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Getting a flight on such short notice proves to be a challenge. The next five flights with seats left all have layovers in places like Chicago and Denver—cities currently blanketed in snow. There’s no way I’m going to risk getting stuck in a fucking blizzard before I can get to London. I want to leave sooner, but I book a nonstop flight that leaves tomorrow, and has us landing in London at noon on New Year’s Eve.
Waiting feels like an eternity. I insist on getting to the airport three hours early. Selene is annoyed, but I’d rather sit at the gate than risk getting caught in security and missing the flight.
I sip a cup of coffee while Selene lounges with a book next to me. The airport is busy, people coming and going all around us.
“I hate to say this now,” Selene says, “but you know we could wait until she comes home, right? It’s not like she moved. She’s just on a little vacation.”
I shake my head. “No.”
“I mean, we’re here, and we’re going,” she says. “I just needed to point out that this is kind of crazy.”
“If we could have flown out yesterday, I would have,” I say. “I’m not waiting a minute longer than I have to.”
Selene smiles at me.
“What?” I ask.
“Nothing.” She shakes her head. “I just never thought I’d see the day.”
“What day?”
“Never mind.”
Our flight is delayed. Of course it is. We wait another two hours before we finally board. Once we’re on, I can hardly sit still; Selene keeps smacking my knee to make me stop fidgeting.
Ten hours is a long time to be cooped up in a giant metal tube that’s hurtling through the air at thirty thousand feet. I have a drink to calm down, and eventually I doze for a while. Selene sleeps for a few hours with her head on my arm.
By the time we touch down, I’m wide awake again. The landing gear hits the runway, and I’m buzzing with adrenaline. I have no idea where Kylie is, or how I’m going to find her. Selene checks her messages when we have cell service again, and Kylie hasn’t replied to any of her texts. I hope she’s checking in with her dad regularly, because this dead phone thing when she’s in a foreign country is bullshit.
We didn’t check bags, but it takes a little while to get through customs and immigration. When we get out of the airport, Selene calls Kylie’s dad to see if he knows where she is. I would call him, but I’m not sure how he feels about me. He must know what I did to Kylie, and I owe him an apology, but right now, we’re in a city of almost nine million people and all I can think about is finding her.
“Hi, Henry,” Selene says when he answers. “Yeah, I’m good. Listen, I’m going to cut to the chase. Do you know where Kylie is? Right, I know she’s in London. Do you know where in London?” Selene waits for a moment, listening. “Yeah, we’ve been trying to call her too.” Selene meets my eyes. “Oh, her battery was dying and she needed to get an adapter so she could plug it in? Okay, but where is she staying? Um, we’re actually here. Yes, in London. Yeah, I’m with Braxton. Exactly. We literally just landed. Okay, Morton Hotel. Got it. Yes, I’ll call you later.”
She hangs up. “Morton Hotel.”
I’m already looking it up on my phone. We get in line for a taxi. The tube would be cheaper, but I don’t give a fuck at this point.
The taxi drops us off in front of the hotel. The entry is nice, with a tall arched doorway, glass doors, and stone accents. I head straight for the front desk. I know they won’t tell me what room Kylie’s in, but I figure I can get Selene a room for the night so we have a place to put our stuff. We didn’t bring much, but there’s no sense in carrying it all over the city if we have to go out and search for her.
I don’t bother getting a room for myself. I plan to be with Kylie tonight.
“Can I leave a message for another guest?” I ask, when I have Selene’s room taken care of.
“Of course,” the front desk attendant says. “Room number?”
“I’m actually not sure,” I say. “I don’t suppose you could look it up and tell me?”
“I’m afraid not,” she says.
I shake my head. “Of course not.” I grab one of the business cards and scrawl a note on the back.
I love you. Brax
“Can you just make sure this gets to Kylie Winters’ room?”
“Yes, that won’t be a problem,” she says.
“Thanks.”
