The cheery voice of Lydia had Toby forcing more merriment into his own.“Hey, Lydia, you’re looking very summery today.”The dress was a little showier than what she normally wore and revealed more cleavage than usual for her.
She glanced behind Toby, her smile dimming.“No Niall today?”
Toby had a sneaking suspicion that Lydia was interested romantically in Niall.Only she was barking up the wrong tree.They were all gay.Niall was a natural flirt, and Lydia might have—had—taken it the wrong way.
“He’s got a meeting with a marketing company,” Toby explained.“What can I get for you?”
“Oh… erm… I’ll just have a flat white to go, thank you.”
He filled her order and made a mental note to get Niall to somehow, without being obvious, drop into the conversation that he was gay to stop Lydia continuing on a path that would only bring her heartache.
The next hour, Toby didn’t stop, and it distracted him enough that it was five minutes past the time he had to call the pilot before he realized it.
His fingers were shaking as he pulled out his phone, checking no one was looking like they wanted anything.Happy he had a few minutes, he rang the number he’d put on his phone that morning.Expecting a person, he missed the first bit of the call as he’d taken it from his ear to check he’d dialed the right number.
Scowling at himself, he ended the call to ring the number again, his palms getting clammy.
“Thank you for calling Pierre.Please listen to the instructions carefully because of a change in launch site.The weather prediction for this evening means that the balloon flight will go ahead.Please arrive before six pm to allow for a prompt departure…”
Toby’s heart rate made his ears buzz as he dialed the number again just to check he had all the details.The new launch site was closer than the original one, Toby checked, meaning he had time to have a shower too, rather than just change clothes.
He was literally climbing the walls by the time he shut the café; he didn’t do his usual clean down, no, he was far too excited for that.He took the time to message Niall to ask him to finish up, then put his phone on charge as he rushed to take a shower.
Dressed in jeans that he’d received compliments on a time or two, Toby dithered over what to wear, recalling Pierre’s warning about sensible clothing choices.He didn’t want to carry anything, so he considered his options, going for a long-sleeved T-shirt and a hoodie with a zip up the front, he could zip up if it got chilly or tie it around his waist if it got too warm.
Would it be hot with the gas burners?
He wasn’t sure, and after one last check and fluff of his hair, he retrieved his phone to open the Uber app and ordered a ride.Too excited to even consider grabbing something to eat, he was out the door, waiting at the curb minutes before he needed to.A part of him was terrified after Pierre’s warning about missing out if anyone failed to get there before the allocated time, that he’d not get there before the deadline, and somehow miss the opportunity to fly.
Calm down, it’ll be fine.He got that he was being overly stressy, but there was little he could do about it.He got like this when he was excited.
In the car, on their way, it didn’t stop him fretting every time they hit a traffic signal, and it turned red, his sneakered foot tapped impatiently.“You could go down Canal Street, then take the turn for Riverside, which would avoid the traffic.”
The driver met his gaze in the rearview mirror, and Toby pursed his lips together when he didn’t look amused.
Toby had bitten his lip and made it bleed to hold back his suggestions by the time they pulled into the parking lot at the lakeside location.There was a line of parked cars all facing a big truck that held what looked like a humongous picnic basket.
Toby gulped.Was that even safe to fly in?
In the pictures, he couldn’t recall it looking so…flimsy?
You can fly,he reassured himself as he exited the vehicle.His animal side was unnaturally quiet, which didn’t help.
A cute guy walked towards Toby as he exited the car slowly, his nerves hitting an all-time high.“Are you Toby Merchant?”
“Y-yes,” he stuttered, his gaze moving from the guy to the basket.
“Wonderful, I’m Remy, Bucket List Buddies organizer.That’s everyone here, so Pierre, our pilot, is just about ready to run through what happens now.I hope you like getting involved.”
Remy was all enthusiasm, and Toby frowned as he walked back to the group of people.
Toby hurried behind.“Involved in what?”Toby sounded much like he was squawking, but his fright at all the possibilities wouldn’t be contained.
Remy didn’t slow down as he glanced sideways at Toby, his smile bright and joyful.“In getting the balloon in the air.It’s an interactive experience.The last two were so much fun.”
How had he missed that?Hadn’t Pierre mentioned he had a team to launch the balloon?
Toby wasn’t awfully strong, and he didn’t want to make a fool of himself in front of a potential date—mate.As that registered, something else did.None of the group of fourteen made his senses spring to life.
