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“We should head over.” He said the words, but I felt the apprehension in them. He didn’t want to separate either.
I nodded and turned to walk away and saw the people watching us. Recording, taking pictures, and it felt overwhelming. After he did a bow of the head, he ushered me through to find our terminal and away from the people. He was unfazed by it all, keeping his calm. He excused himself so that he could go check on his seat on the airplane. I found a corner to sit in and I pulled out my iPad so that I could check emails and such. I also needed a moment to gather myself. That dance felt more than ‘just’ a dance, and I needed to put things back into perspective. Friends. Long-distance friends.
An email from Raphael was sitting in my inbox, and I smiled. I’d given it to him so that we could keep in touch. He’d emailed me immediately so that I’d have his as well. When I opened it, there was a recipe for that pie he was in love with. I cracked up laughing, forgetting about all the people around. I covered my mouth when I looked around and saw all the eyes looking my way.
“Don’t worry, dear. We all need something to brighten our day. Your laughter was mine,” the old man sitting nearby said.
“Thank you. It was one of those moments that I couldn’t help.”
“That makes it even better.” He smiled.
“What are you doing over here making all that noise about?” Raphael came over and sat next to me.
“You! That email you sent me.”
“The recipe?”
“Yes! You’re obsessed!” I shook my head at him and wagged my finger for emphasis.
“Maybe. I’m not in love, though.”
“Oh jeeeeze! Get over yourself, Raph.”
“A nickname?”
“Yup! You don’t deserve to be called Raphael until you admit that you’re in love.”
Raphael produced earbuds and put them on. He ignored me while I tried to get some work done. They started boarding our flight and, between seat number calls, I was called to the desk to confirm a seat placement. As long as it was near the window, that was all I cared about. I liked to watch the clouds, and I hated getting up to let people out. She said something about a seat swap when my phone rang. Work was calling.
Talking to them and watching what she did was difficult. I needed to be focused on the representative and not on my job. Not really hearing much of what she said, I nodded in all the right places and she gave me my new tickets. She then sent me through to board the plane. I turned to wave to Raphael, but he was already in the line to get on.
I passed the business class seats and looked down at the ticket. I frowned and looked behind me. The woman behind me was restless, so I moved out of her way. I backtracked and sure enough, my seat was in the business class seats. I shrugged and sat down in my window seat. The seat was comfortable and spacious, not to mention the little pillow and care package. I stowed my bag away and pulled out my iPad and connected to the internet. There was a code for it in my care package. I turned on the music and listened through my earbuds, closing my eyes to just enjoy. I felt somebody to my right, but I didn’t bother looking since I was too busy in my bubble. The original airport may have made a mistake when they booked this seat. They’d never mentioned a class change. It made me wonder if Raphael had one as well.
I opened my eyes and shifted in my seat before looking around in front of me to search for Raphael, only to find that he was the person sitting beside me. I smiled. They had upgraded us. I removed my earbud from my ears.
“You were upgraded too? That was nice of them.”
“Upgraded? No, this is the class that I paid for.”
“Oh, I was in the economy seats. Maybe they made a mistake when they changed yours.”
“Hmm…”
I went back to listening to my music until we took off. No peanuts and half drinks on this flight. I had another glass of wine with grapes and cheese. They served us dinner, which I spent talking to Raphael. It was more than amazing. That was probably why I couldn’t sleep the entire five-and-a-half-hour flight to New York City. I found out that I was going to have to kick ass to get to the terminal to make my flight home. I had about forty-five minutes to get across the airport to meet my connecting flight.
“We’ll have a driver take you over. Don’t worry, you’ll make it,” the flight attendant assured.
“Thank you.” I don’t think that after this I’ll be able to fly in economy again without longing to have this experience every time.
Exiting together, the cart was waiting to take me to my next flight.
“Don’t be a stranger. I expect emails from you,” Raphael said.
“Okay. I can handle that as long as you comply as well.”
“Deal.”
He pulled me in for a hug that I returned just as warmly. He kissed the side of my cheek and winked as he backed away.
