At Last

1

It was a windy afternoon, with nimbus clouds peeking beneath the clear sky. The air was a bit crisp and cold to the skin which made Alice wince a bit as she waited for a cab.

With her dark brown hair gently swaying in the breeze, her pale,almost alabaster skin seemed to shimmer. Looking not a day more than twenty-two, Alice still has a hard time believing that she'll be spending her 26th birthday away from home. Far,far away from home.

After finally boarding a cab, Alice put on her headphones and opened her playlist named simply after her. A "no-fuss" kind of woman, she had only two playlists - one that she named after her (full of songs that pretty much described her or have some meaning to her), and another one named Sleep.

"To the airport please", she told the cab driver.

Coming from a not so fresh heartbreak, Alice has no plan of falling in love or getting in a relationship soon. Sometimes, failed relationships can dull out the magical sparkle of love.

2

Adam adjusted his bonnet and his sunglasses as Tyke, his personal assistant approached him carrying his usual Starbucks coffee. It was 11pm and Adam and his crew were waiting for the 1am flight bound for New York.

At thirty years old, Adam was an epitome of a great bachelor. An international recording artist, a part-time model and an ambassador of PETA, it was modest to say that women all over the world would go gaga over him. Tall, dark-haired, lean and muscular, with dark brooding eyes and a hint of stubbles on his chin, he was what most people would claim as ruggedly handsome.

Living like a bachelor and travelling every now and then for concert tours was no problem for Adam. It was his job after all. Coming from a smalltown family in Iowa, he and his bandmates were discovered by  Greta Biggs, a talent manager who happened to witness their performance while they played during the annual Buckfest Grand Celebration. And as they say, the rest was history.

Popularity gave him no problem in getting girls. In fact, the girls were the ones sticking to him like magnet. Supermodels, actresses, waitresses, flight attendants, make-up artists, producers, fans - name it; they go crazy over him.

However, Adam seemed to be numb to all the ooh-ing and aah-ing over him. Sure, he gave a smile or a wink to girls who were obviously flirting with him, but that was it. Some are lucky enough to have small talk with Adam but that was it. Nothing more than that.

3

"Finally," Alice mumbled to herself. After a long line at the check-in area, Alice thought that she'd never get to the front.

It was 8pm and she was already feeling tired and hungry. Her flight to New York was supposed to be at 9pm and she decided to wait it out and just eat on the plane.

"Good evening everyone. Attention to the passengers of Asia Air flight 7M-573 bound for New York with a layover to Japan. There are some problems with the aircraft and we are now processing your flight arrangements with Alpha Airlines to get to your destination as scheduled. We are sorry for the inconvenience."

Alice's ears heated up as the announcer continued to give instructions over the speakers. With a resolute sigh, she just shrugged her shoulders and headed to the coffee vending machine.

4

Adam stood up and straighten his bonnet as they prepared to board the aircraft. Business class as always, he was getting a bit bored of the familiarity of everything.

Tyke walked before him as if to make sure that the way was clear for Adam. As they walked towards the line, Tyke who was very engrossed in clearing the way for Adam didn't notice a woman sipping from a styrofoam coffee cup while walking.

As Tyke turned his body to the left, the woman was elbowed in the process causing the coffee to spill onto her face, her hair and shirt.

For a moment the small crowd of passengers to board the New York flight became quiet as if relishing the accident that happened.

Tyke frantically apologized to the woman but at the same time had an air of hurriedness in his apology.

Adam witnessed everything but stayed quiet to avoid being recognized. He was tired and wasn't in the mood for attention from adoring fans.

5

Omygod. The searing pain of the coffee was starting to redden her right cheek and her shirt was wet and stained with coffee. She wanted to cry right then and there but she just mumbled a short "It's okay" as the short guy in the leather vest apologized to her.

Alice quickly went to the bathroom to clean up the mess. Good thing she had an extra top in her bag, but it was a skimpy one, something that she thought was inappropriate for travelling. But she had no choice. She had to change unless she wanted to look like a trash.

After washing her face, she changed into the white sleeveless top that she had for an extra, twirled the grey shawl around her neck and regretted that she placed her coat along her check-in baggage.

She glanced at the mirror before dashing out of the bathroom. Tall and curvy, her outfit was sure to make heads turn especially in this cold weather. Her almond-shaped eyes were a bit reddish, from stress or from the cold maybe, and her right cheek was redder than her left, mainly because of the hot coffee that spilled on it.

With a heavy sigh, she headed back to the boarding area not glancing twice at the full length mirror of the airport's bathroom.

6

Adam had seen everything as if in slow motion. The brown-haired girl had coffee splattered all over her.

He wanted to apologize but didn't had the luxury to do so because once the people would recognize who he was, it would turn into a ruckus.

He felt a pang of guilt as Tyler mumbled his apologies hurriedly and the brown-haired girl scuttled towards the direction of the restrooms.

7
Finally! Boarding time!

Alice was shivering with cold as the cold breeze coming from the AC melded into the cold 12:45am breeze.

Lugging her baggage lazily, she didn't notice that she was a few steps away from Adam and team, otherwise known as the guy who splattered coffee on her.