You sighed as you saw your computer screen. You had guessed it but you were hoping that there might be some miracle, but apparently there wasn't. You had no choice but to choose the middle seat as it was the only one left. That was the consequence for booking the flight so late, but it wasn't like you did it on purpose. You didn't know you had to go until the last minute. Luckily, there were some seats left, but they were all middle seats. You chose the one that was slightly on the front of the plane since you didn't like being too close to the restroom. 21B. You clicked the seat, hoping that you would get a decent human being on your left and right. No creepy people, please.
You arrived at the airport just on time. Not too early that you became bored to death for waiting too long, and not too late that you had to rush. You passed the security without any problem and checked the departure board to double check your gate number. Once you were sure that there was no change in your gate number, you headed to the coffee shop. It was early in the morning, so a dose of caffeine was in order. It was compulsory to keep you awake throughout the day. Then you sat in the waiting room, with a cup of coffee on your side, and a book in your hand. Sometimes you glanced at your surroundings, trying to scan the people that started to fill the waiting room. You played a guessing game in your mind, trying to figure out which two of them might end up at your sides. Could it be the old couple two rows in front of you, hoping no one was crazy enough to take the middle seat so they could have the whole row for themselves? Or maybe it was those businessmen, sitting near the charging station, with their laptops open on their laps? You shifted your gaze again and stumbled upon some influencer-wannabe, recording something with their phones, perhaps a vlog for their account, maybe? You were hoping they wouldn't be on your sides as it would be troublesome trying to dodge their camera. And they would be super busy the whole flight if they tried to record their activities throughout the flight.
You went back to your book for a while before some low murmur caught your attention. There was this new group coming through the security line and most of them were wearing face masks. True it wasn't mandatory to wear a mask anymore, but there were still some people who opted to wear one, so you thought nothing of it. However, some of them caught up in a heated discussion with the officer behind the counter after they passed the security and it caught attention from other people as well. Heads started to turn around and low murmur was heard throughout the waiting room. But that didn't last long. Once they realized they were causing a scene, they hushed it down immediately. Soon, all of the group settled down and the situation was back as normal as it could be. People were still curious what that was about earlier, but since everything had quieted down, people settled back to their seats as well. You got back to your book, but not before you overheard some of them talking while they were passing behind you.
"Why do I have to stick with you? It's not like it was my fault you can't get a seat in the business class."
"I don't want it, either. I don't need your help just because I'm not fluent in English."
"I can't believe this mess is happening."
When you turned your head to see what they were arguing about, another guy came up behind two guys and pushed them forward. "Come on boys, keep moving, or we'll attract attention again."
You frowned, thinking the first two guys looked familiar, but you couldn't remember where or when you saw them.
"Good morning.. Flight passengers for Fly Airlines, flight number VX-897, please proceed to the gate for boarding the plane. We'll proceed with seat number 45 to 66. For passengers with seat numbers 45 to 66, please board the airplane now."
You sat still as it would be a long way to go before you got called but you saw some people standing near the boarding counter, hoping that they could go in even though it wasn't their turn to board yet. You saw the officer double checked the passengers' passport and boarding pass before letting them board the plane. It went on for another group before they let everyone to finally board the plane. You passed your boarding pass and passport for the officer to check and finally boarded the plane. You dragged your cabin luggage through the aisle and scanned the seat number. 21. You saw there was no one else in your row. You were the first one to arrive. Oh well. You lifted your cabin luggage and placed it on the overhead compartment. You took the middle seat and waited for the other passengers to come in. You opened your book again, slightly annoyed by the people who walked through the aisle as their shadows covered your book. But then, one shadow stayed and you looked up, finding a tall guy standing on your row. He just stood there, looking at his boarding pass and then, his eyes fell on you. It was a few awkward seconds before you broke the silence.
