Love At First Flight

Chapter One

"Please proceed to gate 8 immediately. The final checks are being completed and the captain will order for the doors of the aircraft to close in approximately five minutes time. I repeat.." a voice from the ceiling speaker announces.

Hurrying toward the gate with my aluminum suitcase in one hand and my passport in the other I accidentally stumble in to something, or rather someone. I almost fall backwards but a strong grip from the stranger in front of me kept me steady on my feet. My face parallel to his chest I could tell he's no stranger at the gym. I look up at him, his almond colored eyes pierce into mine, almost losing track of real life, I just stare back. Messy, dark-brown, almost black hair complementing his handsome face perfectly. I have time to fix my eyes on his full lips before suddenly snapping back to reality, I feel the embarrassment and the blood rushing to my cheeks. I shake off his grip that had now loosened, make a quick bow to show gratitude and continue rushing to the flight gate.

I realize quite quickly that this is going to be a long flight while trying unsuccessfully to sit comfortably at my assigned seat. I sigh looking out at the people and cars on the ground that seem to look more like ants the further up we went. Whilst looking out of the small airplane window beside of me a familiar face pops into mind, A face that I'm trying desperately to forget, the man I was supposed to go on this trip with, my cheating soon to be husband. My heart aches. "Think of anything else, anything" I whisper quietly to myself. I take a couple of minutes but nothing seem to work until the tall stranger from before suddenly sits down next to me. The thought of my soon to be husband fades and for some reason I feel tense. I glance at him, he's more attractive now when I see him up close. A small smirk dresses his face. My head jolts and I lock my eyes on my knees. Did he notice I was looking at him? I feel a little bit embarrassed again. Get a grip Indra, what am I so embarrassed about? It doesn't feel right for a soon to be thirty year old to be acting like a damn teenager, I tell myself. I straighten up my back, lifting my head up high and turn my body his direction. He's now looking at me. Our eyes meet for the second time, he shifts in his spot, you could tell he's not used to the discomfort of these seats. Maybe he doesn't travel a lot. Without breaking eye contact he tells me his name with a deep, sexy voice. "Vincent", shit, even his name is attractive. I tell him mine, trying to hold my voice steady. "Let me ask you a question" he asks. I look at him "Well you just did, but I'll let you ask one or two more only because you saved me earlier" I tell him. He chuckles but then proceeds to ask his question "Do you believe in love at first flight? Because when I look at you I see my final destination". I'm shocked by his sudden pickup line, it's quiet for a couple of seconds before I burst out into laughter. The kid sitting in the seat in front of us look back at me as I gasp for air. I try to get myself together, I haven't laughed this much in a long time. It actually feels quite refreshing. "I didn't do that right did I?" He asks me. "I'm not really into pickup lines, but it was definitely a good icebreaker" I tell him while wiping away the tears that had formed in my eyes. He gives me a warm smile and I'm caught off guard once again, my heart skipped a beat and suddenly I feel a bit nervous. I thank him again for saving me from falling earlier and we ended up talking for the rest of the flight in between nap and bathroom breaks. Surprisingly we had a lot in common, we both love Chinese food, the crispy sound leaves make when being stepped on in autumn and we despise great books with terrible endings, which is understandable, since they're being described as "terrible".

The view from the plane was unbelievable, you could tell we were getting closer to our destination. Just as I get that thought a voice from the plane speakers starts talking.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking, welcome to Velana International Airport in the Maldives. Local time is 18:31 and the temperature is 84 degrees Fahrenheit which equals 29 degrees Celsius.

For your safety and comfort, please remain seated with your seat belt fastened until the fasten Seat Belt sign is turned off. This will indicate that we have parked at the gate and that it is safe for you to move about.
Please check around your seat for any personal belongings you may have brought on board with you.

On behalf of Shams Airlines and the entire crew, I'd like to thank you for joining us on this trip and we are looking forward to seeing you on board again in the near future. Have a nice evening."

The plane gently land on the solid ground and I breathe out the air I had unintentionally helt in. When we get the sign that we can leave our seats, Vincent helps me get down my suitcase from the overhead bins. We then walk out of the plane into the airport. I can't wait to breathe in the Moldavian air, and feel the heat on my body. Lost in thought while dreaming about the week I have in front of me I suddenly realize I've lost sight of Vincent. Even though he's probably taller than almost everyone here I can't seem to find him in the crowd surrounding me. I didn't even get his number nor last name, I can't help but feel sad about it. The crowd force me to move forward and in a blink of an eye I'm outside of the Velana International Airport and on my way to the resort.