Pages of You

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Days later, my mom dropped Chiron and me at the airport. She hugged us, and I reminded her she was welcome to visit us anytime. She merely nodded and said she'd let me know when the divorce was final. Whenever I think of divorce, I would have assumed deep sadness or anger - But instead, I sensed peace from my mom.

"Excited to go back home?" I asked Chiron hours later when we sat on the plane.

He quickly tightened his seatbelt across his waist and looked over at me, lacing our fingers together and pulling them on his lap.

I raised a brow, noticing how tight his grip was. "Yes. I miss Adeline and even work."

Chiron grimaced and shook his head, "I left the cafe for a week, and I'm not ready to go back."

I laughed, "Awww, poor business owner, having to work at his cafe." I teased, earning a scowl from him.

And then we were taking off.

I looked outside and silently bid my home State goodbye as I watched the city, mountains, and streets shrink smaller and smaller until the plane turned and we were above the clouds. I sighed and turned to Chiron, his eyes shut and beads of sweat on his forehead.

I blinked, my fingers numb with how tight he held my hand. "Chiron?"

"Yes, belle?"

"Are you okay?"

"Of course, my love. I'm peachy."

I snorted. I tried to wiggle my fingers from his tight grip, but he refused to let go, especially when the plane started shaking a little bit due to the turbulence.

"Fuck," Chiron muttered slowly, his eyes wide open as he stared at the screen in front of him.

"You're okay, bestie," I murmured, rubbing my thumb against his skin. "Did you bring your earphones so you can listen to music?" I reached over to tap on his screen, selecting a random movie for him. "Or you can watch this to keep your mind busy."

Chiron swallowed hard, "Yeah, thanks. I'm good. Just... The plane needs to stop shaking."

I chuckled, turning to my screen. I swiped, going through movie title after title until I settled for a Disney movie. Minutes ticked by, and Chiron's grip on my hand slowly reduced. I heard him let out a deep breath, his shoulders finally dropping. It's good; he's finally relaxed.

An hour later, our screen was interrupted by the pilot's announcement.

"We are anticipating some turbulence ahead, so please fasten your seatbelts securely."

I sighed, tuning him out. Seconds later, the plane shook, and Chiron's fingers wrapped around mine like a vice, not giving me a chance to escape. I glanced at Chiron and noticed his lips pursed into a tight line. His eyes fixed on the screen as if enthralled with the content. However, the screen was paused, and he was simply staring at it.

"Chiron?"

"Yes, baby?"

Okay, he's speaking, at least.

"Are you okay?" I asked, concerned. "Do you need water?"

"No, ma belle Rose. I'm okay."

My eyes narrowed. The paleness of his skin and the sweat forming across his neck and forehead says otherwise. I gently unlaced our fingers but kept my hand on his thigh, his eyes quickly flickering downwards as he placed his hand on mine.

Even though we've known each other for years, I'm still discovering small things about him that he requires — such as the need for reassurance, the need to be close to each other, the need for physical contact — for any contact.