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Lexie
Lexiesteppedontothe plane and moved down the aisle to find her seat. She lifted her carry-on luggage into the bin above her head and stepped around the woman sitting in the seat next to hers. Lexie apologized as her body encroached upon the woman’s space. She ignored Lexie’s apology and adjusted the thin scarf draped across her frail neck before returning to the newspaper in her lap. Lowering into the seat, Lexie was astonished at how much room she had in first class. She hadn’t ever sat in anything other than basic economy and was amazed at the pure luxury of it all. She stuck out her feet and moved them up and down, extending them as far as they could go. Behind her to the right was a set of headphones, a water bottle, and a charging station. Next to her seat, she had a complimentary pillow and blanket. She eased in and looked ahead as people filed in through the plane. Adam and Kennedy were across the aisle from her, Eagle and Sedona were behind her, and Avanna and Payson were directly in front of her.
She rested her head back, already exhausted from the travels. Before the plane filled and takeoff was initiated, she pulled her phone from her bag and typed a quick message to Nav, hoping he’d get it before he turned his phone off for the flight.
Lexie: You didn’t have to switch seats with me...I could have handled economy. You on the other hand… Still alive?
Despite Nav’s down-to-earth attitude about life, she knew travel was something he never skimped on. Her phone buzzed and she lowered her eyes to read the message from Nav.
Nav: Really enjoying my time next to Joe Dirt back here. And the leg space...sheesh! It’s incredible.
She rolled her eyes as his message came in. She clicked on the message bar to respond as her phone buzzed with another message.
Nav: After standing in security for two hours you deserve it :)
She found her heart swelling. While so much had changed over the years, including their friendship, it wasn’t hard to admit they used to be great together. She didn’t remember much about their lives together until she was about seven. It was the first time Nav really showed her his love—always in the quiet moments. Growing up in a wealthy small town, her family was the exception. Her father was a janitor at the local high school and her mother was a waitress at the cafe downtown. They survived with what they could, but there wasn’t often time or money for lavish things. Even as an adult, Lexie hadn’t experienced what it was like to have money, and she was fine with that, but growing up kids were mean. She was picked on daily in elementary and middle school. A lot of the other parents wouldn’t let Lexie spend time with their children and she was always excluded from birthday parties. Lexie didn’t understand the severity of the bullying until her seventh birthday. She sent an invitation home with everyone in her class and patiently waited at the cafe for her friends to show up. Her mom decorated several booths in the back corner and baked her a cake with bright red frosting. Nav was the only one to show up and brought his parents and his brothers along with him. Even though it wasn’t what she had expected, it was the first time she could remember feeling Nav’s love wrapped around her.
She dozed off thinking about the seven-year-old boy she once knew and was jolted awake as the overhead speaker announced their arrival at St. Thomas. She pulled open her window and gazed out at the deep blue waters surrounding the plane. A slight moment of panic seeped through her as the plane descended. Just as she was sure they were landing straight into the water, the tires hit the tarmac and land appeared all around them. She let out a sigh of relief and released her grip from the armrest she had been holding onto.
The unbuckling of seat belts and shuffling of bags filled the air in the cabin as those around her stood to exit the plane. She followed behind her seatmate, who hadn’t spoken a word to her the entire flight, and walked off the plane. As she stepped onto the galley, she stood off to the side until she caught the familiar sight of Nav’s curly hair. She nudged his arm and he pulled his eyes up to meet hers with a smile. He plucked the headphones out of his ears and stuck them into his pockets.
“Thanks again. I hope Joe Dirt wasn’t too bad,” she said with a smirk.
He returned the sentiment with a smile. “Not at all. I hope you enjoyed sitting up in first.”
“It was very kind of you to trade me seats. I would have been okay though, you know.”
“I know that.”
She touched the base of her neck, turning slightly to look at him. “It’s very appreciated. Just out of left field.”
He didn’t say anything but she watched as he pursed his lips together in obvious annoyance. Unsure why his mood suddenly changed, she slowed her walk and fell behind him on the way to baggage claim. It was a tiny airport, but the luggage turnstile was quite a walking distance from their plane. She took in the views outside the windows around them seeing nothing but blue skies and the warm glow of the sun. Kennedy nudged against her arm as she stood near the turnstile waiting for their luggage.
“How was the ride?” she asked.
“It was nice! Very comfortable.”
“I cannot, seriously cannot, believe Nav switched spots with you. We flew with him to Arizona a few months ago to look at the house before we moved in and he was such a weenie about everything! He totally hates flying!”
Lexie looked over at Nav, who was leaning against a pole talking to Avanna and Payson. His smile stretched across his face as he used his hands to talk animatedly with their friends. The Nav she remembered from their childhood aspired to travel the world so she couldn’t imagine flying would have such an impact on his mood.
She watched as her green suitcase spun around the carousel and excused herself to the front of the mass of people to grab it. Just as she reached down for her bag, it was swiped out of her hands. She pulled her head up incredulous, to find Nav standing there.
“I got it,” he grumbled out.
She continued to stare for a moment before following him back to his spot against the pole.
“I am capable of carrying my own bag. Stop doing stuff for me,” she breathed out in hushed anger.
“I know you’re capable, doesn’t mean I’m not going to try to be a gentleman.”
“But why? We aren’t on this trip together. We are not a couple. You owe me nothing and you don’t need to be a gentleman to me!”Her raised voice garnered the attention of nearby passengers as they moved away from the turnstile.
“Ah, so you’re into the brooding jerks now, is that it?”he asked as he swung around to face her.
She glowered at him before snatching her bag from his grip and walking back toward the turnstile where Kennedy was still waiting. Kennedy glanced over at Lexie with a stretched eyebrow and Lexie just responded with a shake of her head. It was shaping up to be a long ass week stuck in the middle of the ocean with Nav Thomas.
