“Miss?” A hand shook me awake gently. “Miss, we’re starting our descent, please put on your seatbelt.”
“Oh, okay.” I sat up, blinking away the sticky tendrils of sleep. I must have dozed off a little while ago. I hadn’t dared take a sleeping pill because I was flying alone. I’d been awake nearly 24 hours at this point, not counting the maybe twenty minutes I’d been asleep just now.
There was no one for me to hold onto during our landing, so I settled for gripping the armrests hard enough to leave nail marks in it. The business man sitting next to me gave me a strange look but didn’t comment. I doubted he spoke English, so that was fine by me.
“Welcome to Austria.” The captain said over the intercom before telling us the weather and time. It was early even for touring standards. I couldn’t believe Myles was actually going to drag his ass out to get me from the airport. I might have told him to get a cab if our situations were reversed.
I pulled my bag down from the overhead bin with some difficulty, practically tapping my foot in impatience as I waited for the tunnel to be set up. I just wanted to get out of this plane and get into a real bed to sleep for twelve hours.
Myles looked about as tired as I felt, but when he spotted me through the crowd his whole face lit up. I dropped my bag on the floor and kissed him, trying to communicate every bit of longing I’d felt over the past month that we’d been apart. He clearly got the message because he dipped me backwards like we were in an old movie. I was dimly aware of someone cheering and clapping in the background.
“God I’m glad to see you.” I said when we finally broke apart.
“Me too love. Come on, let’s get out of here.” One arm wrapped tight around my waist, he led me out of the airport. He’d thought ahead and instead of taking a cab, he’d gotten one of the drivers to bring him in the van. I climbed into the backseat with him and within seconds was out like a light. I guess my body had recognized that I was with him and it was safe to go to sleep. I didn’t wake up until we were in the elevator. He was carrying me in his arms, my bag by his feet.
“Sleeping Beauty awakes!” He said with a grin.
“Sorry babe, I didn’t sleep at all on the plane.” I rubbed my eyes with my fists. “Am I the last one to get here?”
“You’re the first actually, the kids won’t be able to come out until next week I think.” The elevator doors opened. “Can you walk?”
“I was sleeping, not paralyzed.” He set me down gently and scooped up my bag. His room was at the end of the hall, and was pretty big compared to the ones I was used to. Then again, Alter Bridge had a little more money than Mercyfvcks. Even with all their legal fees they could afford the bigger rooms and the better bus. God knows I’d been hanging out on their bus a lot more than my own during Carnival of Madness.
“Home sweet home for the next few days.” The room was already cluttered with his things, his suitcase sitting open on the floor next to the bed.
“Thank God, a bed.” I flopped face down on it, feeling myself sink into the mattress. “A marshmallow bed, but a bed nonetheless.”
“You should go to sleep.” He sat on the edge of the bed to take off his boots before rolling into the middle to lie next to me.
“I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” I groaned when I shifted and the muscles in my back protested. “Maybe that’s not as far off as I’d like to think.”
“Let me see.” He peeled my t-shirt up gently, letting out a hiss between his teeth when he saw the mottled bruises speckling my back. “Jesus, Mina.”
