An Enchanting Liftoff

by A. J. Marcus

  Chad shuddered. “Yeah, that would be no on the chick flicks. Sports are also out.”

  “Definitely.” Rusty laughed. He felt so at ease lying there on Chad. He wished it could go on forever. “I’m really glad Tyler introduced us.”

  “Me too.” Chad kissed Rusty again. “What do you say we grab a quick shower to wash all the sweat and cum off… you shot a fair amount all over my leg. Then we can get a bit of a nap so we’re good to go for the glow tonight.”

  A contented sigh escaped Rusty. “I like the sound of that.” It took them fifteen minutes to work their way into the shower. By the time they got back to the bed, they didn’t have much time for a nap but had cum twice more in the shower. It was the most times Rusty had orgasmed in a short period since his college frat days. He felt good knowing he could still cum like a teenager if he had the right motivation, and Chad was definitely the right motivation.

  RUSTY GRIPPED the wheel of his Land Rover and navigated through the evening traffic he hit once he got in Albuquerque. The drive from Santa Fe had been one of the fastest he’d ever made. After taking the meetings he had to during the first part of the week and rescheduling the rest for the following week, he’d left the office and headed down to spend time with Chad.

  When he hadn’t been at the office, he’d been working on ideas for Chad’s advertising campaign or spending time on the phone with Chad, just talking. It felt odd but nice. He’d never found anyone he could just talk with for hours on end. When he’d told Chad he’d managed to clear his schedule for the rest of the week, Chad sounded as excited as Rusty felt.

  Tapping on the steering wheel, Rusty waited for the stoplight to change so he could get through the intersection before turning in to Chad’s motel. The place wasn’t as busy as it had been over the weekend, but it still took Rusty a couple of minutes to find a parking place in the back among the various trucks, all bearing logos of different balloon crews.

  Since he didn’t have a room key, Rusty had to go around to the main doors and through the lobby. By the time he reached Chad’s door, he had to wipe his sweaty hands on his jeans before knocking. It had been a really long time since he’d been so nervous about seeing anyone. He knocked and tried not to rock from foot to foot.

  Chad opened the door. He looked tired and sad. His handsome face was dark and droopy, and there was the slight hint of beer on him, something Rusty had never smelled around Chad before.

  “Hey, you okay?” He walked into the room as Chad held the door open for him.

  Without a word, Chad enfolded Rusty in his strong arms and hugged him tight. Not knowing what else to do but understanding that something was clearly wrong, Rusty returned the embrace, and they stood there next to the closed door and hugged for several minutes.

  Chad finally let go of Rusty and walked farther into the motel room. “I’m sorry. It’s been a hard day.”

  Rusty followed and grabbed his hand. “It’s okay, but you obviously aren’t. What happened?”

  For a couple of seconds, Chad stood there with pursed lips and red eyes. Then he sighed. “There was an accident.”

  “Oh God.” Rusty couldn’t remember ever hearing about accidents at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. He wanted all the details but didn’t want to push Chad for answers when he was clearly upset. “You’re okay. Is the balloon okay?”

  “Rising Pride’s fine. We weren’t involved, but I saw it happen.” Chad sat down on the bed and picked up a beer bottle from the night table.

  Rusty sat next to Chad and put his arm across Chad’s slumped shoulders. “Man, that must be rough.”

  Chad took a drag off the beer, then nodded. “Accidents happen from time to time, but I’d never actually seen one in person. And it was someone I know… knew.”

  “I’m sorry.” Rusty gave him a tight sideways hug, and Chad put his head on Rusty’s shoulder.

  “It shouldn’t have happened. Felix was coming down for a landing in a field on the south side of town. Some idiot had just strung power lines there. They weren’t there this weekend, but there’s a new subdivision going in. The winds caught him and blew the balloon right into the wires before he had time to react.” Chad shuddered, and his voice cracked. “The wires must not have been up right or something. They snapped and whipped around the gondola. All of a sudden the whole thing just went up in flames.” Soft warm tears splashed on Rusty’s neck. “I was heading for that same field. I managed to pull up in time. It took Rose and the crew a few minutes to find us a safe place to set down. By the time I reached the site, the emergency crews were there, but the balloon was still burning.” Chad shook, and Rusty held on to him.

  “Man, I’m sorry you had to witness that.” Rusty stroked Chad’s hair, wishing there was more he could say, but he knew the most important thing he could do was be there for Chad. He thought, for Chad’s sake, at least the accident had happened on a day Rusty could come to offer some support.

  Chad shook his head. “I think the sight of Elegant Flight burning will stay with me forever. It’s going to be a long time before I’ll feel safe setting down without my ground crew giving me an all clear again.”

  “You think that’s what happened, beyond it all just being a terrible mistake?”

  “I don’t know.” Chad shrugged as he continued to cling to Rusty. “I know they were a few blocks away, and it was a safe field this weekend. It should’ve been a routine touchdown. Even with the wind warnings that were posted when we all launched, if the wires hadn’t been there, it would’ve been fine.”

  “That part of town is really growing quick. I bet the folks who strung the wires didn’t even stop to think about balloons landing there today.” Rusty kept stroking Chad’s hair, hoping he was providing some level of comfort.

  “Possibly. But the whole town knows about the festival.” Chad shook his head. “I don’t understand.”

  “So are they going to cancel the rest of the fiesta?”

  Chad lifted his head from Rusty’s shoulder and reached for his beer. “Not entirely. They’ve canceled tomorrow’s daylight events, but the Balloon Glow and the weekend stuff will still go. It would cost the event too much money to stop everything.”

  “Then we should take tomorrow as a down day, but if you want to go find something to do, we can.”

  After a quick drink, Chad returned the beer bottle to the night table. “You’re a great guy.” He leaned in and kissed Rusty. “I might not be fit company tonight.”

  Rusty traced his fingers down Chad’s jaw. “That’s okay. We can just stay here and order a pizza if you like. We’ll find something to watch on TV and have a quiet night.” It hadn’t been what he’d had in mind during his drive down from Santa Fe, but with Chad hurting, he would do what he could to make Chad feel better.

  With another kiss, Chad leaned against Rusty’s shoulder again. “Thank you. I think there’s talk of having a wake for Felix tomorrow night at the launch field. Sort of a candlelight send-off, balloonist style.”

  “If you want me to go with you, I’d be honored.” Rusty hugged Chad again and felt some of the tension leave Chad’s shoulders as their embrace drew out. Rusty hadn’t been to many wakes but knew they were remembrances of the person who’d died. He wouldn’t have anything to remember, but he could be there for Chad. That was going to be the important thing.

  “Yeah. I think I do. You know my crew, and they’ll all be there.” Chad stayed there with his arms around Rusty and his head on Rusty’s shoulder. Their romantic evening dissolved into a quiet time of support, and that was okay.

  THE NEXT day was mostly a blur for Rusty. He and Chad went to the BioPark for a change of pace. Chad didn’t really want to go to the launch field until they had to, claiming that dealing with the grief of others wasn’t something he was good at. Rusty understood, particularly since he didn’t know any of the balloonists beyond Chad and his crew. He would’ve felt like an interloper. But his time with Chad was pleasant, even if they weren’t doing anything he’d expe
cted when he drove down from Santa Fe.

  After an early dinner, Chad and the crew piled into two trucks and drove the short distance from the motel to the launch field. As it had been most of the day, Chad’s hand was in Rusty’s. Holding hands with a guy wasn’t something Rusty was used to doing, but it felt good and natural. He was pretty sure it was helping Chad get through the rough time.

  When they arrived at the field, there weren’t nearly as many people as there had been during the weekend Balloon Glows. But even with the number of people who were there, the quiet way they all worked at getting the balloons up was unnatural. When the first burner flared near them, the noise shattered the silence, making Rusty jump. Several of the crew, Rose included, chuckled nervously. Moments later Chad fired up his burner, and although everyone was still quiet, the sounds of several burners doing their jobs of inflating the balloons helped make things at least sound more like what Rusty expected.

  When the sun finished setting, the PA system crackled seconds before the announcer’s voice rang out over the field. “It’s nice to see the great turnout. I think Felix would’ve appreciated everyone here to give him a great pilot’s farewell. Looking out there, I count about seventy-five of you. Wow. I know it’s hard to lose one of our own. Felix was a major part of this event for fifteen years. We’re all going to miss seeing Elegant Flight rising amid the crowd as much as we’re going to miss Felix’s many stories in the pilots’ tent.”

  Around them no burners roared. The field was mostly dark as the announcer talked.

  “I spoke with his wife this afternoon and conveyed all of our grief and support. She said his funeral will be next week. For those interested in attending, I’ll be sending out an e-mail tomorrow with the details. She said she wasn’t up to coming here tonight but expressed her appreciation that we were doing this for Felix. It’s something he’d appreciate a lot more than his actual funeral services. She also said he always talked about having his ashes spread over Sandia Peak from a balloon. If anyone is interested in doing that, please contact her next week after the funeral.”

  Several burners roared to life, and light flared around the launch field. Even Chad pulled his lever. Rusty felt Felix was going to get a major send-off. Even if only one balloon was actually needed to fly his remains on their last flight, there’d be a large vanguard going with it. The community support surprised him for some reason.

  Chad squeezed Rusty’s hand. “Felix would really appreciate all this. I’d like you to be with me on that flight.” His voice broke slightly.

  Rusty nodded. “Of course.” He didn’t want Chad to have to do that by himself. It was sure to be an emotional flight. All during the few days they were apart, he’d wanted to spend as much time with Chad as possible. Even if part of that time ended up honoring a friend he’d never met, he’d be there.

  The announcer went on for a few minutes, recounting Felix’s life at the festival and on the balloon circuit. Several times his words were drowned out as the pilots gave burns, short or long depending on the emotions he stirred up. Then he sent someone down with a microphone to get farewells from the assembled pilots and friends. After each one spoke, there was a joint glow, but other than the person talking, everyone remained eerily quiet.

  When the microphone made it to Rising Pride, Chad took it, and as the roar of the burners died down, he squeezed Rusty’s hand and cleared his throat. “Felix was a fixture around these parts. It won’t be the same without him and Elegant Flight sharing the skies with us. I’ll never forget him. The first time I came to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta as a pilot, Felix was the one who sat me down and showed me the ropes. Without his guidance, I would’ve probably screwed up big-time and made a complete and total fool of myself. He was a great man. I don’t know the number of times I had to borrow a tool from him. Like many of the rest of you, I think he kept a complete spare set of everything just so he’d have whatever it was we all left at home.” He shuddered.

  Rusty put his arm across Chad’s shoulders, and after a moment Chad continued.

  “Felix was one of the greats. I know we’re all going to miss him. I also know the sight of Elegant Flight hitting those wires and going up in flames is going to be with me for the rest of my life. I hope none of the rest of us ever goes through anything like that again. But at least he went flying. A balloon pilot was who Felix was. It’s what he loved and how he’d want to be remembered.”

  Chad passed the microphone back, and his hand shook as he reached for the burner lever to give a good long blast. Around him, the others did the same. When he was done, he wrapped his arms around Rusty’s neck and wept. The ground crew all reached into the gondola and touched them, lending what support they could. For his part, Rusty hugged Chad tight while murmuring support. He wished they could just let Rising Pride free of her mooring lines and fly away somewhere Chad could be happier.

  RUSTY SMILED at the client across the table, but he did his best not to act too excited. Alice Rodham, the head of the New Mexico Tourism Bureau, had just picked out the pictures she wanted to use for the new campaign that would spotlight ballooning in the state. Rising Pride was in at least half the images and prominent in two of them. That would help the ad push he had put out for Chad’s business and not cost Chad anything extra. Even if Rusty had fought with Tyler to get the balloon photoshopped into one of the shots with the Land of Enchantment balloon, it was worth it. The shots were great, and he was ecstatic about it.

  As soon as Alice was out of the room, Rusty pulled his smartphone from his chest pocket and hit the speed dial for Chad. It felt odd to him, having a boyfriend on speed dial, but he also liked it. There was something comforting about having a stable relationship, even if it had been less than two months.

  “Hey, Chad.” Rusty couldn’t help it; he smiled when he talked to Chad. More than a couple of his coworkers had mentioned it, and Tyler said something every time they got together.

  “Hey.” There was a soft grin in Chad’s voice too. “How’s the sexiest ad man in New Mexico?”

  “Wonderful. I was just checking to see where you wanted to go for dinner tonight.”

  “As long as it’s with you, I don’t care.”

  “Okay. I’ll see about some reservations at that place you like down on the square for six.”

  “Sounds good. We need to be in early tonight, though. I’ve got another early morning flight.”

  “I’ll do my best to not keep you out of bed too long.” Rusty’s grin broadened. Another benefit to having Chad in his life—he got more sex than he had before. Sometimes he wondered why he’d waited so long to find someone interested in dating, as opposed to getting quickies from time to time.

  Chad laughed. “You never do keep me out of bed long. The catch is getting sleep.”

  Rusty sighed. “Oh, all right. I’ll make sure you’re in bed and asleep quickly tonight.”

  “Sounds like a plan. So do you want me to meet you at the restaurant, or are you picking me up?”

  “Will you still be at the office?” Rusty sat at the desk and moved the pictures Alice had selected into their own file, then zipped it and forwarded it to the art department to have them start working with the copywriters to create copy to go with them and get the campaign underway.

  “Yeah, the uptick in business means more paperwork. I was planning on wrapping up at five but can hang out a little longer if it means you’ll pick me up.”

  “Got it. I’ll get you about five thirty or so. That will give us time to find parking and get there in time.”

  “Good.” Chad chuckled softly. “I can’t wait to see you. It’s been, what, eight hours?”

  “Sounds about right. See you soon.” Rusty ended the call, then connected his phone to his computer and downloaded the pictures there so he could show them to Chad that evening.

  THE SQUARE in Santa Fe was decked out for the holidays. All the buildings were covered in little red lights shaped like chili peppers. The trees were mostly decorated in
silver ornaments. Instead of traditional Mexican music, the wandering mariachis played holiday songs. Most of the snow from the previous week had already been shoveled away, but Rusty still shivered in his leather duster.

  “It’s not that cold out here,” Chad said, tucking his arm in Rusty’s. He looked perfectly comfortable in his lined jean jacket.

  “No, it was just a chill.” Rusty was determined not to shiver again if he could help it. He did his best to keep up a good appearance around Chad. It wouldn’t do for a little bit of weakness to show through and change the way Chad felt about him. Even as he thought about that, he pushed the idea away. Chad didn’t care about things like that. He’d already told Rusty he liked everything about Rusty just the way he was. A little weakness wouldn’t matter, but he still didn’t want to display it.

  They reached the restaurant. The concentration of chili pepper ornaments doubled as they went in. A warm breeze blew the chill from the outside away.

  “Ah, Mr. Donavan,” the hostess, Carmen, greeted them.

  It was one of his favorite places to eat, and the fact that most of the staff knew him helped his opinion of the place.

  “We’ve got your table ready. I hope you don’t mind. It’s in the back tonight. We’re really busy with the holiday crowd.”

  Rusty didn’t really have a regular table, but he did like being in the main dining room, particularly if it was one of the tables that looked onto the square where he could watch the people passing by. “That’s fine, Carmen.”

  She smiled at him and picked up two menus. “Right this way, then.”

  She walked them past three other couples who were waiting. As they headed for their table, he caught one woman elbowing her husband and whispering about calling ahead next time.

  Once they were seated and their waiter had taken their drink order, Rusty waited for Chad to read over the menu. He knew what he wanted, but he didn’t want to jump on Chad with the good news before they had a chance to order.