Love Takes Flight

Chapter 5

:Note:

Thank you @Wildermorona for making the beautiful cover!

"Yeah, our frisbee went in the tree," one of them said. I peered over my shoulder at Miles who was frowning, considering our options.

"I'll help you get it down," I said. Standing on the bench, which was next to the tree, I went on my tiptoes and reached upwards. The frisbee was tormenting me, sitting on a branch just out of my reach. Miles could tell I was struggling and joined me on the bench.

"Do you want help?"

"I've got this!" I said. I wanted to be the hero. I wasn't going to let the young boys stand there, sad and disappointed. I was going to be the one who retrieved their frisbee. I stretched a little further.

When I turned in Miles' direction, I realised he was taking a photo of me. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, nothing," he said.

"This is serious business!" He nodded, then shook his head playfully.

"I know," he said. "Can I help you now?" I rolled my eyes, then jutted my head towards the tree.

"Go for it." He leaned forward on the bench, grabbing the frisbee.

"Easy peasy." He threw it to the boys.

"Show off," I said. "You're just taller than me." The boys ran off, as if nothing ever happened. The truth was, Miles was quite a lot taller than me. He was at least 6'. Glancing at me, then looking away to hide his smile, Miles seemed friskier than he usually was.

"C'mon, let's keep going," I said. We climbed down from the bench. He turned on his phone, beaming at the photo he took of me.

"It's kind of amusing. What if I posted it on Instagram?"

"No way!" I said. "That's embarrassing." I felt myself blushing.

"Yeah. And besides, what would I caption it? 'Madison trying – but failing – to retrieve a frisbee'." I glared at him.

We made our way through the tree-lined paths, then started talking about more serious topics, which I wasn't used to discussing.

"So, Madi," he said. "I don't actually know that much about you."

"Nor I, you." I was genuinely interested in what Miles' life had looked like so far.

"What's your family like?" he asked. "Any siblings?"

"No, I'm an only child," I said. "It gets kind of... lonely."

"Well, your parents sort've become like your siblings and your mom and dad, don't they?"

I sighed, internally. My family was no means like that. "Not my parents."

"How come?" he asked.

"They're divorced," I said.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he spluttered. "I... I just talk sometimes without thinking."

"All good," I said. "You weren't to know." I tried to dwell on something, anything, other than the image of my separated family that was coming to mind.

"What about you? Have you got any siblings?"

"Yeah, actually," he said. "A younger brother. He's in the ninth grade." He tilted his head back towards the sky, then back down again. When I saw his facial expression, it made me believe his brother annoyed him.

"I joke about how much he irritates me, but I do love him." I nodded, taking in the way he spoke about him. He really did love him.

"What's his name?" I asked.

"Remington." He smiled. "You'll meet him one day." I felt my face going red. What's that mean? Does he want me to come back to his house soon?

"I hope so," I said. "Are you two close?"

"As close as a seventeen-year-old and a fifteen-year-old can be," he said. "He's a typical younger brother, but yeah, we like spending time together." I thought about the two of them at their dinner table, bickering with each other about something ridiculous.

"Nice." As we came up to Arthur Ross Pinetum, Miles' face went from normal to quizzical.

"That looks exclusive," he said. I followed his gaze, until I saw what he was talking about. There were a group of people in fancy-dress laughing and eating teacakes, just at the centre of the park. I glanced between Miles and the high-class gathering.

"It must be an evening party," I said. "Only rich people seem to hold those. My family friend, Babs, did once." He was too busy staring at the group of individuals, to respond to me.

"Let's go check it out." I opened my mouth to protest, but he was already walking.

"What are you doing?" I finally asked. "Miles?" He simply looked in my direction, then back at the partygoers. I frowned and elbowed him in the arm.

"Don't worry," he said.

"I'm not worried. I just want to know what you're up to." He gave me a cheeky face.

"Joining their little soiree."

I froze in position. "You, joining them?" He regarded me, as if to say, 'what's so hard to believe about that?'.

"Miles, you can't!" I said. "We'll get in trouble." He laughed at me and continued in their direction at his quick pace.

"Not if we don't get called out."

"But we will," I said. "We don't look like posh kids." I opened my mouth to continue, but he cut me off.

"Just follow my lead." He slowed down once we were close enough to the group to hear what they were talking about. I grimaced, feeling like every step we took was extremely loud. He glanced over his shoulder at me and pulled a mischievous face. 

 I wasn't feeling so good about this situation.