Eighteen-year-old Londoner Josh feels all at sea, holidaying with his family on the Isle of Wight. He’d rather be living it up in Ibiza, dancing until all hours, and maybe finding out what it’s like to be with another man. What chance does he have of getting lucky with his newly-single mum and little sisters in tow?<br><br>Cambridge student Rupe is making the most of his summer job at the boating lake, charming customers with his good looks and theatrical manner. Life looks even sunnier when he meets the cute, inexperienced Josh and asks him out for a date on a boat. But there are dark clouds in Rupe’s life, and even love on an island isn’t always plain sailing.

All at Sea

“Well, no offence, but you sound like my headmaster. Only posher.”


“Ah. That may well be because my father isa headmaster. Retired, now—he’s seventy-three. Apparently I came as something of a surprise to the old dears. I think they’re still trying to work out whether it was a good sort of surprise or…”


I couldn’t imagine anyone back home in London calling their parents “the old dears.” Then again, no one I knew back home had a dad older than my grandad.


Rupe scrambled to his feet again as an Indian couple approached, and I looked out at the lake to see Mum and the girls heading back our way. “Wait—where are we going to meet tomorrow?”


“Here. Ten o’clock.” And with a last smile, he was gone, off to help the Indian lady get into the boat without dunking her sari in the lake.


“Made a friend, have you?” Mum asked as we walked back along the sea front. She had that worried look on again.


Chapter 3