The Agency

XXIX. flying

"Where is he?" Robert grumbled, checking his watch once again. "He said that he was going to be here at 12 o'clock and it's 12 now. I thought you said that your boss prided himself on being on time."

The two of them were standing in JFK Terminal 5 with their bags at their feet near the Jetblue check in area. The airport was not loud but it was abuzz with activity. Corporate CEOs quickly passing while talking in hushed and intense whispers and families laughing together, getting ready to have the time of their lives. Virginie wondered what it is was like be surrounded by people who loved you. People who could never leave. She wished her own family had been able to give that.

Robert looked impressive in his casual wear. It wasn't often that he wore informal clothing and he looked great in it. He was wearing a short sleeve cotton white button up with bermuda cargo shorts and Ray Bans sunglasses. He had his hand possessively wrapped around Virginie's. She was used to his touch by now and accepted it without protest. She wasn't going to let him get arrested again. Not when she was so close to disrupting his operation.

Virginie rubbed his shoulder and kissed his cheek. Her sunhat grazed against his stubble. She looked ready for the beach in her woven maxi dress with a floral print. The dress had a striped trim, a plunging neckline, long boxy sleeves, a zipper front, and an attached belt at the waist. It was such a light blue, it was almost white. White sandals graced her feet and her perfectly pedicured matte white painted toes peeked out. "Calm down, I'm sure that he's here looking for us." She felt a buzzing in her purse. "Look, this is probably him now."

She picked up the call. "Princess, where are you?" Robert eyed her strangely, hearing Alex's pet name for the first time. Virginie ignored him.

"When will you stop calling me that?" He retorted raggedly. "I'm not a fucking girl."

Virginie rolled her eyes. "Are you okay? You sound like you just ran a marathon."

"It doesn't matter. I'm fine. Where are you, anyway?"

"We've been waiting by the Jetblue check in area for like 10 minutes. You said 12 o'clock."

"The check in area? No, I meant by the gate. I'm so sorry if you were confused. 12 o'clock is too late to get ready for an international flight."

"You asshole."

He made kissy noises over the phone. "See you later, princess."

Virginie hung up, wishing that flip phones didn't go out of style so that she could show how annoyed she was. She turned to Robert, scratching the back of her neck nervously. "Turns out that he's already at the gate. I think he told me the wrong time just to spite me. Let's go."

Robert's eyes widened. "I take it back, this guy is intense about time." Virginie gave him a quick side eye, seeing how Robert looked like he was full of admiration for the man that he had almost drunkenly beat up. She could never understand him.

The couple got into the line and checked in their luggage. They were staying in Jamaica for a week so Virginie had three bags of luggage. Robert had two. She cheerily accepted their boarding passes from the attendant as they walked to security. She hated flying because of all the extra steps.

When they arrived at gate B47, she was tired and ready to take a nap on the plane. Her eyes scoured the area to see Stephanie or Alex but she saw nothing.

"Hey, Virginie! We're over here!" She heard Alex's voice and turned around to give him a snappy comeback, but not before mentally swooning over him.

He wore his hair in a messy bun and he had a boyish grin on his face, flashing his perfect white teeth. His face, oh his face, looked relaxed and immaculate. His usual composure of stiffness was gone and he looked refreshed. His beard was a bit overgrown but she liked her men a little rough around the edges. He wore a fitted white short sleeve tee and cargo Bermuda shorts with tan flip flops. His green eyes twinkled with excitement and for once, his thick, muscular tattooed arms were revealed to the world. It was a true disservice that he kept them hidden from the public eye. She had imagined what those arms would look like so many times but her mind did not do them justice. The sirens and rose-mallows that were intricately tangled around his arms left her in awe. They were the most beautiful things she had ever seen.