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 air felt thick in the tent, so he unzipped the windows, immediately letting air flow through the mesh sections. He checked the mattress, filling fairly quickly, and settled the top just under one of the windows, then sat back on his heels, enjoying the cool breeze.


Dustin crawled inside, bringing the bags full of their purchases, and set them atop the suitcases. “Hey,” he whispered, moving into Rafael’s open arms.


Rafael enveloped him, and they held each other tight for a moment.


Dustin looked at him, surprising him with a smile. “I have to admit, it threw me. All this time, I’ve wondered what I did, what I said, what was wrong with me for him to cheat. And then, there he was…and I couldhave asked him. I could have said anything, askedanything, and found the closure I’d always wanted.”


Rafael’s heart thudded. “Why didn’t you?”


Chapter 63