Illusion

Chapter 19: Toilet Doors, Panic Attacks and Her

Harry was five hours into his fourteen hour long haul flight to Los Angeles when he awoke. He’d unintentionally fallen asleep shortly after take off, the slow rumble of the aeroplane down the runway and the gentle sway as they’d made their ascent to altitude, lulling him to sleep. Spending hours tossing and turning the night before hadn't done him any favours either and he was disappointed to learn that, although he hadn’t planned to sleep, he hadn't slept for as long as he hoped he had.

It was now roughly 10 am Melbourne time, much later than he normally started his day, and he was hungry, thirsty and had an awful pain in his neck and back from sleeping at an awkward angle. The perks of flying First Class meant he had a much wider seat that folded out into a bed, but that didn't change the fact that all seats were to be in their upright positions for take off and landing. It was the part of flying that had always annoyed Harry the most, but it was all in the name of safety therefore he couldn't really argue the point.

Harry tilted his head from side to side, rolling his neck, trying to work the knots out of his sore muscles. The pain in his back was something he’d grown used to. He’d had back problems since he was younger and having to sit on an aeroplane for hours at a time was an unfortunate side effect of his chosen career. First Class seats or not, it was inevitable, so he’d learned to deal with it.

He looked around him to see if he could see a flight attendant passing, hoping to ask for something to eat, knowing he’d missed the in-flight breakfast. He always hated having to press the call button and appear rude. Unfortunately the cabin surrounding him was empty, save for the other passengers, so he got up from his seat, hoping that on his trip to the toilet he’d pass someone and ask then.

Harry made his way towards the front section of the cabin and folded himself into one of the tiny toilet cubicles, going about his business. He was flying First Class, but that didn't make the bathrooms any more grand or luxurious than they were in Economy Class, and his tall frame and long limbs always made them feel even more cramped. He hadn’t passed a flight attendant on his way there, so he silently prayed, as he washed his hands, that there would be someone around when he headed back. But it was as Harry was leaving the toilet that he finally found a flight attendant, accidentally hitting the poor man with the toilet door as he’d opened it.

The man cursed loudly as the door made contact with his face. Harry rushed to exit after realising what he had done and closed the door behind him with more force than he’d meant, causing it to slam loudly. Harry felt as though the eyes of everyone in the cabin were on him and they probably would have been if he’d bothered to turn around and look. Drawing unnecessary attention to himself was the last thing he’d been trying to do. He was already receiving far too many looks from other passengers because of his age, his tattoos and casual outfit choice. Apparently Vans sneakers, skinny jeans and a teal green Adidas hoodie was not appropriate attire when travelling in First Class, and this latest development wasn't helping matters. He really wasn't in the mindset to deal with uptight rich people in such close quarters, or for it to become public knowledge that he was flying to LA, but here he was, making an absolute spectacle of himself.

Harry could feel the heat rising in his cheeks, and he wished in that moment that Louis was there with him, always so much better at dealing with these types of situations than he was. But in lieu of that he prayed the floor of the cabin would open up and swallow him, essentially saving him from his embarrassment.

“Oh my God! Are you ok?” Harry rushed to say, taking in the sight of the flight attendant, who, according to his name tag, was named Danny. He had both hands covering his nose and mouth, and he didn’t say anything in reply at first. After a few seconds, he looked up at Harry with striking, crystal blue eyes. They were the most intriguing shade of blue, and they made Harry think of Louis. His eyes were his favourite shade of blue. Danny’s eyes widened in obvious disbelief when he realised who had spoken to him, and he nodded his head. It was then that Harry noticed there were small, red dots littering the front of his crisp, white shirt.