Page 32 of Fear of Flying

Zach just had no idea what it meant. Or what he was supposed to do. Or what they were supposed to do.

“Hey...” Drew’s soft voice behind him startled Zach, and he nearly jumped.

“H-hey,” Zach replied, standing quickly and then turning to face Drew. There was some flicker of something in Drew’s eyes—uncertainty or guilt or—

“Are you okay?” Drew asked, whatever had been on his face before, now replaced by a soft, concerned expression.

Zach found he couldn’t answer, not right away, and as Drew closed the distance between them, Zach could feel the skittering of nerves, shifting ever so slightly as anticipation replaced some of his anxiety.

Drew’s warm hands came to rest on Zach’s shoulders. “Are you okay?” he repeated. “Are you cold?”

Zach shivered under his touch, as though his body had been eager for it, had needed it. “A little,” he answered quietly, because he wasn’t sure what the truth was. He closed his eyes as Drew’s hands slid smoothly over his upper arms. He wanted to ask how the phone call had gone, if there was anything wrong, but something kept him from even trying to find the right words.

“C’mere,” Drew murmured, pulling Zach into his arms fully and holding their bodies close together.

Zach’s arms moved automatically, circling Drew’s waist, and he sighed with relief and melted into Drew as his warm, sure hands rubbed gently over Zach’s bare back.

“This is a really, really good hug,” Zach whispered.

Drew’s arms tightened, holding Zach even closer still, and then Drew dipped down to press a kiss along the slope of Zach’s neck, slow and deliberate, filled with more tenderness than need. Zach felt Drew continue a path upward, feathering light kisses on his skin before he brushed his lips against Zach’s, almost as though he was aiming to soothe Zach’s nerves. Not that he could have known any of what had been going through Zach’s head the last few minutes.

Now there was a slow rocking to their hug, like they were dancing on air. Zach closed his eyes, buried his face in the crook of Drew’s neck, and inhaled deeply, memorizing his warm, masculine scent, before he settled his cheek against Drew’s chest. The sound of Drew’s heartbeat was strong and steady, and Zach let it soothe him further, its rhythm and pace working better than any mindfulness exercise he might have tried.

Zach felt like the rest of his anxiety had melted away, and he must have sighed contentedly or something because Drew gave him a gentle squeeze and raised his head.

Drew brushed a kiss against Zach’s hair. “What is it?” he asked gently.

“This swaying,” Zach started, his voice soft, “it’s so nice, I wish we had some music right now.”

Drew pulled his head away slightly, and his eyes seemed to have this edge of hope or delight, maybe. “You wanna dance?”

“Yeah.” Zach nodded. “I’ve never, uh, had the opportunity to slow dance with anyone. Not even Jen, and I...” Zach could feel the heat rising in his cheeks, embarrassed a bit at the admission.

A grin tugged at the corners of Drew’s mouth and then spread slowly across his face, and the sight of it made Zach’s heart flutter wildly. “I would love to dance with you.”

One of Drew’s hands came up to cup his cheek as they continued swaying, and Zach closed his eyes briefly, leaning into Drew’s touch to feel the warmth and that magic sort of tingling that came with it. When Zach opened his eyes again, Drew was watching him with what seemed like awe mixed with desire, and he leaned down slightly to capture Zach’s lips.

Drew’s kiss was slow and wonderful, its tenderness almost stealing Zach’s breath and its passion simmering just underneath the surface, keeping them warm. Zach whimpered as Drew pulled away, wanting to chase after that perfect feeling of Drew’s lips on his and Drew’s tongue sweeping through his mouth.

“Should we get dressed?” Drew asked, his voice a bit husky. His hand slid down from Zach’s cheek to his neck, and then his thumb moved slowly over Zach’s stubbled jawline.

“Hmm?”

Drew laughed lightly. “For dancing? You were cold?”

“Mmm, not anymore,” Zach murmured, and his arms, still looped around Drew’s waist, tightened a bit. He didn’t want to lose Drew’s touch or his warmth for even a second.

“Do you want me to go get my phone... for some music?”

“Uh-uh. I don’t want you to leave.” Zach pulled him just that last little bit closer, so their bodies were more flush with one another, and he rested his head on Drew’s shoulder.

“Okay,” Drew rasped, as though he was just as affected as Zach was in this moment. One hand was still at the small of Zach’s back, and his fingers pressed into Zach’s flesh just enough, like he was telling Zach he didn’t want to be apart either.

With a tantalizing slowness, Drew’s other hand moved from Zach’s neck to his shoulder, his fingers splayed against Zach’s skin as he went, and they traced down his bicep and forearm until stopping at Zach’s hand. His breaths quickened from the touch, and he found his fingers automatically intertwining with Drew’s.

Drew brought their hands up in the air, their elbows at right angles, and Zach felt another kiss brush against his hair as Drew started swaying them again and turning them in more of an organized fashion.

Zach couldn’t hold back a small gasp, and he raised his head, his eyes meeting Drew’s. “You actually know how to dance? Like real ballroom dancing? Not that—not that I know what that’s like, but this looks like, um, seems like—oh, you should shut me up right now—”