Page 91 of Comin' in Hot
Each in their own way mulls over what I said before Brooks stands. His smirk grows into a shit-eating grin.
He walks over to me and wraps me in his arms, picking me up off the ground, making me laugh before he plants a kiss on my cheek.
“Moon pie, you’re a fucking genius.”
I’m placed back on my feet, a little confused, but Brooks turns to look at the guys as he says, “Okay. Hear me out…”
chapter nineteen
. . .
Thanks for inducting me into the motion of the ocean club.
“May I getyou anything?”
I smile at the flight attendant and shake my head. “No. No, thank you.” She then asks the gentleman next to me, who orders a soda before she walks away.
Truth is, Ishould’veasked for something and made it a double because there’s nothing worse than five hours alone with your thoughts.
Especially when every single one keeps ending the same.
Which is why I’m watching the plane door like I’m in a rom-com, just waiting for three familiar faces to race onto my flight and tell me they’re coming with me.
I know how ridiculous the thought is.
I know that I’m wishing for something that will never happen and that I’m living in a fantasy world. But still, I can’t take my eyes off the fucking door.
Because maybe they woke up and saw my note, then read between the lines when I said in the middle,“Thanks for inducting me into the motion of the ocean club. I’ll never forget it. Beats the mile-high club every day of the week,”and understood that I meant I don’t ever want to leave. So they bought tickets and rushed through security.
I stare, chewing the inside of my cheek, watching person after person load onto the flight.
The flight attendant materializes in the line, handing the soda to my seatmate, blocking my view for a second.
But the moment she moves, I blink and see there’s nobody left.
I sigh.Damn.
The last person passes me by as I drop my eyes to my hands.Two more seconds…that’s all you give yourself to mourn this.
The pilot comes over the intercom, telling the flight attendants to prepare for takeoff. I take a deep breath, grabbing my seat belt to put it on.
But I hear, “Oh! We have three more.”
My head whips up as my pulse kicks up a notch. But a woman with two small kids rushes onto the plane.
“We made it,” she says, smiling at her kids.
I’m so fucked. I have to look away becausetwo more secondsmight need to extend a little longer, like maybe the whole flight.
The sound of the cabin door closing is the nail in the coffin of my hope, so I turn my phone off and close my eyes because maybe if I sleep through the flight, this’ll all feel like it was just a dream.
I yawn, covering my mouth with the back of my hand as I hold my phone. I’m waiting for my messages to populate now that it’s turned on again. A man pushes in front of me, making me draw back before I file onto the escalator.
The flight was long, not that I noticed since I slept through all of it. Which sucks because I bought five hours of reprieve so that now I’ll be up all night thinking the thoughts I want to avoid.
I adjust the bag in my hand as I look at my phone before I glance to my right at the adjoining escalator. A sweet couple hugs; the woman who’s up a step stares down at the man before she leans down and sweetly kisses the tip of his nose.
Fantastic. Looks like I’m at that part of feeling sorry for myself where I notice every happy person in the fucking world.
