dpracket

"What's your waist size?" Reid asked, throwing his beer bottle into the trash.

"33, why?" Luke answered from the living room, where he was reading his email on his phone.

"Come in here," Reid said as he walked to his bedroom.  Luke followed and sat on the bed while Reid rummaged around in his closet.  After a few minutes, he came out with some clothes and a suitcase and sat down next to Luke, wincing a little.

Luke smiled.  "A little sore, are ya, Dr. Oliver?"

"Shut up.  Yeah.  I let some guy with a big dick fuck me.  I don't know what I was thinking."

Luke sat up a little straighter and smiled smugly.

Reid pulled a pair of jeans from the bottom of the bunch that he was holding.  "I think these will fit you.  I bought the wrong size; they've never been worn. There's a belt on the chair.  You can wear your suit shirt, roll up the sleeves.  No tie.  That will be casual enough."

"Casual enough for what?  Where are we going?"

Reid didn't answer and went back to the closet.  He came out and dropped a pair of boots at Luke's feet.  "Try these on."

"Boots?"

"You're in Texas, y'all."  Reid rolled Luke over, slapped him on the ass.  "You can wear boots to a black tie even in this town."  Reid went into the bathroom.  "You can wear boots to a black tie event in this state.Luke heard the shower running and laid back on the bed, pulling Reid's pillow over his face.

When Reid came out a few minutes later, he wore a pair of black jeans, an untucked, black linen button-down collared shirt with the top two buttons undone, and black leather boots.  His hair was wet.  The shirt was more snug than Luke was used to seeing on on the doctor and clingy in all the right places.  Luke stood and immediately tucked his face into Reid's neck.  "You look really hot."  He breathed in deeply. "And you smell good."  His hands had already found their way under Reid's shirt and were caressing his lower back.   Luke kissed his neck with an open mouth.  "God, Reid...let's get back in bed."

Reid pushed him away playfully.  "Stand down, Private.  There's this place I used to go.  I miss hanging out there.  I think you'll like it."

"Okay," Luke said, rolling up on his toes.  "Like a date or something?"

"Sure, if you want to call it a date, sure.  It's a date."

"What do you want to call it?" Luke asked.

"A break between fucks?"  Luke's mouth hung open.  "Listen, Richie, I've got at least seven good years on you, right?  I need a little bit of time to regenerate, know what I mean there, Junior?"

"How old are you?" Luke asked, curious.

"Old enough," Reid said, picking up the suitcase and opening it on the bed.

"C'mon, Reid...I know you're a neurosurgeon, so you have to be in your thirties, right?  I mean, it has to take at least a decade to be a brain surgeon.  And you're this really renowned brain surgeon at that, so it must take a little bit of time to build up that reputation....and you have all of that 80s and 90s music on your IPhone so, I'm going to guess.....38?"

"Ouch.  That's almost 40.  C'mon, man, I've kept up with you so far, haven't I?  And despite what I said a second ago, we can get naked right now, and..."

Luke laughed.  "Calm down.  Jeeze.  I was only estimating because of your profession.  So, how old are you then?"

"Thirty six.  I started college at 14."

"14?  At Harvard?  That's amazing.   You really are a genius."  Luke bit back a smile.   "But I hate to tell you, 36 is pretty close to forty as well..."

Reid smiled and shook his head.  "Yeah.  Thanks for that.  Shit."  He picked up a t-shirt off the bed and threw it at Luke, who caught it laughing.  "How old are you, smartass?"

"Old enough,"  Luke said, repeating Reid's words.  Reid just stared at him, expressionless.  "Fine," Luke said, straightening.  "I'm 22."

Reid closed his eyes.  "I'm a pedophile."

"Hardly!  I've been an adult for four years.  And my birthday is in three months."

"You're not making me feel any better," Reid said, flopping face first onto the bed and groaning.

"Listen, old man, I'm going to go in the bathroom and get ready..." Luke teased.

Reid rolled over and said, "I left a new toothbrush by the sink for you.  Your breath probably smells like my ass."

"Reid!"  Luke exclaimed, but then smiled because he liked being with a guy who said stuff like that, who was matter-of-fact about sex and everything related it. So Luke blew into his cupped hand and sniffed.  He shrugged and smiled at Reid.

Reid moved over to him and kissed him.  "And there's a brush in the drawer on the left to tame down that bedhead."

"I think I'll just take a shower.  Do I have time?"

"You're only 22.  You have lots of time."

******************************

When Luke came out of the shower, Reid was zipping the suitcase on his bed. "What are you packing?"

"Some of my clothes.  I wear the same three outfits over and over in Oakdale."

"We have stores there, you know."

"Yeah. KMart.  Dollar General."  Reid mock shivered.

"What about the mall?"  Reid wrinkled up his nose and tugged Luke's arm.  They walked into the closet.  The wall at the back of the  closet was lined with shelves that held nothing but shoes, neatly sitting on top of their boxes.  Many brands of running shoes.  Deck shoes.  Even some flip flops.  There were Italian leather dress shoes that looked and smelled expensive, even from a few feet away.  Luke's eyes scanned the boxes.   Prada.  Bruno Magli.  Armani.  And more cowboy boots, lined up neatly on the floor.  Luke looked to the left and right to see Reid's clothes neatly hung by color:  suits, shirts, jeans, ties. NICE clothes.

Luke pushed reid into the clothes hanging to the left of them and kissed him, his tongue teasing Reid's lips.    "Oh my God, you really are gay!  I love it.  It's like Beyonce's closet in here."

****************************************************

"You okay going to a club?" Reid asked, as he started the car.  "I should have thought to ask you this earlier, before we were all prettied up.  I know you don't drink, but do you dance?"

Luke stared at Reid a moment.  "You dance?"

"I do something that's sort of like dancing, yeah."

Luke laughed.  "What's that mean?"

Reid smiled.  "It means that I go out on the dance floor and shift my weight back and forth between my feet.  I put my hands on my dance partner's hips and watch him dance."

Luke tried unsuccessfully not to smile.  "I dance."

"Thank God," Reid said, squeezing Luke's thigh. We'd look pretty stupid out there if neither one of us knew what to do in the middle of all those dancing queens."

Luke chuckled.   "But I've never really been to a gay club.  Noah agreed to go with me to that place on Adam's Road one time, but he hated it so we didn't stay long.  Plus, it's more of a bar than a club.  It had a jukebox and a small dance area."

"What didn't he like about it?"

"He said that it made him uncomfortable.  I think it was all the gay people,"  Luke said, rolling his eyes.  "And he was worried that I was going to want to drink."  Luke looked out the window.  "I'm an alcoholic," he admitted quietly.

"How long have you been sober?" Reid asked, as they entered the highway.

"Twenty one months and..........six days."

Reid reached over and slotted their fingers together as he drove.  "Then it sounds like you're beating it."  Luke nodded but didn't look at Reid.  "If going here tonight is going to be a problem for you, we can go somewhere else," Reid offered, "Or back to your hotel room..."

Luke turned to Reid.  "No.....no.  It isn't a problem at all.  I can be around it.  Honestly, I haven't felt like drinking in a long, long time, and I won't compromise my kidney."

"How long ago was your transplant?"  Reid had touched Luke's scar in the shower that morning and had looked at Luke, but Luke had just shaken his head and kissed him again, so Reid hadn't asked about it, but he knew what the scar was, and what it meant.  And now, from the expression on Luke's face, he could tell that it wasn't something he felt like discussing, so he let him off the hook.  "Will it bother you if I have a drink?"

"Of course not.  Seriously, I've been good for almost two years now.  It won't bother me at all.  And, hey, if you get drunk, I can take you back to my hotel room and have my way with you."

"Do you really think alcohol is needed for that?" Reid asked, a big smile on his face.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Luke and Reid stood on the edge of the dance floor.  Reid leaned close and spoke against Luke's ear.  "I'll be right back.  You want a Coke?"  Luke nodded and watched Reid walk away, appreciating the way he looked in all black.  He then turned his attention back to the dance floor and admired all the skin that was out there.  If Noah had been uncomfortable in that place just outside of Oakdale, he would have a heart attack here, with all the bumping, grinding, and making out.  But he wasn't here with Noah; he was here with Reid, who was not uncomfortable at all in this atmosphere.  Luke's body felt charged already, and he couldn't wait to get out on the dance floor with Reid.  He turned to find him and saw a man approaching Reid at the bar.  Reid put his arms out and the guy grabbed Reid's face and kissed him before wrapping his arms around him.  The music was loud, and Luke could see them leaning close to each other talking as Reid paid the bartender.  Reid was smiling and laughing, and then the other man was turning and introducing Reid to another man who shook Reid's hand.  Suddenly, Reid turned in Luke's direction, looking for him, and caught Luke watching him.  He smiled and motioned for Luke to go over to him.  When Luke arrived, Reid put his hand on the back of his neck.  "This is Luke," Reid said.  "Luke, this is my good friend, Lee. We worked together at Baylor."  Luke put his hand out and shook Lee's hand.  "Are you a doctor too?"

"Physical therapist." Lee ran his eyes down Luke's body and smirked.  "Is this one from your new home in Hicksville?  He's a little young for you, isn't he, Ace?" he teased Reid as he dropped Luke's hand.  Luke cocked his head and narrowed his eyes at Lee.

Reid then nodded toward the bored looking man standing next to Lee.  "This is Lee's friend, Carl."

Carl pursed his lips at Luke.  "Hey, honey."  Luke bit back a smile and chin nodded at him in acknowledgement.

They got a table in a large room off the bar, where it was a little bit quieter.  Three other guys came over that Reid knew, and he introduced them to Luke.  Two of them were obviously together, and the third one grabbed Reid's ass when they hugged hello.  A few minutes later a straight couple joined them, and Reid stood up to hug  both of them before introducing them to Luke.  Luke found it funny that Reid DID do hugs after all, which made him smile.  The woman told Reid that she had missed him tremendously and wanted to know why he had left Dallas so abruptly.  Reid just smiled in Luke's direction.

Over the next hour or so, Luke tried to stay in the conversation but felt a little out of place because Reid and his friends were catching up, and he really didn't feel like he had anything to offer.  Reid seemed to be enjoying himself.  He was relaxed and happy, and Luke could tell that he enjoyed being around these people.  Reid bought the table a couple rounds of drinks, and then Lee took over the tab.  Luke noticed that Reid and Lee were close and that Lee touched Reid's arm a lot as they spoke.  There was a lot of laughter between the friends and a lot of inside jokes that Luke didn't get.  Every now and then, Reid would reach over and squeeze Luke's thigh under the table or run his hand down Luke's arm.  .  At one point, Lee leaned close to Reid and said something low against his ear.  Reid smiled shyly and dropped his eyes, and Lee put his hand on the back of the doctor's neck. Reid leaned in close to Lee and said something back to him, and then Lee put his hands up in front of him in surrender and laughed.   A little while later, the waiter came over to take additional drink orders, and Reid looked over at Luke to find him fidgeting with his straw, his glass still full of watered down Coke.  "No, thank you,"  Reid said when it was his turn to order.  He took Luke's hand and stood up.  When Luke was standing too, Reid slid his hand over his ass and spoke against his ear, his breath warm and moist.  "Dance with me."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Later, inside Luke's hotel room, they didn't even make it to the bed.  Reid had undone Luke's pants as Luke was unlocking to the door, and once inside, they'd dropped to the floor, Luke loosening Reid's belt and pushing his jeans down to his thighs.  "Wait, wait, wait..." Reid said, trying to kick off his shoes.  He pinned Luke's hands over his head as Luke tried to push up against him.  "Shhhh.....wait, Luke......"  Luke stilled and sighed.  "What's wrong?"  Reid traced Luke's eyebrow with his thumb and nuzzled his cheek.  "I like you, Mr. Snyder."

"Oh my god, you're drunk," Luke said, chuckling.

"No'm not.  ...only had a few......  "M'justbuzzin'alittle..."

Luke smiled and ran the back of his kuckles over Reid's cheek, while Reid continued to look down at him rather goofily.  "I like you too," Luke admitted, a notion that was surprising to Luke.  He really did find himself liking Reid.  He probably liked him all along, if he was truly  honest with himself.  He couldn't deny the fact that he had tried to be around him, mostly because Reid had said he didn't want him around...,and he also couldn't deny the fact that he tried to push Reid's buttons.  He liked riling him up.  And he wasn't too proud to admit that he'd found himself irritated with Reid and attracted to him the same time, especially when he wouldn't back out of the personal space that Luke had moved into.

He came out of his thoughts, his hand tangled into Reid's hair, whose head was on Luke's chest.  He tugged on his hair, and when Reid raised his head to look at Luke, Luke murmurred, "Suck me."

"God, yeah..." Reid said, kissing Luke, their tongues sliding slowly against each other.

Luke smiled into the kiss, a contented sound coming from deep in his chest.  "Please...," he added.  Reid made his way down Luke's body and gladly took him into his mouth.

*************************************
An hour later, Luke laid on the pillow next to Reid.  They were both freshly showered, and Reid's buzz had mostly worn off, leaving him mellow and sleepy.  He had his eyes closed, and Luke ran a finger gently down the slope of his nose.  Reid opened his eyes a crack before closing them again.  "Did you date Lee?"  Luke asked, curious and a little nervous that Reid probably wasn't going to like the question.  They'd seemed closed, and the way that Lee had kissed Reid and hugged him when they met and than taken him to the side when they were leaving so that they could talk and hug tightly again, it just made Luke think that there was something between them at some point...or maybe even still.

Reid stretched and opened his eyes.  To Luke's surprise, he answered simply, "No, we're just friends."

"So, you never had sex with him?"

"I didn't say that...," Reid replied, a smug grin on his face.

"Oh..."

"I'm kidding.  Seriously, we're just friends...............there was a time when we talked about maybe starting something, but we both realized that we didn't want to risk our friendship for some easy sex.  Let's face it, neither one of us has a good track record with relationships."

"Do you care about him?"

"Do you care about your friends?"

"I'm sorry, that was a stupd question."

"Lee asked me about you tonight."

"What do you mean?"

"He asked if we were together together and if not, would I be okay with him asking you out."

"What?!  Oh my God....that's weird, isn't it?  What did you say?"

"That's sort of normal coming from Lee..."  Reid shook his head.  "I told him that you are your own person and free to make your own decisions..."  Reid watched Luke's face fall a little bit.  "...but then I told him that if he made a move on you I'd kick his ass."  Reid smiled before tweaking Luke's chin and kissing him.

"I like your smile," Luke said.  "Until this week, I didn't see it much.  It's a good smile.  You should use it more often."

Reid pulled his lips in over his teeth.  "I hate my teeth.  I was really self conscious about them as a teenager...cheap ass uncle wouldn't pay for braces."

"Uncle?  Did you live with your uncle?"

"Yeah."

"Where were your parents?"

"Dead."  Luke saw Reid stiffen up and immediately and  seem uncomfortable.  He rolled over onto his back and looked away from Luke.

"I'm sorry," Luke said.

Reid shook his head.  They were both quiet for a few minutes and then Reid turned back toward Luke and took a deep breath.  "I was eleven.  They died in a small engine plane crash outside of Chicago, on the way to a lecture.  Angus was the only option, other than foster care.  He tried, ya know....but, he didn't know what to do with me.  I wasn't the easiest kid, and..."  Reid seemed to zone out for a minute until he looked at Luke and saw that his eyes were watery.  He ran a finger down Luke's cheek.  "I don't know why I just unloaded that on you...it's not a story I like telling..."

"My kidney," Luke said quietly.  Reid's brow furrowed in confusion over the abrupt subject change.  "It was obtained on the black market...my mother paid a lot of money for it..."  Luke rested his forehead against Reid's shoulder..  "Now you know a story I avoid telling....so we're even."

Reid reached under the covers and put his hand on Luke's side, over his scar.  After awhile, Reid picked up Luke's hand and started tracing his fingers with his own.  He ran his thumb over the calluses on Luke's palm.  Luke felt self-conscious about the roughness of his hands and started to pull it away, but Reid brought his palm to his mouth and kissed it.  "I like to tease you about being a privileged, rich boy..."  He ran his thumb over the calluses again.  "Your hands say otherwise."

"I work on the farm a lot," Luke said, as Reid ran his fingers lightly over his wrist, the action causing Luke to close his eyes.  He thought about telling Reid he was welcome out at the farm sometime, but then he was worried that would sound presumptuous, so he stayed quiet.  This thing between them was a way to pass time in Dallas, mutual physical gratification, nothing more.  Upon their return to Oakdale, Luke was sure that they would go back to being Mr. Snyder and Dr. Oliver.  When Luke opened his eyes, he found Reid's eyes closed, both of their hands joined and tucked under Reid's chin.  His breath was even and soft, and Luke thought he was probably asleep.  "Goodnight, Doc..." he whispered.

Reid breathed out a sleepy " Mmm...'night, Snyder..."  Luke sighed and closed his eyes too.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

In the middle of the night, Reid woke up with a start and sat up.  "You okay?"  Luke said.

"Yeah," Reid said chuckling.  "Just a dream..."  He laid back down next to Luke.  It didn't take long before they were in each other's arms,  kissing and touching, Reid whispering, "God, Luke...I can't get enough of you..."

When Reid entered Luke, he stayed still for a long time, just enjoying the feel of himself pulsing inside of him.  As they started to move, it was slow and sensuous.     There was enough city light coming in through the hotel window to see each other and look into each other's eyes.  Reid dropped down to his forearms so that he could touch Luke.  Reid was all the way inside of him, and they were barely moving as they kissed and ran their hands languidly over one another's bodies.  There was no rush..........there was only them.  Finally, Reid's arms grew tired from supporting his weight on his forearms.  He pulled his legs up into a frog-like position and dropped his head onto Luke's chest, where Luke ran his fingers through his hair.  Reid wasn't sure what was happening.  He was as deep as he could be inside of Luke, the periodic tightening of Luke's muscles, the only thing keeping him in the game, so to speak.  He wasn't even sure it was about climaxing  anymore, although he could feel Luke throbbing between them.   Their arms were tucked around each other, and their eyes were closed.  In that moment, in the throes of whatever this was, Reid felt like Luke was literally part of him, and he felt him everywhere.    Their breathing was perfectly in sync.  Nothing had ever felt this good to him before, in all ways, physically, emotionally, spiritually.   Spiritually? He thought for a moment that he was dreaming; it was all hazy enough to be a dream.  Then he wondered if he was about to die, maybe the pleasure had caused a stroke?  He shook his head.  He didn't care. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the euphoria for awhile.

After awhile, Reid felt compelled to  raise back up on his hands over Luke, and when he looked at Luke, he appeared just as wrecked as Reid felt.  "Luke......"

Reid leaned forward, whispering Luke's name again, and kissed him one time before drawing completely out of him.  Luke groaned his displeasure, "No, no, no, no, no..."  Luke looked like it actually hurt for Reid to leave him.

"Shhhh.  Don't worry.  I've got you," Reid said, even though his arms felt like jelly and he wanted to collapse back into Luke's arms.  He pushed slowly back into Luke, gave a little extra push against Luke at the end, and watched Luke's back arch, as he moaned.  "Again...."

Reid pulled out and pushed back in, feeling the familiar clenching in his abdomen that told him he was just about there.  "Luke, gonna come..."  He went to  pull out again, but as he did, Luke started coming.  Reid thrust forward and felt the warmth of Luke's release spread between their stomachs, and then he was plummeting into the abyss too.  Luke's body convulsed under him, as Reid felt his own orgasm consume him.  All he could do was close his eyes and ride it out.

When Reid opened his eyes, he felt himself trembling.  He heard himself whimper slightly, and then he felt Luke sleepily shushing him against his lips and tucking the blanket further around him.   Luke slowly came into focus.  "What happened?"  Reid asked.

"I don't know.  You pulled out and started talking, but I couldn't understand what you were saying.  Then you said, clear as day, 'Luke, I'm going to sleep for awhile.  Please, don't leave.'  And you crashed.  Out like a light."  Luke chuckled.

"I have no memory of that..."  Luke snuggled in closer to Reid, trying to soothe Reid's body.  "Luke?"

"Mmm?"

"I'm tired."

Luke smiled.  Reid almost sounded drunk.  "Me too.  But here...drink some water first."  Reid sat up slowly and took the bottle Luke handed him.  He drank the whole thing down.  He looked at the clock, which read 4:34.  He looked at Luke, and then his eyes started closing.  After a few seconds he opened them and said, "I'm tired."

Luke quietly chuckled at how out of it Reid was.  "Okay, loverboy...c'mon, lay down."  He covered Reid, whose eyes were closed, and snuggled in close.

"Luke?"

"Yes?"

"You'll stay, right?"

"Reid, we're in MY hotel room."

"Oh.  Huh."  He chuckled deeply.  "Yeah,  Okay.  Right.  Then I'll stay."

Luke kissed Reid's shoulder.  "Sleep, okay?"

"Okay."  And he did.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Luke opened his eyes and stretched, his gaze falling on the man next to him.  He watched Reid sleep for a good number of minutes and marveled that Reid was nothing like he had thought him to be, even just three days ago.  He had seen him in a different light over the past few weeks and had sensed an attraction between them (maybe?) but for the most part, Luke had still thought Reid was an aloof egomaniac, even if there were some chinks in the armor. But now......now the armor was completely off and Reid was laid bare, literally and figuratively.  Luke now knew how tender Reid could be and how he was funny and sexy and a generous lover.  He knew that he was compassionate and caring.  He now knew that he liked to hold hands, and that he wasn't the emotionless hermit that he thought he was.  Prior to getting to know him, it had been easy to think of Reid as a fortress, able to handle anything and not caring what anyone thought of him.  Luke now knew that he had friends, connections, and things in his past that hurt.  Reid started to stir, and Luke smiled thinking about the mind-blowing sex they'd had during the night.  Whatever it was that had transpired between them last night, it was real and intense and beautiful.

A few mintues later, Reid streched, and Luke watched his eyes flutter open.  He turned, and as soon as he saw Luke, a soft smile came to his face.  "Hey."

"Good morning," Luke said.  "How are you feeling?"

"Great," Reid said.  He reached out and poked gently at Luke's chin.  "What's your stand on morning breath?"

"Hmmm..." Luke murmurred, pretending to concentrate.  "I'm undecided on it.  I think I need more data to formulate an opinion..."

Luke lunged at Reid and kissed him hard.  Their mouth's were tangy to each other at first, but after a few seconds, it was just them.

"Last night was crazy, huh?"  Reid asked.  "I think I left my body, or something like that.  Damn.  We must be some kind of sex voodoo together.  I don't know...that was off the grid."

"Yeah, it was incredible."  Sex voodoo...that made Luke smile.

They  laid quietly for a few minutes.  Luke sighed.  "I've had fun with you, Reid.  Our flight leaves in two hours.  I don't want this to end," he admitted tentatively.

"Who says it has to end yet?" Reid asked, grabbing his phone.  Luke felt  hopeful, but the "yet" part of Reid's statement is what stuck with him.  "I talked to the hospital last night, and the first surgery they can get me in for is Wednesday.  It's already Friday, and I need time to meet with the patient.  Technically I have all weekend."

"You want to stay here?"

"Yeah, with you, if you're able. I don't know your business schedule thiis week."

"It's covered.  I didn't know how long it would take to sort things out here, so I have people covering things through Friday."

"Do you want to stay?"

Luke grinned.  "I don't know..." he teased, tracing Reid's face with a finger, but then he leaned forward and lightly kissed Reid's mouth.  "Yes..."

"Will it be a problem with the pilots?"

"I just need to call Martin"  He and Sal have been on grandmother's payroll for years.  They are salaried.  They get paid whether they fly or not.  They'll be able to fly home if they need to, or I'm sure grandmother has them set up in some fancy digs, if they want to stay."

"Lifestyles of the rich and richer..."

"Shut up.  I'll be right back."  Luke got out of the bed, dialing his phone, and walked toward the bathroom, giving Reid a nice view of his backside.

When he came back to bed, Luke said, "All set.  We just need to give them  notice of when we need to leave."  He slid next to Reid.  "So, what do you want to do today?"

"Right now, I'd like to take a nap.  I put the 'privacy, please' sign out last night.  Check out is not until 11:30."

"But we just woke up."

"It's okay, we have all day.  I'm in this nice warm bed with you, and I'd like to just do this for a little while," Reid said, spooning Luke and playing with the locks of brownish blonde hair on the back of his head.

Luke couldn't argue with that and closed his eyes.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Mr. Snyder.  Dr. Oliver.  We have started our initial decent into Oakdale.

Luke and Reid zipped and buttoned their clothes, both quiet and having a hard meeting each other's eyes, before they sat down and secured their seatbelts.

It was Sunday afternoon.  The men had spent the entire weekend together.  When Friday had ended, they had agreed to go home Saturday.  But by 4:00, they weren't ready to leave, so they postponed the flight again until Sunday.   Reid had shown Luke around Dallas and Fort Worth.  They had spent time packing up some of Reid's things that he wanted to take to Oakdale, which were now in the belly of the small airplane.  They had made love on the living room floor of Reid's apartment and in the shower, and even on a patio chair on the balcony in the dark of the night.  They couldn't get enough of each other.  They spent a lot of time laughing and joking around, and they had spent a lot of time talking.  Reid made burgers on the grill Friday evening, and they'd watched the sunset from his balcony. Another time, they had eaten Indian food at a restaurant Reid knew.  Luke had never had Indian cuisine but loved it.  On Friday night, Reid had taken Luke to a gay country bar and taught him how to two-step.

They got to know one another even more, in both serious and silly ways.  They told each other things about themselves that were personal and intimate.  On the silly side, they asked each other ridiculous questions out of nowhere.  For instance, while Reid was grilling on Friday night, a spatula in one hand, a beer in the other, Luke had asked him that if he ruled the world, what would be his first thing to do.

Reid feigned concentration for a bit.  "Ya know those mudflaps on the back of semi trucks?  The ones with the silhouette of a woman?  I'd change them to men on their hands and knees with their heads thrown back."

"Oh my god...Reid...." Luke said, laughing.

"You know what they say...think globally."   Reid tapped the side of his head with the tip of the beer bottle.

Other times, Reid would just randomly ask Luke something like "Lays or Ruffles?" and Luke would answer "Pringles," to Reid's  dismay.  One time, Reid sat up in bed and blurted out, "Bazooka or Bubbalicious?"  Luke had asked, "What's Bazooka?" and Reid had sighed.

They now knew each other's favorite colors and favorite songs, Luke now knew that Reid knew how to play the guitar but didn't own one, and Reid knew that Luke could not carry a tune.  They now had knowledge of each other's families and childhood friends.  It had been a very good weekend.

But in all the time they spent together, the subject of how, or if, they were going to continue whatever this was once they arrived back in Illinois never came up.
Of course, it was on both of their minds.  Reid considered himself a rebound thing for Luke, and maybe even just a learning experience, good or bad.  For his part, Luke wondered if Reid did relationships.  He had told Luke that he'd never been in love, and since Reid wasn't bringing up the idea of continuing things in Oakdale, Luke assumed it wasn't something he wanted.

Reid stopped fidgeting with his phone and looked over at Luke, who was staring down into nothingness.  "Hey...Snyder..."

Luke looked up and a Reid.  "Hmmm?"

"How do you want to play this when we get home?"

Luke didn't really like the tone of the question.  "Play this?"

"Yeah...how do you want to handle this," he gestured between himself and Luke, "in Oakdale?"

"What do YOU want to do?"

"I don't know."

"Yeah, well...me either," Luke replied, suddenly feeling annoyed, without knowing why.

Reid sighed.  "The other night.  In the middle of the night?  That wasn't just sex.............I don't know what it was, but I've...........................it's never been that way for me  before."

Luke nodded.  "Yeah, for me either."

"It was great, but my first instinct is to run away from that as fast as I can."

Luke nodded.  "Okay.  Sure.  Yeah, that's what I expected.  So, let me ask you something......Was this weekend the real you, or is the rude, closed-off, egomaniac the one that I can expect when we're back in reality?"

Reid nodded and turned his head away, looking hurt.  "I wasn't finished...I wanted to tell you that this was different; this was......" he trailed off and shook his head sadly.

Luke immediately felt bad.  "Oh, Reid...I'm sorry....that wasn't fair.   It's just......this has been so good.  The last few days have been a surprise, something I didn't expect, something I needed.   I feel so comfortable with you, safe, ya know?  And I feel sad today.   I'm sad that it's ending."

They were quiet for a few moments, until Reid slipped his hand into Luke's.  "I want to try not running away from this.  I like you, Luke.  I like being with you.  Let's just see where this goes..."

Luke let out a breath he felt like he'd been holding all day.  "That sounds good.  I like being with you too.  I'm a little concerned that you're going to be doing Noah's surgery soon...he texted me.  I'll be around to support him.  I just don't want things to get weird or strained."

Reid picked up their joined hands and kissed Luke's knuckles.  "We won't let it get weird, deal?"

"Deal........no matter what happens, Reid, I'm so grateful to you."

"For what?  I'm the one who's grateful to you for coming here; shit, just caring enough to want to help."

"For showing me things," Luke answered.  I won't ever forget what you did for me."

"Showing you things?  Like the Kennedy Memorial?"  He laughed.  He knew what Luke meant.  "You've showed me things too, Luke.  It's been a great few days."

After the plane touched down, they gathered their things without speaking, the sadness of realizing that they were no longer in the cocoon of Dallas in the air.

But as they went down the small stairs of the plane, Reid reached down and took Luke's hand.  Luke looked down at their joined hands and then back up to Reid, who had a smile of mixed emotion on his face.  Luke smiled back, and together they stepped into Oakdale.