Public Displays of Affection (boyxboy)

Cuba - Chapter Four

Jared was completely M.I.A.

Normally it was Travis who was out doing reckless things that no one else knew about. Whereas Jared stayed in and worked on homework.

Travis didn't want to admit that he was worried but after spending all morning on the beach with his mom, he jogged passed both pools and the lobby and then sat in their room tapping his feet. No one had seen Jared all day.

After a while, he lounged in his bed, using his laptop and the shitty wifi the hotel offered, but when two more hours passed, his gut began to twist inexplicably.

Travis showed up for the dinner buffet, eyes scanning the room for Jared's form but the brunette was still no where in sight. Jared's dad waved Travis over, letting him cut into the line at the salad table.

"Have you seen Jared?" Travis asked.

Henry shook his head, brows raised.

"Still fighting?" he asked.

Travis shook his head, unable to play along.

"Seriously, we've both seen him try to swim, he's probably at the bottom of the ocean somewhere."

Henry grimaced.

"It's a big resort," he said. "He's probably at one of the sports bars. Or the hot tub."

Travis grunted noncomittally.

The others had a table already and Travis joined them with Henry. He ate in silence, eyes searching the room and catching anyone new to enter.

"Travis honey," his mom said, dragging his attention from the door. "Why don't you go track Jared down and apologize?"

Travis spluttered.

"I didn't do anything!"

"Uhuh," she said, unconvinced.

Jared's parents were both pointedly avoiding eye contact.

Travis ate the rest of his food in silence, scowling down at his plate and then went to his room without saying a word to any of them.

Every other night he'd gone to see one of the shows or to the bar for a few hours before bed. Today though Travis sat on the balcony, ears strained to hear in case the door to the room open. He didn't want to worry but he'd known Jared since they were eight years old and Jared never did things like this.

This wasn't because of yesterday. Travis didn't want to believe that.

As ten o'clock approached, Travis pushed to his feet, unable to take it any longer.

Okay, he just had to find him, that was all. He had to make sure that Jared hadn't fallen into the pool and drowned.

He swung by both pools first. The green lights lit the whole thing up in the dark but Jared wasn't anywhere in sight.

He relaxed a little but walked close enough to the beach to see the water, just in case.

When the coast was clear, Travis headed back to the hotel, choosing at the last minute to swing by one of the bars.

His breath of relief turned into complete annoyance as his eyes settled on Jared's back. He was sitting at the bar laughing at something Carlos, the bar tender was saying.