Official Description: A lifetime in the closet is a hard habit to break, but so is a lifetime out of it.

When Nick Boden’s newly divorced sister, Maggie, invites him to take the place of her ex on a week-long Caribbean cruise, Nick doesn’t expect much beside sunshine and quality time with his sister.

His meddling sister.

Tad Eglington booked the solo trip expecting a week of quiet relaxation. So when the dinner hostess sits him with a bubbly woman and her single, gay, and very sexy brother, Tad’s vacation started looking even better than expected.

The crystal blue ocean doesn’t hold a candle to the hard abs and cocky smile of Nick Boden, but Tad has spent his entire adult life building up the walls of his closet, while Nick has never put anything but clothes in his.

The ship is called Freedom, but will its message be heard on the open ocean.

Original Prompt:
Dear Author,
Last summer, I went on a cruise, and one day while I was out roaming the ship, I saw this guy sitting and reading and he just looked so peaceful and content that I needed to take a photo. But when I got home, I saw the guy in the background who looks like he is spying on him... I wonder if they have a story to tell.

Photo Description: A man relaxes in a lounge chair in nothing but swim trunks and shades. One arm reaches over his head, showing off strong abs. One knee bent, a book is propped on his thigh. In the distance, behind a support beam and tinted glass partition, a figure appears to be discreetly watching our reader.

This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Hot Summer Days" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.

Download the story, read it here or find it in Don't Read in the Closet, Volume 4.
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Genre: contemporary
Tags: gay m/m, closet, vacation, meddling sister, lawyer, artist
Word Count: 14,757