Burning Desire

01

"Thank you for flying with Eagle Airlines," the pilot said over the intercom as their plane came to a halt. "Welcome to Dallas."

Tristan stood at the front of the plane with his long time mentor and best friend, Amari. They waited for the plane door to be opened and hooked up to the tunnel that lead to their gate.

"What're your plans for Dallas?" Amari asked as they waited. "You've got only one day before you fly off again, right?"

Tristan hummed. "Yeah, I'm heading to Cincinnati tomorrow and once there I get a week break," he said, looking out the window of the plane. "And my only plan here is not to melt into a puddle of pent up rage and sarcasm."

Amari chuckled as the plane came to a halt and people started to get up and pull their bags down. "I wish I was on that flight," Amari said, walking down the aisle to help an older woman that was sitting in first class walk down the aisle and off the plane.

"Thank you, young man," the older woman said with a smile, walking off the plane and down the tunnel.

Tristan smiled at his friend.

Amari looked scary because he was buff and intimidating, but he was the sweetest and most kindhearted person that Tristan had ever met.

"You're going home for a few weeks, huh?" Tristan asked, knowing that Amari was born and raised in Dallas, and he was super close with his sister who still lived in the city.

"Yup," Amari said as passengers walked by him. "Thank you for choosing Eagle Airlines, have a wonderful day."

Lots of passengers cast grins toward Amari and smaller but still kind smiles to Tristan.

"You could stay with us," Amari said when the line of passengers getting off the flight slowed down and dwindled to a smaller, spaced out line. "The airline would probably let you have a break. You haven't taken a break longer than a week in years."

Tristan huffed. "I don't have anywhere I want to go, and I like being in the air," he said, walking to the back of the plane and grabbing his suitcase. "Besides, this is your family time and we always meet up and end up working again together so consider this your break from me."

Amari chuckled and grabbed his own suitcase, and all of the flight attendants did a final check of the bathrooms and seats before leaving the plane. They walked to the terminal and got an Uber to the hotel that Tristan would be staying in because Amari would stay with his sister.

"Apparently there's a pretty good boxer in town," Amari said after they got Tristan's key card and checked his phone. "Andi is going because he's a big boxing fan and wants us to go."

Tristan raised his eyebrow as they got into the elevator. "We only get a hundred to spend, Amari," he said, checking his wallet to make sure that he still had the airline credit card that he got to spend. "I don't want to waste it all on a boxing match when I can save it for my week off in Cincinnati."

"The match isn't that expensive," Amari said, looking at this messages. "It's only twenty to get in because it's a match and the arena is in a bar. It's not a super commercialized thing."

"Well, tell me how it goes," Tristan said, opening the door to his room and flopping on the bed. "I think I'll watch TV and sleep."

Amari rolled his eyes as he stood in Tristan's doorway. "You're in my hometown, Tristan. We're going," he said, making the other man sigh in annoyance.

"Fine," Tristan groaned, flopping on his bed. "If I get bored I'm going to find a club so I can get laid."

"It's in a bar so you have chance of that."