It was Bea's first time to ride a plane alone. Needless to say, she was hella scared. Her planes rides used to be with her family and her teammates, which made takeoffs and landings easier. But now that she's all alone, her stomach can't help but squirm at the thought of having to go through a takeoff and a landing without having someone to hold her. Quite the irony from her 5'11" frame, right?
Anyway, she sat by the window and stared at the grassy outdoor. She just couldn't wait to get this plane ride over with and sleep it all off in San Francisco. She plugged her earpods to her phone and pressed play to distract herself from the fear.
DNCE's Zoom played in the background as she sat and meditated, still to distract herself from her fear of the flight. She was doing pretty well, absorbed herself in the music with her eyes closed while gripping her thighs very tightly.
It wasn't until the plane started moving around the runway when it all sank into Bea. The anxiety grew as the ride started getting into position for takeoff. The pilot spoke a few reminders, and so did the flight attendants. The usual reminders were discussed as Bea felt her hand getting colder by the second.
Finally, there was the takeoff. Out of sheer distress, Bea gripped the armchairs on her sides... without having felt she held someone else's hand.
•••
Something landed on the back of Thirdy's hand while he held his iPad with the other. He was peacefully watching an action movie when it happened. Out of reflex, of course he turned to see what it was: a hand. He slowly looked up to the person on his right and saw a lady, probably in her early twenties, with her eyes tightly shut just like her grip on the back of his hand and on the armchair.
Without him realizing it, Thirdy was smiling at the lady's actions. It amused him how someone almost as tall (and probably as old) as he is could actually still be afraid of a takeoff. Maybe it's her first time to ride a plane, he thought. And maybe also because the lady was cute, and she's ten times cuter right now with her tight grip.
When the takeoff was over, the lady slowly opened her eyes. It was only then that she realized her hand did not grip the armchair, and she instead gripped her seatmate's hand. Her eyes widened in shock upon the realization.
"Oh my God!" She exclaimed. "I am so sorry..."
"No it's," Thirdy began. This lady is cute. Very cute, he thought. "It's okay."
•••
The guy smiled reassuringly at Bea, making it known to her that it really was okay. She only smiled in return. Her only thought was how embarrassing it must have been for her when he was staring at her the whole time.
"Pst," the guy looked over at her, calling. She turned to him with a confused look.
He held out his hand, the one she accidentally held during the take off, and said, "Thirdy."
"Bea," she replied, shaking the outstretched hand.
Thirdy smiled. "So, do you hold a stranger's hand during takeoffs often?"
Bea could only facepalm herself in embarrassment.
"Kidding. But to be honest, you amused me," he said.
"Why? Because strangers don't always hold your hand during takeoffs?" She replied, grinning.
He chuckled in reply. "That," he said. "And because I've never seen a lady feel so anxious of a plane ride. Is it your first time?"
She shook her head no. "Just my first time going alone. I used to always hold someone's hand during takeoffs and landings whenever I'm on a plane ride."
He nodded. "Well, you still have a few hours till the plane lands so why don't we make the most out of it?" Thirdy suggested.
Somewhere at the back of their heads, they knew this was going to be a quick ride.
•••
Twelve something hours, a hundred different topics, two bottles of beer and a cup of coffee later, Thirdy felt like he knew everything about Bea. All the likes and dislikes (after a game of This or That), merits and demerits, fears and worries in the world have been discussed. And somewhere in between the lengthy conversations was a feeling of wanting more.
I want to get to know this person more, they both thought, but never did say it.
So when the time came that the plane had to land in SFO, Thirdy, without hesitations, grabbed Bea's hand and intertwined it with his. Bea looked at their entwined fingers before looking at Thirdy himself.
"What?" He asked, smiling. "So you won't get anxious of the landing."
Bea just smiled, nodding slowly as she looked away. She can feel her cheeks burning from what he said.
So you won't get anxious of the landing. His words echoed in her head.
What's the probability of falling in love with a stranger on a plane again?
