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The sun was streaming through the sides of the drapes when Adam turned over and his hand hit a piece of paper where Tommy's head should be. He blinked a few times clearing the sleep from his eyes and read that the band was at Hog's Breath from noon until 4pm, on Sebago's sunset cruise from 5:30 until 9"30pm, then the late shift at Sloppy's from 12:30 until 4am. Tommy wanted him to come with them on the sunset cruise, which sounded like fun and it gave him the rest of the afternoon to loaf. After texting approval of the plan Adam ordered breakfast. It had become a ritual, something he had never done before. It used to be that breakfast was a cup of Starbucks on the way to work then a few more cups at the office to cement the clarity he needed to insure his dad's day went smoothly.
Yes, there was his dad. Maybe he should at least text him. He had received 2 from him during the week which he had answered abruptly giving no details to the asked questions, including what time he'd be in on Monday morning. Maybe the professional thing to do would be to let him know his plane didn't get in until Tuesday. So he did, matter of factly saying that he would see him Wednesday morning. As he expected, he got a return text grumbling about the miscommunication, but he was too happy to worry about it.
After breakfast, Adam put on a bathing suit and went to the pool. Finding a chair on the shady side was easy, no one came to Key West to avoid the sun. He tried to read a book but couldn't concentrate, so he texted a few friends and listened to his IPod. A couple of young girls came over to talk to him and he laughed at their teenage attempt to pick him up, but since he was new at being the object of anyone's attention, he was nice to them, laughed and talked about where they were all from. That they were just 16 would have been freakier if he had been straight, but as it was, acted like an older brother teasing them, warning them about the dangers of picking up strange guys, and talking about their favorite pop singers. When one of the mothers came over, she smiled at Adam in a slightly predatory way, but said she had been listening to the conversation and was glad someone else had instilled some caution in the flirty girls. When she asked Adam how old he was, and he told her, she just smiled and mumbled, "My, my. Twenty-four."
Adam wasn't quite sure what that meant, but he did think he saw a wistful look in her eyes as she said it. It reinforced his determination that he wasn't ever going to have that look and think back on all the things he had missed. Already at twenty-four he realized he had never really had an adolescence, always feeling like an outsider because he knew he was different, growing up too fast. Maybe he was just now getting around to being a libidinous teenager.
Pretty soon the sun had reached all corners of the pool deck so Adam decided to go to the room and shower for the cruise. Maybe he'd even stop by Hog's Breath then walk over to Schooner Wharf, where he thought the catamarans were docked, with Tommy.
Brad greeted him enthusiastically when he stuck his head into Bourbon Street Pub, questioning Tommy's whereabouts then claiming that the suset cruises were lame and full of drunk heteros eating cheese and drinking the free cheap wine. When he saw that Adam didn't respond to his remarks, they continued in a more civilized manner, Brad actually admitting he hated to see Adam leave.
"Let's all get together for a drink tomorrow night, whataya say?"
"Sure, but let me see what Tommy has planned. I'm not sure if they have a gig or not. It's my last night and if he's not working he might have something planned."
"I'm sure he does!!" Brad leered as Adam blushed. "What ARE you going to do about Tommy?"
"What do you mean, DO about him?"
"C'mon, Adam. Life's just waiting for you. You don't need to tie yourself down to a Key West musician just because he was your first fuck.
Adam slammed his hand down on the bar making Brad jump and take a step back, then he headed for the door, Brad's half-hearted apology gettig lost in the chaos that continued on Duval Street. He had to find Tommy and they had to talk.