Page 10 of Fear of Flying

Especially... especially since he’d asked the man out on a date. Was it a date? It suddenly really, really felt like a date. His first date. Ever. Would be in an airport. With a stranger.

Zach felt dizzy as he tried to stand, but Drew’s hands were quick to catch and steady him, because of course they were—one hand on his chest making his heart race and another at the small of his back that just... Damn, it was... arousing.

“Whoa, there. I got you,” Drew said, like some swoony hero in a romantic comedy.

Drew couldn’t be real. Actually, Zach must have passed out from anxiety during the flight, and this was some fever dream playing out because Jen had been all up in his head about finding romance with Mr. Great Ass.

Mr. Great Ass named Drew, who was currently staring at Zach with concern, one hand holding the short handle of his messenger bag and the other... god, the other still wonderfully, amazingly touching Zach’s lower back.

“Ah, uh... you ready?” Drew said gently, then cleared his throat and let his hand drop. “You can go first.”

Zach glanced at the completely empty aisle ahead toward the front of the plane and then back at the packed plane behind them. The people standing and waiting didn’t look too annoyed.

Drew slung his messenger bag over his shoulder and then reached up into the overhead bin and pulled out his winter coat. “Which is yours?” Drew asked.

Zach eyed the line of passengers looming and swallowed back the anxiety as it started creeping in again, then he moved into the aisle ahead of Drew. “Uh... navy blue duffle, and, um, my coat is black—should be right on top?”

Nodding, Drew gathered Zach’s things and held them out for him to grab. Zach might have mumbled a thanks, but he couldn’t be sure, his focus narrowing in on the people behind them who now had to be annoyed. He could feel it in the stale air of the cabin.

Zach hugged his duffle and coat against his chest and then hurried off the plane, giving a quick nod of thanks to the flight attendants on the way out. He practically speed-walked up the jetway, slinging his bag over his head and shoulder and cramming his coat under his arm as he went, so as not to hold up anyone longer than he had already.

When he emerged from the jetway and into the gate area, he glanced around to try and find a clear spot where he could step aside and catch his breath, but there was nothing. The seats for this gate and the surrounding gates were all full, and the airport looked... stuffed with people. So many people. All the people from arriving flights and those whose flights would not be leaving until the winter storm was clear, or whatever metrics the FAA used to make sure things were safe for flying.

God, there were so many people. And it was warm. And the air in the terminal was so thick or something.

He hadn’t even realized that he’d stopped in his tracks until a solid hand grabbed his and a newly familiar voice said, “C’mon, follow me.”

And so Zach did. Through the throngs of people jostling their luggage and in a hurry to get somewhere in the airport, even though the flights were surely all delayed. Drew seemed to be in a hurry too, leading Zach by the hand at a fast clip. Zach’s duffle bag shifted against his hip and side rhythmically as they went, and he tried to focus on that sound and that feeling, putting one foot in front of the other and holding onto Drew’s hand instead of letting the cacophony of other sounds in the airport overwhelm him.

Somehow, blindly following a stranger through the airport felt less anxiety-inducing than just being inside the airport with all its thousands of people and thousands of different noises all happening at once.

“Watch your step here,” Drew said as he paused their movement.

Zach looked down to find they were at an escalator, and without a word, he stepped on. Then they were moving up and up. Once they reached the next floor and stepped off the escalator, Drew led Zach over to a set of vinyl-covered benches and chairs along the wall and sat down, tugging on Zach’s hand to encourage him to sit as well.

“There,” Drew said, and Zach realized he could still hear Drew clearly, even though he was speaking softly now. “Better, yeah?”

Drew let go of Zach’s hand, lifted his messenger bag off his shoulder, and set it and his jacket beside them as he turned to face Zach, one leg hitching up underneath him. Zach took a moment to look around and let his nerves settle, breathing deeply as his eyes wandered the space—some half-level that was open to the other floors and stretching up to the ceiling, making it feel bigger and less claustrophobic. It was less crowded up here, too, and the chaotic din of the airport had faded significantly.

After another deep breath, Zach turned to look at Drew, who seemed to be regarding him with an expression that was part concern and part... amusement, maybe? “How did you know about this place?” Zach asked.

Drew grimaced slightly and nodded his head over his shoulder toward the far wall where there were several sets of glass doors with the name of what looked to be an exclusive club of some sort etched into the surface. “I’ve traveled before with some of the partners at my firm, and they’re pretty big fans of utilizing the club. We, um... you and I, we can actually go in if you—if you want. My corporate card gives me privileges.”

“Doesn’t seem like your kind of place—oh god, that came out wrong. I mean, I’m sure you’re, um... qualified? Or... ah, fancy enough—no, okay, you gotta help me out here because I one hundred percent meant that, um...”

“That I don’t like it?” Drew was most definitely amused now.

“Yeah. That, um, would have been the easier, more succinct way of putting it. Yup.”

Drew’s smile was wide and bright just before he burst into laughter, the corners of his eyes crinkling. Zach’s breath caught as he got his first good, full look at Drew and his dazzling gray-blue eyes and perfect smile. Damn, he was insanely attractive.

Drew’s laughter subsided, and he took a breath before he spoke, his expression sobering a bit. “And you’re right. I feel like it’s pretentious. It’s not really my kind of place. Though it’s entirely possible it was the people, not the place.”

Zach couldn’t help but keep staring. “God, you’re gorgeous.”

Drew’s eyes went wide for half a second before he dropped his gaze, his cheeks flushing.

“Shhhhiiit. I... said that out loud.” Oh god. Zach felt warm everywhere, and he wasn’t sure if he was scared to breathe or he just... couldn’t. And when Drew looked back up at him, Zach could only stutter. “I-I-I’m s-sorry, I j-just—”