Page 75 of Point of Contact

Trevor settled back in his seat. “I never knew my parents,” he said. “They were both killed in a car accident when I was a baby. My maternal aunt and uncle raised me. Best people I’ve ever known. Supportive and loving, even when I came out to them as gay at sixteen and then got a girl pregnant at seventeen.”

Jesse choked on his soda, coughing as it went down the wrong way. “Wow,” he croaked, wiping his mouth on his napkin. “Yeah, I can’t even imagine my parents’ reaction to either one of those things. I think sometimes they didn’t know what to make of me. I was a surprise baby, and a hearing one. Definitely turned their lives upside down.”

“I was a selfish little shit,” Trevor admitted. “All about the good time, feeling bulletproof. Having Riley made me grow up real fast.” He shook his head. “Thank God for Marilyn and Frank. Without them, well, I don’t know how things would’ve turned out.”

They sat in silence for a moment, until Jesse said, “I picked Hawaii because it was somewhere I’d always wanted to go. Being able to go with my best friend, well—”

Trevor turned to face him. “I’m glad you got to go, Jess, and that they’re happy memories. Truly.” He bit his lip. “I just want to share your memories, if that’s okay, since I won’t ever get to make any of my own with him.”

Jesse looked directly at him, and Trevor was struck again by how beautiful his eyes were, a vivid blue-green framed by thick black lashes. “I’ll share anything you need me to. This trip is for you.”

Trevor felt a rush of affection for him so strong his mouth went dry. “You’re the best,” he managed to say. “Thank you.”

Jesse quirked his lips before leaning back in his seat. He pulled his iPod from his pocket and slipped the earbuds in, linking his hands over his flat stomach and tuning everything out. Trevor fished a book from his carry-on bag but held it unread on his lap, preferring to watch Jesse doze instead.

The hum of the plane was a soothing background noise as Trevor drifted, picturing two young men, exhausted and ragged from war, sitting side by side in cramped airline seats. Did they sleep? Did they talk? On the flight from Denver to LA, Jesse’d told him about the USO reception at the Dallas airport...volunteers lined up at the gate to greet them with applause and hugs.

Trevor wondered who’d hugged Riley, if they’d squeezed him extra tight. He remembered their own hug goodbye on the parade field at Fort Carson. What if Trevor’d known then it would be the last time he’d ever see him, touch him...

The fucking tears welled up, and Trevor slid his hand over to Jesse’s tray table to filch his napkin, wiping his eyes on the tiny square. Jesse never looked at him, or said anything, but he shifted just a little bit closer to Trevor so that their shoulders were touching, and Trevor leaned against his warmth as the plane flew on.

* * *

They landed in Honolulu without fanfare. Trevor was amused to notice there weren’t any hula girls slipping leis over every passenger’s head as they deplaned, like in the movies—it was just a typical airport scene with scores of weary passengers trudging their way to baggage claim.

As they passed the usual collection of newsstands and shops just outside the gate, Jesse gestured to a small kiosk selling colorful leis, some made out of real flowers along with a collection of cheaper rainbow-colored fabric ones. “When Riley saw that, he said, ‘Shit, I was hoping to get lei’d by a beautiful girl! Guess we’ll have to lei ourselves.’ And he walked over and bought two.”

Trevor snorted, pulling out his wallet. “Well, by all means, let’s get lei’d.” He laughed out loud when Jesse shot him an incredulous look. “C’mon, Jess, do you think I’m too old to enjoy a good double entendre?”

Jesse shook his head, mumbling something, and Trevor bought two purple-and-white real flower leis that smelled amazing. Jesse bent down so Trevor could slip one over his head before returning the favor.

Trevor couldn’t resist. “A real pleasure getting lei’d by you,” he said wickedly, enjoying Jesse’s embarrassment, thinking how much fun he was to tease. Or flirt with. He grimaced to himself. Careful there, Trev. Old guy flirting with the hot, young one? Don’t look now, but you’re kinda pathetic.

They ambled their way to baggage claim, joining the throngs of people eager to get their vacations started. Next, a stop at the car rental counter, and soon they were sitting in a hellacious traffic gridlock leading into downtown Waikiki.

“This is one thing they don’t show you in the travel brochures,” Jesse grumbled from the driver’s seat as they inched along Nimitz Highway. Trevor propped his arm on the doorsill and gazed with fascination at the scenery, mostly industrial in this area along with a few glimpses of gleaming skyscrapers in the distance as the road curved and flowed.

Trevor took a deep breath of the fresh sea air, feeling relaxed despite the annoying traffic.

“How did you end up in the Army?” he asked.

Jesse glanced at him. “After my mom passed away, I was sort of, I don’t know, directionless. It was something we’d never really talked about, me growing up and going out on my own.” He gave a sort of half-shrug. “I wouldn’t have left my mom alone after my dad died anyway, and then suddenly she was gone, too.”

A wave of sympathy moved through Trevor. “And you were only eighteen, you said?”

“Yeah, I’d just graduated high school. A friend of my parents helped me get their affairs in order. There was a small amount of life insurance, enough to bury her with, and of course I inherited the house.”

“A lot to deal with on top of everything else. That’s rough.”

“I had everything packed up and put in storage, an out-of-sight, out-of-mind thing till I was ready to go through it, and John, my parents’ friend, helped me sell the house. I had enough after that to live on for a while but not enough to pay for four years of college or anything.”

Trevor gaped at a hulking cruise ship as they passed by one of the harbor piers, awed by its sheer size. “Wow, look at that,” he exclaimed, diverted. “Have you ever been on a cruise?”

“No. Have you?”

“That was supposed to be my honeymoon, actually. A two-week cruise through the Caribbean.” Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Jesse wince. “And I, uh, heard through some mutual friends the other day that Carl is already dating someone else.”

Jesse whipped his head toward him. “Seriously?” he burst out, his tone indignant. “What an asshole.”