Chapter 15 Captain Clarke

As Westly entered his cabin, the distinct aroma of scotch filled the air, coming from an open bottle sitting in the sink. After checking the bathroom for Luka, he checked on the balcony. His heart raced. Not again. Did he leave without permission? As he opened the door between their cabins, blackness greeted him, the room darkened by lowered shades. Rushing to the berth, he found Luka cocooned in the warmth of his comforter.

“Luka, what’s wrong?” He sat on the side of the bed.

“I’m not going to dinner with you.”

“What happened? Where’s Charlie?”

“I told him to leave.”

“Are you feeling sick?”

“Not really. But I’m upset.”

“Stop talking in circles. Tell me what’s going on with you.”

“My mother called to let me know she’s not coming home after this summer. She’s going to stay in Nigeria for two years.”

“Are you upset she won’t be in California when your year is up?”

“She told me I could stay in our beach house. It’s not about that. I don’t want her staying there for two years. She belongs in California.”

“You’re an adult now. She has a right to pursue her dreams.”

“I want to ask you something.”

“Ask me.”

“She also told me about the deal my father made with the court. Did you know about the deal he made?”

Westly closed his eyes, shutting out the sights and sounds around him, as he carefully weighed his words. Despite his promise to Luka’s father, he couldn’t keep the truth from Luka any longer. The weight of the situation pressed upon him, as he weighed the consequences of honesty against the potential backlash of withholding the truth.

“It’s a yes or no question.” Luka sat up in bed and glared at him.

“I’m aware of my options, but sometimes, answers can’t be black or white.”

“Stop talking in riddles! Did you know?” Luka leaned closer to him.

“I knew.”

“What kind of relationship can I have with you? You lied to me. You kept back information I should have known. And you fucking agreed to the deal. You allowed my father to go to prison for me.”

“I promised your father I wouldn’t tell you.”

“So what? When you said you wanted a relationship with me, then you should have told me. You promised my father when I was just a stranger.”

“I honor my word. The only reason I told you now is because your mother told you. I don’t break my word.”

“Just leave me alone.”

“No. I want to deal with this problem we’re having. Leaving you alone will make you angrier. We need to have an open communication for us to work.”

“I don’t want anything to do with you. You can drop me off at the next stop and I’ll serve my time in prison.”

“What else happened today?”

“Isn’t it enough that my father is in prison for my mistakes?”

“Your father is in prison for exporting drugs to the US. You had nothing to do with that. Stop blaming yourself.”

“Why would he do that? He could have sent someone to help me out.”

“Your father knows how to beat the law. He told me he wasn’t worried and that his Brazilian friends will get him out.”

“Do you believe that?”

“I don’t know. He’s not a US citizen.”

“I’m not either.”

“Would you like to be one?”

“Yes. I should have applied a long time ago, but I kept waiting for my father to send for me.”

“I’m going to help you become one if you don’t want me to drop you off at the next stop.”

“I’m sorry. I’m so upset I don’t even know what I’m saying.”

“So, I take it you’re going to stay on?”

“Yes, I didn’t really mean it.”

“I know influential people who owe me a favor. I still want you to enroll in classes.”

“I’m so pissed off about so many things right now.”

“I can see that.” Westly unraveled Luka’s comforter and settled down beside him, stroking his long hair. He cradled him in his arms, gently swaying back and forth. “You’ve had a rough day. I’m sorry everything is coming down on you all at once.”

“One part of the day was good with you.”

“It made me smile all day just thinking about you.”

“You were smiling about us being together?”

“Yes.” He leaned in and kissed Luka. “I know you’re upset, but I’d really like to take you to dinner tonight. Charlie is going with Brock.”

“What do I have to do there?” Luka bit his lower lip.

“Eat and smile at me.”

“I thought the crew couldn’t mix with officers?”

“Rules needed to be updated. It’s Pride Cruise 2024, so why not?”

“Did you ever go to a Pride Parade?”

“Never been to one, but we’re going to have one on the cruise.”

“Can I go?”

“If you don’t break any more rules, I think I could bend that one.”

Luka smiled for the first time since Westly had entered the cabin.

“I’d still like you to sleep on my side tonight. We didn’t have much time earlier. And you need to be in my arms all night.”

“I do need that. I felt lousy when you had to leave so soon. I mean it was our first time.”

“It was a quickie because of work. You were butt naked, and I couldn’t resist.”

“Are we going to sleep naked?”

“With you, always. Now, jacket and tie for dinner.”

“What about my uniform and lanyard?”

“No uniform for special occasions when you visit officer areas.”

“Are you going to allow me to eat with the crew, or do I have to eat in my room when I don’t eat with you?”

“You have one week of cleaning duty and lunch in your cabin. I think you’ll like dinner in the Grand Dining Room. I don’t want you to be alone right now.”

“Am I allowed to have a drink?”

“One drink. Speaking about drinking. Why is my scotch bottle sitting in the sink opened?”

“I had a few drinks after I talked to my mother.”

“Did Charlie drink my scotch?” Westly hadn’t told Brock to let him drink in his cabin.

“Nope. He said Officer Morgan told him not to do anything.”

“Next time, if you have a problem, send me a message. I’d rather we talk it out than you drink.”

“Thanks. Are you angry I didn’t ask to drink your scotch?”

“No, I’m not angry as long as you don’t drink until you get sick from it. From now on, when you want to use something of mine, ask first and if you use something, put it away.”

“I can do that.”

Westly nodded with a smile.