Josh, a lonely trapeze artist, thinks he’s cursed. It’s an old family superstition. He can’t have sex on a day he flies or he’ll fall. Maybe that’s why he’s never had a steady boyfriend, though sometimes he dreams of one. In his show, a strange melody plays in the background. It follows him and surfaces from time to time on the street. When Josh’s uncle hears about the music, he tells his nephew to bring the old ring, passed down from generations since the time of the curse. Steve is a realtor who always reaches his goals, in sales or otherwise, and he moonlights as a dancer in an all-male review on The Strip. All his friends his age are married, and his best friend’s wife Genie wants to see him hitched, too. He’s a little bit challenged in the relationship department, though. He has some growing up to do, or maybe it’s his problem in bed, where he’s somewhat one-sided. Steve and Josh meet one crazy night when Josh breaks all the rules used to protect him from the curse. After that, he runs. If it wasn’t for Genie’s matchmaking, Josh and Steve might never see each other again. Though not yet ready for a boyfriend, Josh does need a realtor. What a good way for he and Steve to get to know each other, while Josh works up the courage to tell Steve about the curse. Still unaware of Josh’s problem, Steve falls in love with him. When Steve finds out about the curse thing, it’s a big disappointment, but he wants Josh anyway. There’s no doubt Josh is worth the wait. Maybe the curse isn’t real after all. Can lonely Josh overcome his fear of it? Can horndog Steve handle a curse? Is the answer in the ancient ring?

The Curse of Flight

“We all do sooner or later. Whatever it is, it’ll pass. Is it a man? Of course, it is. What else would it be?”


Josh held his breath. The tears wouldn’t stop.


“When I was young,” Mike said, “it was a crime and an illness to love a man. When no longer deemed an illness, a real one came along. My best friend died younger than you. It still hurts, but I’m better now, and he’s in a better place.”


Josh could hold it no longer. The air rushed out with a wheeze, and he sucked in a deep breath. Mike’s words gave strange comfort but something in them rang true to Josh. His was not the only curse. Mike had endured trials of his own, surely more than he told. Josh might survive his if this old man had lived through those. Still he cried, not only for his own sorrow but for his neighbor’s.


“I’m sorry if I talk too much,” Mike said. “Sometimes it helps to get it all out.”


Josh wiped his face. “Do you believe in curses?”


“No. They’re only real if you do.”


Chapter 28