Matt will do anything and go anywhere to be with Justin. He wants Justin to be his first in every way. When Justin invites Matt to take a cruise with him, Matt thinks he has hit the jackpot. This is not just any cruise, however. This is the “Welcome Cruise.” Matt has no idea what the “Welcome Cruise” actually is and Justin has given him no hints, though he remembers every detail of his own “Welcome Cruise” years ago. Matt is convinced that this will be the most romantic cruise ever, given its sweet sounding name.
Matt had never been on what his best friend, Justin, had called a “Welcome Cruise” before. As he and Justin boarded the sparkling champagne colored ship, Matt did indeed feel very welcomed, he had to admit. The ship’s captain shook his hand and he pulled him close to him for a brief moment. Matt thought this a bit odd, but he didn’t think that much of it. He was with Justin on what promised to be a romantic cruise and that was all that mattered to Matt.
As the two men walked along with the many other couples toward the designated station, Matt turned to Justin with adoring eyes, and said, “The captain is very friendly, don’t you think?”
Justin nodded to his young friend, just as the captain had nodded to Justin with obvious approval after meeting Matt, a gesture which Matt did not see.
There were many couples just like Matt and Justin who were boarding the Welcome Cruise, men bringing their new friends for their very first Welcome Cruise. Justin nodded at some who, like him, were walking hand in hand with their new young men. Matt was all smiles, as were the other new men who had been brought to the ship to be properly welcomed.
