3. Noah

Noah

Chapter three

(Two hours till departure.)

The flight from LAX to Orlando, Florida, takes about five hours, giving me enough time to catch up on some sleep and listen to part of an audiobook. It isn't long before I'm landing, taking a shuttle, and boarding the cruise ship, surrounded by hundreds of cheering people doing the same.

As expected, I see mostly men, but there are definitely more women here today than the gay cruise I vacationed on for my eighteenth birthday, and again on my twenty-first.

A woman in a sparkling rainbow dress holds hands with another woman. Ahead, a gorgeous man slings an arm around another man's waist, and the sight makes me insanely happy. Dozens and dozens of people are chattering all around me, and the excitement in the air is palpable. Seeing all kinds of LGBTQ+ people in one spot is amazing. But it's the couples, throuples, and polyamorous people together celebrating Pride with their loved ones that always get me choked up. I look forward to ten days of fun under the sun as I'm free to just be myself, without judging eyes.

Stepping onto the Blue Butterfly cruise ship, my initial thought is how huge it is. From this vantage point, I see purple, teal, and blue water slides from the on board water park and a fancy-looking restaurant to my left. I pull out my phone and toggle over to the cruise app.

Since the internet is always spotty while sailing, I downloaded everything to my phone ahead of time; including the various itineraries, and most importantly the ship's map. Because let's be honest, the Blue Butterfly is like a mini city. I glance over the diagram, trying to piece together the 2-D image to the real thing and smile when I figure out the best way to get to my room.

By the time I gather my luggage and scan my keycard, I'm ready to unpack. This is always one of my favorite parts about being on a cruise: door decorating. Once my clothes and toiletries are in their proper spots, I pull out my photos, rainbow tape, whiteboard, markers, and glittery streamers, then head outside.

Taping up several photos of me with my friends and some of just me takes no time at all. I hang up my whiteboard along with a scannable QR code so people can find my socials. Every time I go on a cruise, I meet the best people. Some of them are even friends I continue to stay in touch with. Once I'm finished decorating my door and archway, I head back inside to get ready to meet Jules and Cal at the Sail Away Party.

I part my pastel-pink hair to the side, and thanks to the wavy texture, it's easy to style my hair into a faux wind-swept look. The outfit I chose specifically for tonight is a skintight white crop top and well-fitted navy shorts. Pair it with my anchor necklace, a nice pair of loafers and I'm ready for the nautical themed party. I look pretty damn good. Bonus points if I catch the eye of a lucky single Daddy.

There's a knock on my door about fifteen minutes later. Chuckling, I rush over and throw the door open, already knowing who will be on the other side.

"Noah! Your door looks amazing!" Jules gushes. He throws his arms around me and I pull him into a hug. Jules is my person and always will be. Cal clears his throat behind Jules. I peek around my best friend and wave at the older blond man.

Cal looks really damn good in a light blue Hawaiian shirt and a pair of light gray cargo shorts. His shirt has little gray sailboats on the design. If Cal was still on the market, let's just say this Daddy would have boys lined up around the corner for a piece of him.

"Well, don't just stand there. Don't you and your fiancé want to come in?" I tease. Cal proposed to my bestie earlier this month, and even though this trip has been planned for quite some time, it kind of morphed into an engagement celebration of sorts.

"Fiancé." Cal's smile grows, and he tucks Jules under his arm in a loving embrace.

"Cal and I are just here to see who's settled and to remind everyone that if we don't see them at the Sail Away Party, then to at least meet us for dinner in the Almond Bar," Jules explains.

"Do you have the ship's map downloaded?" Cal asks. "It's located in the main dining hall."

I wave my phone. "Yup, all ready to go."

Jules bounces on his toes, causing his red hair to bounce as well. "We reserved a section for our party. I wanted to get the thank you speeches out of the way so we can party and play the rest of our trip."

My best friend might be a little ball of energy at times, but he always becomes shy and nervous when talking to a crowd.

I pull him into another quick hug before stepping back. "Don't worry. You're talking with friends and family."

Cal places a kiss on Jules' temple. "That's exactly what I said, little fox. Don't worry, I'll be with you."

Jules beams up at Cal before leaning in to whisper, "Thanks, Daddy."

Jealousy swirls in my stomach, and I try not to let it show. The deep love between Cal and Jules is one of fairy tales. For a few months, I thought Max and I were the real deal. Damn, was I wrong. He was originally supposed to be on this trip with me, but I guess it's a good thing I found him cheating when I did. There's no way he'd be able to hold himself back with so many temptations walking around.

For the first time since answering the door, I notice Jules is holding something. "What's in your hands?"

"Oh, it's a whiteboard." He points at the door just across the hall. "Since Rowan couldn't make it, I figured they wouldn't have a board of their own."

Jules picks out the blue marker tied to my white board and starts writing a message.

Meet us at the Almond Bar at 7pm. It's located in the Main Dining Hall - Jules

I chuckle when Jules writes the same exact message on the whiteboard in his hands, then bounces over to the empty door across the hall and hangs it in its proper place.

"Okay. I gotta go write the same message on Jamie and Kingston's door. Then I'll go get ready," Jules explains. "Alec and June are already on the main deck ready to party, and I think Nate and Elijah are here somewhere, but they know to meet us at seven."

My cheeks burn. Huh. Am I the only one that's not in a relationship?

Cal laces his fingers with Jules. They wander off to the next door, where I see Jules write a message on that board.

Damn, I kinda wish I had a Daddy of my own. Even a temporary one to help me beat this wave of jealousy. Would it be possible to meet someone who would be willing to play with me on this trip exclusively? I never do share well.

Just as I'm about to go back into my room, the door across from me opens and I see Jules' friend, Ash. He's a secret little who likes to play with Jules and Cal at the kink club back home. Ash is our age, but only a few of us know his secret. He doesn't go around announcing that he's into age-play. So I'm a little surprised to see him here. But what catches my attention more is that sexy deep voice I'd recognize anywhere.

"Ash, is someone at our door?" Dylan has his back to us as he pulls items out of his suitcase.

Then his words hit me dead in the heart.

Our door? Oh god, are they together?

Ash opens his mouth to reply, but stops when I wave my hands maniacally and shake my head. His eyebrows scrunch in confusion, and he bites his lip as if contemplating on what to say.

Silently, I point at their lone whiteboard hanging up.

"Ash?" Dylan calls again and I jump to the left, hoping I'm out of eyesight.

Ash still looks confused, but nods at me. "Nope. Just a message from your brother saying we need to meet him at the Almond Bar at seven."

I rush back into my room and slam my door closed as I lean against it. My heart is pounding frantically in my chest. What the actual fuck?

Dylan fucking O'Conner is on a Kinky Pride cruise, and he isn't alone.