Twenty-Eight

Cory

St. Kitts had flown by. Most of the guests went to shore and enjoyed the natural beauty of the island or they snorkeled in the crystal blue waters. Jackson and I worked hard, and at night we loved hard. Because after St. Thomas it wasn't just fucking, and I was there for it.

"What's the party theme tonight?" Jackson asked while we met to eat before dinner service.

"Glow party," Johnny said.

"What's that?" he asked.

"We put blacklights all over the deck so everything glows. The waiters all have glowing necklaces or bowties on and, of course, the guests come up with all sorts of glowing things," I said.

"Sounds fun. So, do they have the same parties on every cruise?" Jackson asked and took a sip of his coffee. He was beginning to really appreciate all the benefits of caffeine. Johnny and I practically had coffee in our veins, but we needed it with how busy every day was on board.

"No, these are specifically chosen for Pride Cruise. This week is planned just to celebrate Pride. Otherwise, we have a rotating schedule that changes every third week but also can change with holidays that fall during that week," I said, and he paused with wide eyes to listen.

"There is so much more to keep track of than I realized. I kinda like the idea of hiding in the kitchen more and more," he said, making us laugh.

"You're still not tired of it?" Johnny asked.

"Not yet. I'm still working on a routine so I'm able to keep up and not let it fall behind. That was brutal the first day."

"The kitchen falls apart when the dishwasher is down. No one wants to be responsible, but then they freak out when there are no clean dishes." I'd been there when Orlando had problems with the machine and it was a huge issue, so I knew he wasn't exaggerating. It was just so odd when I thought of Jackson as JJ Carrington. Rich boy and asshole who did whatever he wanted whenever he wanted, without any consideration of time or money. Now here he was discussing dirty dishes in the crew mess hall, and it made him happy.

"So, what are your plans after the cruise ends?" Johnny asked Jackson.

"I'm going to speak to the Hotel Director about a permanent position."

He'd mentioned it several times, but until just this second, I didn't really think he was serious. He had a whole other life he could be living. Why would he choose to wash dishes? I thought of how many times he'd said he enjoyed the work and the routine and decided I'd trust him.

"Really?" I asked and tried not to sound as happy as I was.

"Really. I'm not ready for this to be over. I hope you don't mind. I really should have asked you first." I kissed him, because he made me so happy, and if we could work together and still be happy to see each other at the end of the day that was a huge win.

"I've been worried you'd be ready to get off the ship. I know you've been happy here, but you also didn't have a choice in being here. Are you sure you're ready to make a career of it?"

"Yeah. I think I am," he said, and Johnny looked between the two of us before shaking his head.

"You two really are disgustingly cute."

"We try," Jackson said.

"Oh, I saw the couple that snuck you on," I said. He looked confused for a moment before the memory hit him.

"I forgot about them. Did they say anything?" He cringed and I was glad to see he was worried about their reaction. Not that I wanted him to spend any time with them. He'd spent more than enough on the snorkel trip, and I did not need any details, but he wasn't trying to deny it happened.

"No, I'm not sure they recognized me, and I didn't approach them. I'm surprised you haven't seen them. They've been at all the parties." It did surprise me he hadn't seen them, but while he'd been on board Jackson had been busy, and he'd been very focused on work and staying out of trouble. So even though we'd watched the Rome party from a distance, we usually went back to the room at the end of the day. He never once seemed to be looking for any guests and the only one he'd recognized was the asshole that had indeed been dropped off at St. Kitts.

"No, I haven't. But to be completely honest, by the time I hooked up with them I was trashed. When we went out snorkeling, I hated that they insisted we wear a lifejacket, but I'm thankful for it now." His eyes narrowed as he was deep in thought then his brows shot up. "Oh god, I think I hooked up with the two of them while we were floating around out there." He shook his head before covering his eyes with his hands.

Johnny snickered and tried to cover it with a cough while I didn't try to hold back my laugh. "Sometimes amnesia isn't a bad thing. Although they are nice to look at." His mouth dropped open and he looked at me with shock and a little bit of embarrassment.

"I can't believe you just said that," he said and looked even more mortified.

"Babe, it's the past. We've all done things we'd rather forget. Consider yourself lucky you can't remember it all," I said and patted his hand.

He smiled then and gave me the most adorably embarrassed look. "I have not missed being drunk. It's nice to remember what happened, and not wake up feeling like shit. I could get used to this," Jackson said and finally smiled.

"You're doing great. Just keep doing what you're doing and I'm sure you'll be able to get a position on the next tour," Johnny said.

"When does this tour end?" he asked.

"We have four more cruises after this one, right, Cory?" Johnny said.

"Yes, this is our first one back from having two weeks off."

"Is it the same course next week?" he asked.

"Yes, we'll be doing this same route for two more months, then they'll change it up."

"Do you go back to Sacramento on your time off?" Jackson asked, and I wondered why he was asking so many questions about it, but I didn't think much of it.

"Most of the time. But sometimes I go on a vacation somewhere and see something new. Same with Johnny, he's always hiking all over the place," I said.

"I like that idea," Jackson said.

"Which one?" Johnny asked.

"Going where you want to go when you're not working but then pivoting and going back to reality for a while."

"Overall, it's a pretty good gig," I said, and I meant it. I loved my job and I hoped he meant what he'd said, and he'd try to get a permanent job here.