Rafael Patino has a great life in Rain Valley. He’s a teacher at the high school, has a great group of friends, and enjoys the occasional baseball game. Other than the sporadic call from his drunken mother, he’s pretty content. He’s also been in love with his best friend Dustin for nearly a decade. Years of keeping those feelings under control are put to the test when they begin a summer project together. Dustin Vance builds furniture for a living, has just earned his pilot’s license, and has an amazing best friend. When he buys a 1976 Cessna Skyhawk, he asks Rafael to help restore it, then travel with him to Wisconsin for the largest aviation convention in the world. As they spend their days working on the plane, they begin to spend their nights together. Will they find love in the clouds, or will they stall out before they even take off?

Love in the Clouds

The small plane was white with thin burgundy and blue stripes along the sides and a white tail with blue edging. A big white letter N followed by a series of numbers stood out against the burgundy on the tail, and Rafael wondered what those were for. Possibly like a license? He would have to ask Dustin.


The wings spanned out from the top of the plane. Like a normal car, the aircraft had two windows on each side, and a front and back windshield. But this was definitely not a car.


Once the tow truck driver unhooked the plane, Dustin talked with him for a moment, then the guy left. Dustin walked around the plane, running his hand over it, his face a mixture of reverence and disbelief. Rafael stayed quiet, letting him drink in the moment. Dustin finally stopped in front of Rafael, his lashes wet with unshed tears.


“Can you believe this?” Dustin’s normally self-assured voice had dropped to a shaky whisper, as if speaking too loudly could burst the bubble.


Chapter 13