The Novelist

Wreck

the shudder made me realize what exactly everyone has been panicking about all this while. Fear dawned upon me instantly. I shut my eyes almost immediately and grabbed the armrest again.
"Hey its alright. It's alright." The ravenette beside me spoke in an anxious voice. His hand dropped on the small of my back and gently stroked it.  I felt sick. My ears rang, shutting out all the noises from everywhere except the stranger beside me. I was dizzy and felt a few drops of tears escape my eye.
"Hey, hey please don't worry. It's going to be fine okay?" The ravenette continued soothingly stroking my back and my hair. I trembled and my breathe hitched whilst trying to muffle my cries.
"Hey girl, it's going to be just fine. Please breathe. What's your name?" He spoke, shifting closer. I almost didn't hear him and didn't think I'd even answer.
"Just look at me." He said and grabbed my face by my cheek. I would have violently responded to such boldness only if I perhaps had the mental strength to lift my arm. My mortified eyes met his calm chocolate brown orbs which glimmered like sand under scorching heat in a desert, every time a wave of light hit his face. His mouth was curved into a small frown and his eyebrows knit close to one another.
"Its going to be just fine ok? Talk to me. what's your name?" He said. Enunciating every word loudly. I tried to speak but the way I was sucking in my breath made it difficult and i ended up coughing as the stranger held me.
"Breathe. Just Take a long deep breath." He said. I stabilized my breathing and followed his guidance. Calming my heart beat and taking in a long breath. The loud ringing in my ear was fading but it remained while being accompanied with the thumping of my heart.
"My name. Is. Anne." It took me more than 5 minutes to form an entire sentence.
"Okay Anne. I'm going to help you ok? don't worry, I have nothing bad in mind but if I make you the least bit uncomfortable, please go ahead and inform everyone." He said. I nodded my head curtly. I didn't distrust him. Oblivious as he was to that, I knew this man could never look at a woman with wrong intent. He swiftly grabbed my arms and held them together before dragging a hand through my hair and weaving his fingers through the loose strands, pressing his fingers into my scalp. I was calming down under his trained technique before the plane shook vigorously for the second time.
I resorted to an unconscious whimper. The hand pressed closer to my scalp, softly massaging the hair roots, soothing the fear away. I took in another deep breath.

The flight attendant announced the end of the momentary turbulence with that, resulting each passenger to cheer and clap in glee. I was almost as happy but still not stable enough to sit straight without trembling almost constantly against the alien pair of arms.

It was roughly ten minutes more of the tedious trembling before I some what buried my phobic response deep within and straightened.

"Feeling better, Anne?" the Ravenette proceeded to create the preexisting distance between us and pulled down the armrest.
"Yes. My gratitude to you sir." I spoke. He smiled.
"No need to be so formal. I am Noah Macks by the way."

The supportive and kind attitude he offered throughout my period of discomfort made me feel grateful enough to contribute to the conversation that the man has been longing to have for a while now.

"I'm Anne Brook. What do you do Noah?" I asked with a generic smile. The questions led him to break into quite an adorable smile that wouldn't have been very uncharacteristic of him from an unknown point of view.

"I'm a Novelist. I write books." He said.

"That's... very difficult to believe..." I muttered out my thoughts loud which quickly followed with a chaste laugh from my neighbor.

"I never really hear that." He speaks between his quiet chuckles.

"Are you famous?" I asked quite bluntly. A visible fluster colored his cheeks.
"Persay." He replied.
"I'd promise to read your books someday but strangely enough I can't concentrate much on novels." I said distantly.
"That's quite alright. I wish to please an audience not the other way round." Was his quick reply. Guessing from the expertise in his answer, it is safe to presume I wasn't the only one who said something like this to him.
"What do you do Anne?" He asked me.
"I don't do anything. My father owned a fortune and I just survive on it. Pretty pathetic I suppose." I smiled.
"I wouldn't dare say that. Life isn't about work." He replied.
"That's quite an optimism."
"I don't desire to demotivate."
A period of comfortable silence was curtly followed by more small talk after which I asked him where he was headed at.
"Oh I'm hoping to visit several parts of Europe. It's for my new book which I schemed on setting around there. What about you?" He asked. I breathed deeply.
"To be completely honest, I am pretty aimless at the moment. I guess the vague plan was to travel around Europe but I haven't done my homework and don't know how to begin or anything as such." I said.
"How long are you planning to travel?" He questioned again. Suggestively, my thoughts led me to believe his questions had an inner motive.
"That again isn't something I have planned. I have all the time in the world and the fortune provides enough."

"You know, with all decent intentions I am greatly inclined to request you to accompany me. Now I know we certainly are strangers but as it is, we're both just wanderers. You can take your time to think but I would be very pleased to have your company in this trip." He spoke with enthusiasm. I sat still, unable to decide how to answer. In all honesty, I wasn't looking forward to making any hasty decisions at all. With everything that's been going on ever since my last vision of him, I've been acting sheerly out of nothing more than instincts.

My initial motive has been to understand my trail of thoughts. Or maybe to reassure myself somewhat. But then again I can't even comprehend my own actions now. And I refuse to count impulsiveness as my natural charecteristic.

"I... don't think I should have asked that. You must be really uncomfortable. Sorry and please nevermind me." Noah hurriedly covered up the awkwardness which I returned with a grateful smile.

"It's quite alright." I spoke back.

"So how long will you be staying in England?" He asked. I shrugged, not sure how to express my lack of confidence. He let out a small chuckle.
"Must you laugh at it?" I asked, feeling a hint of amusement.  He found reassurance at my reaction and let out a more audible chuckle.
"I mean I did say wanderers but you do take that word by its sole meaning." He said.

The strange feeling within my stomach stirred. Being a gentle critic of my own life, I could say I behaved quite peculiarly and perhaps felt things that I haven't before and that led my thoughts towards a fogged pathway that only unraveled itself as I let the stranger explore my mind or as I explored myself with the help of this mysterious protagonist of my formerly presumed imagination. A mildly pleasant conversation continued. Perhaps the longest conversation I have had with anyone.
I noticed certain things about Noah while he spoke to me. How his eyes narrowed or how he let out soft sighs when I answered a question. How his face would often morphed into something I couldn't place when I wasn't looking directly. How he managed to hold his smile no matter what or how cautiously he questioned or answered.

A novelist skill perhaps?

If only I knew any better, maybe I wouldn't be tempted to believe that I wasn't the only one who somehow, in the most improbable ways knew or naturally empathised with someone I didn't meet very long ago.

Of course things weren't meant to go this smooth. Again, It almost felt like a very cruel prank that the three old ladies up there were knitting and mirthing themselves with.

A sharp jolt in the back of the plane followed by a heavy bend towards the left resulted to a general panicked state amongst the passengers in the quiet few minutes that followed. The smell of burning machinery spread around like wild fire. Gasps and screams were let out. The aircraft rolicked back and forth and the screams grew louder and louder. My mind was shutting me completely off my senses.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your pilot speaking. And it seems our left engine has blown."