Accepting You

Chapter 4 - First Class

Lily arrives at LAX airport an hour before the plane is set for boarding. She never knows how the paparazzi catch wind of her flights but they are always there waiting for her. The moment she steps out of the car, flashes of light blind her. She pulls her sunglasses down from the top of her head over her eyes, though it is 7:00pm and the sun has set hours ago.

"Lily! Lily! Over here!" one guy calls.

"Give me a smile! C'mon doll!" Another shouts.

"Are you and Tom Holland dating?" is heard from behind.

She ignores them all and enters the airport. With only carry-on luggage, she goes through the standard procedure quickly. With some time left before boarding, she hangs out in the British Airways first class lounge for some privacy. She didn't like getting recognized, especially in the airport. There isn't anywhere to go if she was recognized and a crowd formed. She would feel trapped. It is even worse on a plane.

Elizabeth arrives later and times it just right that she gets to the boarding gate when her group is called. It pays to be first class. She's seated at the front of the plane and gets a window seat. She keeps her head down and away from all the other passengers passing by to get to the back of the plane.

'Final call for boarding flight BA 1123, British Airways,' is heard over the loudspeaker in the airport. Lily takes the cue and wheels her carry-on to the gate, showing the stewardess her phone to scan the boarding pass, and boards the plane. She's one of the last ones on.

"Your seat is on this side," the stewardess greets Lily and directs her to the second land. Lily follows suit and finds one of the two middle seats empty for her. She doesn't mind not having a window seat and the barrier between the two middle seats gives her privacy.

Being on the taller side, it is easy to spot the overhead carriage space but she frowns, not seeing space overtop her seat. The same stewardess at the front helps her find a spot, closer to the back.

Lily's entrance caught Elizabeth's attention. She wasn't trying to keep an eye out for Lily but she took notice right away. Maybe it was because Lily is one of the last people to board or the fact that she is a walking beauty in a bleak plane. Either way, Liz's eyes followed her to the other side of the plane.

Lily's seat is in the middle, next to an elderly man. Getting up quietly, Liz approaches the man.

"I'm sorry sir. Would you mind switching seats with me?" Liz asks, pointing to the window seat. "My friend is actually seated next to you and I wouldn't mind giving up a window seat to sit next to her."

The elderly man is kind enough to accept and they switch. Lily doesn't even notice, preoccupied with lifting the small luggage over her head into a free space.

"Welcome aboard British Airways, this is your captain speaking," a male voice says overhead. "The doors will close shortly and we will prepare for take off. Please be seated and follow the instructions of our staff. Thank you for choosing British Airways."

Lily takes her seat, unbeknownst to her that Elizabeth is sitting next to her, only separated with tall plastic walls. Just as the captain stated, the doors closed momentarily and the plane started to reverse out of its spot and onto the runway. The stewards and stewardess do their routine safety procedure and then they were off, ascending into the air for a 10 ½ flight.

With headphones in and blasting music, Lily scrolls through the pictures in her gallery. She hasn't posted anything on Instagram in a few days and needs something new for her followers. She decided on a behind the scenes photo from the premiere – a selfie with her in the center with Chris Hemsworth, Tom Holland, and Benedict Cumberbatch behind her, all smiling having just come off the red carpet. She edits it slightly, removing any minor imperfections and decides she will post it when she lands in London.