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He declines the call and eats another cookie.
* * *
Rex grabsmy carry-on bag from me and throws it over his shoulder as we walk through the automatic glass doors. “Does my favorite girl still hate flying?”
I rode with my parents to the airport … unwillingly, and Rex met us here. My parents insisted on the carpooling, demanding we discuss my life plans, and they know I can’t jump out of a moving car to avoid their overbearing questions. Car rides with them are more dreadful than having my pinkie nail ripped off, and it’s turned worse now that I dropped out of college and moved back to Blue Beech.
“The preacher’s daughter doesn’t make reckless decisions like that.”
“She doesn’t have secrets.”
Oh, man, if only they knew the stupid stuff this preacher’s daughter did.
Nausea fills me at the thought of my parents finding out. It’d ruin them, their name, and they’d never look at me the same. To keep this from happening, I have to play someone else’s game and am at his mercy. Thankfully, it hasn’t been as bad lately as it was at first. I keep this secret so tucked away that Rex doesn’t even know.
He’s my ride or die, and I don’t think he’d walk away from me if he ever were to find out. The problem is, I know Rex well enough to know he’d jump in and try to fix the situation. Him doing that would only make things worse.
“Sure do,” I answer, strolling next to him through the airport.
“Good thing I upgraded you to first class.” He peeks back at my parents walking behind us. “I also upgraded the ’rents. Maybe it’ll convince them to like me.”
“Hey, they like you,” I halfway lie.
When I mentioned Rex was coming—while on the way to the airport—they weren’t happy,butthey also weren’t pissed. They’ve been vocal about their issues with Rex and our friendship … ordependency, in their words. They think Rex is the reason I dropped out of school. It was the other way around. Rex had begged me to stay in school, but he supported my decision in the end.
He scoffs. “They likemy family, so they put up with me.”
“How did you even upgrade us?” I ask, walking around a group of parents yelling at their kids to hurry it up, and I take our place in the check-in line. “You don’t know our ticket numbers.”
“Au contraire,Lina. I know your email password, which led me to your ticket information because your father forwarded the info to you.”
“Seriously?”
He shrugs with no shame. “You haven’t changed it since senior year. You should probably do that, for security reasons and all.”
When my mother finds out about her seat upgrade, she’s ecstatic. My father, not so much. He argues with the attendant, then Rex, and then my mother to change it back. My mother finally rips him a new one and says it is insulting to Rex’s kind gesture. Since my mom tends to make the rules in our family, he caves, shooting a glare at Rex.
“How did you know my password senior year?” I ask while my father continues to complain to my mother behind us.
Rex shrugs again. “I don’t remember. I was probably bored.”
“You know no boundaries.” This is something I tell him on the regular.
“I do want to put in a request for you to change that password. I can’t believe it’s stillThe_Future_Mrs_Jonas. You know none of those guys are single anymore, right?”
I roll my eyes. “I’m concerned you know the love life of the Jonas brothers.”
“I’m concerned you thought you’d marry one. If you need help, I’m a great password creator. I’m thinking …” He fakes deep thinking, running his palm over his chin. “Rex’s_biggest_fan. It suits you better.”
If my parents weren’t behind us, I’d kick my foot out and trip him.
“It’s an old email and hasn’t been high on my priority list. I suggest you find a new hobby because your password ideas are worse than theGame of Thronesfinale.” I rub my forehead before yawning. “It’s too early for me to deal with you right now. I need coffee, snacks, and Tylenol PM to knock my ass out.”
“You want something that’ll keep you up but then also something that’ll make you sleep? Sounds like a legit plan you thought out well. New plan: coffee, snacks. No Tylenol PM for you.” He ruffles his hand through my hair, screwing up the messy bun I took a full ten minutes to perfect. “I can’t be sitting next to you while you’re drooling and dreaming about me. It’s also a short flight. You don’t want to show up all cracked out on cough meds.”
I hold up a finger. “A.) I don’t drool.” I hold up another. “B.) Sounds like the perfect plan for me.”
We get coffee, snacks, and unfortunately no Tylenol PM before heading to our terminal. Luckily, we don’t have a long wait before boarding the plane. They welcome first class, and the flight attendant doesn’t fail to check Rex out as we take our seats. Rex grins and winks at her as he makes himself comfortable next to me in the aisle seat.
