MiniZerk - You Could Follow Your Heart

Chapter 12

Simon couldn't believe the audacity. First, he has his heart shattered all over the floor. Then, he's broken up with. He didn't see it coming, especially not after Madden had seemed so desperate to have Simon stay with him. He claimed that he wanted to be with him and that nothing had to change. Simon had to wonder about it, and the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to cry.

All of his friends, and even his family, rejoiced. They didn't think Madden was any good after he cheated and had been urging Simon to break up with him. They didn't need to worry anymore, Simon didn't want anything to do with him. He let Madden keep all of the stuff he left at his house, and shipped his back in the mail. He knew he wouldn't be able to face him in person without crying.

He felt so stupid and so weak, having given his all to a boy who didn't give a shit about him. But it wasn't the first time, and he was pretty certain it wouldn't be the last.

Josh knew it was because of him. He knew it was was because of the look on Madden's face when he left his house, the glimmer of probable tears in his eyes. Madden knew Josh was right. He knew he didn't deserve Simon.

And Josh didn't even have a morsel of regret.

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The lads, spearheaded by Josh, decided that it was time to take a vacation.

Together, the seven of them flew overseas to Clearwater, Florida. it was recommended to them by Joe Weller, who claimed he used to go there with his family when he was younger. They rented a villa that was a short walk from the beach; four bedrooms, one with a king bed, and the rest with two queens each. Vikk called dibs on the single room. Ethan roomed with Harry, JJ with Tobi, and Josh with Simon.

Simon had never been to Florida but he found the city to be incredibly relaxing. It was beautiful with incredible architecture and white sand beaches. It was a very tourist centric location, but that meant there was a lot for them to do. They walked on the pier together and went to the beach nearly everyday. Running into fans on a frequent basis, which Simon thought was amazing.

They went to the marina, where there were plenty of boat tours to check out. They all went on a powerboat tour, seeing celebrity homes, and the drivers even looked for volunteers to help drive the boat. Later in the day, they rented out jet skis, and Simon and Harry went out parasailing; going up a thousand feet in the air, which was unsettling yet gorgeous at the same time. As the sun began to set they went on a dinner cruise which included a buffet, games, and even free drinks. Simon thought it was an incredible thing that they all got to do together, and it reminded him of how blessed they truly were.

The following days were equally as unbelievable. They made it out to Busch Gardens and Adventure Island in Tampa Bay, and even rode around in a tourist bus to see celebrity homes and other landmarks within the city. Back in Clearwater they played mini golf and went go kart racing and finished off the day with some of the best ribs and mixed drinks that Simon had ever had.

"I could stay here forever," Simon told Josh as he stripped from his street clothes in the comfort of their bedroom. "I don't think I've been this happy in a long ass time."

Josh smiled, taking a gander at Simon's stomach and chest as he spoke (still as lean and gorgeous as he had remembered). "I'm glad you're starting to feel better. It is a really cool place."

Slipping into his pajama pants, Simon flopped down in his bed, flicking on the TV. "Yeah, no kidding. The options are damn near endless."

And they were. Simon did end up feeling like a proper tourist as they spent the next day visiting shopping malls and thrift stores, even finding themselves at an outdoor flea market. They picked up some proper golf clubs and headed out to the villa's neighboring country club to tee off, only to find that real golf was a hundred times harder than mini golf. Josh wouldn't stop gloating about his victory as they sat down to eat at an expensive steak place, eating to their heart's content.

Ethan ended up with a horrendous case of food poisoning, and awoke all the lads at three in the morning with unpleasant hurling. Almost instantly they rang for an ambulance, and sat with him in the hospital until he felt well enough to leave in the afternoon. They tried going out for lunch, but after a measly sip of sprite, Ethan was back in the washroom, throwing up again.

They had roundtrip tickets and weren't scheduled to leave for a few more days, so they returned to the hospital so that Ethan could be monitored. None of them had ever experienced severe food poisoning, so they weren't entirely sure of what to do and didn't want to run the risk of Ethan becoming dehydrated. They kept him under close monitoring, and at least one of them stayed with him at all times.

Within the day Ethan could eat again and the lads felt comfortable enough to take him back to the villa, and decided to take the day easy on the beach. Harry and JJ bought surf boards from the shop down the street, Vikk and Tobi stayed in the sand with Ethan, relaxing on beach towels. The water was the perfect temperature so Simon insisted on taking a bit of a swim, and Josh joined him, albeit a little reluctantly because Josh was not a fan of seeing fish and was scared of stepping on one. They swam and waded together, splashing salt water at each other until their eyes began to burn.

They turned in early that night, but Simon was still too energetic to sleep, so Josh took him down to the villa owned pool. It was open all night long, but considering that it was eleven there was no one there. Simon opted for the hot tub instead of the pool, and Josh joined him with no hesitation.

They sat there in silence for the most part. They brought beers from their hotel room and sipped on them quietly, just enjoying the night and the bubbles. At some point Josh's arm ended up around Simon's shoulders, but no one was complaining.