Page 14 of Fear of Flying

The slight teasing that had been in Zach’s eyes seemed to turn into a smolder right in front of him the longer Zach searched his face. Drew’s heart started thudding in his chest, and then, suddenly, Drew felt a sharp rush of panic thread down his spine, making him sit straight up and busy his hands with his menu.

He felt Zach’s hand slide slowly off his thigh, and the loss of its warmth and weight sent an abrupt pang through him that took him by surprise. “I-I’m... sorry?” Zach said, his voice careful, tentative.

Guilt flooded Drew, and he turned his head to face Zach again. “No—no, I’m sorry. I just... I, um, we should probably order our food. Ah, especially if the kitchen is backed up.”

Zach nodded and made some hmm of agreement, picking up his menu and seeming to study it closely.

But Drew could sense the tension in him. Hell, he could feel it because their shoulders were still touching. “I’m sorry,” Drew whispered without taking his eyes off his menu. “I... I’ve never done this before.”

Zach was silent for the longest second of Drew’s life so far. “Done... what?” Zach asked, so quietly Drew could barely hear him over the frenzied chaos of the airport bleeding in around the half walls of the restaurant space.

Drew turned his gaze back to Zach and searched his expression, trying to figure out exactly what Zach was feeling or what he himself was feeling, because he wasn’t sure of anything right now. “I-I’m not sure what this is, whatever we’re doing...” Drew admitted.

The slight but warm smile on Zach’s face was reassuring, and he almost got the sense that Zach understood what Drew was trying to say... even though Drew didn’t have a clue himself. “It... it can just be dinner right now,” Zach offered softly.

“Dinner... with a friend? Or...” Drew couldn’t bring himself to say the words, as though saying it would somehow ruin it or jinx it or... make it come true.

“. . . as a date?”

Drew nodded, his breath caught in his lungs.

Zach looked anxious, though more apprehensive or nervous than scared. “D-do you... want... it to be?”

Emotion flooded Drew’s chest as he nodded again, exhaling with a huff. “Y-yeah. I—yeah, I do.”

“Okay,” Zach said on a breath, his warm grin sending a tingle of something through Drew’s chest. And there was some part of him that wanted to commit this moment to memory, to remember every single detail because when he let himself push away all those other feelings—all the anxiety and uncertainty—what was left was this pure joy, pure happiness. He still felt scared... but in a good way, filled with some sort of giddy apprehension. Zach’s grin broadened, and the feeling inside Drew only grew more, blooming with hope.

Drew watched with eager anticipation as Zach lifted his hand and started moving it toward Drew, and then he felt a vibration in his pocket. Then another. And all around him, he could hear phones buzzing and trilling and chirping. Reaching into his pocket and grabbing his phone, he unlocked it quickly to read the message—the message that his flight had been canceled.

Next to him, Zach had his phone out and was frowning at it. “My—our—flight is canceled.”

The sound in the airport increased almost in a wave, cresting and then crashing into a louder din. Through all the ruckus, Drew could hear snippets of conversation around them as everyone started talking about what to do now that the severe winter storm outside had effectively grounded all flights into and out of Pittsburgh International Airport.

Drew knew all too well what to do, and unlike three years ago in Chicago, he was not going to get stuck sleeping on the airport floor. He stood quickly and signaled the bartender for the check. Then he picked up his messenger bag and slung it over his shoulder and across his body.

Zach looked at him quizzically as Drew draped his coat over his arm. “Apparently, we’re going to be here in the airport for the foreseeable future...” Zach said, his eyebrows raised. “So, why are you giving up your seat? Our seats? Are we going somewhere?”

Even as Zach was asking, Drew was urging him to stand, grab his bag, and sign for the check. For good measure, Drew grabbed his glass and swallowed down the last third of the Old Fashioned he’d had left. “Trust me,” he told Zach. “I’ll explain in a minute.” He nodded his head toward Zach’s glass. “Drink up if you wanna.”

Drew waited patiently while Zach finished off his drink and grabbed his duffle bag and coat, then Zach looked at him expectantly. Drew tilted his head toward the concourse, smiling and filled with a strange and sudden adrenaline.

“What’s going on?” Zach asked as he followed Drew out of the restaurant.

When Drew paused and turned to face Zach, he saw Zach’s brow furrowed in confusion and another look of anxiety clouding his expression.

“This happened to me before in Chicago. All the flights were canceled during a huge blizzard, nothing coming in or going out for at least a day. Pretty soon, if not already, the roads here will be too dangerous to get anywhere. There’s a hotel inside the airport here. If you don’t want to sleep on the floor by the gate, we need to make a run for it.”

He watched Zach’s eyes go wide with understanding, and then they darted around nervously as Zach seemed to take in the sea of people surrounding them. “Can’t we just call?”

Drew shook his head. “That was my mistake in Chicago. I tried calling the airport hotel, but all the lines were busy, and by the time I got through, all the rooms were gone.” He raised his eyebrows at Zach, whose expression flickered with that same tension Drew had seen earlier, and Drew hoped this hint of urgency and adventure would be enough to distract Zach and keep his anxiety at bay. “Ready?” he asked, holding out his hand for Zach to grab.

Zach stared at Drew’s hand for just a second, then took it and gave it a squeeze. Tingling and a flash of warmth and affection rushed through Drew, dancing with all the adrenaline in his system. Zach let out a short huff and lifted his gaze to Drew’s. His grin grew, and his eyes sparkled with adventure. He nodded once and said, “Let’s go.”

Chapter Six

Zach

Hand in hand, Zach and Drew almost stumbled to a stop just before the lobby doors to the Hyatt Regency Pittsburgh, both of them laughing as they breathed hard. It hadn’t taken nearly as long to get to the hotel as they’d feared, but they’d still run the whole way all the same.