Scarred For Life

Chapter 57

Guess who's back on their feet!

*
They left on a Sunday, buoyant smiles on their faces and fingers interlaced throughout. Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport was fairly busy that day, and in the sea of ordinary humans, the two were soon lost.

With the prospect of over twenty hours together, the journey seemed like it would be an aggravating one. But they enjoyed each other's company, and they had a four-hour layover in Istanbul so at least they wouldn't be crammed in the plane too long.

"It's going to be cold in New York this time of year," Adnan told her the night before. "Keep a sweater at hand."

Their packing had been minimal. Seeing as  they would be spending the next few weeks  traveling all around the world, it didn't make sense to pack so many clothes. Besides, the climates were much different and what might be perfect for one would become absolutely horrendous for another.

Imagine wearing a coat in the Mediterranean.

They would buy their clothes along the way. The decision had been made unanimously.

Their flight took off at 00:30:09am, and Adnan turned to grin at her like a little boy at a candy store.

"This is going to be fun," he said. "And I can't imagine spending it with anyone else."

"Even Scarlett Johansson?" Afrah asked with a playful smirk.

"Even Scarlett Johansson," he nodded. "Although..."

He allowed the sentence to trail off quite suggestively. Afrah elbowed his ribcage, mouth widened at his audacity.

"What?" He rubbed his bruised ribs and laughed. "You're the one who suggested it."

"You were supposed to deny it," she said, fuming. "That's what a good husband would do."

"Don't worry," he smiled as he reached across and brushed the side of her neck with the back of his fingers. "I only have eyes for one woman. And she's sitting right beside me."

"Don't try and flatter me," Afrah sighed as he trailed his fingers up towards her jawline.

"Look at me," he said, holding her chin between his thumb and forefinger so he could turn her around. He stared into her eyes, fingers tingling at the sight of her beautiful eyes.

"There are millions of beautiful things in the universe," he said, dropping his voice so she would be the only one who heard. "I've seen my fair share over the course of my meager existence. But I would trade them all in a heartbeat just to spend a minute in time with you. How can you not see that?"

Afrah's chin dipped, and she slowly brought her hand up to cup his. Adnan inhaled sharply at the contact, but she merely moved his hand back to his lap.

They said nothing, and Afrah soon leaned back into her seat. In a few minutes, she fell asleep to the low humming of the cabin. But Adnan remained awake however. He thought about the moon, in all its inexplicable beauty and how it paled in contrast to Afrah's smile. He thought about the stars, and how they meant nothing to him whenever he saw her smiling at him. Through the vastness of space and time, nothing could compare to this enchanting woman sitting beside him. Absolutely nothing.

*
They landed at JFK International Airport at exactly 5:22:16pm on Sunday. For the most part, it was like every other airport Afrah had ever been to. Cold, silent and massive. It smelled almost the same as well, a faint tinge of antiseptics and deodorants.

Sure, there was the occasional whiff of expensive perfume when a haughty looking woman walked past, and a deafening slap of Axe body-spray when a large, mountainous man walked past them. And of course the ambient noise of thousands of people echoed across the entire vastness of the terminal. But there was nothing spectacular about knowing that she was standing on American soil. It was the same way she almost felt after a long journey: exhausted and eager to sleep.