Once Upon a Plane Flight

Chapter Seven

I wake up with an arm draped over me, pulling me as close as I can get to the body it's connected to. I expect the person to be Jace, but as I look up I notice that I'm sleeping next to Lyle. I look at my own body to make sure that my clothes are still placed there. Yep, still a virgin (Jace is okay with waiting until our wedding night). As I look back to his face, his eyes groggily open.

"Hi." He sleepily says.

"Hi." I say back.

"What time is it?" he yawns, looking behind me for a clock that isn't there.

"I don't know." I tell him as I snuggle back into his chest, once again closing my eyes.

I feel him pull my phone from my back pocket and don't say anything as I hold my breath until it's out. He turns it on and checks the time.

"It's eleven at night—if you were wondering." He tells me. I hum in response while Lyle plays with my phone—probably trying to figure out the password.

"Hey Katie?" I hum and he continues, "What's your password?"

"Why?" I sleepily ask.

"No reason."

"Well, there has to be a reason or I'm not telling you my password."

"What, you don't trust me?" He asks incredulously.

"I don't know you." I state.

"I could change that if you give me your password."

"Fine, it's 50319."

"Thank you." He says, unlocking my phone. He leaves a slight pause before asking, "Who's in the picture with you?"

"What picture? Are you going through my pictures?"

"No, I mean your background picture. Who is it?"

"Let me see..." I trail off as I—more or less—sit up. He turns the phone toward me and I squint my eyes as the light practically burns them.

"Oh," I say as I recognize where I took the picture and with whom, "He's my brother. That's when he got back from," I don't want to say where so I go for a placeholder, "his trip..." I trail off weakly.

I lie back down on the bed as his fingers flit about the phone. "Now what are you doing?" I ask.

"I'm giving you my phone number. You know, in case of an emergency. I'm titling it 'Wierdo Conversationalist'." He drags his hand across the air as he says it and I laugh as the conversation we had at the airport comes back to me and the way he said I was being stereo-typical after that. 

 A knock sounds at the front door that makes me jump a little, bumping into Lyle. We both groan at the same time and start to laugh afterwards at the coincidence.

Lyle rolls out of the bed and helps me off of it once he's standing. I stand back on it while he gives me a puzzled look as put my hands on his shoulders and turn him so he isn't facing me. I jump and wrap my legs around his torso and my arms around his neck. He stumbles for a moment—not ready for the extra weight—and regains his balance soon after. He tucks his hands under my knees—gently gripping my thighs—and starts walking. The stairs were a little more difficult, but we made it down without breaking anything important.

Emily and Aaron were down here when the knocking began. They were standing at the door as we arrived.

"So you just left me there?!" the person at the door screamed. I guess Jessica got out of the dress she was stuck in.

Lyle walks over to the door, bringing me along with him. Emily turns as soon as she hears us—relieved for the backup. Aaron looks very confused at the screaming girl in front of him as he drapes his arm around my sister's waist, pulling her into his side as if to protect her.