"I'm gonna close my eyes for a little while and try my best to sleep. Can you promise me that you'll wake me up when we get close?"
"Emily, we're on a plane. You'll know when we get close. There'll be landing anouncements and turbulence."
"I don't want to wake up to that. Please, you know how much I hate this. Please Chris."
"Fine. Whatever. Can you just calm down? Jesus Christ."
"Sorry."
Emily sighed and looked out the window. That familiar burning sensation crept up her neck and into her head, hot tears pooling under her green eyes. She tried to blink them away. It had been like this for a year and a half now. Less love and more anger. Everything she said to him was an annoyance. Even something as simple as "I love you" rubbed him the wrong way and their increasingly sparcer good times seemed forced and unnatural. She could feel him pulling away from her a little bit more every day and she didn't know how much longer her heart could take it. Chris shifted in his seat to face the aisle. Rather, to look at the leggy blonde directly across from him. The plane shuddered. Emily closed her eyes and felt two big tears roll down her cheeks. The lyrics of a sad song played over and over in her head. Something about a bittersweet breakup. She put her mind music on repeat blocking out everything else. More turbulence. This time the plane dipped suddenly, followed by furious vibrations. Her eyes shot open.
"Chris? CHRIS! I think I need to go to the bathroom."
"Are you serious?" He let out an exasperated sigh.
"Please I need to go right now."
"Why don't you just use the freaking bag? That's what it's here for."
"Sweetie, please let me get out. I need to get up and walk for a minute."
"Jesus Christ."
Emily was a pale girl with lusterous dark brown hair and light freckles powdered just along the bridge of her nose. She was of average height and weight. "Average" would have been her pick, had she been asked to choose one word to describe herself. She didn't give herself enough credit. Her eyes were two sparkling jewels adorning her heart-shaped face and she had a luminescence about her that was unavoidably contagious. She was a generally a very brave person who loved even the most outrageous of rollercoasters, but for whatever reason, when it came to flying her stomach did somersaults.
She tenatively brushed past Chris and into the aisle; took a deep breath and began slowly walking toward the end of the plane, lightly placing a hand on the back of each seat she came to. Nearing the bathrooms she gained some confidence and quickened her pace. Almost there. Looking up from her own feet, she was startled to notice how many of the passengers were bleakly staring at her. Feeling a bit embarrassed, she slowed down again and fixed her gaze on the "WOMEN" sign dead ahead, but something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention.
Suddenly, the plane dropped again. This time they had hit a pocket of turbulent rain and it rocked and shook the little aircraft violently. Emily gasped and swung around, her arms searching for something to hold on to. The cabin lights flickered and dimmed. For a moment, she stumbled forward finding nothing, and then it dropped again. She was tossed back onto something. Someone. Someone who had jumped up to catch her. The plane quieted. Emily turned around timidly, half afraid to look up into his face but it was just as she had expected. It was the same someone who had caught her eye just moments ago. He held on to her firmly, but with a gentleness that she hadn't felt in a long time and he looked directly into her eyes. His glare was so intense that she easily believed he could read her thoughts, see into her very soul if she didn't look away quickly. And she was afraid he would see her fear; to see how scared she was, not only of being on this plane, not only of the impending loss of the man she had devoted so much of her young life to, but now the new fear, that this stranger would discover that she was scared of him. Emily did shy away from his gaze, but just as quickly, she decided that she had to look back. His eyes were captivatingly magical and pearlescent like two deep pools of onyx outlined by a light ring of chestnut and sprinkled with flecks of fiery cinnamon. The answers to all the secrets of the universe could have very easily been stored behind those eyes. But there was also an overwhelming sadness in them. A loneliness that she couldn't help but notice, and she felt instantly drawn to him. It was an immediate and inescapable connection. Like she had known him, this stranger who in some small way had rescued her, all her life and even before. He was beautiful. Almost exotic. She would have loved to express her gratitude, but every word she had ever learned, for the moment escaped her. All she could do was stare, and eventually form a little crooked smile which drew up the left corner of her mouth. Though his face remained motionless, it was obvious to her that he was smiling back. Something in those fierce eyes hinted it.
He pointed to the seat beside his own.
"Sit here, and you'll be safe. I promise." He spoke calmly. His voice was low, weighted with the same sorrow she had tracked in his eyes.
"Thank you. And thank you for catching me." She smiled again sweetly. "I really should go back up there eventually, although to tell the truth, I rather wouldn't." Looking back up the aisle she saw Chris, now smiling and fully engaged in conversation with the blonde.
"Don't go back. You need to stay here with me now where you're safe. Where I will be able to find you."
Emily frowned. "What do you mean?" Her skin tingled; a new wave of anxiety washing over her. Now she was beginning to think she may have made a mistake by sitting down. Maybe he was crazy or dangerous. She knew better than to blindly trust a stranger. But still her deepest instincts were telling her to stay put; to remain close to this mysterious man.
The plane dropped again.
"Trust me." The gravity in his tone was all the further convincing Emily needed.
Taking a deep breath, she moved in closer to him, settling into her new plush seat. Now, past the initial shock of the encounter, she could more easily take him in in his entirety. For the moment the plane was flying smoothly and she couldn't help but stare. It was, after all, in her observant nature being somewhat of an artist. Something about him was off. Not necessarilly in a bad way, but off none the less. It was almost as though he had come from a different time. His face. It was not the face of a 21st century man. His cheekbones were full and pronounced. His entire bone structure was sculpted and chisled so perfectly that she thought he could easily have been carved from wood. He had long glossy black hair which he kept loosely tied back with some kind of rope. And his clothes were a story in and of themselves. Weathered and made out of many unidentifiable fabrics.
"Who are you?"
"I don't know." He answered somberly, shaking his head and lifting an eyebrow.
She couldn't tell if he was joking or not.
"Emily, we're on a plane. You'll know when we get close. There'll be landing anouncements and turbulence."
"I don't want to wake up to that. Please, you know how much I hate this. Please Chris."
"Fine. Whatever. Can you just calm down? Jesus Christ."
"Sorry."
Emily sighed and looked out the window. That familiar burning sensation crept up her neck and into her head, hot tears pooling under her green eyes. She tried to blink them away. It had been like this for a year and a half now. Less love and more anger. Everything she said to him was an annoyance. Even something as simple as "I love you" rubbed him the wrong way and their increasingly sparcer good times seemed forced and unnatural. She could feel him pulling away from her a little bit more every day and she didn't know how much longer her heart could take it. Chris shifted in his seat to face the aisle. Rather, to look at the leggy blonde directly across from him. The plane shuddered. Emily closed her eyes and felt two big tears roll down her cheeks. The lyrics of a sad song played over and over in her head. Something about a bittersweet breakup. She put her mind music on repeat blocking out everything else. More turbulence. This time the plane dipped suddenly, followed by furious vibrations. Her eyes shot open.
"Chris? CHRIS! I think I need to go to the bathroom."
"Are you serious?" He let out an exasperated sigh.
"Please I need to go right now."
"Why don't you just use the freaking bag? That's what it's here for."
"Sweetie, please let me get out. I need to get up and walk for a minute."
"Jesus Christ."
Emily was a pale girl with lusterous dark brown hair and light freckles powdered just along the bridge of her nose. She was of average height and weight. "Average" would have been her pick, had she been asked to choose one word to describe herself. She didn't give herself enough credit. Her eyes were two sparkling jewels adorning her heart-shaped face and she had a luminescence about her that was unavoidably contagious. She was a generally a very brave person who loved even the most outrageous of rollercoasters, but for whatever reason, when it came to flying her stomach did somersaults.
She tenatively brushed past Chris and into the aisle; took a deep breath and began slowly walking toward the end of the plane, lightly placing a hand on the back of each seat she came to. Nearing the bathrooms she gained some confidence and quickened her pace. Almost there. Looking up from her own feet, she was startled to notice how many of the passengers were bleakly staring at her. Feeling a bit embarrassed, she slowed down again and fixed her gaze on the "WOMEN" sign dead ahead, but something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention.
Suddenly, the plane dropped again. This time they had hit a pocket of turbulent rain and it rocked and shook the little aircraft violently. Emily gasped and swung around, her arms searching for something to hold on to. The cabin lights flickered and dimmed. For a moment, she stumbled forward finding nothing, and then it dropped again. She was tossed back onto something. Someone. Someone who had jumped up to catch her. The plane quieted. Emily turned around timidly, half afraid to look up into his face but it was just as she had expected. It was the same someone who had caught her eye just moments ago. He held on to her firmly, but with a gentleness that she hadn't felt in a long time and he looked directly into her eyes. His glare was so intense that she easily believed he could read her thoughts, see into her very soul if she didn't look away quickly. And she was afraid he would see her fear; to see how scared she was, not only of being on this plane, not only of the impending loss of the man she had devoted so much of her young life to, but now the new fear, that this stranger would discover that she was scared of him. Emily did shy away from his gaze, but just as quickly, she decided that she had to look back. His eyes were captivatingly magical and pearlescent like two deep pools of onyx outlined by a light ring of chestnut and sprinkled with flecks of fiery cinnamon. The answers to all the secrets of the universe could have very easily been stored behind those eyes. But there was also an overwhelming sadness in them. A loneliness that she couldn't help but notice, and she felt instantly drawn to him. It was an immediate and inescapable connection. Like she had known him, this stranger who in some small way had rescued her, all her life and even before. He was beautiful. Almost exotic. She would have loved to express her gratitude, but every word she had ever learned, for the moment escaped her. All she could do was stare, and eventually form a little crooked smile which drew up the left corner of her mouth. Though his face remained motionless, it was obvious to her that he was smiling back. Something in those fierce eyes hinted it.
He pointed to the seat beside his own.
"Sit here, and you'll be safe. I promise." He spoke calmly. His voice was low, weighted with the same sorrow she had tracked in his eyes.
"Thank you. And thank you for catching me." She smiled again sweetly. "I really should go back up there eventually, although to tell the truth, I rather wouldn't." Looking back up the aisle she saw Chris, now smiling and fully engaged in conversation with the blonde.
"Don't go back. You need to stay here with me now where you're safe. Where I will be able to find you."
Emily frowned. "What do you mean?" Her skin tingled; a new wave of anxiety washing over her. Now she was beginning to think she may have made a mistake by sitting down. Maybe he was crazy or dangerous. She knew better than to blindly trust a stranger. But still her deepest instincts were telling her to stay put; to remain close to this mysterious man.
The plane dropped again.
"Trust me." The gravity in his tone was all the further convincing Emily needed.
Taking a deep breath, she moved in closer to him, settling into her new plush seat. Now, past the initial shock of the encounter, she could more easily take him in in his entirety. For the moment the plane was flying smoothly and she couldn't help but stare. It was, after all, in her observant nature being somewhat of an artist. Something about him was off. Not necessarilly in a bad way, but off none the less. It was almost as though he had come from a different time. His face. It was not the face of a 21st century man. His cheekbones were full and pronounced. His entire bone structure was sculpted and chisled so perfectly that she thought he could easily have been carved from wood. He had long glossy black hair which he kept loosely tied back with some kind of rope. And his clothes were a story in and of themselves. Weathered and made out of many unidentifiable fabrics.
"Who are you?"
"I don't know." He answered somberly, shaking his head and lifting an eyebrow.
She couldn't tell if he was joking or not.
