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

“I thought I could get him out of my mind. It was a sucky thing to do.”


“You set us up to fail. But I get it. I would’ve probably done the same thing. Have you told him how you feel?”


“Of course not. He doesn’t feel the same way. I’m sure of it. And besides that, maybe it’s just a phase. I mean, we’ve been friends for years—since our freshman year of college. If I lost him as a friend, I…I don’t know what I’d do.”


“The only way you’re going to find out is to tellhim.”


Dustin thought about that as he continued eating. He knew Conner was right, but it couldn’t be as simple as that.


“Oh! I almost forgot. Jack asked me to give you this.” He handed Dustin a yellow envelope with his name written on the front.


He instantly recognized the writing. It was Raf’s. “Thanks. Jack told me he found it.”


Chapter 18