*** This is going to be a short story, but I haven't decided how short yet. I want to explore this story a little more than I initially planned to. ***
"Alex? Hey. Sorry I disappeared." My voice was so weak. I wasn't used to talking to people anymore. I would spend most of my time either reading, or trying not to break down. The year without them had been the hardest year of my life, and I hadn't even thought about Alex.
"It's alright. I know this year has been hard for you. Are you okay?"
I hesitated. "No. Are you okay?"
He hesitated. "No."
We both sat in silence for a while before I heard him sigh through the phone. "Mitch, I think you should come back here, back to LA. Losing one of you was hard enough for me, but losing both of you is something I realized I can't handle."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry. If you don't want to come back, don't. I just wanted you to hear my selfish offer of friendship."
I smiled a little and thought about the house I'd left behind. I didn't even have any of my clothes at home. Most of my wardrobe was in the bus and the rest was in LA. I was living in High School Mitch clothes that I was surprised still fit and avoiding any and all social media sites, so I had no idea what had been going on. I thought about how introverted I'd been since I went back home and how much I missed everyone in LA for a long time before I responded to Alex, who was waiting patiently.
"I think I should come out there, even if it's just for a little while. Thanks Alex."
"Welcome. Take you time."
With that I fought myself to not pack anything that reminded me of my angst-y teen years and within a couple weeks I was heading back to LAX where Alex was waiting to pick me up. There was nothing that made me sadder than riding a plane alone knowing Scott wasn't at the airport waiting for me with Starbucks in hand and the biggest smile on his face. I watched the slowly moving clouds out the window and felt my stomach sink at the thought of going on with my life without Scott and Kirstie around.
I could feel my breathing getting ragged as I rode on the crowded plane. Tears fell down my face. I covered my mouth and bit my tongue to keep from yelling out and alarming everyone. I pulled my feet up and hugged my legs with my free hand. With my hand still over my mouth I rested my head on my knees. My body shook without my permission and a small whimper escaped my clenched teeth.
"Honey? Are you okay?" The woman who was sitting next to me calmly placed her hand on my shoulder. I couldn't do anything but shake my head no and whimper again. She waved down a hostess and slid her arm around me to lightly rub my back. "Can you bring me some water and some tissues?"
"Yes, Ma'am. Do you need anything else?"
"Just that for now." She shifted her weight a little and got a little closer to me. "Is there anything I can do? Do you need something?"
Again I shook my head no. What I needed she couldn't give me, unless she was into black magic. There was nothing I hated more than hearing myself cry, especially when I knew other people could hear the ugly noises coming from me. The hostess returned with the water and I heard the lady lower her tray to set it down. She handed me some tissue, which I used to wipe most of my face as soon as I was stable enough to repress the rest of my emotions.
"Thank you." I must have looked a mess, but she simply smiled at me and handed me the small cup of water.
"It's no problem. Are you okay?"
I didn't know how to answer her honestly. It felt like saying yes would be a lie, but saying no would just make me cry again. I sadly smiled and sighed.
"I understand," she chuckled. "Need a hug?"
I accepted her hug and spent the rest of the flight listening to her talk about everything, but not really anything and somehow it helped. She wasn't expecting me to respond, but she made me feel apart of what ever she was talking about. She made little jokes and told me short stories about her past and how she was a wild teenager with horrible habits before she moved to LA with her husband.
"I'm sorry, Miss. What's you name?"
"Oh! I probably should have started there, huh?" She laughed a little and smiled at me. "Moya. Moya Trinkett. You?"
"Mitch Grassi."
We shook hands briefly. She smiled for a second before her smile dropped. "Like... Pentatonix, Mitch Grassi?"
I took a deep breath and nodded just before the flight attendant called with the usual landing warnings. She grabbed my hands and smiled sadly. "If you ever need anything..." She stopped for a second and squinted past me. I furrowed my eyebrows and turned around. There was nothing of significance behind me. Just a bit of city and some trees. "Is it okay if we exchange numbers?"
"Hm? I'm not comfortable with that yet. Is emails okay?"
"Sure! What ever makes you comfortable."
We made the simple exchange and, after we landed, we walked together to the baggage claim. I hadn't checked anything, but listening to her talk made me feel a weird comfort I hadn't felt in a while.
I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around to the instant hug of Alex. He took a deep breath and stepped back to look at me.
"You look like a fetus picture."
"Shut up," I laughed. He rubbed my arms and took my bag out of my hand. Moya ran over next to me with her large suitcase in her hand.
"Alright, Mitch. I'm running away." She smiled with her beautiful teeth showing and pulled some of her loose curls back off her face, which did nothing since they fell back in place.
"I'll be in touch." I hugged her quickly and watched her walk away. I found it interesting how close you felt to people when they helped you through something as apposed to meeting people on good terms.
"Who was she?" Alex watched her walk away for a little bit.
"Just someone I met on the plane. She was supportive during my mid-flight breakdown."
Alex snapped his eyes to mine and sighed. He sweetly put his arm around my shoulders and lead me to his car, parked outside.
