[[[all of my flaws]]][[[part ii]]]

37.

I noticed she was a little jittery as we boarded the plane, her eyes wide with fear at the size of it. It reminded me of her first ride on the London Underground.

'Are you scared of flying?' I asked her quietly. She nodded. 'Don't worry, I've done it loads of times. Wanna sit with me?' She nodded once more. Her skin had gone slightly yellow. I led us to our seats in first class and offered her the window seat.

'Nah. I'm good. You go there.' She took my bag off me and put it above our heads before sitting down and immediately putting her seatbelt on.

'Theres nothing to worry about. It gets a little loud, but thats all.'

'Ok.' I knew she could barely talk for fear. Or maybe she thought she'd be sick if she opened her mouth.

She fidgeted with the tray as the plane taxied to the run way. And when the plane began to pick up speed, her hands gripped the arm rests, turning her knuckles white. I offered her my hand and she entwined our fingers, digging her nails into my skin.

'Its ok.' I smiled. And then we were off. She closed her eyes tightly for the first five minutes before the plane leveled up at 38,000 feet. 'See. We'll be landing in an hour.'

'Good.' She sighed. I laughed and shook my head. She barely let go of my hand the entire time.