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"They don't. I use a drone for any aerial stuff." I glance at the plane again and get nauseous. "I have to get out. I need air."
I open the door and fall out of the pickup. I hunch over, resting my hands on my knees, sucking deep breaths in and out, in and out.
Wilby comes round the front of the truck, stopping a few feet away. "Shit, mate. I'm so sorry. I thought you'd be okay by now."
"I'm clearly not fucking okay," I yell, and, oh shit…
My throat clogs.
My head gets heavy.
Everything turns on its side.
"I think I'm gonna pass?—"
Wilby catches me as I fall.
When I come to again, he's crouched on the ground, holding me.
His concerned face is the first thing I see when I open my eyes.
"Hey," he whispers. "You're safe. You're okay. Don't do anything. Just relax. I got ya."
I groan. "Can't believe I fainted."
"Don't feel bad." He brushes my hair. "You've cleaned up my vomit, remember?"
I shuffle to sit up. "Guess we're even now."
"No. We still aren't. I have a long way to go to make up for that. But this is my first step towards repaying you. Here, have some water."
He hands me a bottle, and I drink a few sips. I balance it on my knee when I'm done.
"I'm going to break our tradition of me not asking you about deeper stuff for a minute because it's killing me." Wilby takes a breath. "Why are you so afraid of small planes? I get there are people who don't like flying, but, mate, you literally passed out at the sight of my plane… Why?"
He looks at me expectantly, but it's almost as if he's expecting me to brush him off andnotanswer his question.
I drop my head, look at the dusty red soil, and mumble my response. "Because my mom was killed in a light plane crash."
10
Wilby
Fuuuuuck.
"Oh my god, Col. I… I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am."
I clench my jaw, fucking furious at myself for putting him in this situation.
"It's okay. You had no way of knowing."
"I'm still an idiot."
He told me he didn't like planes back in Sydney, but I never in a million years thought that the reason was directly linked to his mother's death.
He looks up at me, those dual-coloured eyes regaining a bit of the colour they'd lost. "Agreed. You are."
He rubs my arm.
