AJ wasn’t scared of flying. He just had never been on a plane before. He did appreciate the hours of silence and solitude even though he barely fit in the seat, what with the lack of legroom. What he truly feared was crashing without even seeing any signs of an impending fall before getting tossed to and fro like a tin can.
He bent over his computer and put on his headphones, figuring that if there was any chance of something surviving the brutal wreckage he was about to endure, it might as well be his laptop so Gerald could find the playlist he’d made for their drive to Maine because, really, no one should have to mourn their boyfriend’s tragic death in silence for seven hours. Face in hands, AJ remained frozen until — after three jarring bumps that elicited squeaks he would deny until his death — the plane stilled and lights fully illuminated the cabin.
Sitting up slowly, he made eye contact with the toddler to his right, thumb stuck in her mouth as she watched her with wide eyes. The kid’s mom glanced at her briefly with a judgmental raise of an eyebrow before AJ gave her a tight-lipped half-grin and pushed his mussed hair out of his eyes.
So yeah, an 8 PM flight from Portland to JFK that got in the next morning might have been the cheapest option, but AJ couldn’t help but regret all of his life’s choices as he finally looked at himself in the mirror of the plane’s lavatory. Red and puffy eyes, oily face, and the imprint of his headphone cord marking his cheek; not precisely how he wanted to see Gerald for the first time after three months. With the help of a paper towel, he managed to make his face less oily and more red. With that out of the way, he checked his watch to confirm that he still had a good two hours for his skin to return to a much less textured state.
After sharing a mutually miserable glare with the exhausted kid who handed her coffee at Starbucks and winning a baggage-related shoving match against some bloke who was about a head taller than him, AJ folded himself into a corner at the baggage claim. He pulled his laptop out of his backpack, plugged in the thankfully still-intact headphones, leaned back against the wall, and let the music wash over him, drowning out the low whirr of the baggage carousel nearby.
“I’d forgotten that you drooled when you slept.”
AJ was startled awake by a light kick to his shin, headphones falling to his neck as he sat up. Bleary-eyed and blinking, he made out the figure of five-foot-eight curly haired man with his hands on his hips, looking far too put together for 10 AM.
AJ wiped the edge of his lip, confirming Gerald’s observation and just as surely improving the already attractive picture he presented after flying all night. “Did you wake up at like 3 AM to do your hair or something?”
“Please,” Gerald groaned as he offered a hand to help his boyfriend get up. “We all know I woke up like this.”
AJ really tried to roll his eyes, tried to summon up any sort of sarcasm or snark or bitterness, even drawing from how upset he’d been at Gerald seemingly avoiding him for a few weeks in the past year, but the grin tugging at AJ’s lips and the overwhelming desire to hug his boyfriend took over, so he flung his arms around Gerald, who immediately returned the embrace.
He could have stayed there for hours, listening to the even pattern of breathing that he’d fallen asleep to many nights over the past few years, but Gerald stepped back when he felt AJ’s chest shudder.
“Dude, are you crying?”
AJ couldn’t deny it as he sniffled and beamed like an idiot.
“I missed you, okay?” He wiped his with the back of his wrist, looking Gerald up and down. “Guess the late growth spurt still hasn’t happened.”
“I’m almost starting to give up hope,” Gerald droned, noting AJ’s suitcase by her feet. “Did you already get your bags?”
AJ nodded. “My flight landed like forty-five minutes ago.”
Gerald nodded back in acknowledgement.
“Were you just watching me sleep? I know you like Twilight, but that’s taking it a bit too far.”
“Don’t flatter yourself.” Gerald bent down and picked up a coffee sitting behind AJ’s own suitcase. “Double tall, skinny vanilla latte.” He punctuated the statement with an overly obnoxious sip, and AJ finally managed that eye roll she’d been attempting.
“There are times when I just can’t handle you,” AJ muttered, packing up his laptop and headphones.
“Alright, we’re set!”
A lady with wavy hair and olive skin called out to them. With terrible eyesight, all AJ could make out at the distance was a set of keys dangling from her fingers. As Elmira got closer, he sees a pair of water bottles with the company logo clutched in her other hand. “We already checked in, so you don’t have anything to worry about.”
“That was faster than I expected,” Gerald noted, taking the bottles from Elmira’s hand while he carried AJ’s backpack over his opposite shoulder. AJ did his best not to think Gerald was doing that to avoid holding his hand in public.
Elmira shrugged. “You know how Sam is,” she replied as she gave him a hug. “How was your flight?”
“Can’t you tell by my looks?”
Elmira narrowed her eyes and invaded AJ’s space, pocketing the keys to have her free to squeeze his face between her palms. “All I can tell is that we missed this face.”
And that got him to smile. “So, did you all arrive together?” He asked when she finally let go.
‘Or did he arrive with Carl? Or with Sam? How early? Were they —’
“Nope,” Elmira replied, leading the way to the parking lot, and AJ prayed that’s the same answer to the rest of his unspoken questions. “Sam and I arrived yesterday. Gerald arrived a couple hours before you.”
“He wanted to wait for you,” Sam piped up from behind them. “I wouldn’t have had that patience.”
“Where the hell did you come from?”
“Restroom. Hi, AJ.”
“Hey, Sam.”
“Is Portland that big?” She asked as she walked past him to be beside Elmira.
“Sorry?”
“Carl said you weren’t together when he called.”
“Oh.”
‘Did Carl have to mention that? Why did he have to know anyways? Why was he all over their relationship anyway? Was it even relevant to —’
“Naw,” Gerald cut in, interrupting AJ’s thoughts, “I just spent the last two days helping my parents move.”
That was true. Gerald had mostly stayed with AJ downtown; his parents’ new house was all the way up in Parkrose. Regardless, they had been distant. It wasn’t as bad as when they all lived together, but definitely not as good as before Sam had introduced her high school best friends to her college best friends.
A part of AJ still wanted to blame her. It was a harmless party where she invited only the people closest to her. She couldn’t have predicted that all five of them would end up in the same university. However, she did have a hand in what happened during that time.
The four of them came to a sudden stop behind a silver pick-up truck with an Indiana license plate. AJ blinked a few times to make sure that she wasn’t blinded by the sun bouncing off the chrome before turning to his friends in disbelief. “A truck?”
“Yeah!” Gerald unlocked the back of the truckbed and lifted what AJ’s heavy suitcase to slide it in. “I’m assuming you want your backpack up front with you?”
AJ nodded, walking around to the passenger’s side. “Did you choose the truck?”
“It was Mira.”
“It’s what I’ve been driving at home for the past couple of months,” Elmira spoke in defense. “I got used to it. Besides, I’d say that making all of the reservations gives me the right to pick what car I want without being judged.”
“Don’t you live like only twenty minutes outside of Nashville?”
“Everyone in Tennessee has trucks, AJ.” Elmira then let out a chuckle when AJ nearly bumped his head as he entered. “Need some help there?”
At AJ’s responding glare, she held her hands up innocently and busied herself with checking the gauges and fuel level as the engine roared to life while Sam eased herself up with the help of the door’s outcropping beverage holder. How smoothly she carries herself never fails to amaze Gerald, and AJ hated seeing that look in his eyes again.
“So, is everyone in Tennessee just like ten feet tall?” Sam complained as she closed the door.
Gerald regarded her for a moment more before replying, “I swear you forget exactly how tiny you are sometimes.”
“No, I don’t.” She turned around to face him. “The dimensions just don’t make se—”
“Babe,” Elmira placed a hand on her knee, “all I heard is that our friend thinks you’re adorable. Don’t take it out on the truck.”
“Okay, Garcia, you’re all of two inches taller than I am.”
“And those two inches make a world of difference.”
“Not in the ring, it doesn’t.” Sam mumbled.
“J, you got something to tame the terrier or are we going to have to rely on New England’s best public radio for a good seven hours?”
“It’s like you don’t even know me,” he replied with mock hurt. He handed her phone over to Sam, who squinted at the playlist for a moment before looking back up, left eyebrow quirked.
“You included Bambola?’”
Elmira’s laugh couldn’t be described as anything other than a cackle when she grabed the phone, hit play, and settled her sunglasses down over her eyes.
What could he say? AJ knew what shows she loved, and while she didn’t have favorite artists, he knew a way around to make sure everyone in the group had at least five songs they’ll enjoy in that mix. (Boy, was he busy during the flight.)
“Is it really seven hours?” Gerald asked.
“Even with New York traffic?” AJ added.
Face scrunching, Elmira surveyed the highway below the bridge on which they were currently driving. “Okay, maybe nine hours.”
Gerald had fallen asleep soon after they’d gotten out of the city. Yeah, Nashville traffic could be nuts at times, but Elmira had never experienced the true hell that was entering the highway off of JFK on a weekday before. She’d been cursing steadily under her breath after they’d moved about twenty feet in half an hour, with Sam smiling at every swear word. Just how she was with Gerald.
Elmira pulled onto the Saw Mill Parkway, following Carl’s recommendation from when his family used to drive up to Cape Cod for the summer, though that barely changed the estimated travel time on the GPS. Somehow, AJ was grateful for that. After all, he wasn’t quite ready for the event yet.
He wasn’t scared of weddings or upset that his partner’s family would never let them have one. In fact, AJ had been to a few and enjoyed it. But that was because none of them involved a bet on his relationship. He did love the jokes and heck, Gerald had been even sweeter since then, but AJ wasn’t around when it was made. There had been rumors that they even got Sam to participate, and though she didn’t tell him much about it, she also became twice as supportive in the background. She was always a message away when AJ needed advice. It worked wonders, considering she’d known Gerald the longest.
AJ Barrido was neither afraid of Samantha Samson nor anxious of another round of what happened in uni. What he truly feared was everything taking a 180 after the wedding for no reason at all; he feared crashing without any signs of an impending fall. He could feel it coming like a buildup in a song.