I'm Crossing The Ocean || Mullette

Chapter Thirteen: Plane Vibes

Lafayette|First Person

Hercules makes everything seem so easy. When I first asked him if he'd be willing to come to Paris with me at the end of the month he was ecstatic. He called his parents right then and there and organized the week-long trip. He even finished all his work from his classes in a month's advance just to make sure I didn't get too far behind while I prepared. 

I called my grandfather as soon as we'd bought the plane tickets and introduced Hercules. He said he was excited to meet him, and was sorry it was under such unfortunate circumstances. He even referred to Hercules as my boyfriend, which neither one of us corrected. 

It had only been a week or so since the first time we'd kissed, but the idea of putting a title on it seemed a little daunting to the both of us. We hadn't even confirmed Alex and John's suspicions of our budding relationship. I think we were both afraid we'd jinx it by talking about it aloud. But, that didn't stop us from getting closer. 

We managed to be together nearly everyday- and when we weren't together, we were on the phone, or I was telling a story about him, or thinking about him. We'd gotten much closer so fast it was definitely hard to deny there was nothing there when one of our friends questioned us. 

It wasn't until a week before we left that he finally initiated the conversation I had been both dreading and anticipating for weeks. When he finally said that word I don't know if there was more anxiety or excitement rushing through my veins. I couldn't be sure until he'd confirmed what we were, and when he did I was so overwhelmed with joy that I quite literally jumped on top of him. 

Later that same day we broke the news to our friends over coffee. I don't think they were all that surprised, more so relieved that we'd finally admitted it. I think they were getting tired of the weak denials we mustered up of our feelings for each other. 

When the day of our flight finally came, the whole Laurens family and Alexander came to see us off at the early hour of three in the morning. Anna even shed a tear as she hugged the both of us goodbye, saying she'd miss us. Eleanor made us promise we'd be back soon. 

Alex and John walked us right up to security, asking us to bring back souvenirs from France and a picture of the two of us at the Eiffel Tower. Hercules only laughed and clapped them on the back without giving them a straight answer before helping me with my bags. 

===

Hercules let me have the window seat, but at the moment I really wish he hadn't. I'm not sure what time it is exactly, but it's dark outside the plane and there's some body of water beneath us. My stomach contorts at the image of the rippling water, broken up by foggy clouds in the black sky. I try not to think about what would happen if the plane took a nosedive right now. 

My eyes are glued to the window, but my hand fumbles blindly over the armrest separating our seats. My fingers suddenly go cold when I feel Hercules' warm hand sitting limply on his lap. I glance over briefly to see him still slumped in his seat, his head lolling over onto his shoulder the way it has been for the past hour or so. He'd fallen asleep easily hardly thirty minutes after the plane took off. 

I look over at the woman in the third seat of our row. She's asleep too, but sitting straight up with the hood of a light grey sweater closed over her face. She looks much younger than the thirty-five year old guess I had made when she first sat down- she could pass for late twenties right now. 

My hand closes over Hercules' as I let my mind wander, thankful for the distraction from the view out the window. I try to imagine where this woman is going by herself on a flight from New York to Paris. Maybe she's like me, and has to go back home for a family member. Or maybe she's going for a business trip and leaving her family back in the states. 

Hercules stirs in his sleep and I gently squeeze his fingers until he's settled again. I smile softly down at him for a moment, trying to recount the events that led to this moment. How I ended up with someone as fantastic as Hercules willing to drop everything for a week to fly to the other side of the world is beyond me. If someone had told me a few months ago that this is how things would end up, I'd probably laugh in their face. 

He hums a little and shifts again. His fingers tighten around my hand for a moment and his eyes scrunch up before squinting open. 

"Hey," I say softly. His lips quirk up in a smile. 

"Hi," he mutters. "Are you ok?" He asks, glancing down to our hands before looking back up at me. He pushes himself up in his seat and pulls my hand up to his chest. 

"Yeah," I answer, the word coming out breathy. 

"Just a few more hours, ok?" His eyes go soft and melt into mine. He brings the back of my knuckles to his lips and kisses them lightly. 

"I know," I nod, forcing a smile for myself. 

He smiles at me for a second before reaching up and cupping my cheek. I duck my head instinctively and let him capture my lips with his own for a kiss that doesn't last nearly long enough. Even when he pulls away, I keep my face on level with his to try to eliminate as much space as possible between us. 

"Vous êtes belle," he whispers. 

"Merci, mon amour," I blush. 

"Thank you for letting me come," he says. 

I shake my head and chuckle a little at that. "You're ridiculous, Hercules," I tell him. 

He just grins and pulls me back in for another kiss that he lets last a little longer this time. 

I am suddenly on a mission to obtain and watch every Marvel movie ever created in one sitting.
<3