Hello again! This is another quickie, one that I wrote for a different site, back when I was first starting out. I have a number of shorter stories that I wrote for that site, and I'd like to upload them here so you all can get a sense of what sort of writer I am while I work on a much more...
substantial
project.
This one I actually wrote while I was traveling for work, at a gate in the airport, if I remember correctly. I hope you enjoy!
---
Julia sat at the gate for her flight, trying and failing to be engrossed in her book. It wasn't the book's fault; it was so difficult to concentrate in an airport. The constant announcements, the full roar of hundreds of people around you at all times. It all combined to make a very annoying and disruptive atmosphere.
She sighed as the TSA announcement about unattended bags played for the fortieth time since she had sat down. Exasperated, she closed her book and began casually glancing at her fellow passengers. Most of them were traveling alone, like her. There were a few pairs, one or two families with children.
A few rows away from her, there was a man sitting by himself. He seemed to be traveling light, with just a leather satchel by his side. He was wearing a light blue collared button-down shirt and dark grey slacks, and she could see through his shirt that he was in good shape. He was bent over perusing his phone, and his dark brown hair was falling down his forehead and into his eyes. Julia allowed her gaze to linger for a few moments, appreciating the sight of him.
All of a sudden, he looked up and almost immediately caught her eyes with his. She froze for a moment too long. Dammit. Now they had been looking at each other long enough that she had to acknowledge it. She flashed him an embarrassed smile and he answered it with a little smirk. When his gaze dropped back to his phone, she breathed a small sigh of relief.
Well that was awkward,
she thought, and tried to get herself back into her book. About half a page in, she felt eyes on her. A surreptitious glance up revealed the same man staring directly at her.
Julia could feel her face growing warm, but she refused to look back at him. It would only encourage him.
She breathed another sigh of relief when the gate agent began calling boarding groups.
Finally.
The flight wasn't a monster, not by any standard, but four hours on a plane was still nothing to sneeze at. She would be much happier when she was able to relax in her hotel room and prepare for her upcoming work conference.
Her boarding group was finally called. Coach. Her company was a bit stingy, and for shorter flights, she didn't feel like spending the money to "upgrade". A quick glance around showed that Mr. Blue Shirt had also stood. Huh. She would have expected him to be flying business class, maybe even first.
The line moved at the same pace it moved everywhere, with regular beeps from the boarding pass scanner and the slow shuffle forward into the plane. At last, she managed to find a space for her rolling bag in the overhead bins and squeeze into her seat by the window. She wasn't really picky about
where
on the plane she sat, as long as she had a window to look through, so this time she had a seat near the back.
She looked around the plane as she buckled her seatbelt. Not as full as she had imagined it would be. There were hardly any full rows, so there was a good chance that she would at least have a seat between her and her neighbor. Good stuff.
She pulled her book back out and began trying to read again. This time, she got about two pages in before someone did sit down next to her. She looked up briefly to see who it was, then looked back at her book. Then she had to resist the urge to do a double take. It was Mr. Blue Shirt.
Just my luck. He's probably going to think I was coming on to him.
"Oh, hey!" he said cheerily. "I was kind of hoping I'd get to sit next to someone cool. I'm Adam." He stuck out his hand, and she shook it begrudgingly.
"Julia," she replied. He was even more handsome up close. She could see his eyes better now, and they were a deep, rich mahogany. His easy smile was a bit contagious, she had to admit as she found herself smiling back at him.
"Nice to meet you, Julia. Headed anywhere nice?"
"Eh. Business conference. What about you? You look like you're dressed for work."
He chuckled. "I like looking nice, I have to admit. Also I get hassled less when I look like this."
"Fair enough." Her personal choice had been for comfort; a red tank top and thick black leggings with sandals, her long dark hair pulled back into a low ponytail.
