A Man at Sea [COMPLETE]

Chapter 15

Time with Jacinto passed so quickly. If left to their own devices, the two could spend hours talking on the deck about romance, about the ship, about travel. Eneas loved Jacinto's quiet but meaningful interjections to his ramblings, loved how it felt to stand side by side with him. He loved the way that the other men talked about them. Inseparable, they said.

The end of the journey was beginning to close in on them and Eneas couldn't keep his mind off the fact that he and Jacinto still hadn't had a proper evening together. Ever since his foray with Jon in the kitchen, Eneas had reserved his sexuality for Jacinto, who seemed a bit nervous about the whole ordeal. But Eneas had a plan.

As he walked to the navigator's room, he unbuttoned his shirt slightly to give a little show. He knocked on the door and was greeted by an exasperated Eduardo. The man ran his fingers through his hair and seemed to look just past the young chef whom he used to find so attractive. "What do you want?" he asked.

Eneas' mouth hung open in uncertainty. "Actually," he said. "Could I come in?"

The navigator stepped aside and shut the door behind them. "I'm sorry," he said. "It's just--a lot to ensure a safe course for us right now."

"You don't have to apologize to me," Eneas said. "You do a lot for the ship. You're our guiding light."

"Thanks."

Eneas bit his lip, made sure to lean against the wall in a way that let his shirt fall just right. "Actually, I have a favor to ask of you," he said. "You're one of the few people here who I can confide in. You understand the love between two men."

Eduardo blushed a little. "That I do," he said. "Your assistant, by the way, has been excellent."

"He still visits you?" Eneas tried to pry the surprise out of his voice.

"Of course," Eduardo grinned. "So what is this favor?"

Eneas grew shy. "I--I'd like to ask, well, for your bed."

The navigator's eyes widened.

"Not in that sense," he said. "I suppose, I'd like to borrow your bedroom. There's a man that I very much admire, and--well, I know that it is a lot to ask. You are a nobleman, and I am--just a cook. On this ship, that bed is the only thing that differentiates you and I. And I'm asking you to give that up. Just for--oh, a few hours."

Eduardo seemed taken aback by Eneas' bluntness. Yet, his eyes glistened with excitement. He set a hand on Eneas' shoulder. "You know," he said. "If it were anyone else, I would refuse. But he must be someone you really care for, if you worked yourself up to ask me this. Why don't you take the bed tomorrow night?"

Eneas practically ran to Jacinto to tell him this. His partner greeted the news with slight agitation. He scratched his head and looked away. "Thank you, uh, for asking him that, Eneas," he said awkwardly.

The chef's face dropped instantly. "Oh," he said. "Should I not have--I'm sorry. I didn't mean to--uh--"

Jacinto returned to his usual warm smile. The one that made Eneas melt with desire. "No," he said. "I really am glad that you asked him. Please don't think that I don't want to spend the night with you."

"I don't want to pressure you," Eneas said.

Jacinto crossed his arms. "It's not you," he said. "It's this lass back home. She uh--Christ, I never thought I'd tell anyone this. She told me that I wasn't very good in bed." He laughed and rolled his eyes a little. "I know you're a very, uh, well-versed man. And I just want to disappoint you."

Eneas's smile was tender and earnest. "Disappoint me?" he asked. "Jacinto, you must believe me when I say nothing you could do would disappoint me. Honestly you could lie perfectly still the entire time and I'd just be thrilled to have you inside me."