"What the hell just happened?" Ted asked as Max Westphal piloted the Coast Guard helicopter back toward base.

"I'm thinking that my son finally grew a pair of balls and declared his love for Hunter. Did you see that smile on his face as he jumped? It was awesome!" Max declared. He was beside himself with joy.

"Beggin' the captain's pardon, but what happens now? Your son just jumped into the Atlantic fuckin' Ocean and we have no idea where Hunter is."

"Hunter is probably nearby. The two of them will finally get to talk, and I mean, really talk. We're gonna finally bring all of this shit to an end. Ted, those two boys, and I've watched them from the time they were eleven, they're meant for each other. This is gonna work out. I just know it is."

"I can't help but think about Billy Joe and Bobby Lee making love in the hay loft. As I watched them, I couldn't help but see the love they shared. I hope Jesse has that same connection with Hunter. Of course, I meant the love part, not necessarily the making of, er, well, you know what I mean." Lieutenant Westphal looked over at his co-pilot and grinned.

"Ted, Billy Joe and Bobby Lee of your past are the Jesse and Hunter of today. I am proud of my son for finally admitting his love for his best friend. It takes a special person to admit to their feelings and emotions while still in high school. In my best guess, those two will be joined at the hip forever."

"How are they gonna git back home?"

"They got a big ass yacht." They both laughed. "And that boy Hunter is hanging out with positively bleeds money. Did you see that gigantic house?"

"It was more like that mansion on The Beverly Hillbillies. Heck, I bet they even got a real cement pond," Ted said with a chuckle.

"I'm sure somewhere in all that money, there's a phone and they can call us to come pick them up. For right now, they'll have some quality time to talk about how they feel." Ted nodded in agreement.

* * * * *

Hunter watched from the pristine white sandy beach of the island as the Coast Guard helicopter circled the big ass yacht. Brice and Ethan stood by his side.

"What the fuck, mate? I thought they weren't chasing after you anymore?" Ethan asked.

"I've no idea what the hell is going on," Hunter said disgustedly. Brice just shook his head.

"How the fuck did they find us?" Brice asked. Hunter shrugged his shoulders.

"Dunno, maybe they came back to your daddy's island and started searching from there. Who knows? But right now, we've got a US Coast Guard helicopter doing loops around the yacht."

"Perhaps we should make ourselves scarce mate, after all, they did shoot at you," suggested Ethan. The boys moved back on the beach to the beginning of the undergrowth, well out of sight of the Coast Guard helicopter. Ethan was just about to sit down on a piece of driftwood.

"No Ethan!" yelled Brice.

"What? I'm tired of standing around."

"Splinters. Splinters in your ass," explained Brice. Ethan squealed and moved away from the driftwood.

"Not my ass! I can't have that out of commission. I'll just stand, thank you very much." Brice gave him and hug and Hunter just smiled.

"You know, maybe the big ass yacht has built in AIS. It's certainly big enough and I really didn't search every button and knob on the bridge console. I just searched out what I needed at the time," Hunter explained.

"AIS?" Ethan asked.

"It's an automatic locator beacon that gives the name of the yacht and its direction and speed. It's kinda like radar, except it's for ships not planes." Ethan nodded.

"So, we may very well have told those yanks where we are?"

"Yer spot on, mate," Hunter said with a grin.

Suddenly they saw someone jump out of the helicopter and splash into the water near the stern. As they continued to watch, whoever jumped climbed up the stern ladder. Brice turned to Hunter.

"If they fuck up daddy's fishing boat, I'll be permanently stuck on my island prison." Hunter glanced at Brice and saw the worry on his face.

"I'm sure it will be fine, Brice. Whoever jumped is probably just searching for us."

The person in the water climbed up the swim ladder and was now on board. He waved up at the helicopter and a few moments later, the Coast Guard helicopter left the boat and headed back from where it came.

"What do we do now?" asked Ethan.

"I don't know. This looks strange. If they were sending someone down to search the yacht, why would the helicopter just leave?" asked Brice.

"I have no idea, but I think it would be best to see who that person is and find out what they hell they want. Okay, boys. It looks like we need to swim back to the yacht and greet our visitor. I doubt they're armed after jumping in the water," Hunter said.

"And just in case, there's a gold plated 45 caliber pistol in daddy's stateroom in the nightstand. You two just distract whoever's there and I'll get the gun. Sound like a plan?"

The boys nodded in agreement, ran into the water and swam. A few minutes later Brice was climbing up the ladder. Hunter helped Ethan up, then started climbing up himself.

As Hunter reached the top of the ladder, he looked and was dumbfounded to see Jesse standing there in dripping wet clothes.

"Jesse?" Hunter blurted out as he climbed on board. Brice immediately turned toward Jesse.

"You're Jesse?" Brice asked. Jesse timidly nodded. "The same 'stay away from me and I never want to see you again' Jesse?" Brice asked aggressively. Jesse frowned then once again nodded slowly and dropped his face to look at the deck. The four boys stared at each other, not knowing what to do.

"You guys do realize you're naked," Jesse pointed out shyly.

"Shit!" said Brice. He reached into a cabinet near the ladder and threw towels to Hunter and Ethan and grabbed one for himself.

"If you don't mind," Jesse said as he held out his hand. Brice hesitated, giving Jesse a cold look, then finally threw a towel at Jesse's feet. Jesse slowly leaned over and picked up the towel, keeping his eyes on Brice all the while. Jesse then pulled his clothes off in total silence. The three boys watched as he finally lowered his boxers and kicked them aside. He dried off with the fluffy white towel and finally wrapped it securely around his waist.

"Hope you enjoyed that," he said, once again looking Brice in the eye. Hunter stared with a blank expression. Brice returned the look with a cold expression. Ethan snickered. Then, things got quiet and awkward again.

"Hunter, please let me explain," Jesse said quietly. Hunter crossed his arms across his chest and leaned back on the railing. He kept his expression blank.

"Well, go ahead."

"I … I made a mistake," Jesse started only to be interrupted.

"Fuckin' a right you made a mistake you asshole," Brice growled angerly. "You tell your best friend you never want to see him again and you call that a mistake? I'll show you a mistake," Brice growled as he balled up his fists. Jesse looked at Brice with wide eyes, shocked and scared by the aggressive boy.

"Brice," Hunter said. Brice turned his furious face and looked at him. "Leave it ... please. Why don't you and Ethan go take a shower. Jesse and I need to have a talk." Brice paused for a second, then nodded his head and gave Hunter a small smile. He turned to go below deck all the while glaring his best 'don't do anything wrong' face at Jesse as he walked by. Ethan followed, totally bewildered by what was going on. Once Ethan and Brice were below deck, Hunter turned to Jesse.

"Okay, you made a mistake?" Hunter asked with a neutral expression.

"I am so sorry, Hunter. I guess I panicked … no, let me start over. I actually did panic when you told me you were in love with me. I mean that came out of left field. I was totally not expecting that. I mean, I know, we, ah, yeah, that night on the 'Pearl' was unforgettable and I really enjoyed that. But then you told me you loved me, and I freaked out." Jesse sat down on the bench and continued. "I've always believed that there's unwritten expectations on me for marriage, kids and following in my father's footsteps into the Coast Guard. That was my belief when you told me. I found out recently that it couldn't be further from the truth. My dad is an incredibly good father and he let me know it didn't matter who I love as long as I am happy." Hunter pushed off from the railing and sat down on the bench next to Jesse, suddenly very interested in what Jesse had to say.

"When I found out you were … missing, I had a moment of, a moment of revelation. Things suddenly became clear in my mind and … in my heart." Jesse quickly wiped his eyes, then looked over at Hunter.

"I had to accept certain truths about myself first before I could accept them about you. It took you being … gone, that pushed me to see the truth. Once I accepted that truth, I was overcome with sorrow and regret. I didn't want you to … to die thinking your best friend hated you," Jesse sobbed. Hunter watched, shocked that his 'friend' was pouring out his heart in this unexpected way.

"I … I really am sorry, Hunter. I didn't mean what I said. I never wanted to hurt you. Please believe me," Jesse explained softly. Hunter leaned back on the bench. Hearing this from Jesse was exactly what he wanted to hear, but he wanted to make absolutely sure.

"So, what are you trying to tell me?" Jesse slowly turned to look Hunter squarely in the eye.

"I love you too, Hunter." Jesse said softly. Hunter took a quick breath and held it with his heart pounding. Jesse wrapped his arms around Hunter's neck and kissed him full on the lips. Of all the things Jesse could have done, that one surprised Hunter the most. At first, he didn't respond to the kiss, then his brain caught up and he kissed Jesse back. They continued in the embrace with lips locked for at least a full minute. Arms were wrapped around each other and hugging each other tightly, before Hunter finally came up for air. He stood and pulled Jesse up with him.

"What exactly do you mean when you say you love me?" Hunter asked.

"I mean that I love you … mentally, physically, emotionally and … Hunter, I don't love you as a friend. I love you as a, well, as a lover. When you told me that you loved me, I was blindsided. I didn't see that coming at all. But the real fact is I do love you and I want you in my life if you'll have me. I had to admit it to myself first, which I have finally done, but I am … gay. I am gay for you Hunter. I can't believe I'm finally being able to say this, but you are the most important person in my life and I want to be with you in every possible way." Hunter's heart was pounded in his chest. Everything he had ever wanted was coming true. The boy he loved with all his heart loved him back. It was too good to be true.

It was at that moment that the memory of fucking Brice suddenly and without warning slammed into his head. Brice had been enthusiastic and they had a great time, but, yes, but …

"I need you to know something, but I need you to understand where I was in my head at the time," Hunter started to explain. Jesse hugged Hunter tighter.

"Which one did you have sex with?" Jesse whispered into Hunter's ear, still holding him tightly in his arms.

"Brice. I fucked Brice when I first came ashore … "

"He's the one that was so mean, ah, aggressive toward me?"

"Yeah, sorry about his behavior. I might have sorta, maybe mentioned the last conversation we had."

"That explains that. He was being protective of you. He must be a really good friend."

"I just met him yesterday, Jesse, but he seems to be genuine and to really care. And he's been on that island all by himself. He doesn't interact with the staff because they all report everything he does to his father."

"It's okay Hunter. I understand. You hated me then." Hunter was shocked by Jesse saying the word 'hate.'

"Hate is a pretty strong word. I wouldn't say I hated you at all. Remember my voicemail? I said the one thing I could not stop doing was loving you, Jesse."

"I understand. But now … I love you too. I am in love with you, Hunter. You are my world and I would give up anything and everything to be by your side today, tomorrow, next week, next year and forever and forever." Hunter smiled as happy tears streamed down his face.

* * * * *

"Who was that cute boy up there?" Ethan asked as they made their way toward Brice's stateroom. "And why were you so mean to him? I've never seen you like that. You were such a brute!"

"That's Jesse and he's, well, he either is or he isn't Hunter's best friend, who Hunter fell in love with." Ethan's mouth dropped open.

"The fuck, mate?"

"Just before Hunter sailed, he told Jesse he was in love with him, the outcome didn't go so well for Hunter. It got really ugly. I mean so ugly that Jesse said he never wanted to see Hunter again. He even went so far as to punch Hunter in the face."

"That's, that's, uh, I'm gobsmacked," stammered Ethan.

"Yeah, tell me about it. So, I guess they're going to talk it over and we will give them time to do that. Jesse is what or rather who has been weighing so heavily on Hunter's mind. You may have noticed that Hunter seemed preoccupied or lost in thought?" Ethan nodded. "Well, it was Jesse causing that distraction."

"Makes sense, I guess. I take it you don't really care for Jesse?"

"Yeah, that's why I was so mean to him."

"Okay, Bricey, but don't ever be like that to me." Brice quickly hugged Ethan to him.

"I'd never do that to you, luv."

"You were so manly, Brice. I was actually impressed." Brice released the hug at smiled at Ethan.

"Let's give them so time to talk. We should take a quick shower and get cleaned up."

"Let's get dirty first, then take a long hot shower, together."

"Got that right, mate," Brice said with a lecherous grin.

Half an hour later Brice and Ethan came back up to the main salon, flushed and sated. They found Hunter and Jesse in full make out mode on the salon couch. Brice cleared his throat.

"I see you guys have moved past the talking part of this reunion," he said with a grin. The boys on the couch slowly went from horizontal to vertical sporting matching grins.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Hunter said. As they sat down, Hunter started the introductions.

"Jesse, this is Brice. My sailboat sailed, on its own, right into the lagoon on his family's private island. He was the first real live person I saw since losing Captain Turner early on in my trip from hell." Brice looked nervous, but Jesse put out his hand for a shake.

"Thank goodness your island was where it was. Thank you for saving Hunter," Jesse gushed. Brice blushed as he shook Jesse's hand.

"I didn't really do a thing."

"I heard you told Dan Dutton he was a dunderhead," Jesse said without missing a beat. Hunter sat up straight and looked at Brice.

"You called him a dunderhead?"

"Yeah, it was one of those spur of moment kind of things." Ethan busted out laughing.

"Dunderhead! Didn't know you had that one in ya Bricey! He must ta been a right tosser." Ethan cackled.

"Jesse, that's Ethan. He's obviously from the U.K. When we escaped from Brice's Island, we went to Ethan's Island."

"Hi Ethan," Jesse said as he stood up. "Nice to meet you." Jesse extended his hand for a shake.

"Hello, mate. Good to meet ya too," Ethan said as he wrapped his arms around Jesse in a tight hug. Hunter waited for it, knowing it was going to happen. He laughed out loud when Jesse squeaked at being grabbed by the ass. When Ethan finally released the squeeze and the hug, he continued. "I believe we interrupted your very hot looking reunion, especially with that big lump in your towel." Jesse's face turned red.

"Don't mind Ethan, Jesse. He's extremely sweet and a very touchy-feely kind a guy," Hunter said as he grabbed Jesse's hand and pulled him back down on the couch. Brice and Ethan sat on the couch opposite the reunion couple.

"Where did this yacht come from?" asked Jesse.

"It's daddy's fishing boat," Brice said with a smile. "But I've been told by a certain sailboat skipper that it's a big ass yacht." Jesse burst out laughing.

"I take it, ah, that your family has money?" asked Jesse.

"As I told Hunter, my family positively swims in money. Dear old daddy did well, haha, that is to say the oil well business was really good to him. He doesn't know shit about anything. He got the job by knowing people who know people. The problem started when he found out I was seeing a boy at boarding school and he banished me to the island while he fixes things. Can't have a fag in the family and all that. Poor Tyler, he's the boy I was seeing in school. I'm sure daddy is paying for him to move to a different school even as we speak. I'm going to miss that boy."

"Ouch, that sucks," said Jesse. After a moment, he continued. "Sorry, Brice, but I'm sure you still live well," Jesse said with a certain air of inadequacy.

"Only the best, says daddy. His only problem is that all that money comes with power and he loves to use that power, especially on me. Sorry if I come across as some snot-nosed rich boy, but I am told, no that's too kind of a word. I am ordered how to dress, how to act, who I can and more importantly, who I can not be an acquaintance with since Throckmorton's do not do friendships. We do partnerships. Dear old daddy has to see benefits from spending his precious time with you. No benefit, no time. I am expected to follow in his footsteps and be a perfect reflection of him that he can show off. He'll prance around the ballroom like a prize bull and say 'see what I did. See what excellence my loins can create.' It makes me sick."

"I see," said Jesse quietly. "I can also see why you took an instant liking to Hunter. Correct me if I am wrong, but you probably saw him as a way to get away from your daddy?"

"Got that right. See, daddy taught me well, always looking for the benefit. But, and that's an extraordinarily strong 'but,' dear old daddy can't stomp out compassion, respect, belonging, concern and, yes, desire. Initially, I saw Hunter and his sailboat as a way off daddy's godforsaken island. But as I came to know Hunter, things … changed. Friendship and respect took the place of an acquaintance with benefits."

"From what I heard, you checked those benefits out," Jesse said with a snicker.

"First of all, I've got to ask … are you two back together?" Both Hunter and Jesse nodded.

"Good. I mean, that's ah, a really good thing." Brice nervously looked at Hunter. "Guess we ought to put all the cards on the table, so to speak?" Hunter nodded. "Alrighty then, Jesse, just to clear the air here, ah, well you see, ah … Hunter and I fucked back on my island. There, I said it. I admit to it. Hunter is a really talented and I believe I left some footprints on the ceiling of his sailboat," Brice said with an embarrassed snicker.

"Brice, it's okay," Jesse said with a smile. "Hunter told me already. It's cool. I know where his head was at that moment in time. But I do have to ask though, you said he fucked you?" Brice nodded. "So how was he?"

"Jesse!" Hunter yelled out. Brice totally ignored Hunter and looked Jesse right in the eye.

"On a scale of one to ten, he was a twenty." Hunter buried his face in his hands because it was beet red from embarrassment.

"Dunno 'bout you two, but I'm famished. All this talk about sex has my appetite going, among other things. It's been a long stretch since brekky and I could do with a bite. I'll go grab the lunch basket and get things all set up for a tuck in. Why don't you two go shower and get the salt water off? Oh, and since we have a limited supply of water, you should probably share," Ethan said with a wink. It was Brice's turn to bust out laughing.

"Ethan, you know daddy's fishing boat has a five hundred gallon water tank and I believe it's equipped with a water maker too."

"Shush you! They don't need to know that," Ethan said with a pout.

"You don't happen to have spare change of clothes, do you?" asked Jesse. "Mine got all wet when I jumped from the chopper."

"Just check the wardrobe in my stateroom. I always keep some clothes on board. Just down the stairs and along the corridor. It's the door on the right just at the end."

"Thanks, Brice."

"And there's a washer/dryer if you want to clean up your clothes."

The hot shower did feel good, but the feeling of being inside Jesse felt even better to Hunter. When they returned from the shower, there was quite a nice spread of sandwiches, cheese, crackers, chips and sodas. The boys sat down and, as Ethan would say, tucked in.

* * * * *

"Max and Ted landed their helicopter at the Coast Guard Station and Max headed straight for the commander's office. He had to report the good news. After a quick knock, he walked into the commander's office with a huge grin on his face. The commander looked up and smiled.

"I take it things went well?"

"Couldn't have been better. We found the yacht and were giving it a 360 when Jesse just stood up and jumped out the door. He climbed aboard and waved at us."

"Wow! That had to be something."

"Yes, sir. Those two will finally get to talk and all this mess with guns and people getting shot will come to an end."

"Excellent. Are we going back to pick them up?"

"Well, sir. They have a big ass yacht and a private island. I'd venture to say that somewhere in all the extravagance there's a way to communicate. They'll either call us or just take the yacht home. Either way it's a win for them and for the Coast Guard."

"Good, so let's close the chapter on this misadventure and move on."

* * * * *

In the days that followed, the boys cruised around the Bahamas in the big ass yacht and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Brice and Ethan's friendship grew even closer and discussions about Brice going back with Ethan to Surrey solidified. Even if Brice had to pay for it himself, he had enough money to get away from his domineering father.

Jesse and Hunter's friendship returned and fell right back where it was, only now, romance was added to the relationship. It was a new aspect for them, and they explored it every day, sometimes twice a day.

The simple task of delivering a boat turned into a death defying adventure for Hunter. His knowledge from all his days of sailing and even his years in the Boy Scouts got him through. He had left in utter sorrow and now he would return, the happiest boy in the world.

The End

Author's note

There was no gay hate in this story. I made the conscious decision to do that up front. I really wanted to present "being gay" in a positive light. I wanted an action/adventure story where two boys were best friends. One comes out to the other. They have a huge fight. Then they get separated with no way to communicate. The "straight" friend finally realizes he's not so straight and gets worried that he will never be able to apologize, let alone admit his true feelings to his missing friend. The "gay" friend keeps thinking about his "straight" friend as he goes through the action/adventure part of the story. Simple.

It took a long time to write this story as I started it back in 2008. I would like to thank Rick Beck for his encouragement to start "pounding the keys" again and finish what I started so long ago. Thank you, my dear friend!

I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Cheers!

Jevic, 21 November 2022

Updated 1 October 2025


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