Once I was settled in my seat, I watched couple after couple march onto the plane as I sipped my glass of wine. I may have had to pay three times the usual price of a plane ticket for first class, but the perks were nice. It took three glasses before I decided I didn’t want to jump out of the plane. I was grateful that the seat next to me remained empty as the plane filled up so I didn’t have to endure an awkward conversation with some stranger, or even worse, have some strange person’s head on my shoulder.
Flying does weird things to people. One woman spent the better part of a minute trying desperately to shove her oversized bag into an already full bin, going so far as to move other people’s things—even though the flight attendant was trying to get her attention. I was glad that my carry-on consisted of the backpack that was stowed securely between my legs. I’d have gotten annoyed if it was my luggage she was being so disrespectful toward. On a plane, there seems to be this unwritten rule that you can’t get mad. Boundaries that are normally there seem to slip away as soon as your foot hits the entrance.
I slipped my headphones on and looked out the window as the plane took off. I loved watching everything turn microscopic. Seeing the cars inch by like ants made me feel a childlike delight, like change was in the air. I smiled and leaned back, reflecting on my life. Mostly, I thought about where I’d be if I’d made different choices in my life and if I’d still be so content.
I made it to Miami without incident, called home, and decided to get a drink before leaving the airport to check into the hotel.
“You are like a red, red rose, and I’m a little thorny.” The familiar words were whispered against my cheek and I was overwhelmed with the smell of mint gum and spicy aftershave. I’d know that scent anywhere. Couple it with the husky timbre of his voice, and my stomach was somewhere in the vicinity of my shoes.
“Keith! Oh my gosh! What’re you doing here?” I felt my cheeks redden as I slid off the stool to give him a hug. I inhaled his scent as I was pressed against his chest, and frowned. After everything, I still felt a rush of attraction every time I saw him. Hormones are nasty, deceitful things.
“Hey, babe. Been a long time. I thought I saw you walking in here. Of all the places we could run into each other—crazy.” He grinned at me mischievously as he shook his head in disbelief. “The guys dragged me here to pick up chicks.” He gestured out the tall windows at the palm trees waving in the breeze. “I got divorced again last year, and haven’t really been out since. The boys were kind enough to force me to go on vacation.” His face scrunched up, revealing that he didn’t really see their actions as a kindness.
“Really? I think you were getting divorced the last time I heard about you. You’ve got to quit picking the wrong ones.” I smiled and shook my head. My heart was resuming its normal cadence in my chest.
“I should’ve never let you get away.” He looked at me with his dark blue eyes and the past eight years disappeared. I was in trouble. I must have blushed, gaped, or drooled, because he started laughing. “Oh, Tasha, you should see your face! I was just teasing, babe. Kind of. What’ve you been up to?” He asked, flashing his trademark dimples.
I melted, silently vowing to find a way to eliminate the emotional response hormones brought about in the body as my next project.
“Oh, you know, a little of this, a little of that. Katie’s daughter is eight, and I get to spoil her every chance I get. I’m a Biomedical Engineer at Double Helix now, so I finally get to play with DNA and mess with the primates.” I grinned at him, easily reverting to our old, comfortable conversations. “I’m here celebrating my birthday. I’ve always wanted to see Bermuda, and this was as good an excuse as any.”
“Of course, I almost forgot it was your birthday.” He lied easily, but I still caught it. “You’re going on that cruise too? We’ll have to have dinner tomorrow. We should be in Bimini by then, and I’ve been told that they have great clubs. You still dance?” His eyes sparkled with the same mischief I remembered from years ago, causing my heart to do another rebellious flip.
“Sure. I could use the distraction. It was so good to see you. Hopefully we’ll get to hang out after dinner, too.” I cringed inwardly. Did I really just say that out loud? Way to go Tash, show him how desperate you are for his attention.
“God, I’ve missed you.” He put his hand on my arm and I shivered. “Shit, my friends are looking for me. I’ll see you tomorrow for dinner, then maybe we can get drinks and hang by the pool. I am so glad I ran into you.” Before I could reply, he leaned in, gave my cheek a quick kiss, and ran off. I finally realized why I’d had an uneasy feeling about this trip.
I couldn’t believe he was here. Despite my best efforts to resist my initial reaction
