Give Me Just One Night

3. Leaving On A Jet Plane

"Oh-my-god, she didn't. That's terrible," I say.

Instead of sitting in the back, Shane invites me to sit in the passenger seat beside him for the drive to the airport. We've only been in the car for fifteen minutes, but neither of us have stopped talking.

"She did. And then after prom I saw her and my friend Richie making out."

"Oh no!"

He shakes his head. "I told you it was screwed up."

"I don't have a prom story, but my first kiss was with my best friend Rachael."

He glances over at me, and it's the first time I've spilled the beans about my sexuality to anyone. At fifteen I knew I was attracted to both male and females. My best friend at the time, Rachael, was one of them. She was the sporty-type. Always had her hair up, and a sports uniform on. It wasn't only her looks that attracted me to her, but at the time she was the one person I could always count on.

"How did she react?" He glances over briefly, a smile on his face. I love how he just accepted it.

"Okay, at first. She was shocked."

I laugh, and he smiles. "Did you two date?"

"No. She started to get weird when I explained why I kissed her. After we drifted apart. It sucked losing my best friend. But it's all good, because I met my best friend through an LGBTQ group at school, and he and I have been friends since."

"Funny how things work out, isn't it?" he asks.

I look over at him, and he briefly smiles back, before paying attention to the road. There was some minor traffic, but it opened up and we started picking up speed. Part of me wishes I was brave enough to yell at him to turn around. To tell him I wasn't done touring Manhattan with him, but I have to go home, I've got nowhere to stay, and I need some time to process the past few hours.

Our conversations are light and easy. I love how comfortable I feel around him after only knowing him for such a short amount of time.

"Are you sure I can't pay you a little extra for taking up your shift tonight?"

He shakes his head as he pulls into the airport.

"Don't be silly. I wanted to, and I made a friend in the process."

I smile at the idea of being friends. When I came to New York I imagined things going differently, but after what happened, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

"Let me help you with your luggage."

He steps out first, opens my door, then walks around to the trunk. He pulls out my small black suitcase and rolls it over to me. I step out of the car and we stand there staring at each other, unsure of what to do next.

"Thank you. For dinner, for Broadway, and being the kindest New Yorker I've ever met."

He laughs at that. His eyes fall upon my lips and when he realizes he's been caught, his cheeks redden.

"Of course. I had a really nice time."

He reaches up, and with all the confidence in the world, tucks a stray strand of hair behind my ear. I shiver, enjoying the way his fingertips felt as it grazed the top of my ear. We stand there in the most beautiful silence, just watching how the other reacts. His other hand gently grabs hold of mine and he tugs me closer. His thumb on the hand that touched my hair, slowly gravitates towards my bottom lip. He gently runs it along the edge and I suck in a trembling breath.