Moving Forward - 33. Chapter 33 (8.1)

Marshall stretched languidly in the comfortable bed. Not bothering to open his eyes, he automatically reached for Lee. When he encountered Lee’s warmth, he snuggled up against him, wrapping an arm about him as he pressed his face against Lee’s bare back. Lee covered Marshall’s arm with his, and they lay together in companionable silence.

Sounds began to gradually filter into Marshall’s consciousness through the open door, and as his brain began to sort them out, his eyes popped open. They’d arrived! They were actually in the Virgin Islands.

Unable to contain his excitement, he leapt out of bed and raced out onto the balcony. The island of St. Croix stretched before him. The boat had docked sometime in the night, and they were far from the only ship in the harbor, which bustled with activity. He’d never seen such beautiful water in his life, blues and greens he couldn’t even identify. A real paradise. Marshall raced back to the bed. “Lee, we’re here!” he cried excitedly.

Lee rolled over, pushing the sheet aside as he did. His expression was one of loving amusement as he smiled at Marshall. “Does that surprise you?” he teased.

“C’mon out and see,” Marshall beckoned. He’d gotten past being too embarrassed to step out on the balcony without any clothes. He knew they weren’t exactly in anyone’s line of sight.

Lee allowed Marshall to pull him out of the bed and onto the balcony.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” Marshall said in an awestruck voice. He’d never seen a place as lovely as this.

Lee wrapped his arms about Marshall. He softly kissed his shoulder. “It’s very beautiful,” he agreed.

“Wow, look at all the fishing boats. And oh, the sail boats,” Marshall said with rising excitement. “I wonder if we can go sailing sometime?”

“I’m sure they have tours for that,” Lee said. “You can probably find tours for anything you could possibly want to do.”

Marshall turned within the radius of Lee’s arms. “What are we going to do?”

“I thought we’d see what our options are and take it from there. I think everything’s listed in the ship’s brochure. Maybe order some breakfast and look it over while we decide?”

“Can we eat out here?”

“Absolutely,” Lee said.

They order a huge breakfast from room service, along with a pot of coffee. By the time the food arrived, they were already dressed in colorful shorts and shirts and sandals. They couldn’t have asked for better weather. Warm, but not overly so. A gentle breeze that wafted enticing aromas. They poured over the brochure, which included a list of things to do in St. Thomas, as well as on the ship. It all looked so enticing.

“Well, first question is do you want to stay on the boat or get off?” Lee asked practically.

That was a no-brainer. “I’d like to go on shore and do something,” Marshall said.

A knock on the door interrupted their discussion. “Probably the waiter come to get out stuff. I’ll let him in,” Marshall offered. He padded across the suite and opened the door. But it wasn’t the waiter who’d knocked, it was Roger who stood there. He also wore tropical looking garb, including a Dallas Cowboys baseball cap.

“Hey guys!” he greeted them. He was grinning and looked as excited as Marshall felt. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything?”

“No, come on in, we’re just hanging out on the balcony.”

Roger’s eyes lit up at the word balcony. He followed Marshall outside. Marshall took the chair closest to Lee, and Roger sat across from them.

“Wow, this is awesome,” he said. “Love that hot tub. Is it as nice as it looks?”

“Nicer,” Marshall said.

“We were just deciding what to do today, did you have any plans?” Lee asked.