AllFreeNovel
Share Us
When I pass row six, the person who is sitting next to me looks up as his jaw opens. My seatmate, for at least the first leg of this flight, is Vince. When I finally clue in to the passengers around me, I see the whole team and staff, along with parents are on this flight.
Fuck.
“Ava?”
“Hi, Vince. Looks like I have the window next to you.”
“Oh shit,” he whispers as he rises from his seat to let me pass. “This is…”
While I settle in and buckle my seat belt, I respond to his unfinished statement. “Awkward. Ironic. Universal bullshit. Take your pick.”
He chuckles while taking the backpack off my shoulder and setting it on the floor at our feet. “Let’s go with ironic.” I rub my hands over my face before I start digging in my purse for my wireless headphones so I can turn up my favorite band in my ears and block out everything around me. “Hey, I know you like your music when you fly, but can we talk?”
”Is Melissa on this flight?” I ask.
Vince takes a deep breath and sighs. “She’s not. She’s covering another team this weekend.”
“I see.”
The jet engines move us to the back of the runway. Just as he’s about to say who knows what, they thrust into takeoff mode as we’re plastered to the backs of our seats. Vince reaches over and takes my hand. Neither of us is a great flier. I don’t mind the takeoff or landing. He does. I give his hand a gentle squeeze to let him know he’s okay. If he wasn’t with the team, he’d be three drinks in and wouldn’t care.
Once we level off and the ‘fasten your seat belt’ sign is turned off, he finally exhales and lets go of my hand. “Thanks. You didn’t owe me that, but I appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome. Is Miami your stop?”
“Yeah. There’s a tournament this weekend. We fly back early Monday morning. You? Got a client meeting?”
I didn’t count on having to explain my trip to anyone after I left the office. I’m not altogether sure what I should say. He gives me an out, so I take it. “Yes. It’s a potential new client. Aaron thought it was good for me to go to…feel things out.”
“That’s cool. So, things are good?”
”Is that your not so subtle way of asking me how I am?”
“I suppose, yeah. I’m not proud of how things went down, Ava.”
“I don’t know if you should use that choice of words, Vince.”
“Fucking hell, Ava. I am sorry. I am. I know you don’t believe it, but I do still care about you and your feelings.”
“Just not enough to stay faithful, right?”
“I guess I deserve that.”
“You do. I don’t like saying it though.”
“Can we just talk it out? I don’t want to think you hate me.”
He’s right. Hate is the last thing I want in my heart.
“I think we should talk. We’re alone now at least.”
”As alone as we’re going to be thousands of feet in the air,” he laughs.
“May I go first?” I ask.
“Yeah, sure.”
I have to take a second to get back in the headspace I was in when I came to him in the first place. I have to remember all the things I felt in the shower when I woke up that morning. I also need to think about what I saw when I was in the house. It was easy for me to be angry and walk out without saying anything. Now I have to find the words I had ready then.
