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A quiet excitement warmed Adam’s chest while he watched Ben excitedly pet a sea urchin at the touch pool.
“Look Adam,” Ben called out, “It’s hugging my finger!”
Adam chuckled to himself at his friend’s childlike joy. This was a nice change of pace for him, as travel days always made him a bit irritable. After having a lovely lunch at a waterfront restaurant, Ben had noticed the aquarium across the way and convinced Adam to let them attend together.
“This is literally this city’s whole deal!” he had proclaimed.
They had already checked into their hotel for the night, and the team didn’t really have any last minute gameplay issues to figure out, so all they were doing anyways was waiting for Sam to arrive the following day. So Adam relented.
He was glad he did.
Ben stood under a ring of jellyfish while Adam observed from the distance. After a few seconds of watching the jellies circle around, Adam noticed Ben stepping towards him.
“Well don’t just stand there,” Ben said, taking Adam by the arm.
Adam followed as Ben dragged him under the ring. He looked around at the jellyfish floating past. The dim LED lights shifted hues to a light pink, basking the pair in a soft blush.
Adam realized Ben hadn’t let go of his hand yet, and glanced down.
Following the movement, Ben noticed and quickly pulled his hand away, apologizing. He turned away to continue watching the jellyfish.
Adam felt a slight ache in his chest. He let his hand drop to his side, muttering, “It’s fine,” though he didn’t think Ben could hear it.
The two of them continued through the exhibits, Ben leading the charge and Adam following close behind. Every so often they’d stop and take a couple of photos. At one point, while in the underwater dome, Ben pointed out a goofy looking fish and claimed it looked like Adam. While feigning offence, Adam was ushered by Ben to stand next to the fish while he took a photo. Adam posed dejectedly, successfully making Ben laugh as he shared the results with him. Adam always loved Ben’s laughter.
Eventually the pair stepped back outside onto the pier in order to cross towards the second building. Adam watched his friend skip ahead, wholly fulfilled by the experience thus far. Quietly, he pulled out his phone and snuck a couple photos, unbeknownst to Ben, framing his figure against the breathtaking horizon view.
Ben turned around, catching Adam in the act. “Hey! At least tell me to pose, then I’ll look cuter,” Ben joked, putting his arms up in exaggerated cutesy poses.
Adam tucked his phone away. “The candid ones are always cuter,” he responded, catching up.
There was a brief shift in Ben’s expression that Adam caught as he stepped closer, making him realize what he had just said. “Sorry, not like—y’know, just... Yeah, no, sorry.” Kicking himself internally, Adam hurried ahead.
He held the door open for Ben, who stepped through with a polite smile.
The second building housed one very large tank featuring multiple windows for viewing across the two floors. They traversed through every window, taking a moment to pause at each one, just watching while the sea creatures swam across the glass. Every now and then Adam would steal a glance at Ben, trying to get a read on his friend’s thoughts or feelings. He failed to gather much of anything, though, as Ben seemed to close off a bit since the moment outside. He couldn’t help feeling like he had fucked up somehow, but didn’t know how to fix things either.
After circling around the entire exhibit, the two sat down at a bench under the largest window, which extended from the bottom of the tank in front of them, and wrapped around about 20 feet above their heads.
Adam stared at the schools of fish as they swam by, letting his eyes wander from one natural stimulus to the next. As he watched a larger fish—potentially even a shark—swim off towards the far side of the tank, he felt Ben shifting around next to him. He looked over.
Ben was looking at him. Adam watched as Ben’s eyes scanned his face. “What’s up, buddy?” he asked, apprehensive to what might come out of Ben’s mouth next.
“Listen, I just, uh, I don’t want this to ruin the recording for this season, or anything, but, um...” Ben looked down as he trailed off.
Adam felt his chest tighten. He braced for the worst. It’s fine, he’d just plaster on a smile, say ‘No worries! Forget about it! It’s nothing! Won’t even be a problem for filming don’t you worry your pretty little head!’ and move on. Well, maybe not that last bit. After all, there were plenty of other fish in the sea. Pun intended.
“I’m glad that we’re friends,” Ben continued, “I cherish our friendship more than anything—and thanks for going through the aquarium with me, it was super fun, and—”
“Buddy, you’re killing me here,” Adam interrupted, “Look, we can just forget about it, it was nothing, okay! What I said outside—I didn’t even mean it, right—?”
“You didn’t mean it?” Ben sounded hurt.
Wait, what?
“What? No, I—” Adam paused. “Do you want me to mean it?”
Ben scoffed. “I mean... yeah.”
The viewing theater was empty except for the two of them. Light from above shone through the water, bathing the pair in a dim blue wash. Reflections of the ripples shimmered across Ben’s face. Adam stared into his friend’s eyes, the ache in his chest battling the butterflies in his stomach.
“So...” Adam continued, “is this a confession?”
Ben smiled. “Yeah. I guess so.” He took Adam’s hands. “I think I love you?” he said, a hint of question in his voice. One last defense mechanism in case it all went wrong.
Adam squeezed Ben’s hands. “I love you too,” he said. His gaze travelled from Ben’s eyes down to his lips. “May I?” he muttered. This time, Adam knew Ben could hear him, because he responded with a nod.
Under the tranquility of the water, the two leaned in and kissed. Nothing long, just a quick peck on the lips. They pulled apart and smiled, studying each other’s faces. Adam turned away first, looking back up at the window before them. He was content with just that much.
And as Ben leaned his head against Adam’s shoulder, Adam felt any and all pressure clear from his chest, washed away by the water surrounding them.