Can this be?

“Don’t be late! Don’t be late!”

The words bounced around his head as the airport limo wound its way through early rush hour traffic trying to find I-66 and then the toll road to Dulles.

The lowering sun blazed the inside of the limo as it crawled west. Instinctively, his eyes closed, but too late to keep the orange flash from flaming his vision. As it did so, it brought back the flaming from last night when he had nervously looked from Ed’s amazing smile to the light of the candle between them.

“Samuel? Come with me?”

He looked back up, the after images of the candle light fading, and those eyes staring deep into him. And the feelings kept sweeping over him, leaving him a mess of confused desire. As the eyes delved deep, he remembered and felt the profound change from the night before as the lips that framed that amazing smile had met his own.

At breakfast the next day, yesterday.

“Samuel. I have to go to London tomorrow night.”

“Ok?”

“Come with me? I know this is sudden . . .”

“Really. But how?”

“I can change my business tickets for coach.”

“Um. Wow. This is so much . . . I just don’t know.”

“Ok. Just think about it. Ok? Dinner tonight?”

“Yes. That is not confusing.”

But it had been so confusing. This new desire for this new body. This chance for a fantasy fly away. How real could that possibly be? Ed’s hands enveloping his own and the luscious feelings that came from that touch.

“Samuel?”

A nod.

“Don’t be late!”

The flame had faded and he caught sight of the sign, “Dulles International Airport.”

The confusion morphed into excitement and he smiled as he whispered,

“I won’t be late!”