Once Upon A Dream • K.M.

(1.21) Welcome To New York

"Matt you really didn't have to drive me all the way to the airport." Eden said sympathetically as she got out of the truck. The closest airport was a good thirty minutes out of town and Eden didn't want Matt having to drive back into town alone.

"Don't sweat it E, it's the least I could do, I'll be here to pick you up on Sunday too." Matt pulled Eden's suitcase out of the truck and sat it next to her. She pulled the handle up and looked at the blond standing in front of her.

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" She asked for the fifth time this morning. Matt laughed, pulling her into another one of his bone-crushing hugs.

"You know I would if I could Eden, but I can't bail on my shifts, you should understand that more than anyone." Eden sneered at the thought of Todd, her old boss.

"He was only angry because I wouldn't go out with him." She reminded him with a smirk, nevertheless Matt smiled.

"Have fun this weekend Eden, all of our problems will be here when you get back, try to enjoy the change of scenery." He pressed a light kiss on the top of Eden's head and smile.

"Now go on, you're going to miss your plane." She groaned.

"That doesn't sound like such a bad idea." Regardless, with one last goodbye to her best friend, she grabbed her suitcase and walked inside the small airport where she checked her bag in and found place to sit while she waited.

* * *

Though Eden was thoroughly happy with living in a small town in Virginia, she couldn't help but slightly fall in love with New York every time she came to visit the large city. Dusk was just approaching as the plane landed and Eden took in the sight of JFK and its busy inhabitants. If she wasn't careful then there was a great chance that she would lose her bag in the crowded airport as well as miss her family. Fortunately for her she found all of her belongings and saw that her family was standing at the bottom of the escalator, waving their arms to alert her of their presence.

"Eden! Eden over here!" Jana waved her hands around wildly as her younger cousin stepped off the elevator and she ran up to her, engulfing Eden in a tight hug. Jana was Eden's cousin on her mother's side and was currently living in the same building as her mother and her aunt. Eden's family considered Jana the wild card of their small clan and as they grew older, Eden's father was a little skeptical of having Jana around to be an influence to her. While Jana was only two years older than Eden was, Eden's dad felt like that was still a little too old for Eden though it never stopped the two of them.

"Jana." She breathed, wrapping her arms around her cousin. Jana always seemed to smell like a weird mixture of cigarettes and flowers, though she didn't actually smoke them. Eden guessed it was a side effect of the friends she hung with and advised her against them, but Jana claimed to enjoy the smell and so Eden let her be.

"You're so tall now!" Jana gushed and Eden rolled her eyes, letting Jana drag her back over to the other half of her family. Eden's aunt was the next one to hug her, her small stature making it seem like Eden was actually hugging a child.

"Oh darling you have gotten so big, and even more beautiful. You're even tall enough to walk." Marie complimented, referring to the many fashion shows that she put on in downtown Manhattan. Eden's aunt was a big shot designer and usually tried casting girls that were shorter than 5'8 but taller than 5'2, Eden never really understood it but she also never questioned her either.

"Aunt Marie, you know how I feel about doing those kind of things." Eden reminded her, Marie shook her head.

"I won't give up on you yet, Jana says the same thing," Marie lowered her voice. "But I can feel her cracking." Eden smiled and Marie let her go before she finally faced her mother, who still had her ear piece in her ear. Selena looked her daughter up and down first, taking her in before finally folding her arms around Eden.