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Despite the captain’s instructions, many of the passengers had already begun to rise from their seats. Glancing at the elderly woman sitting in the seat next to his and then down to the bulge in his trousers, he decided to wait until the flow had subsided and only then did he unfasten his seatbelt. He rose from his seat and gratefully stretching his legs as the old woman he’d been sitting next to disappeared into the thinning crowd. He reached up into the overhead compartment and quickly retrieved his holdall from the back.
Slinging it over his shoulder and joining the rapidly thinning line of departing passengers, Alex felt his heart flutter and couldn’t help the blush that crept over his cheeks as the pretty stewardess who’d woken him and served him tea stepped out of the first-class kitchen. Seeing him there, she smiled and handed him a small card before wishing him an enjoyable holiday. Stepping through the airlock and into the air-conditioned tunnel that led to the arrival’s terminal, he let himself be led by the press of bodies before raising the card to eye level. One side was blank except for the airline’s logo, but turning it over he felt his blush deepen at seeing two sets of phone numbers written in red ink and Alexis – Call me X scribbled beneath them.
He quickly stored the card in the inside pocket of his jacket.
Following the signs for arrivals at every intersection, he let out an impressed whistle as the tunnel suddenly opened out onto passport control, a huge chamber lit by rows of skylights and which was split across the middle by a row of counters and hulking machines. Joining the closest queue, he fished out his new passport and boarding pass from the bag before handing them to an elderly lady at the counter while two men fed the holdall into the x-ray machine. He tried not to appear too nervous as he glimpsed the bag as it appeared on the monitor, but no alarms went off and it took him a moment to realise the lady was speaking to him.
“I’m sorry?”
“Are you carrying any fruits or vegetables?” she asked again, her voice throaty and with an obvious note of annoyance at having to repeat herself.
“No.”
“Reason for travel, business or pleasure?”
“I’m visiting an old friend,” he said truthfully, but then she flashed him a look over her round glasses and he added, “Pleasure.”
“Anything to declare?”
“No.”
She stamped his passport hard enough it produced an audible thump, then handed it back without another glance. Pocketing the booklet, Alex turned away, then paused and glanced back at the woman at the desk.
“Did you sue them?”
“Who?” She didn’t even spare him a second look up from her work as another of the passengers stepped forward.
“The charm school.” He didn’t wait for her response before grabbing his holdall and walking out of immigration, muttering “Aussie Battleship.”
Despite his one-way ticket, he’d only brought the one bag and so moved past baggage claim and out into a wide-open atrium filled with shops and cafés. A single service desk with four busy operators stood in its centre. Three separate arrival boards hung from the ceiling and on the distant wall, above the three sets of automatic doors leading out onto the street, a large sign proclaimed WELCOME in the bold blue font on a white field.
Spotting the huge crowd of people gathered to meet their respective arrivals, Alex quickly cast his eyes over the throng of faces and name cards, but there was no sign of her. It was unlike her to be tardy but reasoning that she had probably just been caught in traffic. He began walking towards the nearest café when he heard a familiar voice suddenly cry his name. His heart leaping at the sound, he wheeled around and was almost knocked off his feet when a body slammed into his chest.
“Sarah?”
“Alex! Oh God Alex… it’s so good to see you!” Sarah cried, wrapping her arms around his neck, drawing him into a tight embrace as her eyes began to sparkle.
“I’ve… I’ve missed you so much, Alex. You have no idea what it means to me that you’re here.”
“Hey… Sarah… stop… I can’t… too tight…”
“Oh! Sorry,” she apologised, loosening her hold on him but staying close for another few moments before stepping back. “It’s good to see you.”
“Yeah, you too Sarah,” Alex gasped whilst rubbing his throat, more for effect than to soothe the numbing ache she’d left.
Embarrassed, Sarah refused to meet his gaze, and no sooner had she stepped back from the hug she gestured for him to follow.
“My car’s this way. I was so worried I’d miss you that I left it on a double yellow line. Oh God, I hope I haven’t got a ticket, the fines here are really expensive and my…”
Alex was only half listening as he followed her through the crowd, trying to pretend not to notice the amused looks that trailed after them. It wasn’t hard, in truth, he could barely take his eyes off Sarah and his heart leapt with panic every time she vanished behind a body, even if it was just for a moment.
She’d changed.
Gone were the baggy boy clothes. She’d swapped her old shapeless t-shirts for a long-sleeved cut-off top that showed off all of her perfectly flat middle. A pair of skinny jeans hugged her gloriously long legs and made the old adage of going on forever woefully and utterly inadequate when combined with those cowgirl boots. Her hair was different too. Longer, with more body. She’d taken it out of her customary ponytail, so it framed her face and tumbled down around her shoulders to the small of her back. Bouncing with her movements, the wash of glorious raven locks directed his eyes down to the swells of her buttocks and he had to force himself to look away.
Stepping from the cool air-conditioned atrium and out into the heat of the Australian summer felt like stepping into an oven at full burn and he was immediately grateful for his jacket’s cooling charms. There was a breeze blowing, but it was hot and dusty and offered little relief from the merciless heat as he raced to keep up with her. Despite Sarah’s concerns, a long line of vehicles was parked in front of the terminal with an ever-constant queue waiting for a space to clear. She led him past more than half a dozen vehicles before coming to a stop beside a gleaming black XK Jaguar convertible. Reaching into a handbag she had hanging off her shoulder, she produced a set of keys that, with one click of the fob, had the roof folding down and the boot popping open.
Whistling his admiration as Sarah got into the driver’s seat, he flung his holdall into the rear of the car before shutting it with a smooth push and then let himself into the passenger side. Turning the ignition, Sarah let the engine roar impressively to life before shifting into gear and, with half a turn of the wheel, pulled into the first opening.
