-Oliver-

A bump of turbulence jolted me awake. The side of my face was resting against something warm and solid. "Brad?" I mumbled.

"Nope, not Brad."

Quickly, I pulled away and sat up, rubbing my face. "Shit, sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep on you."

The corners of Cooper's eyes crinkled as he smiled. "It's okay. I've been told I make an excellent pillow."

"I can believe it. Do you have a girlfriend or wife waiting for you to come home and be her pillow?"

"Nah. I haven't found anyone who will put up with me being gone for months at a time. There also isn't a huge selection of gay men on the peninsula."

I whipped my head around to stare at him. "You're gay?"

Cooper grinned. "Sure am."

"I thought you were just extra friendly and strangely tolerant of another man sleeping on you."

"Well, I'm that too."

I felt myself blushing. "Thanks, you know, for everything. I was prepared to sit here and sulk for the whole flight, but I got lucky having you in my row."

"Those are words I've never heard come out of anybody's mouth," Cooper laughed. "I'm grateful you're tolerating me invading your space. It wouldn't be fun to have someone cursing my existence the whole time."

"I'm grateful for your existence," I replied, knowing I was flirting a bit. I knew I shouldn't be doing that, but I was having a hard time feeling guilty about it. I leaned forward and grabbed my smaller backpack from underneath the seat in front of me and pulled out a bag of peanut butter cookies.

"Do you want some?" I asked, showing them to Cooper. "I baked these for Brad and I to eat on the plane, but he's probably got a meal included with his seat."

"I'd love some. It's going to be a long drive back home after we land, so I could use a snack."

After he took a few, I offered some to the woman sitting in the window seat. When I turned back, Cooper was smiling at me.

"How did someone as generous as you end up with a guy who booked you a cheap seat away from him?"

I knew Cooper didn't mean any offense, but I felt like I had to defend Brad. "He's not that bad. It's his money and he works hard for it. He's not obligated to spend it on me."

"What does he do?

"He's a consultant for a software company. He manages projects and flies all over to meet with clients."

"And what do you do?"

"I'm a research assistant. I enter data for clinical trials and give the trial drugs to patients in the study."

"So you're in the medical field?"

"Kind of. I have a nursing background but want to get into the research side. I'm hoping to manage clinical trials someday."

Cooper raised an eyebrow. "Seems to me like your job is hard work too. And more meaningful."

I shrugged. "Maybe. Depends on who you ask."

"What do you like about Brad?"

"He's charming and smart. A great dancer and great in bed. And he always looks amazing."

"All good things," Cooper replied. "But generous didn't make the list."

"He's generous when it counts. You know, at Christmas and my birthday. And every once in a while he gets the check at dinner. I'm not expecting anything more than that."

"Sorry, I'm not trying to judge," Cooper said. "It's your business. It just didn't sit right with me, what he did."

I didn't know what to say. It felt shitty that my relationship looked bad to an outsider, but deep down, I knew Cooper probably had a point. If the situation had been reversed, I would have bought Brad a first class seat. And if I couldn't, I would have sat in economy with him.

Fortunately, the intercom crackled to life as the pilot informed us that we were going to start our descent. I didn't want the flight to end with awkwardness, so I turned to Cooper and smiled.

"Hey, would it be okay if I reached out for more recommendations, or questions about the area while I'm here?" I asked.

"Of course!" Cooper held out his hand for my phone. "You're going to love Washington. You really can't go wrong."

"Thanks. We're here for two weeks, including Thanksgiving, so we've got a lot of time to explore."

"Why did you decide to visit this time of year? Most tourists come in the summer."

"November is usually a slow time for Brad at work, so we had to put it off until now. I know it's going to be rainy, but will we still have a good time?"

Cooper nodded. "Fall on the peninsula is my favorite. Everything gets a little dried out during the summer, so the moss looks better when the rain returns. And I like the grey, blustery days."

"It'll be a change from the constant sunshine in San Diego," I said, smiling at him. "I'm looking forward to it."

-Cooper-

As we filed off the plane and into the airport, I gripped Oliver's shoulder. "Have a great trip! It was nice meeting you."

He smiled, the dimple in his left cheek deepening. "It was nice meeting you too. I'll be sure to reach out if I have questions or need a trail recommendation."

I nodded and took my hand off his shoulder, and then watched as he walked over to the window where his boyfriend was standing, already on the phone. I was sad to see him go, especially knowing he'd be with that jerk of a boyfriend.

Sighing, I readjusted my backpack and started walking. I knew I shouldn't judge. I had only seen one interaction between Oliver and his boyfriend, and maybe it was one bad moment among a lot of good ones. Besides, it's not like I had a lot of experience with relationships. Mine had all been short-lived, or they'd been long distance since I was either living on the peninsula or gone for months on a fishing job.

I stopped at the first convenience shop I saw so I could buy an extra bottle of water and a few snacks for the drive home. As the cashier rang up my purchases, I looked out at the people walking by, wondering where they were all headed. I enjoyed people watching, but my smile faded when I noticed Oliver and his boyfriend walking past. The boyfriend was still on the phone, engrossed in his call and completely ignoring Oliver. Oliver followed a few steps behind, looking a bit lost.

Okay, maybe I was right about his boyfriend being a jerk. After seeing this, I didn't have much confidence that Oliver was going to have a good trip. This Brad guy seemed more interested in just about anything that wasn't Oliver. Shaking my head, I turned back to pay for my snacks. There was nothing I could do.

-Oliver-

When we reached the rental car desk, Brad finally got off the phone. "Sorry. Trying to make sure everything is set with work."

As disappointed as I was about us spending the flight apart, I tried to cut Brad some slack. It probably wasn't easy for him to step away from his job for two weeks, and maybe he needed the last few hours on the plane to wrap everything up. He wouldn't have been able to do that if I was sitting next to him, and now, he could give me all his attention for the rest of the trip.

"It's okay," I told him. "Let's get the car and start driving so we can get dinner before it gets too late."

Brad frowned. "I don't want to wait until we get to Port Angeles to eat. Let's stop in Seattle before we get on the ferry. There's a restaurant I want to try."

I was excited to get out to the Olympic Peninsula, but I wanted to make Brad happy. It was his trip too.

"Okay," I agreed.

-

A half hour later, I wished I hadn't agreed. The restaurant we walked into was located on a pier on the waterfront. Judging by the décor, waitstaff, and clientele, it looked expensive. As we were seated, I steeled myself for the prices on the menu. I'd saved up for months for this trip, and I had just enough if I kept all my meals around twenty dollars.

I shouldn't have been surprised to see that most of the appetizers were twenty dollars. The entrees started at fifty and topped out around eighty. I was hungry, but I'd have to settle for a salad. At least those were in my price range.

"I know this probably isn't in your budget," Brad said, scanning the menu, "but I wanted to try it. We're only going to be in Seattle for a couple hours and they're known for seafood."

I gave him a half smile. "I understand. Since I wouldn't have picked it, could you cover for me? Just for this. It'll help me a lot."

Brad closed his eyes and sighed, and I regretted asking. "Oliver, you know how I feel about this. I'm not here to provide for you, or for any man. I'm looking for a partner in life, not someone I have to take care of."

"Right, sorry. Forget I asked," I replied, as my heart sank.

"If I choose to treat you, it's just that - a treat. It's because I want to do it, not because you ask me or because I feel obligated."

I nodded, staring down at the tablecloth. Sometimes I hated how he made me feel. Like I was less than, or like I wasn't capable of taking care of myself. If we weren't on a two week vacation and it was any other month, I'd be able to afford dinner here. It's not something I could do all the time, but I could pull it off once in a while. My job didn't pay much, but that didn't mean I was living in poverty.

Before Brad, I'd done just fine living in modest apartments with roommates, grabbing take out or getting brunch together on weekends. Brad's taste was a lot more expensive. When I moved in with him, I could barely afford my half of the rent for his condo. Everything started to feel like a struggle after that.

"We can split an appetizer if you want," Brad offered.

That would still put me over budget, but at least I'd get more food. "Okay, thanks."

Brad reached over and took my hand. "I love you. I'm looking forward to this trip and to spending more time with you."

I tried to smile. "I love you too."