Summer Fling?

Chapter 1: Plane Ride Letter

*ALEX*

I sat in seat B, row 28 in coach, but at least I had the window seat. I peered out the window to see the mist still looming over the runways. All I could see were the dim glow of red lights scurrying by on the carts that carried luggage from plane to plane.

6:00 AM never came easy to me. I wondered if the stewardess would give me a funny look if I ordered a rum and coke this early. Did my swollen puffy eyes look like I had just cried, or would she assume that I was just tired?

“Miss? Would you like something to drink?”

“A coffee will do” I sighed.

She scribbled it down on a notepad and carried on to the next row.

I held the sealed envelope in front of me and simply stared at it. Just staring at it made me want to cry, actually it made me want to scream. Why did Josh have to do this to me? Why did he have to make this break up so hard? Why couldn’t he just face it? Why did he think he should fight for me? I am not worth it and I wish he knew. It’s never worth it to fight for someone who isn’t in love with you.

I huffed in frustration because how can a letter from a boy I’m not in love with anymore make me cry? I just don’t like hurting people but, I swear, some people are just sadistic and they continue to ask: why this? Why that? Why? What if the simple truth of the matter was that that person just doesn’t know and it just is what it is? Those sorts of responses never seem good enough for people.

Suddenly the whole cab was vibrating and I could hear what sounded like an oversized hair dyer turn on which I could only assume were the jet engines just outside my window.

I took in a deep breath and evil eyed this envelope…still sealed. He told me to open it up when I felt ready but I wasn’t aloud to open it in front of him. Is now a good time?  Or was I aloud to avoid it?

Josh had insisted on taking me to the airport this morning even though we had broken up days ago. And Josh still found the need to kiss me goodbye and I still felt the need to kiss back –that I shouldn’t have done. And then he handed me this letter. I apologized to him over and over again that I’m sorry it wasn’t working and that I’m sorry I can’t be with him, yet he insisted we simply take the summer off. How could I argue? All I wanted to do was leave. I was too scared to say it was over forever, only because I didn’t want to hurt him. I wanted him to understand that he was my best friend and that’s the way I love him, not any other way.

Maybe I should have written him a letter explaining it.

I told him not to call me this summer. I told him to leave me alone. And he was so eager to please as he agreed to my every demand. It made me feel like the worst person in the world yet a girl can only take so much. Sometimes you just have to live life for yourself. I couldn’t –I can’t go on living a lie. I couldn’t go along with Josh’s fantasy of our future anymore. There was none and I feel awful about it.

I sighed and began to fold the envelope in half and placed it back in my pocket in hopes that in this 4 hour flight I’d find some alone time, and some guts to open the letter. And for a moment I almost thought I was going to enjoy this entire flight alone since it seemed no one was occupying the seat next to me, but sure enough a young man fumbled down the aisle and fell into the seat next to me.

It was almost as if he could have been in a continuous full sprint all the way here from the parking lot since he continued to heave heavy breathes as he began to buckle into the seat absent mindedly.

I don’t think he noticed I was there until he looked over slightly surprised. His mouth hung open slightly, still breathing heavily.

He was good looking and it caught me off guard. I wondered if my own mouth was hanging open, and I didn’t have an excuse if it was.

He didn’t have to smile to prove how handsome he was either. His chiseled bone structure, dark messy brown hair, and glittering green eyes were enough. I imagine him being the type of individual that would have an easy time getting what he wanted.

But when he smiled it was beautiful. He shined those pearly whites my way and almost like a reflex I smiled the only smile I could manage for the moment.

He turned away after our casual acknowledgment of one another and suddenly shouted “Ma’am!?” down the aisle as he raised an arm to get someone’s attention.

A stewardess scampered over, almost too eager to help this handsome stranger and it kind of made me sick.

“Yes sir?” she squeaked.

And with no shame he asked “Could I please get a rum and coke when you get a chance?”

My head immediately turned to witness the stewardess’ reaction. You could tell she questioned the request in her head but nodded and explained once we were in the air that she would serve us our drinks.

I almost wanted to high five the guy. Maybe he was having the same rough morning I was? Or maybe he was an alcoholic?