Page 44 of Friendly Skies
“Then you can call them back when you’re done loving me.”
Darius chuckled, and Luis loved the way his chest vibrated. “Then they’re going to be waiting for forever.”
“Good.” Luis rose up on his elbows and gave Darius his best pout. “I don’t want to share you with the world.”
Luis’ phone buzzed with an incoming call at the same time Darius’ beeped with a voicemail alert.
“That’s probably Micah,” Darius said. “I need to check my phone.”
His words brought reality crashing back into the room, and Luis felt stupid for forgetting everything Darius was goingthrough. Though he needed to arrange for a lawyer and who knew what else, he’d still taken care of Luis, made love to him, and made sure he was okay before doing any of those things. Darius’ world could be collapsing, and here Luis was freaking out about Andrés, drinking too much, and then clinging to Darius like some damsel in distress.
“Hey, chico?”
Luis turned to look at him and felt even worse. Darius had his phone in his hand, but the concern in his expression was all because Luis’ brain had tripped over into the bad place once again. He tried to smile. “I’m okay. You do what you need to do.”
When he started to get out of bed, Darius reached out and pulled him back. “Stay here, okay? I want you with me while I talk to Micah. I need you, chico.”
“Okay.”
Luis lay back down, and Darius threaded their fingers together while he opened up his phone and listened to his voicemail. It had been Micah calling to let him know Jake had found him a lawyer. Darius immediately returned the call, and Luis tried to stay calm as the conversation progressed. It all sounded so serious and beyond Luis’ comprehension. How could anyone accuse Darius of assault, let alonesexualassault? Darius was the sweetest, kindest, gentlest person Luis had ever known. His alma gemela had only been doing his job keepingallthe passengers safe, just like he’d always kept Luis safe.
He tried to take comfort in the certainty Jake expressed as he said this was probably a bogus accusation intended to make the airline hand over a chunk of money to keep the whole thing out of court. Luis wasn’t so certain. He’d seen enough things like this take off on social media that he was extremely worried. The juice of a hero who turned out to be a predator was prime fodder for the trolls, especially when the hero was a Black man. As Darius had said, it wouldn’t matter to anyone that he was gay.
“I’m texting you Ry’s number. He’s waiting for your call, so don’t worry about calling him as soon as we hang up,” Jake said as Luis tuned back in to the conversation. “He’s an excellent labor and employment lawyer, and his husband’s a civil rights lawyer.”
“Is that going to be necessary?” Darius asked.
“It might be an avenue to investigate depending on how the airline reacts. You’re a gay Black man—if the airline doesn’t support you, it’s something to look at. Especially depending on how they treat the other attendant who was involved. In addition, Ry says you should be prepared for the FBI to get involved. An assault on an airplane is murky jurisdiction at best, but the FBI usually handles it rather than local law enforcement because airlines are regulated at the federal level.”
“Shit,” Luis said. The idea of the FBI being involved scared the shit out of him.
Darius glanced down at him and gave his hand a squeeze, but it didn’t help the cold that washed over him.
“How much is this going to cost?” Darius asked. “I’ve got some money saved, but—”
“I’ll help, cariño,” Luis interrupted at the same time Jake said not to worry about it.
“Ry works pro bono,” he said.
“How the hell can he afford to do that?” Darius asked.
Jake chuckled. “Dude’s loaded. Not to mention his husband’s pretty well-off as well, and Ry makes a pretty penny as an expert witness in conversion therapy cases.”
“Shit,” Darius said, and Luis nodded in agreement.
“Yeah. So, you don’t need to worry about his fees.” Jake paused. “I know it’s going to be small comfort, but we all know you didn’t do what this woman is claiming. We’ve seen the videos. You were in a dangerous situation, and she had a weapon. You did your job and ensured the safety of thepassengers on board and the entire flight crew, as well as yourself and this woman. Try to remember that you are a hero, Darius. Micah said he couldn’t have done it better himself, and he’s going to be talking more about this in his trainings.”
“Would it help if I quit?” Darius asked, then shushed Luis when he started to protest.
Darius quit flying? Luis couldn’t imagine what it would be like if Dar left this business. What would he do instead? What would Luis do if Dar quit? He was so caught up in his own panicked thoughts that he was barely aware of the end of their conversation until he heard Darius say goodbye.
“Would you really quit?” Luis asked.
“I don’t know,” Darius answered without looking at him. He was staring at some point on the wall, the hand holding Luis’ clutching tight, and shaking his head. “Maybe?”
“But you love flying.”
That finally got Darius to look at him, and a small smile flickered at the corners of Darius’ mouth.
