Pride18 - Belong

Cannon, Whitney & Vigne, L.B La - Belong (Pride18) [Avidbook, Alternative MM, LGBT, Contemporary, Paranormal Romance] Chapter One The rhythmic thunk-thunk, thunk-thunk, was a welcome comfort to Wendel as the wheels of the janitorial supply cart rolled over the polished flooring in the long airport corridor. Out the dark windows, the lights of the runway twinkled as he walked along. He enjoyed the quiet of his evening shifts better than working during the day. There was something about the anonymity of being lost in a crowd, surrounded by the constant ebb and flow of a tide of people but never being a part of it. During the busy days, Wendel felt like a heavy stone on the shore, enduring the waves and sea creatures but finding no comfort in the presence the tide brought. He would always be the stone, separate from the tide. His only interaction would be to endure it and let it roll off his back as it slowly eroded him away. The quieter evenings allowed him to feel less guarded. He didn’t need to worry so much about being battered or degraded. Wendel scanned his ID badge at the kiosk to punch out for the night. He grabbed his coat and backpack from his locker, relocked it, then left the room. Heading in the opposite direction from the terminals, Wendel made his way out to the employee parking area. He stopped for a moment on the sidewalk to observe the glittering snow and don his jacket, finally taking in a deep calming breath of the cold crisp air. Relief flooded his veins with every step he took away from the public eye and brought him closer to his personal refuge. There was only one place he could truly let his guard down and breathe freely. His job didn’t really require him to interact with people all that much, but it happened nonetheless. That was the part of his job he hated the most. Not the people themselves, but that someone would notice him and talk to him. That he would have to open his dysfunctional mouth and interact with someone who would immediately judge him and categorize him. Someone who would open the nice tidy boxes in their mind, of where people belonged and gently lower him in and tape that box shut. It would only take about five seconds for him to go from a person with any possible potential, past or future, to a labeled and categorized nothing. Forgotten, like yesterday's tide, even before his mouth finished closing. They would either consciously or subconsciously dismiss him with their ignorance or insults, as a blight on the crop of humanity. Wendel tried to avoid situations where he might have to speak to someone directly. He’d learned to avoid people and confrontation, and he always sought nonverbal gestures if he could get away with them. His janitorial cleaning cart usually did the trick to ward off conversations at work. Nobody really wanted to talk to the man who cleaned the toilets or mopped up their spilled eight-dollar coffee. Working at an airport, Wendel was constantly surrounded by people from all walks of life. It was a sea of thousands of faces that were as ever changing as the clouds over the ocean; beautifully deceptive of the cruelty capable within. Wendel tried not to pay attention to the people that would come and go, but sometimes the couples that came through caught his eye and made Wendel envious. He found himself more often than not turning away from their displays, in spite of his longings. He’d never had that, never been a part of a couple. No one wanted to get to know him once he started to talk. He’d had several people say he was just a pretty face who was only good for their gratification. He’d never even had a chance to open his rusty trunk full of baggage to let someone in. The drive home worked to put Wendel at ease, and he absently tapped the steering wheel as he stared out the windshield, only partially paying attention to what was ahead of him. The solitude afforded Wendel some time to reflect on the better part of his day or rather the one part of the day he hadn’t really allowed himself to think about until now: The passenger at gate twenty-three. Wendel pondered over the attractive man who had spoken to him today. He’d just finished cleaning a dirty family bathroom and had been rearranging the supplies in his cart. When he’d looked up from his task, he’d noticed a man watching him from the adjoining departure gate. The man smiled brightly at him and straightened up his slouched position in the utilitarian airport chair; Wendel swore the corners of the man’s eyes even crinkled with his smile, but he didn’t look away. Only when a boarding announcement came over the intercom had the man broken his gaze, blinking a few times. Wendel had watched for a moment longer as the man gathered his things. Not wanting to be obvious about his staring, Wendel had returned to organizing his cart. He’d nearly squeaked out of surprise when someone had cleared their throat right behind him. Wendel had turned around quickly only to realize it was the handsome stranger that had smiled at him a moment ago. “Hey. Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you,” the man had stated and almost seemed embarrassed as he shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. “Uh, my flight is starting to board,” he’d announced, then indicated with a thumb over his shoulder. The man’s cheeks tinged a light pink, and he’d smiled, giving a self-deprecating laugh at his own awkwardness. He’d started again, “I wanted to say hi and introduce myself. My name is David, and I wondered if you’d like to get a drink sometime? I’m obviously leaving town right now, but I’ll only be gone three days. Maybe when I get back, we can go out?” he’d asked. Wendel had eyed the taller man. It had seemed a little surreal to be asked out for drinks in the middle of a shift at the airport. Nobody had ever noticed him before, let alone asked him out for drinks. David had just smiled at him patiently as he’d waited for Wendel to reply. Wendel had realized he was going to have to answer the attractive man and then watch as David placed him in the “what was I thinking” box and walk away. Another castoff. But that was his lot in life, and he’d long ago gotten used to it. He may not have wanted to accept it, but he’d definitely gotten used to it. He’d unwillingly thought of his uncle in that moment and how the man would’ve been loving Wendel’s discomfort, sneering a grin that was both sardonic and indignant. Wendel hadn’t been able to delay the inevitable any longer. “I-I-.” He’d cleared his throat and looked down at the ground, hoping that would help; it never had in the past. “Um, I-I’m W-W-Wendel,” was all he’d finally gotten out; introductions had always made him nervous, and that made him stutter even more. He had felt his own face heat as the man opposite him had to be studying his every move. He had wanted to look at David to gauge his reaction but held himself back, knowing the dismissal would come soon enough. When David hadn’t replied right away, Wendel figured the man was so disgusted he wasn’t even going to respond and would probably just walk away. But finally, Wendel had looked up from under his lashes and realized that David just stood there smiling that ever-present smile. “Hi Wendel. It’s great to meet you,” David had said as he’d held out his hand for a handshake. Wendel’s jaw had fallen open a little bit, and David had laughed while holding out his hand more emphatically. Wendel found himself unconsciously extending his own hand to return the greeting. “I’m sorry if I’m being too forward, but would you let me take you out to get a drink in a few days? I don’t mean to put you on the spot, and I should probably go catch my plane, but I’d like to give you my number so the ball is in your court. If you want to call me or text me, we can meet up when I get back,” David had said with a hopeful note to his voice. David had seemed so sincere and eager that Wendel couldn’t help but nod his head, almost without his consent. David’s smile had seemingly grown even bigger, and Wendel had noted that his eyes really had crinkled in the corners. David had pulled off his backpack and grabbed a pen out of the front pocket. He then took a receipt or something out of his jeans pocket and proceeded to write his phone number and name on it. Then he’d handed the slip to Wendel. “So I gotta run or fly, I guess, but now you have my number, and I’ll be back on Sunday,” David had said as he’d repositioned his backpack on his back after stowing away his pen. “I’m so glad I finally got up the nerve to introduce myself.” David had chuckled as Wendel had only gaped at him like a fish. “I’ve seen you around this airport for months and only now got up the courage to come talk to you. Please think about calling, okay? I’d really like to see you again and buy you a drink sometime.” David had nicked his chin toward the slip of paper that Wendel had still been holding in his sweaty hand. Wendel had nodded again, seemingly unable to do much else, and shoved the paper into his pocket. “Cool.” David had smiled and looked over his shoulder. He’d started to back away slowly, and when he’d looked back at Wendel, he’d said confidently, “It was great to finally meet you, Wendel. I’ll see you soon.” Then he’d turned and walked over to his gate. Wendel had watched him pull out his phone and show it to the gate attendant. Just before David had walked down the Jetway, he’d turned his head and with that brilliant smile already in place, he’d winked at Wendel.