Just then, our steward appears in the aisle. “Hiya folks, please stow your carry-ons, the captain will have us in the air shortly.”
Tipping my head, I nod. “Thank you.”
Raina lets out an exasperated huff beside me. “I’m not your only client, you know. You can’t just abandon them.”
Her comment makes me stop scrolling on my phone. Quirking a brow, I look at her from my peripheral. “My client list is none of your concern, and need I remind you it’s the weekend? I’m not tethered to my office day in and day out. And if you must know, I’m not due in court until midweek”—I pluck a cashew from the trail mix she just opened—“so I’m all yours, RP.”
“RP?”
“That’s you. Royal Pain. Actually, short for Royal Pain in My Ass, your official title.”
She rolls her eyes. “Just when I thought you couldn’t be any more of an asshat.” Raina smirks with her use of the wordasshat. Must be what she calls me under her breath.
“Let’s just try to get through this weekend, shall we? What’s the plan?”
“The plan?” she repeats as she buckles her seatbelt.
Unbelievable.
“Yes, the plan. What’s Javier’s objective of bringing us here this weekend? How are you planning to execute the fake fiancé scheme?”
“I…put your seatbelt on.”
“Don’t deflect, the seatbelt sign isn’t even on yet.”
Raina swallows thickly, leaning to pull something out of her bag. A large champagne-colored fuzzy blanket with black polka dots. Her fingers curl into it so deeply, her knuckles turn white.
It’s then I notice that’s not the only part of her that’s white. Her face has paled, and her chest is rising and falling rapidlyas her eyes dart around the plane, but avoid looking out the window.
She’s…scared.
“Raina, breathe,” I soothe, wondering where the fuck this need to comfort her has come from. “You’re afraid of flying?”
Nodding her head, she breathes out and squeezes her eyes tight. In that same moment, the seatbelt sign illuminates, and a female flight attendant starts her announcement.
“Okay…didn’t see that coming. It’s okay. Focus on the sound of my voice,” I continue, turning my body toward Raina. Blanketing her hand with mine, I run my fingers through the seams of hers until they loosen and I’m able to lace them together. It releases her grasp on the blanket, but now she has me in a death grip. “We’re going to take off soon, and once we’re in the air, it’s just like being on any other method of transportation. Better, really. You’ll eat breakfast, and lunch, and take a nap or two. Maybe watch a movie. It’s just like being in a car, or on a train. Do you hear me?”
She nods her head adamantly, her eyes still clamped shut. “I just hate it so much.”
“Which surprises me for how often you’ve been to Europe.”
“Usually”—she blows out a shuddering breath—“I take an anxiety pill, a sleeping pill, and fly red-eye.”
“Ah, I see.” Rhythmically, I rub my thumb over her knuckles in a way I hope is soothing.
In a way I hope is soothing? Fuck.
“Cleared for takeoff,” the pilot rumbles over the plane’s speakers, and the sound of the engines roar louder.
Raina squeezes my hand tighter.
“It’s okay,” I reiterate. “You’re fine. We’ll be in the air shortly. You’re okay, Raina. Are you hearing my words?”
Her head bobs in a nod, but there’s still tears lining her lashes, and it pulls on my fucking heartstrings like nothing ever has before.
Scooting closer, my knees knock into hers, and I pull her hands into my lap. “You are Raina Jean Lancaster. You’re a force to be reckoned with, and of all the time I’ve known you, you’ve given no fucks about anything. An airplane isn’t the thing that gets you down, do you hear me? You are bigger than your fear of flying. Say it.”
The words are caught in her throat as she continues to nod. Bringing our clasped hands to my mouth, I kiss her knuckles—a move that surprises us both, if her widened eyes and my stuttering heart are any indication.
