Best Friends to the end

Chapter 10

Sunday

This story is a work of fiction. If you are under the legal age to read this go away. Other wise sit back take off your boxers and enjoy the chapter. Please feel free to email me at casper717@sbcglobal.net

I had started waking up and I felt something in my bed. I opened my eyes and I saw my boyfriend. I could not believe that I, Matt Taylor, had a boyfriend. He was a pretty amazing guy at that. I slowly removed my CPAP gear and decided to give Ben an awesome wake up call. I slid under the covers and reached his cock. It was already hard, and so I began to slowly rub my thumbs over it. I raised the covers and Ben was certainly enjoying it. I decided that Ben needed a blowjob, so I started to lick the base of his cock. His breathing told me, that he was really close. I took my hand and grabbed his balls and squeezed him. I felt his dick begin to pulsate and then he began to fire his load fast. I looked up and his eyes were slowly starting to open. I was covered with Ben's cum and so I quickly jumped back on my side of the bed. I pulled the covers up as Ben eyes began to open.

"Morning Ben, did you sleep well?" I asked trying to play innocent.

"I slept fantastic, although it seems that I had a little problem during the night," Ben said looking inside the covers. I decided to get out of bed and go over to the bathroom and take care of my morning piss. As I was pulling on my boxers, Ben looked at me.

`Hey you have cum on your stomach!" Ben said very shocked. I was starting to blush. "Did you take advantage of me in my sleep Mr. Taylor?" It felt like all the color went straight to my cheeks.

"Well what can I say, I saw you in need of some service." I reached over to the end table and put my key around my neck. "I hope you are not mad; it looked like you were having one hell of a dream."

Ben got out of bed and looked at me, "I am not mad at you Matt; that is the first time I have woken up with cum on my body in a long time."

I opened the door and walked over to the little bathroom shower. I used the bathroom, and went over to the sink. I heard Ben come in and he went to the bathroom while I was running water over my face.

"I am going to head back to the room, get some towels so we can shower together." I walked back to the room and got 2 white towels for Matt and me. I came back to the bathroom within a few seconds. I put the towels on the hanger and took off my boxers. Ben came over to me and I removed his boxers.

We both got into the communal style shower. I went over to the middle shower and cut on the hot water. Ben stepped over to the left shower and turned it on. We had positioned ourselves between the 2 showers and began to let the water hit us. I walked over to the soap and shower pump and pushed the soap. I got a good bit of soap on my hand. I walked over to Ben and began to cover his body in soap. I started to soap each nipple, really soaping each one. I started rubbing my hands over his stomach. I went back and put some more soap on my hands and started to really soap up his dick. I ran my hands with soap along his legs. He walked back under the shower and rinsed off all of the soap. He went over to the soap dispenser and got a big handful. He ran his hands all over my chest and abdomen, soaping up my front. He continued to soap me up until I was covered in soap. He pushed me under the hot shower water, and I began to rinse off. He decided that my mouth needed some action, so he decided to kiss me. As I was finishing rinsing off I felt him soap my backside. I felt him giving me an incredible massage as he worked the soap in really good. It felt like I was in heaven. He started soaping up my butt cheeks and I began to giggle. He turned me around and I washed off the backside. I turned off the shower knobs, and I pulled him out of the communal shower. I handed him a towel and I began to dry off. He put on the pair of boxers, and it hit me that those were my boxers; well, now they were his.

"Matt I am going to grab my key and go back to my room, and get dressed so we can meet Ron and Jeremy for breakfast," Ben said as he walked me back to my room. I pulled my key off my neck and opened the door. Ben walked in, and got his key from the night stand. He put it around his neck.

"Well it's about 6:30, so why don't we wake the two of them up and try and get over to Bight Seaport by 7:15 so we can eat and get Jeremy on his 10 AM flight."

"That sounds like a good plan; I will call Ron on his cell phone, and you can call Jeremy. Ron will want to take a cab, but I will make sure that he is there on time."

"Why don't you stop by the desk when we leave, Ben, if you still want to join me on the sunset cruise, and have them book you up for Blue-Q." Ben smiled and left my room. I reached over and got my laptop from the floor and put in on the bed. I turned it on. I looked through my email and noticed that I had a 1:30 PM excursion for a glass bottom tour on the coral reef, and a 5:30 excursion with Blue-Q for a sunset cruise.

I reached for my cell phone but I could not find it. I tore the room up looking for it. I opened the dresser and looked through my boxers, and sure enough it was covered in condoms. I thought to myself, "I am going to have to get even with Ben for this one, although it was pretty damned funny, I must say." I opened my cell phone and called Jeremy.

"Some one better be dead, or someone will be dead for waking me up at this hour," a sleepy Jeremy said.

"You don't love me, here I thought I would bless you with my voice this morning and remind you that we are going to eat breakfast at 7:30, so get your ass moving." I said very chipper.

"Matt, what did I ever do to you? All right, let me get a quick shower, and get Ron woken up," Jeremy said a little groggy.

"I want you at Turtle Krawl at 7:15 so we can eat breakfast, get you back to the resort and make sure you get to the airport in time."

"Ron and I are booked for a 10:25 flight out of Key West, this morning. Well you can head out with Ben if you want; we will see you out at Bight." I hung up the phone and started looking for some clothes to wear. I opened my dresser drawer and realized I hardly had any clean clothes.

I went over to a notepad and wrote myself a note: "Do laundry tomorrow"

I went back to the dresser and pulled out a pair of shorts, and a shirt I bought Friday. I put on the shirt and shorts. My cell phone began ringing, and it said Ben on it. "I missed you, Ben," I said into the phone.

"Ah how sweet; I am all dressed; you want to meet in 5 minutes at the front desk?"

"Sounds like a plan, Ben, will see you in a few minutes boyfriend." I hung up my cell and put it in my pocket. I grabbed my wallet and key from the other end table. I turned around and looked at the foot of the bed, at the growing pile of gifts and memorabilia I have for friends.

I reached over to the notepad and scribbled another note: "Get box and ship gifts back to Dallas".

I put the notepad back on the end table and left my room. I turned the corner and found the front desk where Ben was. He turned and saw me. I walked over to him, as he left the desk. I opened the door and we both walked out. We stepped on Fleming and started walking down slowly. We turned on Grinnell Street and walked toward Bight seaport. I really did not have anything to say to Ben, I just felt very content. We actually came to the left side of the seaport, and I noticed the Lands End Village.

"I am supposed to check in there for my glass bottom excursion this afternoon at 1:30 PM." Ben nodded and we walked toward the restaurants.

I saw a neat boat sign that said, "Grand Tortugas." "I wanted to go on this one, Ben, but I did not want to give up an entire day." We saw a very big boat with about 300 people boarding. The name of the boat is called Sunny Days.

"My brother, Ron, went on it last year and he said it was incredible. I like you, did not want to give up an entire day for this trip." Ben climbed up the ladders and we started making our way over to Turtle Krawl. Ben and I walked inside the restaurant and waited to be seated. A nice lady came over to us. "Table for two smoking or non-smoking?"

"Actually we have a party of 4, the other 2 will be here shortly and we would like a non-smoking table." The waitress grabbed 4 menus and we followed her to a table looking out at the water. We sat down.

"What would you guys like to drink this morning?" the waitress asked.

Ben decided to go first, "I would like a cup of coffee, please."

"I will take a Sprite, please." She put the other 2 menus in the center of the table and left us. I put my menu down and decided that we would wait until the other 2 get here before we ordered.

"So what are your plans for today, Matt; I am going to explore the island, then go back to the resort for a nap, then off to Blue-Q with my man." I blushed when he said that.

"Well I want to go to the Aquarium and maybe peek in the museums around the island, and then I will get on the glass bottom boat tour, and finally end with Blue-Q. Tomorrow I am going to do a big load of laundry and mail back some gifts." The waitress returned with our drinks.

"Do I get a gift ,Matt; I will work really hard for one tonight." Hearing that, I shot Sprite out of my nose, and felt myself blushing.

"Well I do have to get a few more things this afternoon; I am sure I can find something for you Ben, maybe some edible lube." Ben started laughing really hard. Just then the waitress walked back over to our table, and I saw Ron and Jeremy behind.

I got up and moved to sit beside Ben so that Ron and Jeremy could sit together. The waitress took Jeremy and Ron's drink order.

"So Matt and Ben, you're a couple now, I presume?" Jeremy said.

Ben looked at me; "Matt and I are boyfriends." I just looked into his eyes and nodded. The waitress returned with 2 cups of coffee and I picked up my menu along with everyone else. "The special today is classic eggs benedict." I studied the menu a few minutes as did everyone else. The waitress came back and asked if we were ready to order.

Ben ordered first, "I would like a Aqua Dulce Taquito with eggs, bacon, potato, and cheddar cheese."

Jeremy ordered next, "I would like Aimee's Miga's, please"

Ron ordered next, "I would like a Mona's eye opener, side of wheat toast and an order of hash browns."

I looked at the menu for a few minutes before I decided, "I would like a Big Georges Hotcakes plain. I would like an order of sausage and hash browns."

She wrote down everything and left. "So Ron, when exactly did you start seeing Jeremy?" Ron looked at Jeremy.

"Well we exchanged numbers when you and he were shopping a few weeks ago." I drank some of my Sprite.

"Hey Ben, did you know that Matt's birthday is coming up in July?" Jeremy said very proudly.

"Really? Well, I will make sure that we have a birthday party for him," Ben said.

"A little cake, maybe some BBQ would be ok, but nothing major, OK?"

"So Ben, when do you have to go back to work, and for that matter may I ask what you do?"

"I work for the city of Dallas, Matt, as a firefighter."

"It's a wonder you don't fall for one of the guys at the firehouse," Ron said.

"Those guys are like brothers to me, and most are married and have kids."

"I have a new respect for you Ben; firefighters are awesome people." Ben smiled as I said that. Our waitress brought Ben and Ron their breakfasts. They wasted no time in eating. The waitress brought out Ben's and my food. She set down Ben's Taquito's and set down the mother of all pancakes in front of me. I looked and she set the side dish of sausage and hash browns down. She put the pancake syrup on the outside of the table. I had a look of horror as the pancakes were a good 8 inches around.

"I don't think I am going to be able to eat all 3 of these humongous pancakes," I said and reached for the pancake syrup.

Jeremy decided that he had to voice his opinion, "Well do what I do, when you have something big eat it fast." I wanted to throw my fork at him, but I did not want to offend the other people eating in the restaurant. I poured syrup over my pancakes and cut them. I started eating my food, and it was a lot. I reached over and grabbed a sausage. By the look of his plate Jeremy had finished his food. I stared at the big plate of pancakes and just could not eat another bite. I pushed my plate of pancakes forward. I nibbled at my hash browns. The waitress came back and cleared away all of the dishes. She refilled all of our drinks. My stomach was really full with the huge breakfast I had eaten. The waitress returned with our individual pay books. I opened up mine and as shocked as hell.

Big George Hotcakes 3.99

Soda 1.50

Sausage 1.99

Hash Browns 1.25

Total 8.73

Tax 1.27

Total 10.00

I thought for sure that the bill would be a lot more, but as I had learned food is not always expensive. I put in my Visa inside the pocket. I added $2.00 for tip and signed the ticket. I put the book in the middle of the table. I guess everyone else did so, as we had four books. The waitress returned and collected the books.

"Well Ron, I look forward to getting to know you more. I am sorry we have not had a chance to visit more, but my attention was focused on other things." I reached across the table and shook his hand.

"Ben, I am glad that you are making my best friend happy. He needs a guy to keep him in line. We will have to all get together and have dinner one day. Matt does an incredible job in the kitchen." The waitress returned with the books and everyone removed their credit cards and receipts.

"So are you getting ready for the airport, Jeremy?"

"Yeah, we are going back to the resort, check out and call a cab." We all stood up and walked out of Turtle Krawl. We waved as Ron and Jeremy walked away from the seaport toward Island House.

"I think I am going to do a little last minute shopping, and no you can't come. so I can shop for you." Ben stated pouting, and he looked cute.

"Well I think I am going to wander around for a while; maybe take a tour of Key West." I walked away from him after giving him a peck on the cheek. I decided to go down Duval as it was now 8:30. I decided to stop in at Walgreen's and look around. I found a cap, batteries for my digital camera, and some really neat glass figurines for my family. I paid for my items and put my hat on. I decided that I needed my digital camera so I walked back to Island House. I went into my room and grabbed my digital camera. I put a set of batteries in. I put the gifts in my growing pile of stuff. I grabbed my digital camera and put it in my shorts pocket. I opened my bag and got my ticket book out, and realized that I had 2 tickets left: a trolley tour and the Key West Aquarium. I decided to go over to Flagler station and catch a trolley. I walked over to the booth, and asked the man when the next trolley would be here. He looked at me and told me the train would be here in 30 minutes. Something didn't sound right, so I decided I should show him my ticket. He looked it over, "The stop is in front of Mac Sea Garden store." This is the train tour stop. I decided to ask him which stop I needed to go to for Aquarium. He pointed to the map and told me that I needed to get off at stop 5. I also learned that I could ride the trolley anytime today. I walked over and found the sign in front of the store.

The wait for the trolley only took about 15 minutes. I boarded and handed my ticket to the driver. He stamped the ticket and I sat down. We drove slowly over toward TK and we stopped for a second.

"They have a contest, each of the people at the bar guess how many people are on the trolley ad if they get it right they get a free beer." The driver opened the door and shouted 10 to the nice lady. He closed the door and he drove. He started describing some of the awesome houses in Key West. I did not know that the some of the houses and buildings were constructed with conch. We slowly went down Duval and arrived at another stop. He turned down one street and showed us the Harry S Truman Little White House. I thought it was very cool as I learned that Bill Clinton had resided there. We arrived at the Light House/Hemingway stop. I asked the driver, "Where is Mallory Square?'

"It is the next stop." I thanked him and relaxed. The trolley continued and I saw the huge sign that said Mallory Square. I was wondering if I could come back tomorrow evening and watch the sunset celebration. I reached in my wallet and pulled out 2 dollars. We came to a stop in front of a shopping center. I stood up and put the 2 dollars in the container and stepped off. I took out my digital camera and started to walk around. I walked inside the mall and saw a marine mammal store. I could not afford the $100 for the dolphin blanket. This store was amazing as they had some paintings that I wanted for my apartment, although Jeremy would blow up at me if I spent $750 on a painting. Oh well, it was fun looking. I decided to take a few pictures from the outside. I walked back outside and walked over to the Key West museum. I was pondering going through, but I decided against it. I walked around the back side of the shopping center and found a huge bazaar full of trinkets. I saw a sign behind that said Aquarium, so I walked over. I walked up to the booth and handed them my ticket. She handed me my receipt and told me there would be a shark feeding at 12:00. I looked at my cell phone and saw that it was 11:30. I walked inside and decided to walk around the outside of cases first. I started taking pictures of the different fish on display. I forgot to turn off the flash. I pushed a button and the flash was no more. I was not paying attention to the name, moreover I was fascinated by the colors and style of fish. I walked around the left side slowly snapping pictures. I felt like I was at home, as I loved marine life, and the awesome fish. I came to a display of shark jaws that were mounted behind a case. I guess these were more predatory sharks as a tiger and great white were two of them. I continued walking until I finished the outside display. I walked toward the inside tanks. The first one I had come to was amazing as we could pick up the shells and crustaceans. Just then I received a text message from Ben:

I miss you tons, although I have found some awesome places to keep my mind occupied. Look forward to seeing you this afternoon. I want to meet you somewhere.

I though for a second and started to type my reply:

Miss you too; I am going to head back to the resort after my coral reef fun. Give me a call later.

I sent the message and started walking around the inner tanks. I noticed in the 2^nd tank there were Manta Rays. I got closer and noticed the danger sign so I kept my distance. I walked over to the 3^rd tank and saw a huge shark above, I saw about 13 nurse sharks swimming. I walked to the outside tanks. The guided tour started. I walked over to the shark tank and every shark was attacking the fish as they were put in the tank. He asked all of us to scoot to the upper deck. He reached in and took a shark out of the water. Now I was a little worried as he started walking around with a nurse shark. He came over to me and I touched it. The tour continued outside and I saw a bull shark and an enormous turtle. I decided to break away from the tour, and walk out as it was about 12:45.

I decided to slowly start walking toward the seaport for my reef fun. It took me about 10 minutes to get back to Duval and I walked down Caroline Street. I walked north and found the seaport and started looking for Lands End Village. I strolled all along the wooden walkway, but I could not find it. I walked away from Macs Sea Garden and saw a sign toward the left that said Lands End Village. I walked over and found, "Discovery Boat Tours." I walked in and was greeted by a nice lady.

"I am here to check in for a 1:30 Glass Bottom boat tour; the name is Matt Taylor".

"We were looking for you," she held up a reservation book, "we had you scheduled for our 11:30 tour." I thought for a second, and wondered what I should do. I looked at my cell phone and the time was 12:55

"Well can I book the 2:30 excursion?" She nodded and punched in the ticket. I pulled out my Visa and handed it to her. She swiped it, and wrote my name on the 2:30 tour. She handed me the slip and I signed it. Something printed in the back and she wrote my name on it. She gave it to me.

"Please be at the loading site at 2:15." She walked me out and pointed me over to a booth that had Discovery written on it. I noticed a big blue boat behind it sitting in a slip.

I realized that I had about 1 hour and my stomach was rumbling. I decided to go find some food. I walked back down Caroline and went back to Flamingo Café. It was about 1:20 when I arrived. The nice lady from the past seated me at the bar. I ordered a Sprite. I picked up a menu and ordered a hamburger, with cheese, and an order of fries. The café was kind of quiet. I only waited about 5 minutes for my food to come out. I ate in peace as the staff were cleaning up and getting ready to close at 2. The nice waitress asked if I needed anything and I said no. I finished my burger and fries. The waitress came by and refilled my drink without me even asking. I pushed my plate forward. I asked for the pay book. She went over to the cash machine and printed out my ticket. She put it in a booklet and handed it to me. I pulled out the receipt and noted that the total was only 7.95. I put in a 10 dollar bill. I put in on the table and smiled at her.

"Keep the change, and thanks for an awesome lunch. I love eating here."

"Take care honey and I hope you have a great afternoon." It was about 1:35 and I decided that I wanted to slowly walk back toward Bight Seaport. I stopped by an ice cream parlor on Duval and ordered a vanilla cone. The ice cream tasted really good after a good lunch. I ate my ice cream as I walked toward Bight. I reached the seaport and found the meeting point without any trouble. I looked over and saw the sign for Dry Tortugas and I was seriously contemplating doing it tomorrow. I put that thought in the back of my mind as others began to show up. There were only about 10 people that I counted. The lady walked over with her clipboard and some type of box. She went inside the booth, and people started handing her their reservation page. I handed her mine and she crossed my name off the schedule. She highlighted my reservation page and gave me a blue boarding pass. We walked down the wooden path and stopped at the edge of the boat. I handed my boarding pass to a guy and stepped aboard. I decided I wanted to go up to the 2^nd deck of the boat and found a nice seat. Some other people joined me and the boat started moving away from Key West. I really liked being out in the open and took out my digital camera, as we moved past different islands. We arrived at our point and we were told to go below. I climbed down into a room with glass viewing windows. I started looking and it did not feel like the same as we slowly floated through the Atlantic reef. I took some pictures but it seemed like the reef was different than Friday. The view was ok, but nothing I wanted to write home about. I did see a few fish that went by the boat. It was so funny I sat back and slowly drifted off to sleep. I felt something rumble and one of the tour guides told us the captain had started the engines and we needed to head back upstairs. I woke up, not realizing I had dozed off for a quick nap. I stopped by the snack bar and got me a Coke. I went back to the 2^nd floor and sat down. I saw something poke out of the water and go back down. A voice on the PA said we had a dolphin on the right hand of our boat. Now I was happy, as I loved dolphins. I decided to be on dolphin watch, paying attention to anything that moved in the ocean. As we were heading back to port, a nice lady asked me to take a few pictures of her and her husband. I gladly obliged. She returned the favor for me. We arrived back at Key West and the boat docked. I had weird thoughts going through my mind:

"Did I just waste 40 bucks; man this tour sucks; no wonder I fell asleep; maybe I should hang a sign on the boat that says, tour of the reef, see nothing and waste 2 hours"

I stepped on the lower level of the boat and reached into my wallet and got out 1 dollar bill. I put it in the hat as I stepped off of the boat. I put on a smile as I walked by the crew. I slowly walked back toward the dockside of the port. I looked over at the Dry Tortugas sign and noticed that it cost $120 to go out on the Yankee Freedom, and it lasted the whole day. Well there goes that idea, as I did want to get a few things done tomorrow. I picked up my cell phone and saw that it was 4:15. I sat down on a bench and decided to call Ben.

"Hi Ben," I said a little sad.

"Hi Matt, what's wrong?' Ben asked a little concerned.

"I will tell you, when I see you, where are you?"

"I am eating at a place called Sloppy Joes on Duval. You want to join me?" Ben asked.

"I think I am going to go get my backpack from the resort, so I can go shopping after fun on the ocean. I did not get a chance to do any, and I have a good idea of what to get you."

"Now that means we can't play after we get done on Blue-Q." Ben said a little disappointed.

"Well, it wont take me 30 minutes to get what I want and get back to the resort, and besides you do want me to get you something."

"As long as I get a good present, then I don't mind. I am going to finish up, and I will see you over at the seaport. I will wait for you over at the curios by the waterfront marketplace."

"That sounds like a plan Ben; well I am on Margaret Street heading over to Fleming. I hung up the cell phone, and walked back to the resort. I arrived back at Island House and the resort seemed empty. A lot of guys had cleared out. I went to my room and I was so happy as I saw my bag of clothes sitting on my bed. I opened up the bag and put all of them in the drawers. They were even folded. I put my digital camera inside, and threw it over my back. I decided to open up all the zippers of the backpack and I found my sunglasses. I put those on my cap, and threw my backpack on my shoulders. It felt a lot lighter than when I was carrying it from the airport. I picked up my laptop and I decided to check my email, and sure enough I had one from Jeremy:

Just wanted to let you know that we made it safely back to Dallas this afternoon without any trouble although they would not let Ron and me join the mile high club. I slowly got up toward the bathroom and got a dirty look as I moved closer to the lavatory that Ron was in. I decided that it would be better not to get in trouble, as I do have to pull a night shift at Baylor. Anyway, Ron wants to have everyone over for dinner one day next week so we can swap stories about Key West. Wednesday and Friday are good for me.

Be good

Jeremy

I decided I would reply to his email later, although I could see Jeremy having sex in the bathroom. I closed the laptop and set it on the floor. I opened up my wallet and realized I had cash to tip the Blue-Q crew. I looked inside the fridge and there were 4 bottles of water inside, so I put 2 of them in the pockets of my backpack. I walked out and started to walk back toward Bight seaport. I started thinking in my mind what I had to do tomorrow:

1 Get box and mail present to the apartment in Dallas

2. Clean room and pack

3. Write note to Ben and swap addresses.

4. Download pictures from the digital camera

I decided to slowly walk to the seaport as it was only 5:15. I casually turned on Grinnell Street and walked down to Bight in no time at all. I noticed that Blue-Q was actually in its slip. I sat down at one of the curios and just chilled out. I pulled out bottled water and drank it. I noticed a lot of boats were coming back into port from their afternoon excursions. One of them I was thinking about was Sunset Sports. It was a more sports type boat with jet skis and wave runners tied to the back of the boat. I had seen a sign somewhere that they do an all inclusive sports package for $145 for parasailing, water skiing, wave running, and kayaking.

I would have to put that idea on hold as tomorrow was going to be a down day. I was facing the boats and suddenly someone put their hands over my eyes.

"Did you miss me, Honey?' Ben asked in his very sexy voice.

"If I said I did not would you ravage me right here?" Ben sat down beside me and was carrying a bag. I slowly started to snoop, but he closed it quickly. I took out the other bottled water and handed it to Ben. He took it and smiled at me. We stood up and slowly walked over to the slip. We took a seat on a dock box. I took my shoes and socks off. Ben looked at me strangely.

"Last time I had to take my shoes and socks off, so I naturally decided to take them off." Ben took his flip flops off and put them next to mine. A few other people had showed up including a really nice lesbian couple from England. I stepped off the dock box and one of the crew stepped off the boat.

"If everyone will take off their shoes we will put them in the dock box. We are cleaning the boat after a very busy day. I am Jack your first mate."

"Captain Greg and I are very delighted you will be spending an amazing evening with us." Jack started gathering everyone's shoes. Captain Greg was wiping the deck with towels. 4 guys had showed up.

Captain Greg stepped off and walked across the plank. He waived his arms and said, "Everyone welcome aboard, as you board please step to your right. Stepping to your left would be very bad."

Ben stood up and grabbed his bag. He handed it to me so he could walk across. I carried his bag across the plank and stepped onto the boat. It was just like I remembered. I gave Ben his bag and put my back pack on the floor. Others were beginning to board. I sat down next to Ben. Jack and Captain Greg had come aboard. Greg stood in front of the mast and started speaking: "I want to welcome you aboard the Blue-Q for an awesome sunset cruise. Our plan tonight is to take you around Key West and we will pull into a nice place so you can see the sunset. Now for the coast guard stuff. Please feel free to roam around the boat, if you should fall in the water, although it has never happened, don't panic sit on your back and I will get the boat turned around as fast as I can. Bathrooms are down below. Because we do have a beverage certificate, please allow Jack or I to serve you drinks tonight." Jack went over to the side of the boat and untied 2 lines. Greg had walked over to the helm.

"Clear both lines," Jack said. Greg started the engines and we slowly backed out of the slip with the help of the engines.

Jack came around, "Can I take anyone's drink order, and we have an amazing Spritzer?"

I raised my hand and told Jack that I wanted one. Jack brought me a drink, and Ben ordered one also. As we came out of the port we started to cruise around the coast of Key West. I pointed out the Cruise Ship docks to Ben.

"They had one in on Thursday Ben, and I learned that it only takes 5 minutes to dock." We went by Mallory Square, and could see a lot of people gathering for the sunset. We traveled north and I looked at all the mansions, and very expensive condominiums

"These are some of the most expensive properties in Key West. Oprah Winfrey even rented a condo for a party she had one weekend. But since Key West is man made, you can't have home owners insurance."

`Now that is surprising," Ben said. We continued traveling North and Jack had gone over to the mast. He untied the sail. Jack and Greg worked like clockwork getting the beautiful sail deployed. Greg pulled from the helm as Jack turned the crank on the mast. Jack had tied off the sail and it looked amazing.

"I don't feel any wind tonight gentlemen, so I think we will need the help of the Hondas in the back." Greg sat back and turned the rotor. We started to head out to the ocean more and it was very awesome. We could still see Key West in the distance. We passed around a small island.

"The navy uses this as a submarine base, and trust us when we say, if you get too close, men with machine guns will encourage you to leave quickly." Jack said.

Greg had cut the engines off and we just drifted along. The scene was amazing as we all focused on the sunset. I looked at Ben and he was just as content as I was. I stood up and took out my digital camera. I walked over to the front of the boat and snapped a few pictures of the sun setting. Ben walked over to me and kissed me. I groped him on his butt and he giggled. "The sun is now setting, and now is the perfect time for taking pictures,'' Greg said

Everyone stood up and started taking shots of the sun. I decided to go to the back of the boat near the helm. I stood up on the side and shot a few pictures over the awning. Ben started chatting with some of the other people on the boat. I hopped down and walked over to the left side. The sun was now beaming down on the ocean very brightly. Everyone was taking pictures. I walked over and gave Ben my camera so he could take some pictures. He took some pictures of me.

"You all are about to see something that only a few hundred people have seen. The sun will turn into a green, and then it will disappear. You would need 3 cameras to actually capture the sunset," Greg said.

Sure enough instead of it being bright yellow, there was a green light in the middle. Within 2 minutes the sun had set. I walked over to Ben and hugged him tightly. Instead of the sky being bright it had turned a beautiful pinkish purple.

"Can I take pictures of any of you?" Jack had asked. I handed him my digital camera and we stood at the top of the boat. I put my left hand around Ben. I heard the digital camera snap and I thanked Jack. Just then I heard the annoying alarm that I hated, telling me that the battery was low. I went over to my backpack and started searching for some batteries. I silently started cussing under my breath as I could not find any. I went over to Ben a little sad.

"I don't have any batteries with me," I said a little cranky.

"Look at this view Matt; you don't have to have a camera to remember this." Ben was right. I walked over and threw my camera into my backpack. I asked Greg for another Spritzer. He brought me one with no trouble. I went back and admired the view with Ben.

"This is the perfect way to end my day, after a mediocre afternoon on the ocean," I said to Ben who perked up.

"So what exactly happened, I thought you sounded sad when I talked to you over the phone Matt?"

"Well it was just so boring after being in the ocean swimming through the reef, not to mention I fell a sleep while looking at the reef. We saw a few fish. But the crew was not as hospitable as the crew of Blue-Q." Ben nodded unsure of what to say.

"This is am amazing trip, and I have almost forgotten about the afternoon." All of us had seats and Greg stood up and told us to look for dolphins. We saw a few other boats out on the water, and noticed some lines in the water. "Those are terrapins, and the guys over there fish at night time."

Greg turned on the engines and turned the boat around. I guessed our evening was coming to a close. Ben and I had decided to sit down. He reached into his bag and pulled out a bag of Gummy Bears for me. I smiled as I gladly accepted them. He took out a Snickers for himself. We went back around the side of Key West and saw that the celebration was under way in Mallory Square. I ate my Gummy Bears and tried to throw one into Bens mouth. Unfortunately it missed, and ended up landing on his shorts.

"Well that Gummy must have the right idea, trying to get into your shorts." Ben had started blushing and ate the Gummy Bear. We had pulled back into the port area and I was ecstatic over the awesome experience that I had just had on the ocean. Greg parked the boat with no trouble what so ever. Jack walked over and waited as we slowly maneuvered into our slip. Greg killed the engines and Jack tied the boat to the dock.

Greg walked over to the mast and got everyone's attention, "I want to thank you for joining us this evening. Please remember Jack works off of tips, and has learned everything about Key West on his personal time. The best compliment you can give us is to tell your friends about us."

Ben took out his credit card and handed it to Jack who disappeared down below. I grabbed my backpack and put it back on my shoulders. I reached in my wallet and took out a 10 dollar bill. Jack came back and handed Ben the slip, which he signed. Greg stepped off the boat and unlocked the dock box. He took everyone's shoes out and set them on the ground. Jack stepped off the boat and was on the left side of Greg. The group slowly started to disembark from the boat. Ben had thrown his bag away. I stepped off the boat, and Ben had followed me. I handed the 10 to Jack and hugged him. I went over to Greg and gave him a hug.

"This has been an amazing experience. Thank you so much, and I will definitely be on the boat again." Ben had come through hugging Jack and Greg. We walked up the ramp together and reached the end.

"Well I need to do a little last minute shopping on Duval, I will see you at Island House in 45 minutes; okay Ben?"

"As long as I get a good present from you." Ben walked away and I headed toward Duval. I turned and started looking for the store that I wanted. It took me about 15 minutes to reach the store. I picked up a basket and went to the back of the store where all the seashells were. I was not sure what I was looking for so I just browsed around for a little while. I put a few things in my basket, but I kept getting drawn to a pink conch shell. It was beautiful. I walked around and noticed a sign that said, engraving $4. I stood in line and handed her the shell. I wrote out on a piece of paper, "Key West 2007. She went to work on it and told me she would bring it to the front register. I walked through the store killing time. I picked up a few trinkets for some colleagues at work. I got in line at the register and sure enough I saw that something was wrapped sitting behind the counter. I put my basket on the counter and all the items were scanned. She then took the seashells as well as sand dollars, and set them on the butcher paper. She unwrapped the conch and scanned it into the register. She it aside and hit the total button: $89.65. I handed her my Visa and she swiped it. She started wrapping all of my stuff. She put all of the items into a huge bag. My receipt printed and I signed it. She put my copy in the bag. I walked out of the store and went back to Island House. I went to my room and put the bag down with the other stuff that needed to be sent back to Dallas. I decided to call and see what Ben was up to. I called up to his room

I want to thank each of my editors for helping me become a better writer. The story won't end when the trip to Key West is over; I do have plans for future chapters. Stay tuned.