Page 52 of Friendly Skies
“What about them?”
“They were only a substitute for you, chico. I thought I was looking for someone to love me when all along, you were the only one I wanted to.”
“And I always did.”
“I know that now.”
They moved closer, but before they could fall into another kiss, a nearby commotion caught Darius’ attention. Instinctively, he moved in front of Luis and caught sight of several women—one of whom was wearing a “Bride-to-be” sash—pointing in his direction. It wasn’t unusual for bridal showers to show up at the WeHo clubs, and these women weren’t significantly more inebriated than others Darius had seen, but something about them made the small hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
“Why come to a gay club if you’re going to make a scene?” someone next to Darius said.
“Chico, I think we—”
“It’s him!” one of the women screamed. “The guy from the plane videos. The flight attendant.”
Maybe it was because she was shouting over the music, but Darius caught a distinctly unfriendly tone in her voice, something threatening underlying her words. He had a split second to make up his mind and opted for caution. Taking hold of Luis’ hand, he tried to lead him toward the exit, but Luis balked. When Darius turned around, Luis’ eyes snapped fire at him.
“They are not running us out of here,” he said.
“Chico—” Darius glanced over his shoulder to see a couple of the women advancing.
“No, Dar. This is our first time out as a couple, and I am not letting these bitches ruin our night.”
“It’s you, isn’t it?”
The woman was at his back, a fingernail poking hard enough into his shoulder blade Darius felt it through his leather jacket. When he turned, she poked him in the chest.
“Melanie, come on.” One of her friends tugged on her arm. “Leave him alone.”
“Do you know what he did?” the first woman asked, then turned back to Darius. “You’re supposed to help people.”
“Oh, my God,” her friend said looking toward Darius with her hands up. “I’m sorry about her. She’s had too much to drink.” Again, she tried to pull her friend away, but it was no use.
Darius was aware they were the center of everyone’s attention and phones were being raised.Shit. Shit. Shit.This was not what he needed right now. From behind him, he heard Luis suck in a sharp breath as the woman poked at him again, and all he could think of was getting Luis out of this situation.
“What do you have to say for yourself?” she screamed at him.
“I—” Darius barely got a sound out of his mouth before she was yelling at him again.
“You’re a fucking predator and—”
“Hey! Enough!”
Darius did a double take as Luis stepped out from around him and right into the woman’s face.
“He is a fucking hero,” Luis spat, every inch of his five-foot-five frame tight with anger. “That woman put everyone on that plane in danger, including herself.”
“Well, he—”
“No, he fucking did not!”
It seemed as if Luis’ voice filled the entire club, a roar of sound coming from that small body, and it made the woman rock back on her heels.
“Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to be out of your seat in turbulence like that?” Luis asked. “That woman could have been killed if the plane lost altitude suddenly. She could have lost her balance and smacked into the ceiling.Hecould have been killed getting out of his seat to help her. She might not have known the danger, but he certainly did. And he got up anyway.”
“Luis—” Darius tugged on his arm, trying to get him to retreat.
“No.” Luis’ eyes blazed at Darius and halted him in his tracks. “You’re a fucking hero, and they need to know that.”
