Boy Midflight (21 page)
“I don’t know. I thought I was, but it’s nothing like what Mikal does to me.”
“You weren’t. You like the idea of being in love, but you run from it at every opportunity. This Mikal is different, I can tell. You may run but not forever.”
“Millie, what should I do?”
“I can’t tell you that. I think you should do what you’re going to do.”
A moment of silence passes between us as I contemplate it all.
“Do you have a plan?” Millie asks.
“Do I ever have a plan? I am a free-floating idea. I just don’t know which direction to run. Excuse me, fly.”
“Love is frightening. So is life. Without risks it would be rather tasteless, though. Don’t you think?”
THE MORNING
air is surprisingly brisk as I step out of the cab. I walk into the Venetian Hotel and head for the Grande Lux Café, wondering how life would be different if I’d chosen to stay at college, with Chris. I flew away, though. I left just as we were getting started. No profit to dwell on it. I would have missed a grand opportunity. I wouldn’t have met Ferni, or Mikal.
In a gift shop window, I see a miniature train set. Flashes of childhood memory stream back. My older brother and I used to cross “the tracks” to go to school each day. I used to love that walk, balancing along them until I’d tip off. Then squatting beside, I’d line up stones on the tracks. A long line of dusty gray rocks. As a kid I subconsciously tried to derail trains, and now I have become somewhat of an expert in derailing relationships. Practice makes perfect I guess.
I walk into the restaurant and see Chris sitting in a booth near the front, intent on creating the perfect alchemy for his morning coffee. His skin glows from the Bahamas sun. Seeing me, he stands, wearing faded jeans and a bright red T-shirt. French Connection. “FCUK Me” written across the front. “Ashley!”
“Hello, Chris,” I say, my voice glacial.
“I’m so happy you’re here! What a crazy coincidence, right?” he says, reaching out to hug me. I half return the effort.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, cautiously sitting across the booth from him.
“Just visiting a friend…. You look amazing. I’ve missed you.”
“Have you….”
“I’m so sorry. I’ve been wanting to call, it was just difficult to get ahold of you. You’re so busy now!” he says, smiling in a way I used to take as genuine. “Look at this, though, we show up in the same city. It’s meant to be, right?”
“Coffee?” our waitress asks, carafe in hand.
“I’m not staying. I just came to say good-bye.” Our waitress nods and walks on to the next table. “I think it’s something that should be done in person.”
“Ashley, come on. I know I screwed up, but we can make it work this time, I promise.”
“I thought I loved you but I just loved the idea. I’m glad I figured that out,” I say, leaning back in my seat.
“Come on, Ashley. I’m really sorry. Seriously, I am. Give me a chance. I was stupid. Let’s at least talk about it.”
“Chris, we haven’t spoken to each other in months. If you had cared, you would have made that happen.”
“We can make this work.”
“I don’t want it to. We weren’t really in love. Trust me, when you find the real thing, you’ll know. Good-bye, Chris.” And I turn and walk away. Only this time I’m not walking away from love. I’m not running. I’m not flying. I know exactly where I’m going.
I STEP
out onto Las Vegas Boulevard and the sky is falling. The wind whips around me and brings with it sheets of rain. I pull the blond locks of hair matted to my forehead back away from my face. I feel a sense of completion. Calm.
Then I look at my watch. Eight thirty.
I search the streets for a cab, but each one I spot has its hired light illuminated. Everyone is getting out of the torrential downpour. I have no choice but to run. Hitting the street, I pound the pavement as the big drops plummet on my brow. I run faster and the rain slaps my face. My shirt is soaked through and the front of my jeans cling to my legs, heavy and wet.
Emptiness overtakes me as I taste the rain on my lips, ice-cold. Life suddenly feels so fleeting and I’ve spent so much time running from it. I don’t want to spend it alone. I don’t want to run forever. I don’t want to fly away anymore. I want to be with my man and live our life together.
Finally I arrive at our hotel, drenched, and trudge through the lobby, a sopping mess. I take the elevator up to our floor and swipe my card at our door. It blinks red. I try again to the same response. I knock on the door loudly. “Mikal?”
No answer.
My heart sinks as I contemplate the worst. He’s left without me. He had second thoughts. Maybe it was a test. I never should have gone to see Chris.
I run down to the lobby and up to the front desk. “My key card isn’t working.”
The attendant swipes the card, and then shakes his head. “You’ve been checked out, sir.”
“How long ago?”
“I couldn’t say, sir. That information isn’t available to us.”
I turn and run through the foyer, now a bustling hub of morning activity, flipping my head in response to any man standing about six foot two. No Mikal. Out the front doors and past the valet I run alongside the taxis cued in line, peering into each window, hoping against hope that I haven’t missed him.
But I have. I’ve screwed up royally. I can’t even blame him for leaving. I deserve it. I wander to a bench and take up a depressed residence, the only tourist not taking advantage of avoiding the rain under the hotel awning. The rain is coming straight down, a venerable deluge. And then suddenly it stops; well, at least over me.
“Umbrella, sir?”
I look up with so much joy it hurts. “Mikal! I thought you left.”
I grab him in an embrace so tight I’m afraid of hurting him. I also want to be sure he’s real and I haven’t gone delusional. “I’m so sorry. Oh my Antonio Sabato Junior, I’m so sorry.” I bury my face on his chest. The tears are welling up in my eyes, such a horrible mixture of joy and self-loathing. “I’ll never ever leave you again. I promise. I love you. I know I do. I love you and can’t bear the thought that I left you here.”
“It’s all right. I was just in the gift shop getting this umbrella. I knew you’d come back, babe.” He smiles and gives me a quick kiss. “I also bought a leash, just in case. Antonio Sabato…?”
“He’s my Bobby….”
He laughs, and I lift my eyes to meet him. He’s beautiful. And smart. And courageous. And funny. And he loves me. And I’m soaking wet and muddy. I love him right back.
“Look at you, my boy in the rain.”
Mikal leans in and kisses me. Full of promise. Full of complete devotion. Full of love.
“Wow. I forgot what that was like. Two hours is too long to be apart. I’m so sorry, I just….”
“Shh…,” Mikal says, bringing a finger to my lips. “It doesn’t matter. I know you love me.”
I smile and nod. “I love you, Mikal.”
“I love you, babe. Now that I found you, let’s go fly away.” Mikal kisses me quick on the lips, then on the forehead.
“Where are we going?”
“Miami, Victoria, Paris, New York, Neverland. But I’m holding your hand. We’re going together.”
Shadowlands is a collection of heartfelt and sometimes heartbreaking short stories from well-known actor and entrepreneur Charlie David that explore the passion and pain of gay sexuality. Ancient myths are re-imagined with an exciting queer twist, masterfully depicting the charged, fragile relationships of urban life today.
Story genres in this collection include romance, science fiction, fantasy/paranormal, horror, mystery/suspense, and poetry.
The host of the TV travel series
Bump!
, which now airs in over 55 million households worldwide, Charlie David has played many roles in M/M film and television, including
A Four Letter Word
and
Kiss the Bride
, Bravo’s
Godiva’s
, Showtime’s
Reefer Madness
, Sundance Channel’s award-winning
Terminal City
, and a starring role in the gothic gay soap opera
Dante’s Cove
.
In 2007 he started Border2Border Entertainment Inc., a production company whose award-winning films include
Mulligans
,
Beyond Gay: The Politics of Pride
, and
Judas Kiss
.
CHARLIE DAVID
is a gypsy. On any given week he could be found walking with cheetah in South Africa or unpacking his skis at the airport in Zurich. As host of the TV travel series
Bump!
, which aired in over 55 million households worldwide, he’s not looking to settle down any time soon!
Formerly in a rock band—okay, actually, it was a boy band—Charlie opened for Destiny’s Child, Pink, Snoop Dogg, Rick Springfield, and Black Eyed Peas.
If you like LGBT film and TV series, you may recognize Charlie from
Paternity Leave
,
Mulligans
,
A Four Letter Word
and
Kiss the Bride
, Bravo’s
Godiva’s
, Showtime’s
Reefer Madness
, Sundance Channel’s award-winning
Terminal City
, and starring in the gothic gay soap opera
Dante’s Cove
.
In 2007 he started Border2Border Entertainment Inc., a production company whose award-winning films and TV shows include
Mulligans
,
Beyond Gay: The Politics of Pride
,
Positive Youth
,
Judas Kiss
,
Coming Out
,
I’m a Stripper
, and
STUDlebity
.
Charlie lives in Toronto and Montréal with his partner. Although they love claiming these cities as home base, their favorite activity is planning travel to escape the snow.
To dive into Charlie’s world please visit border2border.ca
YouTube: youtube.com/user/MrCharlieDavid
E-mail: [email protected]
Boy Midflight
Mulligans
Shadowlands
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Boy Midflight
© 2016 Charlie David.
Cover Photo
© 2016 Ethan James Photography.
http://ethanjamesphotography.com