Starlight

09|| blue

kismet : a predetermined or unavoidable destiny.

Afraid - The Neighborhood

LEO

I hadn't planned on being a thousand miles above ground with her as only company, yet here I was.

I mean, it hadn't been a difficult decision; it was either taking her with me on the jet I was able to hire last minute or risking getting her shot at the airport and being stuck in England for another few hours.

Zelia sat in her seat in front of me, and a frown marred her lips as the furrow between her eyebrows got deeper with each inhale.

Curls were escaping the bun her hair was in, and her eyes looked heavy with sleep, but that didn't stop her knee from bouncing vigorously against the floor.

The table between where we were sat shook slightly, and her chair seemed like it couldn't contain the sporadic bursts of jostling that got worse as we took off along the runway.

My eyes zoned in to her blue nails that were gripping on to the armrests with such strength that I had to look at her face and double check I wasn't sitting across from a feline.

She must've taken a break from her fit and seen me staring at her because her voice laced with irritation makes me look up from the contact.

"How long is this flight?" She asks exasperated.

"Just under eight hours." I reply without making eye contact.

"Do you have headphones?" She asks hesitantly.

The random question makes me drag my eyes back to her face quizzically.

"Headphones..." I reply slowly as I try to figure out what she'd need them for and that she'd be desperate enough to ask me for them.

Her arms loosen slightly, and her leg stops bouncing as she replies. "Maybe you're too rich to understand what they are, but you use them to listen to stuff."

The usual attitude in her voice makes me chuckle as I lean back in my chair and watch her start to squirm in her seat under my stare.

"If I give you the headphones, what do I get in return?"

It's her turn to roll her eyes. "Nothing."

Thinking she's done, I open my mouth to reply, but she gets her words out before I can get there.

"But if I don't get my headphones, get ready for an eight-hour podcast of me talking."

I had to give it to Zelia; she'd surprised me with her rebuttal, but the slight tremor returning to her hand told me that the front she was trying to push towards me was cracking by the second.

Looking at my watch and back at her, I try to calculate how long I can last and listen to her talk without getting the gun in my pocket and aiming for her temple.

Who am I kidding? I wouldn't even last a full minute.

Reaching in to my pocket, I pull out the gun, and I see her track my movements as I place it on the table in between us.