Chapter 5
DIE HARD IS NOT A CHRISTMAS MOVIE
DECLAN
I stepped forward to scan my plane ticket when I realized that Claire was no longer next to me. I glanced back to where she was still as a statue a foot behind me. Her eyes had a glass sheen and her lips were slightly tipped up.
The gate agent looked between her and me with suspicion.
Come on Claire, act cool.
I offered her a smile as I wrapped my fingers around Claire’s wrist, tugging her into my side.
“Sorry, my girl here gets nervous on planes.” I plucked Claire’s ticket out of her hand and scanned it before quickly walking us onto the bridge. The agent didn’t say anything but I didn’t miss the judgmental roll of her eyes as she assessed Claire from head to toe.
If Claire had heard me refer to her as my girl, then she didn’t comment.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure what planet she was on right now, but I did know I would rather be there with her.
I debated taking my own gummy for half of a second before I thought better of it.
I didn’t take Claire as the kind of girl who recreationally used marijuana so it would probably be best for me to keep a sober eye on her.
Claire practically glided down the bridge until we reached the plane door. I looped my arm around her hip and lifted her slightly onto the plane so she didn’t trip on threshold. Once her feet were firmly on the ground, I pushed her in front of me and grabbed her bag.
She had a soft smile on her face as she pointed excitedly toward our pod and I couldn't help but laugh.
The girl was high as a kite and Claire was not someone I would usually describe as flighty.
I’ll admit, when I first saw her walking up to me, I had to do a double take.
She looked…different today. Normally she was all clean lines in a tight pencil skirt and heels.
Her hair was always in a neat bun and her makeup was clean.
But today, she was more relaxed. She wore a pair of black leggings and a University of Texas sweatshirt that was three sizes too big.
Her hair was down and slightly wavy and she had those ugly Birkenstock clogs on.
I wasn’t even sure it was her until I really looked at her, but her bright blue eyes gave her away.
Claire giggled as she plopped into one of the pod chairs. When I booked this flight, I thought I would be flying with my girlfriend so I booked us together. There was a little pod that had two seats that reclined into beds. Each had a TV and almost felt like a private room on the plane.
If Claire wasn’t totally out of it, this might have been awkward. Good thing she was all goofy smiles and giggles.
“This is the nicest airplane I’ve ever been on,” Claire whispered, leaning across the console that separated us.
“It’s probably one of the nicest I’ve ever been on, too,” I whispered back.
She snorted. “I doubt it. You’re all like suit rich and stuff.”
I barked out a laugh. “Suit rich?”
She hummed and nodded but didn’t elaborate.
Claire intrigued me. I didn’t really know anything about her except that she was always chronically early for work and the most anally organized person I’d ever met. I wasn’t sure if that was reserved for the office, or if she was simply always that way.
Seeing her loose and unguarded was a nice peek into her inner mind.
Claire lounged back against her seat, her eyes half closed as the pilot announced we were about to taxi. The moment the plane started moving, Claire shot up and grabbed my hand. I laced my fingers with hers and squeezed.
“You’re okay,” I whispered.
Her eyes stared at the TV in front of her but I saw the subtle dip of her chin as her chest rose and fell at a faster rate.
I kept her hand in mine until we reached altitude when she finally laid back and pulled the provided blanket over herself.
A few hours later, I thought Claire was asleep so I snuck away to the plane bathroom to take a breather. Sometimes, I had to mentally prepare myself for this trip. I hated this time of year and all of the traditions that came with it, so putting on a fake smile was exhausting.
When I got back, Claire was sitting up with her knees snug to her chest and her head tilted toward the window.
“I thought you were asleep,” I said as I sat down next to her.
She shook her head. “I tried to sleep but I couldn’t.”
She was whispering like everything she was saying was a secret.
“What do you do when you’re anxious? What helps you relax?” I asked, settling back and flipping my seat down so I could lay flat.
She fiddled with the blanket at her feet and shrugged one shoulder. When she looked up at me, I had to hold back a laugh. Her eyes were bloodshot and glassy and she looked so fucking cute.
“I watch movies sometimes.”
“Okay, Gummy Bear Claire. Let’s watch a movie.”
She cracked a smile before giggling uncontrollably. “You’re absolutely never calling me that.”
I tilted my head back and forth. “We’ll see.”
She rolled her eyes but settled back in her chair and lifted the center console between us. The way the seats were set up, the center created almost a bench between the two of us. Claire leaned her head over so she was laying across the center, resting her head on my pillow so we could share a TV.
“What are you thinking?” I asked, scrolling to the in-flight streaming service.
“A Christmas movie,” she said with confidence.
I groaned. “Do we have to?”
“Don’t be a Grinch. We’re going to a winter wonderland. We need to get in the mood.”
I wasn’t sure why hearing Claire saying get in the mood had parts of my body thinking about just that. I shifted in my seat but that only caused her to snuggle in closer.
“Fine. A Christmas movie it is.”
And I knew just the one.
I flipped through the listed Christmas movies until I found the one I was searching for and pressed play. I took my wireless headphones and slipped one in her ear so we could listen to the audio together.
As soon as the beginning credits started, Claire snorted. “Die Hard is not a Christmas movie.”
“It absolutely is. It takes place during a Christmas party.”
“And that is just a setting. Literally nothing else has to do with Christmas time.”
“Maybe I like the darker side of Christmas,” I whispered.
“That’s probably the least surprising thing I’ve learned about you today,” she whispered back.
I snuck a risky glance down at her. Her head was resting on my shoulder as her eyes started to droop. I was tempted to wrap my arm around her but that would be so wildy inappropriate. For some reason, having her close to me felt natural.
“What is the most surprising thing you’ve learned about me today?” I asked, genuinely curious.
“That you knew my name,” she sighed.
“Of course I know your name, Claire. You’ve worked for me for three years.”
She shrugged. “Until this week, you’d never actually said it.”
With that, her eyes closed and her breathing leveled. I watched my adorable assistant sleep on my shoulder as my heart cracked that this sweet as fuck girl believed that I thought so little of her that I didn’t remember her name.
I woke up to the sun beaming through the window next to Claire. I squinted and groaned as I sat up. A flight attendant dropped a small cup of coffee in front of me as I rubbed a hand over my jaw.
A throat cleared next to me and my eyes snapped toward Claire. She was sitting up, hugging her knees to her chest again like armor.
“I’m sorry about last night,” she said, refusing to make eye contact with me.
“You should be. You insulted Die Hard fans around the world.”
She scoffed. “I will die for this cause. It isn’t a Christmas movie.” I saw her fighting a smile before her face went serious again. “That’s not what I meant though.”
“You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for. You didn’t do anything embarrassing.”
She bit her lip as her eyes dropped to my chair, the exact spot where she fell asleep last night. She might have been embarrassed but there was no need. It wasn’t like we had sex. We fell asleep in close proximity. It was harmless. I was simply calming her nerves.
That was all it was.
Obviously.
“I promise that I never do that,” she said quickly.
“Do what?” I tipped a brow and smirked. I liked flustered Claire.
She leaned in as she glanced right and left before she whispered, “drugs.”
I leaned in to meet her eyes. Mine trailed down to her plump pink lips and back up to the icy blues that could hypnotize any man.
“I never would’ve guessed,” I whispered back.
Just as she was going to respond, a flight attendant cleared her throat next to us. Claire jumped back and tucked her hair behind her ear.
“We’re gearing up for our descent. Please right all chairs and tray tables.”
“Sure thing,” I said, shifting my seat up right.
I could literally see Claire caving in on herself. Last night, she might have been under the influence, but it was the first time I saw her personality start to shine through.
It was nice.
I faced her and took a sip of my coffee. “So, how was your first international flight?”
She buckled her seatbelt and sank back into her chair. “It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”
“Good. We still have a lot of travel ahead of us.”
I closed my eyes for a moment as the plane continued to descend.
I wouldn’t admit it to Claire, but I was acting calm on this flight for her sake.
I despised flying, but the second I saw her freaking out, something instinctual inside of me snapped into place.
She needed me and somehow I found it in myself to act unaffected.
Guess I was going to find out just how far I would push myself to make sure she was comfortable and safe.