Page 24 of Ship Happens

“Are you sure?” Jacob asks him. Owen shifts uncomfortably, hating how he seems to be the sole focus of Jacob’s attention. Pretending like he actually cares. “I don’t mind switching.”

Before Owen can answer, Kevin is hollering, using Owen’s shoulders to jump up and down, then he races back into the room. Their room. “Score! Sleepover with Owen!”

“Okay, well . . .” Jacob says. “Problem solved, I guess.”

“You’re okay with sharing?” Kaitlyn asks Owen.

“Yeah,” he promises her. “Kevin and I have shared a bed before.”

“Only because he got so drunk he thought your room was his.”

Owen hadn’t even noticed until the following morning that there’d been a third person in bed with him and Jacob.

“Sorry for making such a big deal,” Owen apologizes, already feeling that pressure at the base of his skull, the one that tells him he needs to exit whatever situation he’s in immediately, lest he become absolutely intolerable to be around.

“No, it’s okay. I should’ve double-checked . . . or checked the first time, I guess.”

He’s already feeling uneasy, the invisible clock in his brain counting down the seconds he has until it’s absolutely too late to pull out of this vacation. Sure, when they reach Sitka he could just find his own way home, maybe book a flight. But—for the next few days at least—Owen’s stuck on this boat.

“Go.” Owen nods toward the master suite. “Go get unpacked. Go relax. We’re going to have a fun time.” He doesn’t even believe the words himself.

“Okay.” She smiles. “Get dressed, I want to head to that sail-away party our tour guide was talking about.”

“Mm-hmm . . .” Owen hums, watching as Kaitlyn disappears back into her room. He lingers there, in the hallway, just for a moment by himself. He knew this was a bad idea, and now his friends probably think he’s being too demanding.

Stupid, stupid, stupid, Owen berates himself. Just be normal!

As if it’s not a perfectly reasonable request to not have to share a bedroom with his ex-boyfriend. Steeling himself, he steps back into Jacob’s room so that he can grab his suitcase.

“Do you want any help?” Jacob asks, his bag already half unpacked.

“Nope.”

“Owen, I . . .” The way Jacob says his name forces Owen to stop at the door. “I just want us to both try and have a good time,” he says.

“And I’m prepared to.” Owen turns, glowering at the taller man. When he catches Jacob’s hair in the right light, he can spot one or two silver strands among the deep black curls. Owen’s gaze shifts downward, toward Jacob’s hands, his nails shredded to the beds of his fingers, a nervous tic that Owen thought Jacob had stopped years ago. “Are you?”

“I . . .” He can tell Jacob wants to say more. But Jacob, ever the peacekeeper, simply answers, “Yeah.”

“Okay, sounds like a plan, then.” And with his suitcase in tow, Owen exits the suite, walking to the room that he’ll be sharing with Kevin.

“All right that I grabbed the left side?” Kevin asks, already in his underwear, bathing suit laid out on the bed. “I always sleep better on the left side.”

“Of course,” Owen tells him. “Thanks for letting me share.”

“It’s cool!” Kevin promises. “I get that things are hella weird with you and J-man.”

“To say the least.” Owen hoists his suitcase onto the bed, careful how he picks up his hefty suitcase, since packing for an entire week’s trip doesn’t exactly come lightly, especially considering everything he travels with.

“Have the two of you talked much?” Kevin asks.

“About?” Owen asks, digging around for his bathing suit, grabbing his medical kit to store in the refrigerator before they leave.

“The breakup. You know, closure might help . . . whatever it is that’s going on between the two of you.”

“There’s nothing going on between us,” Owen says to him.

“Hey! Whatever you say, dude.” Kevin throws his hands up, the expression on his face telling Owen that he doesn’t believe him for a second. “But you’re stuck together on a boat.” He says those words with a sly smile. “Just don’t say I didn’t warn you when you wind up sleeping together.”