life, including his family who, really, could do no wrong. What else had he seen?
“Go on,” he muttered.
“Artistic,” Anthony said softly. “Dreamy. Determined. Brave. I mean, look at us.” He gestured toward the boat, the scared kids, this entire terrifying, ridiculous adventure, all of it. “Those kids have hope, and you’re the reason why.”
“So are you,” Reg said soberly. “We couldn’t have gotten this far without you.”
Anthony dismissed everything he’d done with one shoulder. “Ilia was right. I followed you. And you let me. Aren’t I lucky.”
It was Reg’s turn to snort. “Lucky? You’re determined, is what you are.
Talk about hidden depths. You… you see me.
Like nobody has ever seen me. You’re smart, and you’re beautiful, and you’re confident—oh my God.
You just waltz into my family and you get them.
And they love you. Do you have any idea how hard that is?
I mean, they are a lot, and you’ve got your own chat with all of them—”
“You know about that?” Anthony asked, surprised.
“We’ve shared the same phone for two days,” Reg said, rolling his eyes. “I figured it out. But see? Look at all you are. You own your own business, and you appreciate my parents—which means you’ve got to have brains and a good heart, and—”
Anthony kissed him, and the bad things—the cold, the faint seasickness, the fear, the worry—all of it spun away.
For a moment, it was the two of them, a cocoon of safety, of warmth, a haven of kindness, wrapped up in the center of a harsh, painful reality, and they could keep each other safe.
Reg’s mouth opened, and his heart, his bravery, blossomed, and he suddenly felt able, as though he could accept all Anthony had to give him, and he could give back, just as big, just as warm, just as real.
Anthony groaned and pulled him closer, and Reg wrapped his arms around Anthony’s neck and fell, fell into the kiss, fell into the passion, fell into everything he was offering.
The boat hit a rogue wave, and the kiss ended with both of them scrabbling for the railing so they didn’t fall overboard, Reg clutching it tightly as his seasickness returned with a whump.
“Time and place,” he panted, shivering. “We have got to pick a better time and place.”
Anthony laughed, his face turned to the spray as though the touch of danger had made the moment perfect. “Any time, Registrar. Any place. As long as I’m with you.”
Reg kept tight hold of the rail with one hand, but he snuck the other around Anthony’s waist. It seemed prudent, now, to hold tightly to them both.