I had been planning this trip for months. It was supposed to have been me and my three best friends from college all getting back together for a week in Colorado hitting the slopes and enjoying the weed...and women. Then Mark got engaged, Davy got the flu, and Brian...well...Brian was always fucking crazy, so it's no real surprise that he just disappeared off the grid two weeks ago. So instead it was just me, a huge room at the lodge I couldn't get out of, and the entire back row of the plane booked, paid for, with only me to fill it.
Just great.
So I may not have been in the greatest of mental spaces when I got to the airport. I might have been a bit surly with the too-chipper girl behind the booking desk. I also may have been scowling through the preflight check, and by the time the plane was about to leave the terminal, contemplating how many drinks I would order to help drown my sorrows. Because I was one of the first ones on, I was idly watching the other people who would be sharing the flight board the plane. There were the typical snow bunnies with the fake tans and the fake tits, the 'dude bros' whose sole purpose in life was to drink beer and 'crush puss' and all I could think about was how my week of bong hits and nerd conversations with my friends had all gone to crap.
In short, I was feeling miserable.
The plane was almost full, and I was thankful to have the back row to myself so I wouldn't have to sit next to any of these mouth breathers when I saw her get on board. Short dark curly hair, curvy figure in a yellow sun dress despite it being January, and a sparkle in her eyes that said she was ready for mischievous adventure. In short, my kind of gal. She paused halfway down the aisle, then kept coming, even though all the other seats were taken. I had stretched out on all four of the seats I had paid for, but she just came right over, moved my feet to one side, and sat right next to me without saying a word. I was in a shit mood so even though she was attractive I was considering whether or not I was going to tell her to just go away. As I opened my mouth to finally say something she turned my way and stopped me in my tracks.
"I got the last seat on this bucket, and it was a middle seat between two dudes that reeked and probably each tipped the scales at 500 pounds. You have more room than you need back here, so this is where I'm sitting. Deal with it. I'm Sharon. Nice to meet you."
"Uh...Mike."
That lame response was all I managed to say. Soon the drink cart came by and I got my usual, a whiskey and coke, and she surprised me again by ordering hot cocoa.
"I don't drink."
"Yeah...I don't usually...except when I fly."
"Are you a nervous flier? You don't strike me as a nervous flier..."
"No, it's just usually the best way to pass the time cramped on these tin cans."
"Hm. Well, I'll make you a deal. If you pass on the whisky, I'll make sure you have a better time without it than you would with it."
That mischievous glint was back in full effect and I was intrigued, so I passed the drink back to the flight attendant, paid for it, and said that the next person to order one could have mine instead. She nodded and went up to the next row. Sharon handed me her cocoa and pulled a blanket out of her carry on bag and draped it over us. She urged me to share in her sweet warm beverage since it was her doing that cost me mine, and so we sat under her blanket and sipped cocoa together. I had already pushed all the armrests up so my four seats were more like one long bench, and Sharon nestled into me.
"Mmmmm. My edibles are kicking in. Oh! Where are my manners? You're going to Colorado, so you probably get high...you want some?"
"You mean you brought THC edibles with you on the plane?"
"You mean you never have?"
The sparkle in her eyes was back as she gave my thigh a squeeze under the blanket and dug into her bag. She popped a pair of golden pills into my hand and smirked.
"They're 100 milligrams each, so you'll be feeling just fine in about 10 minutes."