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Kevin stared at his ceiling, fiddling with his fingers while anxiously pacing back and forth in his head. Everytime he closed his eyes— he’d see… José. He’d never felt that way about another man. He never thought he would, until the realization hit him like a meteor— a meteor that plummeted in speeds so fast that there was no way of climbing out of the crater. Kevin didn’t only like José, it grew into something more. He loved him.
The cowboy squeezed his pillow and sighed. Kevin must admit, he’s had this liking towards José for a long while. It all made sense now to him why he felt more strange around José. Just a while ago, he’d been dining with Demi, Tracy, Margaretha, and Helena; and now, he’s dining with struggle.
Kevin stood up from his bed, tossed the pillow aside, and left his room. The four ladies continued sitting there despite their plates being empty as they held a conversation. When Kevin stepped in, they all turned to look at him (except the Mind’s Eye, of course).
“Hey, Kevin! Can’t sleep?” Demi asked, nodding a coil of her hair away from her face.
“That’s right, I can’t,” Kevin answered. “Got other things in my head!” he included before his previous sentence sounded too suspicious.
“Such as?” Margaretha spoke, smiling.
“Uhh,” Kevin stammered. He stopped in front of the table, leaning in with discretion. “Don’t tell anyone, but I uh…I think I really like José.”
Helena smiled widely. “Really, Mister Cowboy? I knew my ears weren’t deceiving me when I’d hear your pitch change around him!”
“I knew it!” Tracy exclaimed. “Sit! We have a lot of advice to give you. You need to impress Mister Baden, don’t back off!”
They pulled a chair out and ushered him onto it. “Serenade him,” Margaretha suggested. “Play any instruments? He’ll surely enjoy your playing!”
Kevin nodded, considering that idea. His posture straightened and hope glimmered in his proud eyes. “I can . I’m gonna play the most beautiful damn piece on the mandolin he’s ever heard. Thanks, kitten!” Kevin skipped his fist off the table and stood up that instant.
“Wait, wait,” Demi led him back down to his seat. Kevin slumped back down. “Does he sleep during these times?”
“I don’t think so,” Helena said.
Kevin stood back up, running a hand through his hair. “Hear that? I’ve got a mission to do! I’ll tell y’all how it goes.” Kevin returned to his room, searching for his mandolin. After tuning the sour strings, he picked a quick melody then left for José’s.
It wasn’t as easy as he thought he scripted in his mind. He hugged the mandolin close to his chest while staring at the intimidating door of José. The supportive group of four shot him grins and thumbs-ups at the end of the hall.
The cowboy took a deep breath. He knocked on the door, and with the last few seconds before he somehow caught on fire, he adjusted the instrument and fixed his hair.
The door opened and Kevin blurted out, “José….” The first officer popped his head out, looking suave as always. Kevin felt his cheeks heat up and to cover it, he said, “Stand by, good man. I will play for you.”
An uneasy smile etched over José’s lips as he noticed the cowboy’s intention. “Kevin, I—”
Kevin cut him off with the skillful playing of his mandolin. José slowly sank back into his room and away from the music. He seemed offended, even, as if someone had slapped him across the face with an insult.
Kevin noticed this and came to a slow stop. With the speed of a sloth, he hid the mandolin behind his back and pursed his lips. “Anyway, what’d you think about the chicken for dinner?”
“I didn’t eat dinner,” José replied.
“Oh.”
There was a long pause. “You see, I’m not really fond of music.” José looked at the cowboy with doubt.
“Yes, that’s completely fine! I’ve got some ladies to talk to…so, I’ll talk to you later, eh?” Kevin chuckled nervously and took a few steps back, pretending as if he didn’t just embarrass himself in front of the other.
He returned the four spectators, face long and hope lost. “What’d he tell you?” Tracy asked, concerned when he noticed Kevin’s state.
“He said he doesn't like music,” Kevin responded, sight downcast at his stringed instrument. “I think he hates me now.”
“No, no! Give it another try, please,” Demi pleaded.
“Who doesn’t like music?” Margaretha questioned in disbelief. “So then, he doesn’t like the sound of my music boxes?”
“Don’t worry, Marg, I do. They’re very nice to listen to,” Helena comforted, giving her hand a light pat. “Mister Cowboy, I think you should read him a lovely poem. Actually…maybe that’d take too long.”
“How about pick-up lines?” Tracy suggested.
“Yes, that’s better! Kevin does say them often, after all.” Helena pointed a blind finger out.
——
Kevin found himself in front of José’s door once again, a yellowing paper with messy writing in his hands. Out of all the times Kevin flirted with José, he had to feel nervous that time. He whispered the lines to himself before knocking, engraving them in his head. He wished to be the paper he held— loose, relaxed, and no worries.
Kevin shoved the paper in his pocket then knocked. The door opened, revealing just who Kevin wanted to see.
José crossed his arms and leaned against the side of the door with a light smile. “Are you here to play some more music?”
Kevin cleared his throat and tipped his hat as a greeting. “Not anymore. I’ve brought along
something even better.” But before Kevin could even start off with his pick-up line, his eyes landed on José’s shirt. He had to come out wearing that chest-exposing shirt. And now, Kevin couldn’t contain himself.
The cowboy lost his train of thought. He reached for the paper, shaking so intensely the ink was nothing but a blur. José took the paper and held it for him.
“Better?” José asked.
“Uhh, yeah I think. Y’know, I actually don’t need that paper,” Kevin said, rubbing the nape of his own neck.
“So I can read it myself?”
“No!” Kevin snatched the paper back. He gripped onto it, looking down to avoid any eye contact with the first officer. “I have it memorized.”
“Go on, cowboy.” José watched him attentively.
Kevin coughed into his fist and started, “A… a single glance at your eyes makes me fall into hypnotization.” The cowboy swore he saw José’s cheeks redden. In excitement, he took that as a good sign and continued, “Your—”
“You say that and yet you cannot even look at me,” José said as he tipped Kevin’s chin for their eyes to meet.
Kevin felt himself ascend looking into José’s multicolored eyes. He quickly averted his eyesight and excused, “I…I gotta go put some things away.”
José watched the other leave, a smug look on his face.
Once Kevin returned to his group of supporters, he dropped himself on a seat. “I don’t think he liked it,” he told them, setting his hat down as if it were a time of grief.
“Huh? He looked happy,” Demi nullified his statement.
“Yeah! He looked kind of satisfied when you weren’t looking,” Tracy supported with a nod.
“I’ll take your words for it.” Kevin wondered what would’ve happened if he didn’t leave so soon. He wrote much more on the paper than he read out loud to the first officer. Plus, José’s witty smile and eyes made his heart skip a beat, so he couldn’t resist standing there.
“How about you make him something? Anything,” Tracy suggested. “I can help you out! It can be like a craft.”
“Would a small boat work?” Kevin questioned.
Tracy beamed with a nod. “Anything can work as long as we work together!” She brought materials over to the table, allowing Kevin to muse at the items.
A while of crafting a miniature ship with the great hand of Tracy, Kevin was able to finish quickly. It looked so realistic that it was as if someone shrunk a real ship into the size of Kevin’s palm. Needless to say, they were proud of the result. Though Helena couldn’t quite see it, she could feel its quality.
“You did most of it, Kevin,” Tracy said, putting materials away into a toolbox. “I only helped a little.”
“That looks finely crafted! Now I wish I had one,” Margaretha awed.
“It wouldn’t have been done without your guys’ help, y’know?” Kevin grinned widely.
“C’mon, Cowboy. Go to your man.” Demi nudged him. Kevin stood up, the others following to spectate at the end of the hall. With one last look at the gift for José, he knocked at his door. José opened it for the third time.
“Greetings,” José saluted, no irritation in his voice.
The cowboy proudly presented the small ship in front of him. “I know you like navigating, so I made you a lil’ thing!” he explained, bringing his hand up for the other to take.
“Oh, Kevin,” José started, taking the tiny creation into his hand. “How cute.”
Kevin crossed his arms as he bathed in the spotlight his own ego cast upon him. He pinched a wink over to Demi, Helena, Margaretha, and Tracy. “Yeah, took me ages. I was right above snakes but it was worth it,” Kevin boasted as he turned to look at José again.
“Thank you. It looks just like one.” José examined the ship, treating it with delicacy, then looked at Kevin. “But Kevin, let’s look at the big picture here.” He lowered his voice a bit, pulling the ship close against his chest.
Kevin heaved a sigh. “It’s about the music, isn’t it?”
“No, Kevin. It’s about….” José paused. “Us.”
The cowboy flinched at the word, his heart packing its luggage. “Yeah, what about us?”
“I like you— and I’ve liked you for a while now,” José confessed. Kevin froze. He was unsure of what to do, and his first instinct was to lean in and kiss José.
“He’s doing it!” Tracy quietly exclaimed. “They’re kissing!”
“Really? We should give them some privacy,” Helena spoke, stepping away from the corner. The other three did the same, walking away and back to the dining table.
Meanwhile, the cowboy and the first officer tried convincing themselves they weren’t dreaming. They released the kiss to gaze into each other’s eyes, only to look away in embarrassment.
“Uhh, I like you too,” Kevin spoke up. “I meant to say that a…long time ago.”
“I know. I wanted to see how far you could go.”
Kevin frowned. “So you knew? That’s not very nice of you.”
“I’m sorry, but it was quite charming,” José teased.
“I’ll forgive you if you give me a hug,” Kevin hinted, raising his arms. José stepped in and wrapped his arms around his torso, followed by Kevin pulling him close.
“Good enough?” José asked.
“Yep, you’re forgiven.” Kevin and José parted from the hug. “Well— wanna be a couple?”
The thought of them having a closer relationship made the first officer’s cheeks glow. “Of course I do,” José responded, feeling the soft feathers of Kevin’s poncho-like shirt with his fingertips.
“Now I can hug you whenever I want!” Kevin yanked the other into another sudden hug, pecking an almost effortless kiss on his cheek.
“My goodness, you’ll attract attention.” José continued to carefully hold onto the crafted ship, ensuring he wouldn’t lose his balance.
“That’s alright! They’ll all know just how much I love you.” Kevin’s hat toppled off as he buried his face in the crook of the first officer’s neck. José let out a soft laugh and knit his fingers through Kevin’s hair.
“I should put your gift down somewhere before I drop it,” José advised. Kevin released his grasp around the other, but before José could step back into his room, he added, “You can come in, by the way. I don’t mind.”
Without hesitation, Kevin followed José into his room.