It was dark when the airplane finally glided in over the twinkling sprawl of the city, and kissed the runway at Sky Harbor a fond hello. The roller coaster afternoon of hopes-up, hopes-dashed, hopes-up-again had been something of a slog for Shep, but now he was well and truly on his way home. One time zone closer, anyhow, with only a little prop hop to go. The flight had been quiet and smooth, the all-gay cabin crew sympathetic, and generous with the complimentary cocktails once his story leaked.
“What’s your boyfriend got planned?” asked the twinkiest of them all.
“No idea,” Shep said. “I just hope it involves taking a shower.”
The flight attendant affected an exaggerated sniff. “Shouldn’t take too much convincing,” he quipped with a wink, setting another miniature whiskey on Shep’s tr
