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

He felt giddy as he turned to Raf and found him taking pictures.


“Stand by the plane so I can take one more,” Raf said.


Raf took several more pictures, rather than just one. Dustin certainly didn’t need to be told to smile, as this was one of the best days of his entire life. His face would probably hurt from smiling so much.Chapter 15


The next day, Dustin planned to take him flying for the first time. They’d talked late into the night about it because Dustin was so excited, he couldn’t sleep. Rafael was happy for him…and a tiny bit nervous. Not that he didn’t trust Dustin, because he did. He’d flown only on jets before and a small plane seemed…well, small. It didn’t help when he envisioned the Cessna as he’d seen it many times over the last few weeks, with panels open and parts spread on the ground.


Chapter 53