Both takeoff and landing are experiences that are unmatched as feelings of liberation, excitement, and appreciation swirl through not only the passengers but the cabin crew as well.
“It will never get old,” I respond, keeping myself present within the thick and almost heavy sense of calmness that now surrounds all of us.
Relief and relaxation wash over the moment the wheels hit the tarmac.
Piper and I are walking through the cabin, picking up any remaining trash as the passengers exit the plane, when I look up to see Mason standing in the aisle next to me. I have to tilt my head up to meet his eyes, as he stands at least a foot taller than my five feet, four inch height.
Even with heels on, I’m still intimidated by his intense energy and size. A loose piece of hair has fallen to his forehead, and I fight the urge to smirk. It may sound silly, but just that little piece of hair out of place shows that he’s not as perfect as he wants everyone to think he is.
He’s going to try to talk to me. I know it. I quickly bend down, pitching myself between two passenger seats in row twelve.
“It was good seeing you, Bailey,” I hear him say.Don’t be a bitch, Bailey.
I pop myself up, bracing on the back of seat 12b, plastering a fake and possibly exaggerated smile on my face. “Same.”
With his real estate agent standing directly behind him tapping her long nails on the metal handle of her carry-on, an annoyed look slowly crawling across her face, he answers me. “I’ll probably see you around our condo building too.”
“Mycondo building, you mean.”
He tips his head in my direction. “Mine too now. See you around,” he says before turning to finish squeezing himself down the narrow aisle.
The real estate agent, Claire, doesn’t acknowledge me as they both exit the plane. That woman seriously needs to chill. If she had any idea how much I despise Mason, she wouldn’t seem so—territorial.
Irritated with my brother’s decision, I run through a long list of curse words, planning to verbalize them the moment I see him. The little bit I’ve known orheardabout Mason the last few years is that he has never married or even dated anyone long term and is always the organizer for the annual guys’ trip that their group insists on having. Those little tidbits, coupled with the experiences I’ve had with him in college, don’t make for a pleasant taste in my mouth.
He’s always been cocky, egotistical, self-centered, and fucking hot.
Avery, another fellow flight attendant and best friend, and I shared a dorm room sophomore year with two other girls. They were not part of our group of friends, but we got along with them very well. One night, one of the girls came running into our room in the middle of us studying for finals, completely hysterical.
She wanted to talk to me since she knew my brother and Mason were good friends. Apparently, he’d hooked up with her a few times, then suddenly sprang it on her that he wasn’t interested in a long-term relationship. She was completely hung up on him. It honestly broke my heart. Being the kind person I am, I brought it up to Mason the next day while at the small off-campus house he shared with my brother and two other guys.
Mason laughed it off and essentially told me that she knew what she was getting into. Whatever that meant.“I don’t do relationships, everyone knows that.”I remember him telling me.
“Okay. Explain,” Piper says, suddenly interrupting my thoughts. She is three rows in front of me, resting her arms on the back of one of the seats.
“What?”
She gestures from the cabin door. “That. Him. You two.”
“It’s nothing.”
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not.” I sigh.
Pulling her lips to the side of her mouth, clearly showing me her dissatisfaction with my lack of explanation.
“Alright. I told you earlier that he’s one of my brother’s best friends. We all went to college together—well, I was two years behind them. Anyway, he and I have never really gotten along. He was a legit man-whore back then.”
Piper bends to grab an empty coffee cup from the seat pocket. “I see. So, you didn’t like him because of that? Like, did he sleep with one of your friends or something?”
“No, Mason never slept with any of my friends, but he was hooking up with one of my roommates sophomore year, and she was completely into him.”
Lowering her eyes, she looks confused. “Hmm, have you guys ever hooked up, or was he like an asshole to you?”
Shaking my head, I tie the plastic trash bag. “Hell no. I never hooked up with him, and no, he’s never been disrespectful or rude to me. He more or less just gets under my skin with his very existence.”
“Interesting.”
