Page 45 of Friendly Skies
“No, chico, it was never flying that I loved. It was you. I started flying because you did.” He shrugged. “I didn’t have any other ideas of what to do after school, so it seemed like as good a choice as any.” Darius brought Luis’ hand to his lips and kissed it. “And it kept me close to you.”
Tears welled in Luis’ eyes, and he swallowed hard. “I had no idea.”
“Why would you? I enjoyed what I was doing, but it was always about being with you in any way I could be.”
“Cariño,” Luis breathed out and rose up on his knees, then straddled Darius’ lap. He cradled Darius’ face between his hands. “Mi cariño. Mi único amor. Te amo.” It was overwhelming how much Luis felt for this man. “All these years, I thought I knew what it was to love you,” he said as he lowered his mouth to Darius’. “I had no idea.”
“Chico…” Darius whispered in the moment before their mouths met, and Luis felt the rush of Darius’ breath as they opened to each other.
For all the times they’d kissed in the past twenty-four hours, this time, it was completely new and uncharted territory for Luis. It wasn’t about sexual desire at all but a meeting of hearts and souls, of love given expression through their bodies. A coming together in perfect harmony and synchrony. It was sublime. It was beautiful. And it broke Luis’ heart a bit that they had kept this part of themselves hidden from each other. But in the next moment, those broken pieces mended, and Luis felt himself put back together by the knowledge that Darius would love him for forever.
The kiss gradually came to an end as they rested their foreheads against each other. Then Luis started to laugh as he realized they were both still naked. “Oh my God,” he said. “I’m so glad that wasn’t a video call.”
Darius’ laughter was joyous—a miracle in this dark moment—and Luis started to feel as if everything was going to be all right. They’d make it through this together because there was no way Luis wasn’t going to be by Darius’ side every step of the way.
***
After they showered, Luis ordered pizza because they were hungry, and there was nothing in the house to eat. Darius texted the lawyer to ask if he could call at eight and was told eight thirty would be better so he and his husband could get their kids to sleep.
Luis’ head had finally cleared from his earlier margarita binge, and he was sticking to water for the rest of the night while Darius opened a beer as they settled on the couch to watch TV until the pizza arrived. They had a moment of amusement as they took up their usual positions on opposite sides of the couch. Luis extended his legs and put his feet in Darius’ lap,and Darius immediately began rubbing them, then paused. They both looked at Luis’ feet, then at each other, and cracked up.
“God, we were idiots,” Luis said because it was so clear now why other people had always seen them as a couple.
Darius held his arms open, and Luis shifted until he was lying against Darius’ chest, those arms wrapped around him. He tilted his face up for a kiss, which Darius gave without hesitation.
“I love you, chico.”
Snuggling deeper into the crook of Darius’ arm, Luis hummed. “Love you, too.”
They were still trading kisses—the TV forgotten and still dark—when the sound of a key in the lock made them pick up their heads and look toward the front door.
“Greg or Ricky?” Luis asked.
Darius shook his head. “No idea. That schedule is so out of date, it’s impossible to know where anyone is.” He frowned. “Except for me, of course, for who knows how long.”
“Hey, it’ll be fine. This will work out.”
“You don’t know—”
The sound of the door opening interrupted him, and then Greg’s voice asking, “You guys decent?”
“Define decent,” Luis said.
“Clothed,” Greg said as he emerged from the entranceway. “No dangly bits on display. Strictly PG. Nothing that would shock your parents.”
“Since my mom walked in on me and a football player and all she did was remind us to be careful, you might have to amend that last restriction,” Darius said as Greg leaned over the back of the couch to kiss his cheek.
Greg laughed while Luis asked which football player it had been as he accepted his own kiss from Greg.
“Wouldn’t you like to know, chico.” Darius mimed locking his lips and laughed when Luis swatted at his shoulders.
“It was Mateo, wasn’t it? I know you had a crush on him.”
“Not telling,” Darius said.
“Fine. I’m still going to imagine you with Mateo because that would have been fricking hot.”
Shaking his head, Greg grinned at them. “Nice to see that things are going well here.” He flopped down in one of the purple armchairs Luis had gotten a few years before at an estate sale. “Congratulations, you two.”
