THE BOAT TRIP: Stampy And Squid

The Half Centurian

--STAMPYS POV-- 
"Oh my god my head!" David moaned, sitting up on the bed. It was 6am.
"You alright buddy?" I asked him, he just smiled at me.
"Mate I'm not sure if this was a dream or not but-"
"Just friends." I cut him off, winking. His eyes widened in fear.
"Guess we better get ready for a call from Harry Ardtole!" David said, sitting up,
"I'm beginning to like this guy, he's just such a weirdo." I laughed. Walking into the bathroom, crouching under the shower and turning on the water.
"I'm going to be so well presented today, Mr Ardtole is going to feel underdressed." David said, "but if he starts reciting poetry I'm asking him to retire."
When I finished in the shower I brushed my teeth and plastered my face in sunscreen.
David walked in and started to gel his hair, he flicked it to the left while speaking to me,
"Seriously what happened last night?" He asked, looking into the mirror,
I walked up behind him, putting my hands on his waist and kissing his cheek before walking back into the cabin.
"Broccoli." I said, picking up a shirt and buttoning it up.
"R..right." David laughed uneasily, scratching his neck.
He walked over to me, "you telling me that I hit on you last night?" He asked,
"You're sober now though." I said as he confronted me, putting his arms on my shoulders,
"I've got a hangover, I don't know what I'm doing."
Suddenly I felt as though my whole life had been leading up to this moment. All I ever wanted, all I ever needed, was right beside me the whole time.
He put an arm around my neck and pushed his lips on mine but before we could go further, the phone rang
We ran into the living room and sat by the table, answering the video call.
"Hello Mr Ardtole!" We said, happily.
"Hello my companions, nice to see you dressed smartly- good hair Mr Spencer. Umm.. pity about the sunscreen it's a bit smudged around.. both of your mouths.
"Oh- we were eating breakfast." I intruded, before Harry suspected anything.
"And what did you have?" He asked,
"Cereal. Uh. Granola." David said.
"You do know that granola is one of the most unhealthy cereals on the planet."
"We do," we said, "but it's all we've got until we get to Auckland." We lied.
"I look forward to seeing you." He said.
"Did you have a pleasant Christmas?" I asked him,
"Oh.. Quiet, you know. The usual."
I raised an eyebrow in sympathy and pity.
"Well sir we look forwards to seeing you too."

After ending the call I put down the phone. Facing David.
"Poor lonely old man." I tutted. "Bored out of his mind, looks up everything he thinks of."
"So really he's just lonely." David said. "We were prejudice after all."
I leaned my head on David's shoulder. He put his arms around me and rested his head on mine.
"We..we shouldn't be like this." I said. "We shouldn't be like.... This." Guilt overwhelmed me.
"Sometimes it's just too much to resist." David sighed. Kissing my neck, I crawled over him and looked into his eyes.
"Your eyes are dilating." I whispered, holding his wrist. "And your pulse.. Slow.."
"Meaning what.." He whispered back, brushing his nose against mine and holding my waist.
"Meaning you care." I said.
"Course I care." David said.
I rubbed my lips against his cheeks with my eyes closed, I tried to keep my breathing steady as I was pushed against the wall, I tensed as David's lips touched my neck, and as he unbuttoned my shirt.
I pressed my lips against his, putting my arms on his back, I closed my eyes.
After all this time I've been in such a dilemma with romance.. All my life.. All my life I had been waiting for the one.. But.. Is David really him? I didn't think so.. I wasn't sure..
We ran upstairs onto the deck. It was a beautiful day. David looked out at the sky before I ran up to him, undoing his tie as we kissed. I felt the adrenaline. The excitement. But was it love? Was this love or was this just us missing love?
I sat down beside David.
"Both in the same dilemma I assume." I said to him, starting up the engine.
"Girlfriend... Boyfriend.." David thought out loud, biting his lip and looking over at me.
"Mate- oh god no I can't.. You can't call someone you love 'mate'." I sighed, David nodded, looking down.
David drove all day in silence. I went up to the very front of the boat and dangled my feet over the corner on the boat.
I stayed up there for a couple hours. Just watching us move along the sea.
When the sun was starting to set, David walked up and sat beside me at the very front of the boat.
"I've been thinking." I said.
"So I believe, you've been here for five hours. What've you been thinking about?" He asked.
"Same as you, I presume." You.
"I'm flattered." He said.
"Do you think people ship us?" He asked,
"Well, technically we are on a ship." I laughed. "How metaphorical. Our literal ship name is the Stamping Squid."
He laughed, putting his face close to mine. "Look. I don't know if this is love or not.. But-"
I put a hand on his waist and another on his cheek, kissing him on the lips. David lied back on the deck. Holding me in his arms.
"What the hell are we going to do about this?" I asked.
"We shouldn't be like this but.. It's so irresistible." David said.
"I feel.. Guilty." I said, truthfully.
"But you're single-"
"But I don't want to be." I said. "I can't tell if I love you or not."
"Did you ever come to a conclusion in your assumptions?" David asked, "you were thinking for hours, you must have came to a decision."
"I- i- .." My jaw shook.
"Just friends." He said, "it's kind of our motto now. It's what we kept telling eachother for all these months, trying to not let ourselves get carried away."
"And this is what happens when we get carried away." I sighed as David took his hands away from me.
"I gave in.. I'm sorry." David said. "I gave in again."
"We gave in. This is no more your fault than mine."
"Well we need to.. We need to delete the camera footage and.."
"Let's face it. This is never going to make it as a tv show." I sighed, "we've been with each other too long. We've fallen out of love with our girlfriends. Your mother is the only family you have left, she needs you."
"Are you proposing that we go home.. And that we never see each other again, fail this mission. Give up." David said.
I looked down.
"Yes." I sighed.

None of us could argue.
In the distance there was the outline of New Zealand.
We had about twelve hours to decide to stay on board, or go back to England.