What Happens on the Cruise

66. I Will Wait

Tim and Austin lay spooned together, slowly recovering from their lovemaking. Tim kissed down Austin's neck and along his shoulder.

"Hmmm," Austin sighed with contentment. "Keep doing that and I might be up for round two."

"Round two sounds like fun." Tim's phone bleeped.

"Ignore it."

"Yeah."

There was a second bleep, then a third and fourth in quick succession.

"What the hell?" Austin griped.

"Should I--" Tim's question was cut off by his phone's ring tone.

"Guess you should."

"It's on your side, can you grab it?"

"Sure." Austin grabbed the phone and glanced at the screen. "No caller ID, Texas number."

"Let it go to voicemail. What were the texts?"

Austin pulled up Tim's text messages, his heart sinking as he saw the start of the first one.

"What is it?" Tim asked, then sat up. "Austin?"

"'Dearest Timothy,'" Austin read, "'It was with heavy heart that I read Mel's email to the family about your recent engagement.'"

Tim took the phone from Austin, eyes scanning the very long text message. Austin watched as he opened his email program and scrolled through, selecting one with shaking hands.

"How bad is it?" Austin asked.

"This email went to literally every member of my family," Tim informed him.

"Shit!"

Tim sat staring at the screen. "I've been outed to everyone before I had a chance to talk to them."

"Are you okay?"

Tim opened a reply and glanced through it, then another, and another. He handed his phone back to Austin and flopped back on the bed, covering his eyes with his arm.

Austin switched back to the text messages. After a few minutes of scrolling, he asked, "Can I just delete these? You don't need to see them."

"Do whatever you want."

The phone started ringing. "It's the same number as before."

"Probably some member of my family calling to preach to me personally."

Austin let it go to voicemail. It began ringing again. "Fuck it, I'm answering it." Austin stabbed angrily at the phone. "Tim Foust's phone. This is Austin speaking."

"Wh... Is this Tim's Austin?"

"Yes. Who is this?"

"I'm Lisa, Tim's... I don't know, some kind of cousin with some numbers and removeds in there. I just saw all the emails and, oh my God, is Tim okay?"

"Tim's..." Austin glanced over to where Tim still lay with his arm hiding his face.

"I'm fine."

"Tim says he's fine."

"I see... Can you put him on? I promise I'm not calling to hate on him."

Austin hesitated a moment, then nodded, though she couldn't see it. "Okay. But just... don't..."

"I won't."

"Hey, honey, it's your some-kind-of-cousin, Lisa."

Tim reluctantly took the phone and put it up to his ear. "Hey, Lisa. Long time no see."