“Good evening, this is your pilot, Captain Anderson speaking.” Blaine leaned closer to the microphone, with a smile on his face, “it is now seven forty-three in the evening, we’ll be arriving at Hong Kong International Airport tomorrow, five past ten in the morning.”

“We hope you’ll have a pleasant journey.”

He then turned to check the devices, with a more serious expression than before, “All flight crew ready for departure.”

Blaine was nineteen, when he had his first flying lesson with his dad’s brother, Uncle Ben.

And he fell in love with it.

He was a natural, it came to him like an instinct, to monitor the complicated control panel, differentiate the conditions and react upon it.

What amazed him most, was the sense of belonging when he reached the sky, defying gravity.

This is something he could, and would like to do everyday, all the time, and be truly good at. 

So the next day, he sent in the application for pilot schools.

After landing, he stood next to the conveyer belt, waiting for his luggage.

He checked his phone, while his fellow pilot, Jeff, rambled about this amazing restaurant he went to the previous time he was here.

“Too bad you need to book three days in advance, if not we could totally go there tonight, the have the best food ever!”

Normally, pilots would be drained and exhausted after an international flight, however, Jeff would always be exited and animated, like a bouncing ball bursting with energy.

Jeff and Blaine had been partners for numerous flights, they were also classmates in pilot training academy, they knew each other pretty well. Probably that’s why the company always put them on the same shifts.

“Jeff, I think I’ll pass. Last time you took me to the bar when we were in Japan, and it turns out to be a strippers’ club. I almost threw up on one of the performers. There’s no way in hell I’m going anywhere with you.” Blaine snorted, as much as he love Jeff, he’ll never forget that horrible experience of the sickening smell of a woman sitting on his lap with nothing but an extremely revealing underwear on.

He’s totally gay.

“Hey! That was just a mistake! I thought it was a gay strippers’ bar!”

“Please, just refrain from doing anything like that anymore.”

After checking in, he took a shower feeling refreshed, but not entirely human.

So he staggered to the minibar, and gulped down an ice, cold beer.

Then he felt like human again.

When he walked out of the Peninsula Hotel, it was almost one in the afternoon.

It wasn’t his first time being in this city, and his company always book this hotel for the pilots.

Jeff was sleeping, due to the time difference, so Blaine headed out alone.

He was going to meet up with his high school best friend, Wes, at three to have coffee and catch up.

So he have two hours free.

Blaine likes Hong Kong.

It was busy, like New York, and packed with people.

There’s high availability, with extremely convenient transport, huge shopping centres with everything you need, and not to mention, twenty-four hour newsagent everywhere.

But there are also a certain serenity in this city. The steady ferry that take you across the Victoria Harbour, the slow tram that only exist on the Hong Kong Island, the huge Victoria Park at the edge of the urban centre of Causeway Bay.

And the fusion of Chinese and Western culture, that had created an unique feature of this puny city.

It is definitely one of his favourite destination.

“Blaine!” He turned, and a tall, familiar Asian boy engulfed him in a hug.

“How are you doing? It’s been a long time!”

“I’m fine, I see that your height remained the same, even the time in Dalton had long passed us by.” Wes joked, making fun of Blaine’s physical deficiency.

“Hey!”

They caught up with each other, reminisced about the glorious days when they were shameless and young and talked about future plans.

“I proposed to Emily, two weeks ago.” Wes said, with a tender smile on his face.

He had been dating this beautiful young lady for seven years, Blaine had met her a couple of times when he was here, and in his opinion, they acted like married couples for the past years.

They’re completely perfect for each other.

“Wesley! I’m so happy for you!” Blaine shook his best friend’s hand, “why didn’t you tell me earlier! I would have totally got you a wedding present!”

“Well, we’re both working like crazy, so there won’t be a wedding reception. We’re just holding a small dinner gathering after signing the papers. It would be held the coming Friday.” Wes sipped his latte, “I was hoping you could come and join us.”

“I would love to, it would be an honour.”

After reconfirming the address of the Marriage Registration Office and the time, they stepped out of the Starbucks.

The night had just fallen, with the colour of prussian blue as the background of the city.

“I never thought I’ll leave America, and return to this foreign city.” He said before he left, with a chuckle, “but then, here I am, falling in love with an amazing person, falling in love with this amazing city.”

“I’m really, really glad you’ve found your happiness, Wes.”

“Thank you, Blaine. You have no idea how much it meant for me, with you being here.”

After Wes’s taxi left, Blaine stared at the starless sky, lost in the flood of people, remembering his own isolation.

Being a pilot have it perks, well-paid, never out of job, travelling to different places. However, it also comes with a price.

It’s almost impossible to maintain a long-term relationship, when you’re flying all over the world most of the year. Especially when you’re young and good at your work, the company will put you on shift constantly for training purposes, and usually, they would be long haul flights.

He had hooked ups, with hot air stewards, or just people he met in his destinations.

But still, they weren’t romance he had hoped it would be, they’re not the one.

He wish there would be someone. Someone that would blew his mind so much that all he could think of is him, someone that would take his breath away that he would become his oxygen.

Someone that would love him and care for him, and never judge him and he could tell him everything and anything.

But currently, he still hasn’t met that someone yet.

Blaine sighed a heavy sigh, and boarded a taxi.

He need to get to the IFC, where most of the designer brand concentrated. It’s his bro’s big day on Friday, he has to be at his best condition.