A Flight's Desire

Chapter 3: Final Touches

"David, hey! Focus!" Robin clapped her hands to stop the Director of the company from getting distracted from the situation at hand. He had a way of getting tensed easily and Robin was his final point to calm him down. "We don't have time to waste, I'm afraid. Today is my last day at the office and I need to finish this by tonight."

"Right, sorry." He wiped his eyebrows with a balm that was the only remedy for the common headaches that they shared. It was available only in certain shops and they were glad that Mr. Chernoff at the end of the street always had a stock ready for them.

The two colleagues continued to make their way down the halls of the office as Robin pointed out the work that needed to be done. "I'm leaving tomorrow and you know that I can't supervise here from L.A. You have to take care of the shipments and the delivery. Make sure that the final accounts are maintained and please, for God's sake, put Sweta in charge of bargaining."

"Will do," he nodded as he continued to record her instructions on the notepad that he was holding. He knew that he shouldn't miss any point because if he did, he would be facing her anger....and that would not be good.

She clamped her hands on the tall man's shoulder to give him confidence. "You've got this." He could handle any situation that would come his way and both of them knew it, but a word of motivation would do them both good.

"If you say so," he chuckled nervously. "It is a good thing that Mr. Hale warned me a month before. Otherwise, all the arrangements would be impossible."

"Well, I pray for both of you from facing my wrath for not telling me about this."

The amount of work at the company was passed onto the man in his early thirties, but the work waiting for Robin at home was gigantic. She had to check which clothes that she needed and could pack. She didn't worry about missing anything because even if she did, she could wear Melody's clothes, but she made sure that she had the essentials. She weighed her luggage constantly to utilise every kilogram to her benefit. She packed a few clothes with her hand baggage and of course, she took her hoodie and trench coat with her after deciding what to wear during the journey. Her entire wardrobe fit inside two suitcases, and her work luggage was what she decided to take in hand. Her laptop, chargers and battery charger were packed into a backpack purse along with her Kindle and the first copy of her book 'Out of the Blue'. She considered packing her tickets and passport in a different bag but there was a lot of space in the backpack.

"Bigger on the inside," she joked, closing the bag once and for all.

Her room was a mess, but once she cleared and finalised everything, things seemed to calm down. Somehow, her eyes fell upon her abandoned guitar in one corner of the room next to the floor mirror. "Huh." She packed it as well. Who knew if she might need it?

Her phone buzzed with another message from Paige about the initial details of the movie and also reminding her about the working of the second book. "I will work on it when I want to work on it," she whispered to her phone, agitated at herself for not being able to write.

Robin sighed as she tossed her phone onto her bed. Looking into her empty wardrobe, a blanket of sadness engulfed her because things were changing. She was going to be spending the next year with her family. She had chosen to stay away from them for a really long time and the baby was only an excuse for her to overcome her loneliness, but she was sure that she was going to spoil him/her by being the best Aunt in the world. She couldn't wait to do it!

The clock struck eleven, letting her know that she was ready. There was nothing to worry about. She had a gut feeling that she was going to have the best time of her life. She just prayed that she got to LAX in time before Melody went into labour. She wanted to feel the kick of the baby at least once, a smile spreading across her face every time she thought about it.

"Wait for me baby. I'm coming," she whispered as she ran her fingers through her brunette hair. She looked at herself in the mirror and decided to brush it, working through the tangles while singing to the music playing in the background. She only sang when she was alone and found it strange to break the silence of the room.

She decided to check through her luggage next. "Luggage One? Check. Two? Check. Backpack and guitar? Check. Check." She went through the contents once more and made sure that she didn't leave anything behind. The refrigerator had been cleared out and the furnitures of the house were wrapped up in white sheets of cloth to prevent dust settling on them. The windows were double latched and closed from the outside and the only light came from the electric lights. She looked around the house and memorized the nooks and corners. She remembered the silent crack on the wall behind the couch and paint stains behind the full-length mirror. A faint smile spread across her face. "Be seeing you."

The main reason that she was saying her little goodbyes beforehand was because her instincts told her that her family was going to convince her to shift to life closeby. But the house looking over the bridge would definitely always be a home to her. She had a lot of memories attached to it.

She smiled softly to herself before she walked over to her bed. The alarm that she set on her phone rang about the reminder of the order in which she would need the documents to be presented. Her brother sent a message that he would meet her at the airport along with Paige, who was persistent about meeting her best friend.

Tell Melody to wait for me. She replied to him.

No promises though XD.

Hey! *squints eyes*

Get here quickly then.

⧪

Ben packed his bags without any difficulty. He didn't have much luggage; always being a light traveller. He double-checked that he had everything inside his duffel bag and hand luggage.

His phone buzzed with a notification from Karen wishing him to travel safe. She told him that she would meet him at the airport and that he didn't have to worry about his family. She also sent a message that Karim "the guard" Bahadur would be waiting with her. He was a friend of hers who was also like a bodyguard whenever he was with Ben. The crowds that they had to face sometimes got out of hand and Karim was the only one that could get them out soon.

It wouldn't be too hard to spot us. She sent him.

Can't wait to come back home. He typed back.

Did you just call L.A. 'home'? Woah! London-boy has grown!

London IS my home as well.

I'm glad to see you grow out of your British phase.

Ben shook his head. I still have my accent. Don't forget that.

You never let me forget that, darling. You Britishers and your accent.

He could imagine her eye roll. Well, we "Britishers" rule the industry *shrug*

Don't get smug with me, pretty boy.

'Pretty boy'? Really?

GO TO SLEEP!

He laughed, practically hearing her nearby. I'm going!

I don't see you going.

Bye!

See you soon.

He shut his phone off for a peaceful night of sleep and once he closed his eyes, he drifted off to a dreamless sleep, not being able to wait to see his family once again.