Page 64 of Wild Card 13

Conversations faded into scattered pockets throughout the cabin. Somebody started a card game near the back. Zee lost spectacularly within twenty minutes and somehow insisted everyone else had cheated. Marco declared himself an innocent victim of jealousy before Jonah calmly pointed out he'd been keeping two extra aces in his hoodie pocket the entire time.

I laughed because everyone else did. It sounded convincing enough.

Across the aisle, Lucy never looked up from her book. She read through takeoff. Through the meal. Through the turbulence over Pennsylvania. She even read while Marco wandered over under the obvious excuse of asking whether she needed anything from the snack basket.

"I've been told I'm an excellent travel companion," he announced, leaning one shoulder against the back of her seat.

Lucy marked her page with one finger before looking up. "By whom?"

"Myself."

"Very credible source."

"I also make exceptional conversation."

"I hadn’t noticed."

Marco grinned like she'd complimented him instead of politely insulting him. "You wound me."

"You’ll recover."

"You think so little of me."

"I think exactly enough of you."

As the shutdown soaked through Marco’s thick skull, Lucy returned to the cream pages of the worn paperback. A slight smirk settled onto her lips briefly. A look I hated to miss but I soaked it in while it lasted.

Jonah shook his head from across the aisle. "Marco."

"What?"

"Leave the poor woman alone."

"I am networking."

"You're flirting."

"I contain multitudes." Marco finally surrendered with an exaggerated sigh before wandering back toward our side of the cabin.

"She's terrifying," he whispered dramatically as he dropped into his seat.

"She's reading," I muttered.

"Exactly."

I stared out the window before anyone noticed I'd answered too quickly.

The city lights below blurred beneath the wing.

Somewhere in the reflection, I caught Lucy turning another page.

I hated that I noticed.

I hated even more that nothing about her looked forced.

She wasn't trying to impress anyone.

She wasn't trying to fit in.