Isaac

Pennsylvania, US

I zipped up the side pocket of my backpack, pretending to focus on it while my stomach twisted into knots. Josh’s midnight blue eyes, unreadable like a stormy sky, were locked on me from across the room. I kept my gaze down, fidgeting with a strap that didn’t need adjusting.

“He’s not staying in California, Isaac,” Josh said. “You’ve been there for Will since day one. You’re the one he’ll come back to.”

I released a puff of air, not daring to look up. “Well, his aunt just had a baby. That’s a real family for him now. He’s probably getting used to it.”

The silence that followed felt heavy. Josh never pushed me when I was overwhelmed. Still, his irritation was obvious, even if he wouldn’t admit it. His scowl hadn’t changed at all since we were kids—it was still that same stubborn, youthful expression. Somehow, whenever he looked like that, it reminded me of a boy refusing to let go of what he believed. He finally sighed, shifting in his seat.

“She got other kids… Will’s her nephew, not her son. He’s been with you since the day he was born. That counts for something,” he said.

I dropped the strap, turning to face him. “Does it? Does it really count? I’m living in your house, paying bills with money that’s not even mine. You think the family department’s gonna look at me and think, ‘Oh yeah, this guy’s stable’? They’ll take one look at me living off my ex-military roommate’s charity and send Will back to California, where he actually has a shot.”

Josh cracked his knuckles and groaned. “You’re not living off charity. I offered. And this isn’t just my house. We’re making this work, together.”

I almost laughed at that. Together. Like we were some kind of team or something. But no matter how much Josh insisted, I knew the truth. Josh had always been there, always offering to help. Yet, I felt it was more out of pity than anything else. That’s how it had always been since we were kids.

After my parents died in that winter car accident, Josh’s family—the Smiths— took me and my sister, Harper, in. They didn’t have to, but they did. They were our neighbors, best friends with my mom and dad. Some part of them felt obligated. I was sixteen, too young to process the loss, let alone handle the weight of being responsible for my sister. And after losing both of our parents, we didn’t have anyone else.

Josh’s parents gave us their home, their support—hell, their lives—to keep us together. But even then, I couldn’t shake the guilt. The feeling that I was intruding.

That’s why I got emancipated as soon as I could. I was still a kid but started working after school, determined not to be a burden. I didn’t want to rely more on their generosity than I had to. It didn’t matter how kind Josh’s parents were; it felt wrong. Worse, because being in their house meant being close to Josh.

And I couldn’t handle that.

Not with the way I’d always felt about him.

I love him.

Loving someone in secret when you’re living under the same roof? That’s torture. But I bottled it up because what choice did I have? I was already taking too much of their kindness. I couldn’t take anything else. Especially not Josh. Not with the way I knew I felt, knowing that I was gay and he wasn’t.

Even though Josh’s father had always treated me like one of his own, I knew he’d never let me be that close to his son. It was in his gaze, which lingered a bit too long. He stiffened when I sat next to him on the couch. His smile was too forced during our brotherly roughhousing.

So, I kept my distance. Buried myself in school and work, in taking care of my sister, pretending that if I stayed busy enough, I’d forget what I felt. It was stupid. No one forgets love because time keeps moving.

Even now, years later, I was still pretending. Pretending Josh’s help didn’t sting. Pretending I didn’t still feel like that sixteen-year-old kid, always taking more than I could ever repay.

And then, six months ago, right when my sister passed away, Josh retired from the military. He swooped back into my life like his parents had all those years ago. Only this time, it wasn’t a sixteen-year-old me and my sister. It was just me, alone with Will, my nephew, trying to figure out how to be enough.

Josh had been gone for ten years. Ten years of black ops, deployments, and whatever hell the military put him through. I’d almost gotten used to not having him around. Almost. But then he came back as he’d never left. And it felt the same as before—him saving me from drowning, whether I wanted him to or not.

I threw the backpack on the floor, rubbing my face. Overthinking. That’s what I did, apparently like I had a choice.

“You were there, Josh. You saw how he looked the last time. Like he couldn’t wait to leave me behind. Will’s been in California all summer, and he probably feels more at home there than here. A new baby, cousins, a family. I’m the guy who’s been holding it together with duct tape.”

Josh stood up, muscles rippling beneath his shirt. He walked with a predatory confidence that always made me feel like prey.

The morning summer light filtered through the curtains, highlighting the hard lines of his jaw and catching in his damp blond hair, still messy from his shower. He smelled fresh, like soap and water—simple and clean, but there was something dangerous in the way he carried it, like a god had decided to walk the earth just to hunt.

He stopped a foot away, close enough that I could feel him. His hand twitched like he wanted to extend it toward me but thought better of it. As always, there was that damn invisible wall between us.

“Isaac, you’re not holding it together with duct tape. You’re doing more for Will than you realize. And he knows that.”

“Does he? Or am I kidding myself?”

Josh stayed quiet, his eyes steady on mine, and I was sure he was holding back his words. Still, I wasn’t ready for whatever comfort he was about to offer. I needed to move, to get out of this conversation before it swallowed me whole.

I glanced at the clock on the screen of my phone. “It’s time for me to go.”

“I can go with you. I’ll book a flight—there’s gotta be a seat left.”

I squinted at him, the absurdity of it catching me off guard. “Are you crazy? Josh, it’s fine. I can go by myself.”

He didn’t flinch at my tone. If anything, it made him more determined. “At least let me drop you off at the airport.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but before I could, he reached out, his hand brushing against mine. The touch was brief, but Josh pulled back when he realized what he was doing. He looked up at the ceiling, letting out a loud breath as if frustrated with himself.

Then, with one hand on his waist, he shifted his stance, and his shirt stretched over his abs. His navy blue shirt and grey joggers did nothing to hide his bulge. My stupid brain chose that moment to focus on it. I felt my cheeks burn, and I turned away in a hurry, mentally cursing myself.

“Isaac—” Josh started, but I cut him off.

“I’ll call you when I get on the plane,” I stated, still refusing to meet his eyes.

***

“What do you mean the flight got delayed? I didn’t get a notification.”

The help desk attendant’s face didn’t so much as twitch. “I’m sorry, sir. We’ll let you know when the flight is rescheduled.”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair and tapping my phone against my forehead like that would somehow knock loose a solution. Of course, this would happen. I was already cutting it close, and now I was going to be late picking up Will. Who probably already thought I was unreliable and that I was about to prove him right.

I gritted my teeth and muttered, “Thanks,” turning away from the counter and walking to find a seat.

As I moved through the terminal, I noticed an unusually high number of people stranded in the airport—more than usual for Pittsburgh International. I glanced up at the flight screens, and almost every flight to the West Coast was delayed. A sudden worry hit me hard, like a bad omen.

I ignored it and kept walking, forcing down the creeping dread.

I found a small café tucked away from the crowds in the terminal and sank into a chair, grateful for the bit of space. The noise of the airport faded enough for me to think. I took out my phone, staring at it for a second longer than I should have before pulling up Karla’s number.

Karla was Will’s aunt—his dad’s sister. She’d offered to watch Will this summer, to give him some time with his cousins and the new baby. But with how things had gone for our family, I couldn’t shake the feeling that tragedy followed us. My parents, my sister, and her husband… it was like we were cursed, and something wanted to erase us from existence.

I pressed my lips together, reminding myself that life had to keep moving no matter what it felt like. Even if I couldn’t make it back on time, time wouldn’t stop for me. It would continue its cycle nonstop.

I tapped the video call icon and forced my face into something that looked less stressed. Karla didn’t need more on her plate. After two rings, she answered with a wide smile. It didn’t matter how exhausted she was or what life threw at her—Karla always had that smile, the kind that reassured you without words that everything would be okay.

It made me feel a bit better; maybe all this was only in my head.

“Hey, Isaac!” she called, her voice still upbeat despite the background noise of the children. “How are you? Already checked in?”

I shook my head. “Actually, no. That’s what I wanted to tell you. The flight got delayed. Almost all the West Coast flights are delayed.”

Karla’s brow furrowed slightly. “Oh, that’s weird.” But then she waved it off like it was nothing. “That’s super okay! Flights to San Francisco, I swear, they’re always delayed. It’s like there are pockets in the air just for them.”

I laughed, grateful for how easy she made it sound. The tension in my chest eased up a little. “Can I see Will?”

“Of course, hold on a sec.” Karla turned away, calling for Will over the noise while shushing the other kids. They were yelling and laughing like nothing in the world was wrong.

A second later, Will’s face filled the screen, his chubby cheeks still round with youth. “Uncle Isi! When are you coming? These kids are driving me nuts!” He flashed a gap-toothed grin, his front tooth slowly growing back after losing it just before his seventh birthday.

A laugh slipped out, but a lump rose in my throat. Tears burned at the corners of my eyes, but I blinked them away, not wanting him to see. My worries, they didn’t matter as much as I thought.

“Soon, buddy,” I said, smiling. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

The video call started to glitch. Will’s face froze, and the screen flickered before going into a loading loop. At the same time, a low rumbling sound began, followed by the unmistakable crack of thunder somewhere far off. My heart jumped in my chest as the call sputtered, and the distorted shapes of Karla and Will barely came through.

“Will? Karla?” I said, my voice rising in panic. The call stuttered again. When it came back, Will’s face was pale. His eyes were wide. He was trying to figure out what was going on but couldn’t find the words.

“Will? Karla, what’s happening?” I was shouting now, leaning forward in my seat as if getting closer to the screen would somehow bring them back.

Karla’s face came back into view, but the look she wore was pure horror. She was shaking, and the sound of the kids screaming only made the rumbling noise louder. “Isaac, something’s wrong.”

Then the call cut off.

I sat there, stunned, the phone still in my hand, my brain struggling to process what had just happened as a cold sweat broke across my skin.

The noise around me grew louder. People were rushing through the airport. I looked up, still trying to shake off the shock of the call, and saw the flight boards above me.

Every flight had been canceled. Not only the West Coast. Every flight. All around the world.

I shot to my feet.

Something was wrong, terribly wrong.