Do You Remember Summer '09

Three

"We welcome you aboard your flight from Los Angeles to Athens, Greece that will take approximately 16 hours. Until such time as the seatbelt light switched off please stay seated with your seatbelt secure. When the seatbelt light is switched off you are free to roam about the cabin. Drinks and refreshments will be handed out once we reach 38,000 feet. Enjoy your flight

***

We were 14 hours into the flight and the seat I am sitting in has started to get very uncomfortable. We had just gone through some slight turbulence and Gigi and Olive had just fallen asleep. We only have 2 hours of the flight left so I decided to get out my jornal to finish off the entry I had started in the airport.

As I sign the page with the date, I glance at my friends and a grin appears on my face as I see Olive with her head hanging at an awkward angle as she sleeps. I make sure to take a picture before, unbuckling my seatbelt, carefully shifting Gigi's head that's resting on my shoulder and get up out of my seat. Making my way to the back of the plane to find the bathroom, I see a boy with curly hair leaning against the wall beside the bathroom door. I decide to just wait as I lean against the opposite wall.

"Sorry he might take a while, he's scared of flying" the curly haired boy comments looking up from the floor.

I smile warmly. "It's okay, there's no rush" I say, shrugging my shoulders.

He softly knocks on the door "Lou? You okay" he questions, a hurt look on his face.

"Yea I just need a minute" a soft whisper replies from the other side of the door. The curly haired boy looks back at me with an apologetic look.

"It's ok, really," I say, sliding down the wall to sit on the floor. The boy copies my actions and wraps his arms around his knees.

"Im Harry" He states. Holding out his hand for me to shake. I smile at his old-fashioned gesture and glady shake his hand. "I'm Noelle". He pauses for a while, almost like he's trying to read me. I return the motion. His brown, light curly hair falls in front of his face, almost covering his sea-foam green eyes. He also seems to have a twinkle in his eyes that not many people have.

"So what's your story?" He says after a while, breaking the silence and fiddling with the strings on his hoodie. "I mean like are you heading home or are you off traveling"

I begin to tell him the whole story about how my friends and I have been planning this trip since we were kids. He listens intently the whole time, as if he's truly interested in what i'm saying. You don't find many people like that anymore.

As I finish my story I'm kind-of taken aback by how much I just talked. Usually I'm the quiet one who only shows her loud side and only talks for ages when they're with their friends.

"Anyway, what about you"

He smiles and shifts around in the position he's sitting in the tight cramped corner we've found ourselves in.

"Well I'm actually heading home" He starts "I was taking Lou to meet my parents that live in LA" He motions to the still locked bathroom door.

I nod in understanding as he carries on

"I moved in with my friends after my parents moved to LA. I grew up in Athens and I didn't want to leave the high-school I had started at so I stayed. I live in Athens, Greece, near the beach." He smiles looking up at me again "Yeah that's pretty much it"

"Wait you live near the beach"

"Yeah my friends and I live near Glyfada beach"

"No way. The bungalow my friends and I rented is right next to Glyfada beach"

He grins from ear to ear. "No way, what are the chances"

"I mean we could hang out sometime in the summer if your free"

"Yea my friends and I could show you some of the best spots if you wanted"

"Yea that would be so awesome thanks"

Our conversation is interrupted by the creek of the bathroom door opening. A boy with brown feathery hair and the clearest blue eyes I've ever seen, emerges, his face and eyes red from crying. Harry quickly gets up from the floor and wraps his arms tightly around the boy.

"You okay Lou?" He repeats pulling out of the hug and wiping the boy's eyes.

"Yea i'll be ok" He softly says as snuggles back into Harry's chest.

He suddenly notices me sitting on the floor and blinks a couple times before wiping his eyes again. I instantly realise how creepy I must have looked and quickly get up from the ground. 

"Oh sorry, hi, I didn't know someone was waiting" He comments, nervously.

"Oh, no it's ok, I was just, well I was going to go to the bathroom and then I started talking to Harry" I stutter, more awkwardly than intended.

The boy smiles warmly "Im Louis by the way"

"Noelle" I reply,

"i'll head back to our seats, you can keep on talking if you'd like" he says before he kisses harry on the temple and waLks back off to his seat. I can see Harry blushing like crazy out of the corner of my eye.

"Lovely to meet you" I call softly after him so as to not wake up surrounding passengers.

"Ohh" I say, sliding back down to my position on the floor. "So you two are like, dating"

Harry smiles sheepishly as he to slides back down to his position on the floor.

"Yea, well I mean no, I mean i'd like to be" He blushes again.

"I introduced him to my parents as my friend. They don't know he's moved in and we have this thing going on. He's not big on public affection and he doesn't like people knowing" He stutters, almost ashamed.

"I'm sure he'll open up. Maybe just give him some time, the best thing you can give him is support"

"Yeah I guess you're right"

We go on talking for an hour until an angry air hostess tells us we shouldn't be sitting back here and instructs us to take our seats as well be landing soon. We quickly exchange numbers and rush back to our seats.

"Where'd you go for so long?" Olive questions, rubbing her neck from sleeping in her weird position.

"Bathroom emergency?" Gigi's pipes in, taking out one of her airpods

"Nah I met someone and we started talking, lost track of time"

They both stare at me, wide eyed with grins on their faces.

I laugh at their enthusiasm. "It's not what you think," I say, rolling my eyes.

"Suure" Gigi replies as the seat belt light flashes on.

The voice comes over the loudspeaker. 'Your flight into Athens, Greece will arriving in approximately 30 minutes'