4
Casey
Holy ship . An entire freaking cruise liner packed with people, and my cute twink neighbor had walked up to me. And his name was Milo. It suited him so perfectly it was a wonder I’d never guessed it. After years of lowkey admiring him from a distance,? now I not only had a name, but I was less than two feet away from him, watching his pert ass walk up the stairs.
“I’d ask why this cruise, but with the whole Phila-Port thing, it’s kinda obvious,“
I said as we wandered around the outdoor gaming deck. I vaguely recalled the Mosaic leaving port, but I’d been too astounded by my unexpected situation to pay it much mind.
Milo laughed and turned to lean his forearms on the railing. Aside from the wind, we were high enough that it was almost quiet. “My roommate—aka my bestie—won the tickets off the radio. My attendance was not optional.“
He glanced sideways at me with a smile. “Suppose I should stop complaining about that.”
I couldn’t believe that I’d gone from a serious relationship to actively flirting and being flirted back with Milo in only two weeks. But if this was what the universe wanted, I wasn’t about to turn down her gift. “So… this was supposed to be an anniversary vacation. Except my boyfriend dumped me right after I surprised him with it.”
Milo turned wide eyes on me. “He hates cruises that much?”
I couldn’t help but laugh at how scandalized he sounded. “It wasn’t that. Took me a bit to see it, but we’d been drifting apart for a while.“
I shrugged. “Can’t say he was all that wrong about me being boring.”
“I don’t think you’re boring.”
I glanced up to find Milo smiling warmly at me. Butterflies like I hadn’t felt in years filled my chest. “This is probably really presumptuous, but would you like to hang out during the cruise?”
“I think I’d really like that. Plus, you’d be sparing me from either hearing all about Cheryl’s adventures in seduction or being harassed by her for not indulging in said adventures myself. I’ll give you my number so we can connect.“ He reached for his phone but halted with a grimace. “I don’t have a plan that supports roaming. I didn’t expect to need my phone.”
“That’s fine,“
I said, only a little put out. “We can swap socials.” Before I could even reach for my pocket, Milo placed his hand on mine. A tiny frisson of electricity passed between us, and I met his hazel-rimmed green gaze.
“Actually, let’s not. Let’s take advantage of a phone-free vacation. And while we’re at it, no talk about home or last names or any other specifics. We’re just two strangers who met on a cruise, getting to know each other the old-fashioned way.“
He gave me a shy smile and withdrew his hand. “Or is that too weird?”
Potentially five whole days—because I was optimistic as fuck—of getting to know Milo without distractions? “I think that sounds like a great plan.”
“Yeah?“
Milo asked, noticeably brightening. “Cool. So, Casey, tell me more about not-boring-you.“ He groaned and dropped his forehead to rest on his folded arms. “I literally just said not to talk about specifics. Can you tell how bad I am at this?”
I lightly touched his shoulder, and he angled his head to look at me. “I don’t think you’re doing badly at all. Besides, we can talk in generics. For example, I’m the assistant manager of a local bookstore and spend way too much money at the nearby coffee shop. What about you?”
His radiant smile as he straightened had me suddenly wondering if we were facing due west. “Also, a caffeine addict, as well as an artist that Cheryl says she has to drag kicking and screaming out of his studio.“
He bumped me with his shoulder. “That’s the nice version. In case you were wondering.”
“You’re really funny, Milo,“
I said when I finally stopped laughing. “And I kinda want to ask what the not-nice version is.”
“Nooo, you do not. But can I get that funny comment in writing? Cheryl says I’m ‘all sass and no humor’.“
He gave me a flat expression, and another laugh burst out of me, causing a slight twitch of his lips as he fought not to grin.
I gave him a wink. “I’ll see what I can do. So, you’re an artist. What kind of medium do you do?”
His eyes sparkled with passion. “All kinds. Pencils, paint—acrylic and oil, watercolors. I’ve even been known to dabble in the occasional crayon creation.”
When I’d watched him from afar, none of my imaginings of who he might be compared to how incredible he truly was. I fought the urge to ask to see his art, guessing that it fell under the “nothing personal“
rules. Had my relationship with Hudson ever been this easy? Surely it had to have been at the start, but that felt like a lifetime ago now. Not that Milo and I were in a relationship, but I could easily see how it could happen.
Milo pushed away from the railing. “Tell me about your favorite books while we find something to eat.”