Spice Islands (First Romance Smackdown - LGBT)

The Holiday

Two weeks earlier 

"What do you mean, you can't go?" Liam stared at Ben in shock, his blue eyes wide with disbelief. Unconsciously his hand went up to push a lock of light brown hair back from his forehead. Ben was joking, right? "We've been planning this for months." 

But Ben wasn't smiling. He stood there, slightly taller than Liam's five seven, still wearing his office shirt and trousers, short black hair neatly combed, and looked apologetic, his lips turning down at the corners. "I'm sorry babe." 

He reached out a placating hand but Liam jerked away.  

Ben frowned. "I did warn you when the Abbott deal was being negotiated I might not be able to get away. Mitch called a meeting this morning. The contract has been signed and he wants everyone on this fulltime for the next two months. There'll be lots of overtime too I expect." He sounded almost eager. 

"But we've been planning this since Christmas," Liam protested, a cold chill growing around his heart. "I've been looking forward to it. We both have." Hadn't they?  

He and Ben had been dating for the last few months, sleeping together on weekends and occasionally skirting around the possibility of moving in. Things had been a bit quiet between them lately, what with Ben's work during the day and his own job as assistant chef in the evenings. In fact his desire to spend more time with Ben had been an added incentive for him to take the plunge and pursue his dream as a pastry chef. And he had been lucky enough to get a new, daytime, job starting at a patisserie in a month, after their holiday. 

The holiday which was supposed to put the romance back into their relationship.  

He could still see the picture in his mind's eye, two lovers on the beach, oblivious to the sea lapping gently around them as they kissed ...  

It was supposed to be their romantic getaway, an adventure of a lifetime. He had secretly hoped, if everything went well, it might pave the way for him to move in with Ben when they returned. 

Liam was fighting back tears but Ben didn't even sound particularly disappointed. 

"I know babe but it's just not possible right now. Maybe in a couple of months we can look at it again." Sweetly reasonable. 

"But I want to go now!" Liam bit back the words, aware of how childish they sounded. Instead, he reminded him, "It's all booked." Fighting a rearguard action. 

"I know we'll probably lose our deposit, but my overtime will cover it." Ben's chocolate brown eyes studied his lover warily before he ventured a small smile, "Good thing we haven't paid for the tickets yet, huh?" 

Liam made an effort not to glance across to the printer, the printer which held the two e-tickets he had finalised so excitedly only a few minutes, a lifetime, earlier.  

Suddenly he felt a wave of anger sweeping in to replace the shock. He was grieving over shattered dreams. Ben was worried about the fucking money for god's sake! Maybe they just weren't on the same wavelength after all. 

"Don't worry about it," Liam said stormily. "I'm sure I can find somebody else to take with me!" 

XXX 

"Don't look at me," his cousin John shook his head. "I've got about $10 to my name at the moment. There's no way I could take that amount of time off work. Ask Sophie, she's got time before her course starts." 

Liam thought for a moment. He and Sophie got on well. The accommodation was twin share. Why not? 

"Great idea! Just come and have a look Soph, you'll love it," he wheedled. 

His other housemate raised a dubious eyebrow. "I'm not really into diving Liam. I only had one lesson and, to be honest, it freaked me out!" She shuddered. 

"It's not a diving cruise," he explained hopefully. "Just swimming and snorkelling if you want to. Anyone can learn to snorkel, but I booked what is called a 'cultural cruise' not a specialist diving one. Here let me read it out to you. 

'The cultural cruise brings you a varied program of island hopping with visits to traditional villages and houses, different cultures, enjoy local art works, beautiful sceneries, impressive flora and fauna, indigenous dances and rites. These day excursions will be alternated by some swimming and snorkeling. Diving is sometimes possible, sometimes not.' 

See? You don't have to do any diving at all if you don't want to." 

"Hmm," said Sophie, peering over his shoulder at the idyllic pictures of white sand, blue water and green rainforest. It did look rather wonderful. Cute brown children smiled into the camera. 

"Apart from everything else, what I'm really looking forward to, is the volcano. We get to climb to the top of an active volcano," he added persuasively. "Not an extinct one like the one at Mt Gambier with the lakes in it." 

"Mmm," said Sophie again, hiking wasn't her favourite activity, but maybe for a real live volcano she could make an exception. 

Liam played his trump card. 

"Just think of all the hot guys you'll meet. As far as I know there's only one other woman going, with her husband, and there are sixteen places on the boat," he teased. "All that fit tanned skin, wet board shorts ..." 

He sighed and rolled his eyes lasciviously. She laughed and punched his arm. "But I'll be travelling with you, how will they know I'm available?"  

Liam smirked, "I'm sure you'll find a way." 

XXX 

"What do you mean, you're going with Sophie? She's a girl!" demanded Ben, suspiciously. 

Liam couldn't help it. He dropped his jaw and widened his eyes in a parody of surprise. 

"No! Is she?" 

Ben wasn't smiling. 

"We'll only be travelling together not sleeping together!" Liam hastened to add, then gave a short laugh. "Actually, we will be sleeping together, just not having sex. And anyway, it's twin share, not a double," he added quickly as Ben glared at him. 

"I still think you should cancel the whole thing. We can go together in a couple of months, or maybe three." 

"Or maybe four or five or six!" continued Liam rather rudely. "I've already explained, I can't change the tickets even if I wanted to. Besides I really want to go. Sophie and I will have a great time, we'll look out for each other." 

He looked down for a moment, trying to find the right words to express his recent qualms. "Perhaps it'll give us some time to think about our relationship, decide if we're really suited." He was seeking reassurance, wanting a passionate declaration from Ben that of course they were suited. 

Instead, Ben stared at him in angry disbelief. "You're saying you want to break up with me? Over a stupid holiday?" He realised he'd made a mistake as soon as the words left his mouth but it was too late to take them back. Liam looked at him sadly.  

"See that's exactly what I'm saying. I don't think we want the same things. To you it's a stupid holiday, to me it's a wonderful adventure. A chance to spend time together." 

"You're not being reasonable. I can't give up my job on a whim just to please you! Can I?" he demanded. 

"No of course not," Liam agreed quietly. He had obviously made a major mistake, thinking that the holiday meant the same thing to Ben as it did to him. 

"I guess this is it then. I'll see you when I get back." 

"Maybe. Maybe not." Ben threw over his shoulder as he stormed off.