This chapter is told from Nico’s point of view. We find out a little back story on him leading up to him meeting Alex and where he is mentally after Alex has to haul ass back to home to Texas.
Nico’s POV
Here I was on another long haul flight over the Atlantic Ocean. I had been a flight attendant for the past ten years. I got complacent in my career and life and it was starting to take its toll on me. You see I’m a 37 year old guy from Greece. I’m not hard to look at, a pretty boy, I’ve been more times than I could count. At first that’s nice to hear but once you’ve heard it over and over and over again for the millionth time it starts to fall of deaf ears. I was born and raised in Greece to a Greek mother and an American father. My parents split up when I was 6 years old and ever since then I was always shuffled to a from one house to another. My dad being American stayed in Greece after my mother and him divorced but only until I was about 15 when he got a job offer back in New York that he just couldn’t pass up. So I was left to live with my mother full time. By that time she had remarried to my stepfather and my younger sister and brother were born. But being that I was fifteen and they were 2 and 4…. I didn’t have much in common obviously with them. I did fairly well in school and decided I wanted to go to college in the states so I could spend time with my father who I missed terribly. When I had told him I was looking at colleges in America he was super excited. He didn’t want to leave me in Greece with my mother, not because she was a bad parent, quite the contrary she’s excellent, it’s just as a dad he didn’t want to leave his only son there but I was old enough to understand why he left. I wanted to spend time with him and thought a change of scenery for a few years might do me some good. I applied and was accepted into NYU, I wanted to be a therapist, specifically for people with terrible anxiety and depression. I suffered for years with it myself and I found studying about that, and therefore I wanted to do something that could help others like myself. But how did I become a flight attendant and why am I still one? I’ll get to that.
It was time for me to graduate high school and my dad was making his way from New York to Athens to some see me graduate and then take me back to the states with him. I had always knew I was gay from early on. I never told anyone as I was scared that I wouldn’t be accepted by my family and friends. I had a short relationship/fling with another male classmate of mine but it wasn’t more than just your normal teen experimenting and never went further than kissing and sucking each other off, well I thought. But it was that fling that cemented me in my mind that I knew I was gay. I had done the whole date a good girl bring her home to mom to please the expectation of me but it never would work out. I was getting ready to go to graduation when my buddy Theo wanted to talk to me for a minute before we had to go get seated. While he grabbed my hand and lead me away I never saw that my dad had walked in and saw Theo grab my hand and lead me away.
Theo lead me somewhere behind some curtains and pushed me against the wall and started kissing me and feeling me up. I kissed him back and was feeling his body as well. “Nico. I know this was just fling or whatever but I knew if I didn’t tell you this before we graduated and you headed off to New York I’d never be able to live with myself.” Theo said between kisses. My mind was racing. I had kind of gotten the feeling Theo was starting to have feelings for me in that way and I couldn’t lie and say I didn’t start to feel the same way. “Theo. Me too.” I looked at him in his chocolate brown eyes and ran my hands through his shirt black hair. “You too…” he smiled and kissed me again. What I didn’t know at that time is my dad had rounded the corner and heard us…and saw his only son sucking face with another boy. I didn’t see him slip away either. We heard some of our friends calling our names so we broke apart but not after one last big kiss and hug. “Ok let’s go graduate!” We said to one another and acted like nothing was going on minus having to adjust our hard cocks in our pants. Luckily for the graduation cap and gown it hid it quite well.
We walked out and sat down with everyone else. I looked around for my parents. I spotted my mom, stepdad and siblings. Along with my grandparents on my mom’s side. My dad’s parents had passed away when I was 5 so I barely knew them. I looked for my dad and didn’t see him. I sure hoped he was going to make it. I kept looking and nothing. Talk about disappointed but I chalked it up to delayed flights from New York and told myself he wouldn’t miss his only son graduating, maybe he’d walk in any minute. What I didn’t know is that he was there and had seen me and Theo making out before the ceremony.
It was my turn to walk across the stage. “Nico Drake Anastos” I heard my name called and I walked across the stage to my mom screaming at the top of her lungs. I smiled. And looked around and finally I spotted him. He was standing by himself off to the side but the look on his face was something I couldn’t quite figure out. It was a mix of being proud and was it disappointment also? I don’t know I just grabbed my diploma, smiled waved and walked off stage. But something inside me was eating at me. Why was that look on his face?
I went up to my family after the ceremony was over and my dad had made his way over to everyone else. My parents got along well for a divorced couple and for that I was so thankful. He seemed to be happier and the look on his face wasn’t the same I had seen either but I was still wondering what it was about. My mom ran up to me smothering me in kisses. “My boy graduated and is all grown up!” I laughed and hugged her back. “Love you mom.” My stepdad gave me a hug and told me he was proud of me. My little brother and sister ran up to me squealing “Nico!” And they hugged me and I hugged them back. My grnadparents were next and I was hugged and congratulated in Greek as my grandfather hardly spoke a word of English. Then there he was. He was standing there smiling at me but I could sense something was different. “Son. I’m proud of you.” He walked up to me and I wrapped him a tight hug. It had been since Christmas that I had seen my dad in person and I missed him so much. We held each other tight for a while but I could feel tension in his hug that normally was not there. “Dad thank you so much for coming. I couldn’t see you at first and thought you might have missed your plane or got delayed!” He stepped back and looked at me. “And miss my only son graduating from high school. No way in hell would I miss it.” I smiled back at him. I was looking at him when he made a face, that same face I saw while he was watching me earlier, then I saw Theo walking up to congratulate me and say hi to my mom. I thought that’s strange. My dad never reacted this way to Theo before. They had met a few times. Oh well whatever I thought.
The next week went by fast. My mom and stepdad threw me a graduation/going away party since I was leaving to go back to New York with my dad for the summer before I started college. Everyone I knew was there. Family, extended family, people that knew people. Not to sound cliche but if you’ve ever watching My Big Fat Greek Wedding…it wasn’t far off…. Theo showed up with a gift and asked me if we could go somewhere private for a few minutes. I agreed and looked around to make sure no one saw us sneak away. Once again I didn’t notice that my dad had seen us walk away.
We went to my room and as soon as I shut the door….Theo pounced on me and I couldn’t resist. We crashed onto my bed and started making out and ripping our clothes off of one another. I knew there was more to this going away present than what was in the bag! He pushed me onto my back and pulled off my shorts and underwear in one swift motion. And his mouth was immediately on my hard cock. Theo was sucking like his life depended on it. I was trying to muffle my moans as there was a house full of people downstairs. But it felt so good. He looked me in the eyes and I knew then it was more than just a little fling between us. He let my cock pop out of his perfect mouth and smiled at me. I pulled him up and on top of me and made out with him. The taste of my dick and precum on his lips. It was hot. I rolled him over and proceeded to suck him like my life depended on it.
After a few minutes of trading off blowing one another he pulled me up to him. “Nico… I want you to be my first…before you leave…before I may never see you….” We both had tears in our eyes. “Theo. I would love too and I’ll be back. And this….whatever we have going on now. I’m in. We can try to make it work.” I smiled. And that afternoon while the party was going on downstairs for me…. I lost my virginity to my high school lover and my first real boyfriend. We said our goodbyes and the next day I was off to live in New York and with my dad. Little did I know my dad knew about my life things I thought no one else knew about.
I wish I could say things with Theo worked out and that we made it but that’s not real life. The time apart took its toll and of course we broke up. Broke up because while I was in school and being faithful to him. He was going all over Athens and Greece fucking everyone and everything behind my back.
One night I had heard that Theo was out with some guys and things got bad. I told it was over for good. I cried my eyes out until I couldn’t cry anymore. My dad this entire time the four years I was in college and living with him. Not once did he mention my lack of dating or the few times Theo did come to visit me. But this night was the state that broke the camels back. I wasn’t sleeping the few days leading up to my finals to graduate college and I was an absolute asshole to anyone and everyone around me. My dad included. He asked me if I was ok which was a first in a while. For the past four years we got along great but for some reason I always felt like he was keeping me at arms reach.
“No! Fuck! I’m not ok and if you cared in T he slightest bit and it seems like you don’t for some reason the entire time I’ve been here! You would know I’m not ok.” I was ugly crying and I could see the inside of my dad’s mind snap and break for me.
“Nico. I need to ask you something. Something that has been eating me inside for the past four years and I… I don’t know how to ask or take it…” I looked at him and he knew. He always knew but never said anything to me. Wow I’ve been hiding myself from him and everyone else I ever loved and he’s know this entire time. What else besides this could he been holding off asking me? “Dad. I’m gay. I’ve been gay since high school. Ahhh” I exhaled. That felt so good to say out loud. “Nico. I know. I’ve known since your high school graduation day…I went to find you early and saw you and…” Like a lightening bolt it snapped and everything clicked and was clear. My dad was acting and had been acting this way towards me the entire time because he knew and has always known. Why was I so scared and hiding this? Why had we both been dancing around this? These last four years could have been great if we both would have just addressed the elephant in the room. “Dad….do you. Ummm hate me because I’m gay?” I started crying more. Not only was I losing Theo and all the pain he caused me… now I was risking losing the one person in my entire life I’ve looked up to and who opinion mattered more than anyone else. He looked at me and for the first time since I can remember since my grandparents funerals when I was little, this was the first time I saw that man cry. “Nico…no son. No I could never ever hate you!” He walked in and grabbed me and gave me the tightest hug ever and I sat on the floor with my dad holding me both of us crying at 22 years old. Happy that my dad still loved me no matter what. “Thank you. I was so scared to tell you.” I told him.
I ended up staying a few more years in New York after graduating. I wanted to make up for lost time between constantly being in school and then also make up time with my dad now that I was free to be myself finally and he didn’t care as long as I was happy and safe. I had tried finding places to get a job with my degree and while there were few and far between I couldn’t find anything that quite fit or everything that sounded great was already full or too good to be true.
I was getting restless and while I had a few non serious boyfriends on and off over the years. Never one to take them to Greece and meet my mom and that side of my family. My dad met a few and never really liked any of them. One day while I was flying home to Greece to see my mom and siblings I noticed the flight attendants and how they seemed be having fun. I stopped one of them and asked her all about it. She filled me in on it. By that time I was 27 not happy career wise so I thought what the fuck why not? So that began my career as a flight attendant.
I liked it because it allowed me to travel the world and it also made going back and forth between my family and my dad easier. When I had flights and days off in Greece I would stay with my mom and stepdad or friends. When I was back in New York I was with my dad. But I eventually gravitated towards moving back to Greece as my home base. My dad understood and now that I was in my thirties I was obviously wanting to be on my own. I also had been wanting to find love again. Yeah I had Theo and then a few boyfriends over the years but never did I meet anyone that just took my breath away or we had that spark. By this time in my life I was fully out of the closet. My family had suprisingly accepted the fact that I was gay. Some joked they always knew and honestly I wouldn’t have been the least bit surprised if that did. It made it even that much harder when my younger siblings finally grew up and started getting married in their early and mid twenties. And here single and gay older brother Nico always the groomsman…never the groom haha my grandma would joke.
Ugh…. I figured I was just doomed to mindless Grindr hookups and stuff even though I didn’t use that much and then also I never hit on passengers much. Not that I wasn’t propositioned. I in fact was often at least once every flight after a while it gets old. The compliments on “how hot, so hot” so on and so forth got old. While there were plenty of good looking guys it was always the same.
Until four days ago when the most handsome man walked on the plane I was on with a flight from Houston, Texas back home to Athens. I immediately felt my cock stir and my hear skip a beat. He was a Greek god. I mean he probably wasn’t Greek at all but he had this calm yet nervous energy about him something that just caught my attention the moment I saw him boarding the plane. So when to my surprise I heard him say out loud “so hot” when looking at me I was taken back a little and the words just came out of my mouth “thanks and so are you” then I winked at him. What the fuck Nico!? A wink well that’s never going to happen I thought to myself. Then again I thought… why not?
The flight was in the air and I was walking around checking on everyone and I saw Mr. Greek god and decided to go check on him. He seemed a bit preoccupied like something was bothering him. I went and talked to him and we fully introduced ourselves to one another. When he said is name was Alexander Darkos my heart did a flip. My Greek god is actually Greek! Who knew?! He filled me in on why he was going to Greece and I found myself asking him out without really thinking it through. But something inside me was telling me to do it. What do you two have to lose? I mean if it doesn’t work out you both had a good time and if it does well that won’t happen so why not.
The next three days with Alex were some of the best times o had ever had in my life. We both we about the same age and we were Greek. He originally born and raised in Texas with Greek parents. He had more of that Texas twang that the Greek accent I had but it was nice.
I felt something inside that I hadn’t felt for over 20 years… I was falling from the Greek man from Texas and I swear he was feeling the same thing about me.
Last night we finally crossed a line and for the first time in forever it was sacred and I loved every second of it and loved how he trusted me to take that part of him and be with him in such a vulnerable way. The sexual entry between Alex and I was off the charts but not just that I found myself wanting him in ways I never thought I’d ever want another person after things with Theo fizzled out the way they did. The only problem with this scenario….once again…long distance. Alex was here for his 40th birthday for two weeks and I was hoping I could see more of him.
I’ll never forget that night he got the phone call that made him abruptly leave and fly back home after only being in Greece and with me for three days. We had just made love for the first time and yeah I’m calling it that because it was only a few days but I was falling in love with Alex already and after he asked me to fuck him I knew he was feeling the same as me. We were naked laying comfortably tangled up in one another when his cell phone was going off. He ignored it and kept laying down. But it started ringing again and again. So he finally got up and walked his naked perfect Greek god body over to his phone half asleep and answered it sitting back on the bed. It was his ex wife…. His boys were in a car accident… and I felt him tense up and I was wide awake then. I rubbed his back while she filled him in what happened. He got off the phone and broke down. His boys are his entire world and the way he talked about them made me want to meet them someday if it was possible. He was crying and I just consoled him. I knew then that I loved this man so much already. But I also knew we had to get him back to Texas and back fast. I got up and grabbed my phone and made some calls to my friends in the airline. I found him and flight that was leaving soon directly to Houston. I helped him pack up and drove him to the airport. I held his hand in the car and he squeezed back. I knew that this was something already and while this turn of events wasn’t ideal I knew I wanted to see where it would take us. But first I needed to get him to the airport so he could get back home and be dad first and foremost.
I got out for the car and helped him with his bags at the airport and we kissed goodbye and promised to keep in contact with one another.
I watched that perfect man walk away and hurry inside to catch the plane. I hope he makes it safely and I hoped his boys were ok. That man has already had enough heart break. Thirteen long hours later he finally texted me that he landed in Houston and was headed straight to the hospital. I didn’t want to bother him more until he was ready to talk. I wanted him to be with his boys and make sure they’re ok.
I sat in my apartment in the dark. Tears rolling down my face. I felt for him but also I fell for him.
“I love you Alexander Darkos…. And Happy 40th Birthday…. It’ll be one you’ll always remember…” I said out loud. I got up and got dressed for work and headed back to that same airport I just left him at.
I boarded my assigned flight…sat down after everyone was seated and heard the pilot on the intercom.
“Good Morning ladies and gentlemen. Welcome aboard your nonstop flight from Athens, Greece to Houston, Texas.”
I smiled. And thought wow what are the odds…
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