“I had no idea that crying could be this exhausting,” Caroline admitted, unwilling to move from the couch.
Tracey glanced at her through bloodshot eyes. “Tell me about it.”
“I don’t want to go back home tomorrow.”
“I know. I hate that you’re leaving. I miss you so much.”
“I miss you too. You have to come visit soon, okay?”
Tracey peered back toward her.
“Pleeeeease,” Caroline begged.
Tracey let out a fatigued laugh. “I will.”
Chapter Three
Caroline’s alarm didn’t go off when it was supposed to. When she finally opened her eyes and saw the time, she yelled, “Tray! Get up! Crap, I’m going to miss my flight!” Caroline jumped out of bed, did a super-quick makeup job and threw on a semi-cute top with her jeans. It was five in the morning and she could only care so much about stuff like this while she was still half asleep.
“Tray!!! Come on…UP!” She ran over to her sleeping best friend and shook her.
“I’m up,” Tracey responded without opening her eyes. “All I have to do is drive you. You’re the one who has to get ready.”
“I am ready! Come on.”
The last thing Caroline wanted was to miss her cross-country flight. The girls drove the short distance to the airport and barely spoke two words. Caroline was both emotionally and physically exhausted, and she knew that Tracey was too. When they arrived at the unloading zone, Caroline gave Tracey a hug, told her she loved her, and quickly rushed to the airport counter to check in her bag.
The middle-aged ticket agent moved far slower than Caroline would have liked and it took everything she had not to show her impatience. She shifted her weight, looked at the clock on her cell phone constantly, and breathed uncomfortable sighs. The woman at the counter knew Caroline’s plane left soon, yet nothing sped up her process.
Caroline couldn’t stand it any more. “I don’t mean to be rude, but my flight is leaving soon and I still have to get through security. I really can’t miss it.”
The woman stopped instantly, forced a smile and cocked her head to one side. “Dear, we have flights that run all day long. If you miss this one, we’ll get you on another.”
Caroline fumed. Why did this woman think her time was so invaluable, because she was young? She wanted to reach over the counter, grab the lady by her dark blue vest, and violently shake her. But she knew that was probably a bad idea.
Instead, she lied. “I have meetings all day that I’d really prefer not to reschedule. I’m sure you can understand that, dear?” She mimicked the woman’s head tilt and half smile.
The woman dropped her smile and her tone turned cold. “Where are you headed?”
“San Francisco,” Caroline responded in kind.
“Last name?”
“Weber, with one ‘b.’”
“Caroline?” the woman inquired, clearly annoyed.
“The one and only,” she smirked.
“I’ll need to see some ID.”
Caroline handed the woman her driver’s license and the woman abruptly handed her a ticket. “Gate A2. Enjoy your flight.”
Caroline raced toward security, dreading the ordeal. She placed her black sandals into a bin and made sure her pockets were empty. After a wave from the TSA agent, she walked through the security scanner without a beep. She smiled, grabbed her things in a rush, and sprinted toward her gate.
When she arrived, she was relieved to see her flight was delayed thirty minutes. She headed over to a small restaurant and grabbed a bite to eat before walking back toward the gate. The airline didn’t assign seats, but her boarding number assured her that she would be one of the first passengers on the plane. When it was time to board, she walked all the way to the back of the plane and took a window seat.
Caroline listened to music on her iPod and glanced up every so often to see people walk past. As the seats filled up, no one sat in either of the two next to her. She actually started to wonder if she smelled bad or had something on her face. She leaned her nose into her arm and gave a quick sniff. Definitely do not smell, she thought to herself.
She almost laughed at her ridiculous behavior, when something internal told her to look up. Her heart raced and she almost choked on her gum when she saw an Adonis walk down the aisle toward her. He was tall, tan, and wore a baseball hat backwards that covered his short, dark brown hair. His deep blue eyes locked onto hers and she was certain her heart stopped beating for a moment.
He couldn’t take his eyes off of hers as he walked toward her row. His full lips turned up slightly in a sexy smirk before he said, “Hi,” and threw his backpack onto the floor of the aisle seat.
“Hi,” was all Caroline could manage in response. He was unbelievably good-looking and she couldn’t help but stare. His shirt fit tightly on his chest and his sleeves strained to contain his upper arms. That’s what perfection looks like, Caroline thought to herself, her lips pursed together.
“Is anyone sitting here?” a teenaged boy asked, interrupting Caroline’s mental assessment.
“You,” said the hot guy. “But hold your horses, kid,” he added as the teenager attempted to squeeze into the middle seat. “I’ll scoot over; you take the aisle.”
“Are you sure?” the boy asked.
The stranger looked over at Caroline and smiled. “I’m more than sure.”
Caroline couldn’t help but smile. As the teenager sat in the aisle seat, she tried to sneak a glance at the hot guy who sat next to her. He turned and caught her looking at him and a wide grin crept across his face. Caroline had a weird thing for good teeth and thankfully, his were perfect and bright white. He set fire to feelings she hadn’t experienced in years; things she had completely forgotten about when it came to anyone other than Clay.