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

He let loose. The bar fell back. Free in the air, the music took a new tone. He glided toward the rope and the deck, but something wasn’t right. Time slowed as in a crisis. It skipped some points on the continuum and fell between the seconds. In ever smaller increments, bottomless, it passed in always slimmer slices, almost to a standstill. Strange music blared, and he reached out blindly. When it stopped, he grabbed the rope and slid down. It was done, a new world.


The music returned to normal, and the audience cheered. He was free, and he bowed. The curse was a fraud, a lie made true by believing. It never controlled him, but he let it.


Down the ladder, he raced off stage. To the dressing room, so excited, he didn’t know what to do first. The phone dinged. He picked it up. A message from Steve, who waited at the stage door. The text finished with the words I love you. Josh’s heart hesitated.


Chapter 79