Careful [lesbian story]

Chapter Seventeen

Christmas is the most commonly favored holiday. Everyone seems to love Christmas. You get presents, food, and the whole family gets together to sing carols and reconnect. Christmas is the best, for everyone, except me.

I stepped out of my gate at the Atlanta airport, there were too many people to count standing about the same gate. The smell of plastic entered my nose and I cringed, I hated airports. A woman attendant smiled as we shoved our way out into the open. I slowly made my way past the nailed down seats to the linoleum flooring in the middle of the two gates. I worked my way between the men, women, and children running to make their flights. It was 2 days before Christmas, and the airport was already flooded with people.

After getting turned around a few times, I found the escalator down to the tram. The familiar red cars stopped abruptly and allowed passengers on. Once we all packed in like sardines, the cheery electronic voice chimed in, next stop is T gate, T for Tango.
I sighed and held on to the leather handles attached to the metal bars nailed into the ceiling. Instrumental Christmas music floated from a sound system as more and more people packed in until we stopped at baggage claim.
I stepped out, and made a mad dash to the escalator, attempting to beat the crowd. I let my hand slide up the sides of the moving stairs stopping at the round extrusions, lifting my hand just in time for it not to hit the small metal cylinders.

Once we reached the top I skipped off and walked ahead to the opening. Destination; baggage claim. There were black, seatbelt material separation poles with people waiting to pick up their family and friends behind them, none of them mine. At the end of the section were the chauffeurs with signs reading last names, none of them mine.
I sighed, and walked ahead to the circular conveyer belts spitting out bags. I crossed my arms and waited at my designated belt. There were crowds of people, some complaining about lost luggage, some hugging family members, and also the seeming never ending screams of children. Finally, my black rolling bag with a purple ribbon attached to the handle, made its way out of the square shaped hole in the wall. I uncrossed my arms and walked up closer to the machine, once my luggage made it's way in front of me, I swiftly grabbed the handle and pulled it to the ground. With that, I walked out of the section and over to yet another escalator. Solemnly, I stepped onto the step and pulled my bag beside me.

I walked down a long hallway and out of the airport into the frigid Georgia air, not as cold as D.C. but still shiver worthy. I pulled my jacket in closer to me and walked over to a gray painted cement cylinder. The smell of cigarette smoke filled my lungs and I itched to grab my pack but decided against it, seeing as I needed to get out of the airport. There were benches to my right but I plopped down on top of the cylindrical stone. There was a road directly off the sidewalk and a parking garage across from the pickup area I was in. Still, no one was waiting for me.

I took out my phone and turned it on, I waited for it to catch a signal (not a good one, by the way) and called a cab. Once I confirmed the ride I went against better judgement and dug around my carry-on for my pack of cigarettes. I knew I had to kick this before it became an actual habit. I pulled one out of the pack and realized I had no lighter. I looked over to my right at a man smoking as well, probably mid 40's, and decided to ask for a light. I uncrossed my legs and jumped down from the block, walking towards him.

"Excuse me, could I have a light?" I asked.
He chuckled, "hm, a pretty, young girl like you needs to smoke?"
I just laughed awkwardly and stood there expectantly.
He raised his eyebrows and grunted, "well alright then,"
He then pulled a lighter out of his pocket and lit the stick between my lips. I sucked in a lung full of smoke and took it out, nodding my head to him in thanks and walked back to my seat, blowing out the toxins as I made my way over.
Once seated back down I pulled my phone out from my pocket, checking my notifications, hardly any. A text from G wishing me a safe flight, a few Twitter notifications, and a text from Ren.