Stalemate // The Queens Gambit //Benny Watts x OC

Twenty three: Flying

September 20th, 1968, 5:38 pm.

I look around my apartment, making sure I have everything, then grab my luggage and leave. Jonathan's band is opening fro the Kinks tomorrow afternoon and our group is meeting at the airport to fly to Ottawa today. Once I found where we were supposed to wait for the band, I saw everyone sitting and talking. I sat next to Macy on the end. It looked like neither Benny nor Andrew were there yet. Julia and Jonathan were talking about the band and Jamie was invested in a magazine. Macy turned to me, grinning.

"Hey!" She greeted enthusiastically. I smiled and set my bags in front of my chair.

"Hey, how are you?"

"Good. How are you?"

"Good. I'm mostly excited, I've never been to Canada."

"Me neither, I hear its cold though. But I got a coat I've been dying to use, the trim is real fox fur and it's stuffed with dove feathers."

"Sounds fancy. And expensive."

"Oh it was. But it was a gift from my mother so I got it for free." She smiled and shrugged. Just then I saw Benny and Andrew walking towards us. Benny only had one bag and so did Andrew and I worry they won't have enough clothes for the week. Jamie got up and hugged his brother, then shook Benny's hand and they all talked for a few minutes before Benny sat next to me with Andrew on his other side.

"Hey." He says.

"Hey." I reply simply. I resume my conversation with Macy and he and Andrew start to talk about work. After a few more minutes, a group of four men walk up to Jonathan and they all greet each other. Once they're done, Jonathan turns to all of us and starts to introduce everyone.

"Guys, this is Chris, Julia, Jamie, Macy, Adelaide, Benny, and Andrew. Everyone, this is the band. Steven, Markus, Luke, and Quentin." He points to everyone as he says their names and I wonder if we'll all be able to keep each other straight on the trip. We all say polite hello's and the four other men go with Jonathan to get our tickets. We did have to pay but Jonathan said the managers would pay for everything else on the trip.

We finally get everything sorted and organized and walk to our gate, the plane a few minutes away from leaving. They check our tickets and we all rush on board, taking up almost the entire middle section of the plane. I sat by the window and Benny took the seat next to me. Macy was across the aisle with Jamie and Jonathan and Chris were behind us, with Julia and Andrew in front of Macy and Jamie. The rest of the band were behind them.

The plane starts to take off and I take a deep breath. I had never been on a plane before and while I wasn't scared, it was a little nerve racking. We took off smoothly and I look out the window as we ascend, mesmerized by the brilliant view, the world below growing smaller and smaller. Suddenly the plane started to jolt and shake and startled me. I looked ahead to try and figure out what was going on and if anyone was panicking or if this was normal. Benny must have noticed my worried expression because he smiled a little and placed his hand over mine.

"Don't worry," He said in my ear. "It's just turbulence, it's normal." This calmed me down and I nodded. I looked back out the window and enjoyed the view. We hadn't quite risen above the clouds yet but I could tell they were just above us.

It was an hour and a half flight but it felt much longer. Our group talked most of the time, I read a little and so did benny, then once the sun started to set people decided to sleep the rest of the way. I stared out the window as the chatter died down and the sun sank out of sight. It cast the most beautiful light over everything. The pinks and purples and oranges mixing with the white puffs of coud, making the world outside seem almost ethereal. I looked to Benny, who was sleeping with his head resting on my shoulder. The light peeking in through the window caught a strand of his hair that was in front of his face, making it glow. If I didn't know any better I would have thought it was real gold. I brushed the strand back and gently ran my fingers through his hair so it would stay put. As I did so, I noticed Macy staring at me, brow raised, smirking. I quickly pulled my hand away and shot my eyebrows up in return. She giggled slightly and turned back to Jamie.