Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
Ashley
I woke up on Riva’s couch, the morning light sneaking through her blinds, my phone buzzing on the coffee table.
Yesterday had been a whirlwind. Mom was back in our old house, Darryl’s family filling it with food and stories, her words about being happy to die still echoing in my head.
I grabbed the phone, seeing Darryl’s name, and answered quickly, sitting up, my blanket slipping to the floor.
“Hey,” I said, my voice still scratchy from sleep. “Morning.”
“Hey,” he said, his voice steady but warm through the line. “You up yet?”
“Barely,” I said, rubbing my eyes, grinning a bit. “What’s up?”
“Been thinking,” he said, pausing a second. “We should request three days off. Before the wedding. Just us, to bond.”
“Three days?” I said, leaning back, the idea waking me up fast. “Like, no work?”
“Yeah,” he said, his tone firm. “Wedding’s in a week. We’ve been running nonstop. Let’s take a break, hang out.”
“Love that,” I said, my grin growing, swinging my legs off the couch. “Where are we going?”
“Anywhere,” he said, chuckling softly. “Pick a spot. I’ll put in the request today.”
“Me too,” I said, standing, pacing a little. “I’m in. Let’s do it.”
“Good,” he said, his voice softening. “Text me when it’s approved.”
“Will do,” I said, hanging up, already buzzing.
I shot a quick email to scheduling, requesting three days off starting tomorrow, then texted Darryl: Requested.
You? He replied fast: Done. Fingers crossed.
I grinned, tossing my phone down, and started digging through my bag for clothes, the idea of a break with him lighting me up.
By noon, my phone pinged with approval, and his text followed: Got it.
We’re clear. I laughed, texting back: Sweet!
Airport tomorrow? Not work, just us. He replied: Yeah. Pick you up at 8.
The next morning, I was ready early, standing outside Riva’s apartment in jeans, a cozy sweater, and sneakers, my small duffel slung over my shoulder.
Darryl pulled up right at eight, his black sedan rumbling softly, and I hopped in, tossing my bag in the back.
“Hey,” I said, leaning over to kiss his cheek quickly, grinning as he started driving. “We’re doing this.”
“Yeah,” he said, glancing at me with a small smile, one hand on the wheel, the other resting on my knee. “First time flying not working. Weird, huh?”
“Super weird,” I said, lacing my fingers with his, squeezing lightly. “Where are we headed?”
“Thought Vegas,” he said, merging onto the highway toward the airport. “Quick flight, fun spot. You good with that?”
“Love it,” I said, leaning back, my hand still in his. “Slots, shows, food. Perfect.”
“Figured,” he said, his thumb brushing my knuckles, sending a little shiver up my arm. “Got us tickets. Hour flight, leaves at ten.”
“Sweet,” I said, grinning at him. “You’re good at this.”
“Trying,” he said, his smile widening a bit as we pulled into the airport lot, parking near the terminal.
We grabbed our bags, heading inside, the buzz of travelers hitting us as we checked in, no uniforms this time, just us in regular clothes.
It felt strange, walking through security without a crew badge, Darryl’s hand brushing mine as we shuffled through the line, our boarding passes clutched tight.
“Gate’s this way,” he said, nodding toward the signs, and I looped my arm through his, leaning in as we walked. “You’re clingy today,” he said, but his tone was light, his hand slipping to my waist, pulling me closer.
“Always,” I said, grinning up at him, poking his side. “You love it.”
“Maybe,” he said, squeezing my hip, guiding me to the gate.
We found seats by the window, the plane already parked outside, and I plopped down, tugging him next to me, my leg pressing against his.
“You’re gonna be a pain up there, aren’t you?
” he said, resting his arm across the back of my chair, his fingers brushing my shoulder.
“Yep,” I said, leaning my head on his shoulder, grinning. “No work, all play. Deal with it.”
“Fine,” he said, kissing the top of my head quickly, his lips warm against my hair. “Guess I’ll survive.”
Boarding started soon, and we shuffled onto the plane, a short-haul jet, settling into our seats near the middle, me by the window, him in the aisle. I buckled in, turning to him with a smirk. “Weird not being the ones serving drinks,” I said, nudging his arm. “You gonna miss barking orders?”
“Nah,” he said, buckling his belt, his hand landing on my thigh, squeezing lightly. “Rather have you bugging me than Mike.”
“Aw,” I said, covering his hand with mine, lacing our fingers together. “Sweet talker.”
“Shut up,” he said, grinning, leaning over to kiss my cheek quick, his breath tickling my skin. The flight attendant started the safety demo, and I giggled, mimicking her moves with my hands, pointing at the exits. “Stop that,” he said, laughing soft, grabbing my hands to hold them still.
“Make me,” I said, sticking my tongue out, and he shook his head, pulling my hand up to kiss my knuckles, his lips soft and warm.
“You’re ridiculous,” he said, keeping my hand in his, resting it on his leg as the plane taxied out, engines rumbling low. I leaned into him, my head on his shoulder, watching the runway blur past as we took off, the jolt of it familiar but new without the work headset on.
“First time flying together like this,” I said, tilting my head to look at him, my free hand brushing his arm. “Not working, just us.”
“Yeah,” he said, turning to me, his eyes soft. “Kinda nice.”
“Kinda?” I said, poking his chest, grinning. “Say it’s great.”
“Fine,” he said, catching my hand, kissing my palm quickly. “It’s great.”
“Better,” I said, snuggling closer, my leg hooking over his a bit under the tray table. “You’re stuck with me now.”
“Stuck,” he said, his arm sliding around my shoulders, pulling me in tight. “Guess I’ll deal.”
The flight was short, just an hour, and I kept teasing him, stealing his armrest, poking his side when he tried to read the inflight magazine. “You’re worse than a kid,” he said, flipping the page, but he grinned, grabbing my hand to hold it, his thumb brushing my wrist.
“You love it,” I said, leaning over to kiss his jaw, quick and soft, giggling as he shifted in his seat. “Admit it.”
“Maybe,” he said, turning to kiss me back, his lips brushing mine slowly, sweetly, pulling back before it got too much. “Behave.”
“Nope,” I said, resting my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat through his shirt. “This is too fun.”
“Fun,” he said, his hand sliding to my back, rubbing slow circles, warm through my sweater. “You’re a handful.”
“Always,” I said, grinning up at him, my hand resting on his knee, squeezing lightly. The flight attendant came by with drinks, and I grabbed a Coke, handing him one too. “Cheers,” I said, clinking my can against his, sipping slowly.
“Cheers,” he said, taking a sip, his arm staying around me, his fingers playing with the ends of my hair. “You’re making this weird, you know.”
“Weird how?” I said, tilting my head, grinning as I set my can down.
“Not working,” he said, leaning closer, his voice low. “Just sitting here with you. Different.”
“Good difference,” I said, kissing his cheek again, lingering a second. “Right?”
“Yeah,” he said, turning to catch my lips with his, soft and quick, his hand cupping my face for a beat. “Good.”
We landed in Vegas smoothly, the plane rolling to the gate, and I stayed close, my hand in his as we grabbed our bags, stepping off into the terminal. “First trip together,” I said, looping my arm through his, grinning big. “Not bad, huh?”
“Not bad,” he said, pulling me in for a quick hug, his lips brushing my forehead. “Let’s make it good.”
“Deal,” I said, giggling, leaning into him as we headed out, the buzz of Vegas waiting. Three days off, just us, and it felt sweet, real or not.