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Cooper groaned as he rolled over in his hard, uncomfortable bed. It was really doing a number on his back. “Mh.” He sighed and rolled back over, unable to get comfortable. He grumbled when he heard Ricky knock something off the bathroom counter and buried his head underneath his pillow, trying to block out the noise. It did nothing as Cooper could still hear Ricky choking as he brushed his teeth. Who chokes while brushing their teeth? This had actually been going on for a week and this was their last full day on the cruise. Cooper eventually had enough and opened his eyes, seeing all of the lights on. He took the pillow off of his head as it had no effect. He sighed, watching Ricky walk out of the bathroom with his toothbrush still in his mouth. Cooper couldn’t help but roll his eyes.
“Hey, I saw that,” Ricky said, his voice muffled by the toothbrush.
“Why you looking?” Cooper muttered, closing his eyes again. Both of them had never been on a cruise before, so this was their first time. So why not spend it together? They’ve been best friends ever since they got out of the hell hole called Tripwire. Cooper and his girlfriend got back together and Ricky got a new job instead of working for Wirestudy. A lot has happened since their departure from Tripwire. Ricky was so much happier with his new job that it seemed unreal.
---
Ricky grabbed his straw and went back into the bathroom, finishing up his brushing before spitting the toothpaste out and rinsing his mouth out with mouthwash. He swished it around in his mouth as he put his straw in, humming ‘Around the Bend.’ As he put his straw in, however, it made this awful sound, probably waking Cooper up again. He spit out his mouthwash. “Sorry Coops,” Ricky called from inside the bathroom, receiving no response. Ricky shrugged and turned the faucet on, rinsing off his spit from inside the sink. Cooper had been distraught when his brother, Lewis, had died. Ricky was obviously there to comfort him, but Cooper had changed for the worse for a while. Part of the reason why they went on this cruise in the first place.
Now it was time to wake up Cooper so they could go get breakfast in time. He walked out of the bathroom and into the bedroom (the only other room besides the closet) and stood in front of Cooper’s bed. Cooper slowly opened his eyes, looking up at him. “Hurry up and get ready, breakfast is gonna close soon.”
“Wow not even a ‘good morning?’” Cooper replied.
Ricky dramatically sighed. “Good morning I guess.”
Cooper huffed and turned back around, facing away from Ricky. Ricky rolled his eyes and pulled the blankets off of Cooper, exposing him to the cold.
“Hey!” He tried reaching for the blanket, but Ricky held it away from him.
“Get up,” Ricky said in a sing-song voice.
Cooper groaned and rolled onto his back, looking up at Ricky. “Asshole,” he grumbled, swinging his legs over the bed and sitting up. Ricky put the blanket back down and went to go sit on his own bed. Cooper sighed and stood up, stretching his limbs and putting on his glasses afterward. He yawned as he walked over to the bathroom to brush his own teeth. “What should we do today?” he asked as he put toothpaste on his toothbrush.
“Uhh how about we go to the pool? Or maybe a movie. Or maybe both. And then we could go to dinner in the evening,” Ricky suggested.
That didn’t seem like a bad idea. Except for the pool part. Cooper couldn’t get in the water because he will get damaged. “I’m not sure if I’d want to go to the pool,” Cooper doubted before he moved his toothbrush up and down his teeth. Ricky then walked into the bathroom and stood beside him, looking at him in the mirror.
“Well, you could always just sit in one of the chairs.” Ricky shrugged.
Cooper paused and glared at him. “Where’s the fun in that?”
“I don’t know, read a book. Or just watch me swim around.” Ricky laughed. “Maybe you’ll make a new friend.”
Cooper paused as he thought about that for a second. “Maybe I could call Olivia,” he mumbled.
“Hey yeah exactly.” Ricky patted him on the back. Quite hard actually. Almost like he was hitting him.
“Ok ok stop,” Cooper chuckled. As he was finishing brushing his teeth, Ricky huffed and walked out. What was with him? One moment he apologizes for waking him up and the next, he hits him and acts like a spoiled kid.
Call Olivia my ass, Ricky thought as he sat back down on his bed. He feels like that would just take Cooper away from him. It has in the past where Ricky would make plans with him and then out of nowhere, he would just… say he forgot. But then Ricky would see him with his girlfriend somewhere else. This way, on a cruise, they could stick together 24/7 and not worry about Cooper’s other plans that he wouldn’t say anything about. One of the reasons why Olivia couldn’t go on the cruise with him was because of her job. Ricky hated her and he didn’t even know much about her. He just presumed that she was a bad person, but he didn’t have any evidence. It should be hard to hate someone that is the nicest person on the planet, but for Ricky, hate was easy to come by with her.
Cooper walked out of the bathroom and flipped the light off before he stood in front of Ricky, making him look up at him. “Are you ready? To get breakfast I mean.”
Ricky nodded and stood up out of his bed. Being a bit taller than Cooper, he was now looking down at him.
As they made their way down the hallway, Ricky looked around at all of the doors. There’s probably some happy couple still sleeping somewhere beyond these doors. No one goes on a cruise alone unless they’re weird. “Do you ever think about who other people might be?” Ricky asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Like… do you ever wonder like who an object is just based on the way they present themselves?” Ricky looked over at Cooper, who thought for a moment.
“Like judge them?” Cooper asked.
“Well like, I remember when I first saw you and learned that you dropped out of film school, I thought you were a total geek. Guess I wasn’t… halfway wrong.” Ricky snickered.
Cooper rolled his eyes. “I mean I guess I sometimes do wonder about that stuff. It’s like judging a book by it’s cover. Didn’t your parents ever tell you not to do that?”
“I… I don’t wanna talk about them,” Ricky said quietly as they both reached the elevator.
Cooper looked at him sympathetically. “I’m sorry I forg-“
“It’s fine,” Ricky cut him off as he pressed the floor number they wanted to go to. They then stood in silence throughout the elevator ride. Once the elevator dinged, they finally got off after what seemed like hours.
“So uh…” Cooper and Ricky both walked onto the deck. “What did you feel like eating?” Cooper asked as they both walked.
“Um… I don’t know. Maybe grits if they have it,” Ricky replied softly.
Cooper could tell that Ricky’s mood changed at the mention of his parents. Maybe Cooper would have to go with him to the pool after all. Anything to cheer him up. This was supposed to be a vacation, not a lonesome bedroom. “I’ve never been too big on grits. They taste weird and they feel like soft, wet sand.”
---
“I can’t wait to see Olivia,” Cooper sighed as he watched Ricky eat his grits at the table by the window. Ricky looked up from his food and had an unreadable expression on his face. “Okay okay I’m sorry I just… I don’t know. I wish she could’ve gone on this trip with us you know?”
Ricky rolled his eyes, seemingly playful. “Blah blah blah, Olivia this, Olivia that,” he said before he went back to eating his food. Cooper took a bite out of his pancake, looking out the window at the vast expanse of ocean.
“My bad,” Cooper apologized, a sigh soon following. “It’s pretty out there, isn’t it?”
Ricky looked up and followed Cooper’s gaze to the window. “Yeah...” Ricky then looked over at Cooper, who was still gazing out the window. Ricky glanced at Cooper’s hand as he moved it next to his. Not on purpose obviously, but it still made Ricky’s heart flutter. What was up with him today? He was hyperaware of everything.
Cooper looked back down at his food and took another bite, making Ricky quickly advert his gaze to his own food. “You know,” Cooper started, “I’m glad I brought my tie because aren’t the dinners like kind of fancy?” He asked as Ricky nodded. “Yeah. Did you bring anything for that?”
“I brought my bowtie,” Ricky replied, gazing down at his food. Why was he feeling this way?
“What’s wrong?” Cooper asked. Of course he noticed.
“Nothing I’m just ready to get in the pool,” Ricky lied. Cooper laughed, his voice cracking ever so slightly. Ricky looked up at him, his face becoming warm.
“You know you’re supposed to wait before you get into the water after you eat.” Cooper pointed at him with his fork, looking back down at his last bite of pancake before eating it.
Ricky sighed. “Whatever.” He took a sip of his drink before he got up and stretched his limbs. He looked over at Cooper, who was staring out the window yet again, probably thinking about his stupid girlfriend. Ricky watched the way he rested his head on his fist and tapped his fingers against the table. God Ricky couldn’t stop looking at him. What was wrong with him?
Cooper noticed how the water moved around them. He had always wished he could swim. It sounded so fun, but he just couldn’t unless he was in a bag and that was not fun. He sighed as he looked back over at Ricky, who was fiddling with his fingers. Cooper wondered what he was thinking about that would make him so nervous. He needed a break from the world. “C’mon, lets go to the pool,” Cooper said, a faint smile on his face.
---
Ricky put some towels down on the pool chairs so they could claim them, then headed towards the pool. He glanced behind him at Cooper, who was settling down on one of the chairs and got comfortable on the towel that Ricky had just laid down for him. He smiled before he stepped into the pool. He looked around for someone to talk to. There were a bunch of adults with their children. Not really anyone that seemed alone like him. He swam around, still looking for someone. What if he brought Wormple with him? That would've been fun. Ricky looked back over at Cooper, who was on the phone with someone. Already calling his girlfriend? Damn.
“Oh yeah I bet. I’m sorry honey, that sounds awful,” Cooper said sympathetically. “Well I’m sunbathing right now so I have all the time in the world.” Cooper looked back over to the pool, searching for Ricky and making eye contact with him. Ricky quickly looked away. Huh. That was weird. “Oh you have to go? Alright well it was nice talking to you. I love you,” Cooper said, a faint smile on his face as he continued to watch Ricky. “Bye bye.” Cooper hung up the phone and got up from his chair, walking over to the side of the pool Ricky was on. “What do you want now?” He asked Ricky, who looked up at him.
“Nothing I was just wondering who were on the phone with. Let me guess, your girlfriend?” Ricky raised an eyebrow, obviously unamused.
Cooper sighed, rolling his eyes. “Yes, Ricky, I called my girlfriend. You got a problem with that?”
Ricky glared at him. He didn’t want to admit it, but he had the biggest problem with that. “Nope. Not at all,” he lied. He didn’t know why this was bothering him so much, but he just couldn’t help but be a little jealous. Why? He had no idea.
“Then stop being a weirdo.” Cooper started to walk back over to his chair before Ricky made a split decision to splash a bit of water at him. Luckily it didn’t hit his main body, but it hit his legs. Cooper turned around, his expression unreadable as he kicked the water off of his legs. “Stop it, Ricky.”
Ricky watched as Cooper went to go sit back down in his pool chair. He needed to relax. He was wayyy too worked up. He got out of the pool and looked around. What could he do that was relaxing? Ah the hot tub. Perfect. He went over to the hot tub and slowly got into it, careful not to disturb the other people around him. He let out a soft hum as he settled into the hot tub, the warmth engulfing him. He glanced at Cooper still sitting in his chair, appearing to be playing a game on his phone as it was turned sideways. Ricky sighed. He didn’t mean to be mean to him, but he couldn’t keep his feelings bottled up forever. Besides, what feelings were they even? Jealousy? Hurt?... Love? Ricky paused, clearing his throat and looking away from Cooper. No definitely not love.
“What’s your name, Mr. Cup?”
Ricky looked over at the little tomato that was talking to him. Seemed like a nice kid. “Oh I’m Ricky.” He smiled.
The kid laughed. “Ricky? That’s a weird name. I’m Charlie.” Ok maybe not.
“That’s an even weirder name,” Ricky said jokingly. Charlie laughed. “Where are you from?” Ricky asked.
“Missouri,” Charlie said, playing with the jets in the hot tub. Missouri. That’s were he moved to be closer to his best friend, Cooper.
“Hey, no way that’s where I live. What town?”
“Don’t answer him, Charlie. He could be a creep.” A red tomato, presumable his mom, had said.
“Oh no I’m not-“ Ricky had started before Charlie’s mom dragged him out of the hot tub.
“But mommm,” Charlie whined. And soon enough, he was all the way on the other side of the deck.
“What was that about?” Someone behind him had asked.
Ricky slightly jumped, turning around to see Cooper. “I… don’t even know.”
Cooper offered to help him out of the hot tub. “Movie time?” He asked.
Ricky chuckled. “I have to get a shower first. I don’t want all this chlorine on me. And besides, that kid probably peed in here.”
Cooper laughed. “Alright, alright.”
---
Once they arrived at their room, Cooper unlocked the door and let the both of them in. “Hurry up and take your shower. I’m so bored,” Cooper complained.
“Hold on, jeez.” Ricky took his towel off of him and hung it up on the rack in the bathroom. He then shut the door and turned the shower on. He waited a bit for the water to get warm, looking at himself in the mirror. He fixed his crooked straw. Was it crooked this entire time? And Cooper said nothing about it? Ricky had then gotten into the shower, standing there for a minute. He sighed, thinking about Cooper again. It was normal to think about your best friend. He loves him. As a friend of course. Ricky thought the word ‘friend’ felt so wrong to say. It’s what they were though. Nothing more, nothing less. Ricky grunted and leaned his head against the wall. He hated feelings that conflicted with each other almost as much as he hated hugs. He grabbed the soap and squirted some on a rag, He then lathered it up and spread it over himself, washing his body.
Cooper sighed as he lay down on his bed, hearing Ricky knock something over in the shower. Cooper chuckled. He was so clumsy.
Eventually, Ricky got out of the bathroom with a towel on. He obviously didn’t dry himself off enough because Cooper could still see beads of water on his face and straw. “Do you know what the movie listings are?” Cooper asked, fidgeting with one of his buttons on his chest as he lay in his bed.
“Nope. Haven’t looked yet.” Ricky finished drying himself off before he put the towel back in the bathroom and walked over to Cooper’s bed, sitting on the edge of it. He then pulled out his phone and looked on the app to see what movie listings there were. “Ooh there’s this one. It shows at 3.”
“Alright.”
---
As they both walked into the theater, they sat down next to each other close to the back of the room, waiting for the movie to start. Ricky fidgeted with his fingers. Why was he so nervous?
“Have you ever gone on a movie date with Olivia?” Ricky asked quietly, looking over at Cooper.
“Yeah it was one of the first dates we went on. I think the first one was a cat café. I sneezed the whole time.” Cooper laughed. “Man I miss her.”
Ricky’s mouth formed a line. Of course he did. He wanted this to be special without Cooper thinking of his girlfriend. Not exactly a romantic date. Well maybe. God damn why does he keep thinking like this? How was he going to feel at the fancy dinner they were going to go to later? Seeing Cooper in a tie… Ricky sighed to shake the thought, looking over at Cooper, who was silencing his phone.
Eventually, the lights dimmed, signaling that the movie was about to start. Ricky looked up at the screen before noticing that Cooper had put his arm on the armrest that was in between the two. Ricky glanced down at his hand and cleared his throat.
---
About an hour in, Ricky could hear a faint snoring from beside him. He looked over at Cooper, who was sound asleep in his chair, resting his head on his fist. Ricky smiled, silently chuckling when he noticed Cooper’s drool. How was he already tired? All he did all day was sunbathe. Maybe the sun made him tired. Ricky gazed at Cooper’s hand that was still on the armrest. What if he just…
He poked it, watching Cooper to see if he reacted. No response. Ricky tapped it some more. Still nothing. He wanted to hold it. Wait what? No he didn’t that’s gay. But… No Cooper had a girlfriend. C’mon, just once?
Ricky hesitated before he rested his hand atop of Cooper’s, making his own breath hitch. What am I doing what am I doing??
He couldn’t bring himself to take it off. He rubbed his thumb over Cooper’s knuckles. Feeling how soft they were underneath his fingers was pure bliss. He felt his face heat up to a thousand degrees. God help him.
He quickly took his hand off of Cooper’s, trying to steady his breath. Why was that… exhilarating? He had never touched someone else’s hand like that, much less their knuckles.
The rest of the movie, Ricky couldn’t stop thinking about what he did. What if Cooper noticed? What if now he thinks he’s weird? He kept glancing at him to see if there was anything to tell that he noticed. Nothing. He was still lightly snoring as if nothing happened until, eventually, the movie had ended.
“Hey Coops… wake up,” Ricky said softly, gently shaking him awake.
“Wha?” Cooper slowly opened his eyes, looking at Ricky and then at the drool that was on the arm he was resting on. He quickly wiped it off. Was he asleep? “Is it over? Sorry I just didn’t get good sleep last night,” Cooper explained as Ricky chuckled, his face visibly redder than normal. Oh no what did he do now?
“It’s ok. It was a pretty boring movie.” Ricky smiled sincerely. “Did you wanna get some sleep and then head to dinner?” He asked.
Cooper nodded, stretching as he got up from his chair. As they headed out, Cooper couldn’t help but feel like something was wrong. He just felt… nervous? He quickly shook off the feeling as it was probably nothing.
---
Once they arrived back at their room, Cooper immediately faceplanted into his bed after putting his glasses on the side table, letting out a long sigh. Ricky smiled. He was so cute. Wait no he wasn’t. That’s weird. Ricky rubbed his face and dug through his luggage, looking for his black bowtie. God he was so nervous. What if he does something weird at dinner? He was going to be such a mess. Once he found his bowtie, he went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror to put it on. Once he clasped it around himself, he fixed his straw, trying to look as good as possible. So much so, that he even brushed his teeth again. Once he finished, he walked back into the bedroom and watched as Cooper turned over and faced away from him, the covers now over him. The only thing not under the covers was his antenna. Ricky smiled, sitting on his own bed.
---
Eventually, after forever, Cooper had woken up. He looked over to see that Ricky was playing on his phone on the edge of his bed with his bowtie on and his straw nice and well-kept. He smiled. “Morning Stoley,” Cooper said as a reference back to when they were in Tripwire.
Ricky looked over at him. “I already told you not to call me that and it’s not even morning. Now get ready. We’re gonna be leaving soon.”
“Fine.” Cooper got out of bed and searched through his own luggage, finding his own tie. He then went into the bathroom to look in the mirror to put it on. He put it around himself and tightened it, adjusting it so that it was centered. He dusted himself off and made himself look decent.
Ricky sighed as he played GD on his phone, waiting for Cooper to get out of the bathroom. After some time, he did and Ricky looked up at him, his heart stopping momentarily. Who knew that one measly little red and blue tie would make him look so… gorgeous. Ricky quickly composed himself and looked away so he wouldn’t be seen staring. “You look… nice,” Ricky mumbled.
Cooper laughed, his voice cracking again. God he was going to be the death of him. “Same goes for you. The black complements your color. Even if it is basic.” Cooper offered a smile. Ricky thought he was going to spontaneously combust with how hot his face was.
“T-thanks.” Ricky managed to smile back. “Are you ready?” He asked, standing up from his bed. Cooper nodded and they both left the room and headed towards the elevator.
As they walked down the hallway, Cooper spoke up, “You know, Olivia and I have never gone to a fancy dinner before. This will be my first,” Cooper pointed out. Ricky was glad that Cooper could spend his first fancy dinner with him instead of his stupid girlfriend, but at the same time, he just kept bringing her up. Is that all he thinks of? Ricky felt his heart sink.
They reached the elevator and Ricky pushed the floor number they were going to. Once they had arrived at their floor, they walked past the lobby and found their seats. Ricky looked around. This place was definitely romantic. He looked back over at Cooper and noticed how he looked in the dim light. God he looked… perfect. Alluring.
“So what do you think you want?” Cooper asked, seemingly not noticing how Ricky was staring at him. He was focused on the menu instead.
“Uhh… The frog legs look good.” Ricky looked back down at his own menu.
“Olivia loves frog legs,” Cooper said, a faint smile on his face. God all he talks about is his girlfriend.
“Is that all you think about?” Ricky asked, coming off a bit harsh. Cooper looked up at him, confused. “Every time that you talk, it’s about your girlfriend. Can you ever talk about anything else besides your girlfriend?” Ricky spat, a bit louder than he intended. Now people were looking at them.
Cooper looked around at some of the people looking at them. He put his menu down, looking back at Ricky. “I’m... sorry, Ricky I didn’t know you didn’t like that.” What was up with him? Why didn’t he like it?
“Don’t like it? I-“ Ricky stopped before he could say anything further that would reveal his feelings. He looked behind Cooper at the people staring at them. Perhaps he was louder than he thought. “S-sorry I just…” He couldn’t find the words. Great, he ruined everything. Kill me now, he thought. “Just forget about it. You can talk about her, I’m just… being dumb.” People started to look away now, becoming uninterested.
“No, what’s wrong? Why don’t you like me talking about her? Are you jealous or something? Or did you want this time to be just for us?” Cooper asked.
“A little bit of both.” Ricky sighed. “I just… It’s you. It’s always been you... You’re all I can think about. I think I have a crush on you. I know that’s like the gayest thing ever but… I think I love you, Cooper.”
Ricky watched as Cooper’s mouth hung slightly open as he processed everything that Ricky had just said. “Y-you shouldn’t.”
“I know it’s wrong. I know. I just… when we were at the movies and you were sleeping, I put my hand on yours a-and it felt like bliss. I know you have a girlfriend and I’m jealous of her every single day, but I just wanted to get this off my chest. We can still be friends, right?” Ricky laughed nervously.
Cooper sat there, a prevalent blush on his face. There were no further words exchanged for almost a whole minute. Ricky sighed and hid his face with his hands. “Just forget I said anything,” he mumbled.
They ordered and then eventually, the waiter brought them their food. Rickly stared at his frog legs, picking up his fork and poking them with it. ‘Olivia loves frog legs,’ he remembered Cooper saying.
Cooper stared at his food as well, still trying to process what just happened. ‘We can still be friends, right?’ Cooper looked up at Ricky, who looked like he was about to cry. Of course they could… maybe? He didn’t know anymore. This explains why Ricky’s been acting so weird and why Cooper felt nervous after he woke up at the theater. Should he just…? No he shouldn’t. What if Olivia found out? She would immediately break up with him and he couldn’t do that to her. He couldn’t break her heart. Besides, what were they going to do after they had gotten back home? He can’t cheat on Olivia after they had just got back together. That’s heartless. But at the same time, he wanted to show Ricky things that he’s never had before. Like what being in a relationship is like. Like what holding hands is like. What kissing is like. Cooper quickly cleared his throat and looked back down at his food. God he was so conflicted. I can’t break her heart, he thought. I just can’t. I will regret it.
“Hey Cooper?” Ricky asked softly. Cooper looked up at him. Seeing Ricky teary-eyed was something that Cooper never wanted to see. “Can we just get some fresh air? This place is strangling me,” Ricky said, looking away from him.
“Of course,” Cooper replied as they both got up. Cooper thanked the waiter and they both left. Cooper followed as Ricky walked past the lobby and into the elevator, pushing the highest floor button. Cooper leaned against the wall, grabbing onto the rail. “Where are we going?” He asked, noticing how the top floor button was pressed.
“The top,” Ricky said.
Cooper chuckled. “Isn’t it like, super windy up there?”
Ricky nodded. “That’s the point,” he said bluntly.
Cooper took the hint and stopped talking.
Once they had arrived at the top floor, he and Ricky stepped out of the elevator. Cooper followed him as he took the stairs up to the tippy top of the ship. They exchanged silence as they walked across the deck and over to the edge of the ship. Cooper then stood next to Ricky behind the railing. “You know I’ll hate you for this,” Cooper said, a sad smile on his lips.
Ricky’s lips formed a line as he peered over the ship’s railing. What if he jumped? He cleared his throat. “I know,” he said softly.
“But also, have you ever thought to just let go?” Cooper asked, looking into the dark expanse.
Ricky looked over at him. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know. Whatever ‘letting go’ is like for you.” Cooper shrugged.
Ricky thought for a moment, still looking at Cooper. How DOES he let go? He’s been so uptight ever since the first day he got on the cruise. Now it’s his last on this ship. He might as well make it last.
“Love is natural and… real you know?” Cooper said, “It’s easy to love. Just like it’s easy to hate. You just need to find a way to let go.” He looked over at Ricky and they made eye contact. Cooper then grabbed his tie and offered the end of it to Ricky, who hesitantly took it. “C’mon,” Cooper chuckled. “I know you want to.”
Ricky looked between Cooper and his red and blue tie. ‘C’mon, I know you want to.’ Ricky took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Just… breathe. He opened them again, seeing Cooper smiling at him. Ricky then clutched Cooper’s tie a little tighter before he gently pulled it, leaning in as well until their lips collided. He felt Cooper’s hands on his sides soon after. God, this was perfect. He felt so… complete. He wanted nothing more than this moment of pure bliss. Pure heaven. Pure everything he’d ever known. They stayed like this for a moment before Cooper was the first to break the delicate kiss. “Told you.” He smiled.
Ricky laughed. A genuine, real laugh. Cooper started to laugh as well until they heard footsteps. They both looked over at the person that walked onto the deck they were on. They both looked at each other and as Ricky was about to walk away out of embarrassment, Cooper grabbed his arm and pulled him into another kiss. A deeper one. One that seemed to last forever.
Cooper didn’t care about the other person there like Ricky did. In fact, he was glad that they were watching. Cooper’s heart did a backflip when Ricky let out a soft hum and held his face. It seemed like Ricky didn’t care as much as he let on.
Ricky’s legs felt like jelly, and his chest was tight. He then pulled away from him, breathless. He hummed as Cooper pecked him on the forehead. “What will Olivia think?” Ricky asked, a bit worried.
Cooper shrugged. “She won’t be happy. But I wouldn’t worry about it. You’re the only thing I want right now.”
Ricky smiled. “I think my heart breaks a little every time I think about that,” He said, looking into the expanse of pitch black water. Cooper lightly grazed Ricky’s knuckle with his own.
“Can I?”
“Of course.”