Night shenanigans

Part 2

You know that feeling when you're in a class that you have a late assignment in and you're sitting there anxiously knowing that your teacher probably wont call you out on it... but they might? Or, when you were a little kid waiting in line at the grocery store when all of a sudden mom stepped away because she forgot to grab some milk. The suspension, shaky hands, cold sweat.

I can barely hear the sound of my feet against the tile floor over the pounding of my heart beat in my ears. I had to cut my oddly relaxing conversation with Peter short, after I realized I was cutting it close with my flight. Not only was I late, I had no clue where I was going. Dammit. I was stuck between the decision of stopping to figure out where I needed to be and potentially wasting time, or running around aimlessly hoping that even though I didn't know where I was going, eventually, I would end up where I needed to be.

I was losing hope.

    Stopping to turn around and look at the signs pinned on the walls, a body collides with mine.

"Oh my gosh, finally". Slight disgust covers my face as the out of breath person stands a little too close. Looking at his features, an unexpected yet welcomed wave of comfort washes over me, slightly slowing my heart rate.

"Peter?"

Why is he here? Don't tell me this is some sort of hopeless romantic gesture where he's going to ask for my number or something. Wait- no, stop Kara, he's literally never shown romantic interest in you, why is that the first thing your mind jumps to? I mentally scold myself. If he chased me down in an airport in a pair of dress shoes and his briefcase billowing behind him, he's more than likely got a good reason.

"You forgot... you forgot your- dammit, how the hell can you run so fast, I... barely caught up, jeez. You forgot your phone." He struggles to catch a breath, but eventually figures it out. My phone... shit, how did I forget my phone? I never forget my phone of all things?

With a slack jaw and wide eyes, I graciously accept my phone from his slightly sweaty hands. Gross, I know, but hey, he did just run across an airport to give it back to me, so just this once, ill ignore the dampness on my screen.

"I- thank you... I'm sorry, I had no clue where I was going, and the only thought running through my mind was to... run faster?"

I felt it necessary to apologize for making him run after me.

"It was... No problem, really." He says smiling, reassuring me for the second time today, this time i'm really not convinced. We both just kinda stood there staring at each other smiling slightly, before the intercom interrupts us once again.

"Last chance for boarding flight 102 for Atlanta, Georgia. Last chance." Both of our eyes widen before he breaks the silence.

"We better get you to your flight." He says, hopefully, emitting a false sense of confidence. I know he has no clue where my gate is, but I have a feeling he's faking confidence to make me feel better.

I let him.

He turns his head to look at the signs ahead of us, concluding that we need to head to my right. I just follow him, I'm done fighting this battle. My directionally challenged self should never have been left alone in an airport, yet, here we are.

Picking up my pace to match Peters, we hastily make our way over, counting every gate number as we pass it.

98

99

100

He looks back to make sure he hasn't lost me, I stare back at him slightly shaking my head. We're not going to make it. By the time we get to gate 102, the gate is empty. Everyone was seemingly on the plane already, leaving behind some attendants to close the door.

The door that's already closed.