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Men seem to like the expanse of my leg, the curve of my breasts, and the highlights on my hair. On the outside, Lisa has turned me into a semi-hot college co-ed. She picked clothes that would accent my strongest features. Big boobs, small waist, and wide hips. That’s her job as a stylist. She makes people look their best, but what happens when the outside is at complete odds with the inside?
“I feel weird having all this attention.” We stop in front of the TSA line to say goodbye. It’s a short flight from Shuttlesworth to Atlanta and then I'm on my way to Denver. The next time I see my big sister will be at graduation, provided I actually get to graduate, which isn’t a certainty at this point if I don’t pass my writing class.
“You feel weird good or weird bad?” The last thing Lisa would ever do is intentionally make me feel like less when she’s worked so hard to make me feel like more. What I feel now is something completely foreign to me.
I rub my lips together, spreading the shiny crimson gloss around.
“I feel pretty.”
Her face lights up with a wide grin. “You are pretty. Promise me you’ll have fun this year. Step out of your comfort zone. Try something new. Be carefree and a little careless.”
“You’r
e asking a mouse to become a lion,” I say.
“Not at all. I’m asking my sister to not take things so seriously. Let loose. In fifty years, when you reflect back on this time in your life, you’ll be glad you did. No one on their death bed says, I wish I would have studied harder for that test.”
I laugh because she's right. “If you could go back and do something different in school what would it be?”
Lisa chews her lip for a second. Her eyes grow wide, and she gives me a cat ate the canary smile. “I would have slept with the Benson twins.”
I pull my hand to my mouth and gasp. “Both… at the same time?”
She nods her head with so much enthusiasm I’m sure she’ll have whiplash by nightfall. “Why not? Live on the edge.”
I pull my sister in for a big hug. “I’ll think about it.”
She whispers in my ear. “Think hard and long.” She pulls back and waggles her brow. “While you’re thinking, that elusive big O remains elusive.”
I push back and shake my head. “I should have never told you that I’ve never…” I look back and forth and all around us to make sure no one is listening. “...you know.”
“Come,” she says way too loud. When people turn to stare at us, she finishes with, “now, Katy, you don’t want to miss your plane.”
I want to hit her over the head with my backpack, but I draw her in for another hug and tell her goodbye.
She gives my strip of cloth another tug and pushes me toward the TSA line that winds around like a snake. Once I’m through security, I lift up on my tiptoes to see her final wave.
Less than an hour later, I’m in Atlanta heading for my next gate when a voice over the intercom announces that because of inclement weather, all flights to Denver have been cancelled.
Two
Hugh
I race off the plane and rush as much as a person can through Customs. The new automated system that’s supposed to save time and manpower isn’t saving me any time. My flight from Heathrow arrived late. My time between connections is thin already.
Once my bag is rechecked, I take off at a full sprint toward my flight to Denver. I clutch my briefcase like a football and run through the concourse like a star receiver. My eyes focus on the gate numbers as I pass them one by one. A wheelchair shoots out from the elevator and forces me to navigate to the side. I run smack into a soft body.
My briefcase hits the floor. I reach both of my hands out to catch the woman I nearly plowed over. The whole world stops as I grab her bare arms to straighten her from toppling over.
She grabs my biceps and leans into me for purchase. I lean in and inhale. She smells like brown sugar and cinnamon.
“I’m so sorry.” I run my hands up and down her soft skin, checking to make sure I haven’t broken her. She’s a stunning brunette with hints of sun streaking through her long locks. Eyes the color of a new spring meadow stare at me in surprise. For what feels like a lifetime but passes in a second, we stand in silence to take the other in.
“It’s okay.” Her smooth voice floats over me like fine spun silk wrapping fibers around my body from top to toe. A tingle races through me and settles deep in my gut. I wonder if I’ve hurt myself. It’s not a sensation that I’m familiar with. It's a non-hungry rumbling in my insides like a thousand horses running wild. I tamp down my discomfort and attend to the woman before me.
“Are you okay?” Once again my hands travel up her limbs looking for bruises or abrasions, but the only red I see is the pink blush on her cheeks and the gloss on her lips. “I should have been paying closer attention, but I didn’t want to miss my flight.” I look at the gate behind her. “I’m headed to Denver.”
She licks her cherry red lips and sighs, “I’m not the only thing standing in the way of you reaching your destination.” She takes a look over her shoulder, then looks back at me. “All flights to Denver have been cancelled due to weather.”
