Beijing, Tokyo, Sydney -- these exciting cities are standard fare in the life of flight attendant Todd Eisenbraun, and he chases a romance with sexy-but-straight Josh through them all. Closer to home, a new neighbor in his San Francisco apartment building has a huge crush on Todd. His friends -- Katie, a flight attendant-turned-small appliance repairwoman, and Marzipan Q. Thespian, a man-dangling local philanthropist -- think Todd should at least give Chris a shot. Sure, he’s overweight, but he’s also handsome, a hilarious playwright, and a great cook ... what’s not to love? Todd and Chris become quick friends, but Todd’s idea of the perfect man is skinny and straight, and Chris is decidedly neither. Josh may have a fiancée and a teenaged son, but Todd just knows he’s “the One.” But if Josh is straight, the road to love is not; Todd is jostled by internalized homophobia, body image issues, exotic locales, the glamorous world of sewing machine repair, and a community theater musical salute to the life of Judy Garland before he arrives at the realization that he’s been looking way too hard for something he may have already found.

Kiss Me, Straight

Instead, I opted to be the supportive friend. “How are you doing?” I asked. “It seems like it was pretty recent. You’re pretty much on your own now for the first time, it sounds like.”


“Nah,” he shrugged. “I put myself through college—scholarship, financial aid, waiting tables, all that. So I’ll be okay. Looking around this place, it kind of looks like I got nothing, but at least I don’t feel like I owe anybody anything for what I do have.” He seemed to consider this last claim for a moment. “I guess I owe Marzipan something for the job and the place to live, but at least I work hard for her.”


“Yeah, I wouldn’t worry too much about that in terms of ‘owing’ her. She’s thrilled you came along, and she loves to help people out. She’s probably just thankful to have a new project. She’s so excited about doing your show.”


I finished my wine. “I’m sure you’re well rid of that guy, Chris. Sounds like you’ve got your life going where you want it.”


Chapter 23