4. catch flights
catch flights
OTHELLO
I barely make it. Clearing TSA has me feeling like I’m running a damn obstacle course, and the second I shove my Jordans back on, I book it to the gate.
The duffle bag on my shoulder smacks hard against my side with each push forward.
After all the courage it took to get me here, I’m determined not to miss this flight.
The attendant scans my boarding pass and smiles. “Everyone seems to be running late today,” she says playfully.
“Monday’s will do that to you,” I pant, trying to catch my breath.
She laughs, batting her extra-long lashes. “Enjoy your flight, Mr. Kingston.”
I thank her and duck inside the plane, nodding at the pilot and the two flight attendants hovering near the entrance. One of the attendants, a tall woman, gives me a polite smile the second our eyes meet.
“Welcome! Do you need help finding your seat?”
“Nah, I think—”
I glance at my ticket and towards the back of the cabin, but my mouth falls open in shock.
Nah, it can’t be.
My steps falter, the shock of seeing that familiar face sparking something hot inside of me. The closer I get, the more vivid she becomes.
Yes, it is her.
Marley Jacobs.
The one who got away.
Marley doesn’t see me coming. She’s lost in thought, completely oblivious to me heading her way.
Oh shit.
Now I’m feeling a bit insecure. Do I smell okay?
Is my breath fresh? Will she remember me?
It’s been almost four months since we met.
That night had been the first and last time I’d seen her.
It had been a brief introduction, but I remember the vibe and the instant connection between us.
I can remember the night so clearly, as if it happened yesterday.
Her perfect smile and the way she shined it on me, making me feel like a schoolboy with a foolish-ass crush. I’m getting giddy thinking about the way she looked at me, the amber glint in her dark brown eyes.
Marley made me nervous as hell that night.
And that doesn’t usually happen with women.
But with her, I didn’t know how to form a simple-ass sentence to simply ask her out on a date.
By the time I worked up the nerve, her phone interrupted.
The bubble of hope I had burst as she excused herself and hurried off into the crowd and out of my life.
Until now.
The girl of my literal dreams is here. In the flesh. I’d thought of her constantly since that night. Four long months of wonder and regret. But not anymore. I look up to the Most High and whisper a silent thank-you.
Marley is still lost in her own world when I make it to our row.
I slide my bag into the overhead bin, schooling my expression before taking my seat beside her.
Her face turns, glowing and radiant, and out of habit she smiles.
When her eyes register who I am, the curve of that pretty mouth turns up even more.
Genuine. The smile I’d fantasized about more times than I care to admit.
Damn, she takes my breath away.
“Wow. What are the odds?” I ask casually.
“Othello?”
She remembers me.
My chest and ego lift as I settle into my seat.
“What are you doing here?” she asks.
“Catching a flight to Hawaii, I hope.”
This gets a laugh out of her, hitting me like a sweet song I never want to end.
“This is wild,” I say, shaking my head. “When you ran away from me at that party, I honestly thought I’d never see you again.”
More laughter spills from Marley’s lips, the sound just as infectious as before. And I want to make her do it over and over again. “I didn’t run away,” she says. “I walked away to take a phone call.”
I lean in closer, my smiling not letting up. “Yeah, but you never came back.”
Anchored in her gaze, the moment shifts, and I feel a subtle pull humming between us.
The energy is radiating, and I can’t stop looking into those brown eyes.
They’re mesmerizing. A sweet concoction of copper, bronze, and gold.
For a second, I feel like I’m back to the first day we met at her friend’s party.
The chemistry was there then, and I can feel it here now.
I take Marley in, eyeing her from head to toe. I feel like my Uber driver, Clover, who was trying hard not to look conspicuous, but I’m failing miserably.
Marley’s hair is an opulent blend of locs and whimsy curls. Her satin leopard-print skirt brushes her knees, and her white graphic t-shirt with the phrase “Catch flights, not feelings” is printed boldly in red. The caption makes me smile.
“Catch flights, not feelings?” I read the words out loud.
She blushes and lifts a shoulder to her honey brown cheek. “Yep.”
“Damn. So I guess I don’t stand a chance, huh?”
A laugh slips out of her. “You don’t stand a chance.”
The flirtatious look in her eye nearly makes me weak.
God, that smile.
“Maybe I’ll just try my luck anyway.”
I look her over again, noticing her obsession with jewelry. They are in her hair, on her ankles, on her wrist, which makes my eyes wander to her slender fingers to see if she is wearing a certain kind of band on her ring finger.
None.
I hope she’s single.
“So, what’s waiting for you in Hawaii? Or should I say, who?” I ask her.
Clearly she has to be meeting the love of her life in a place like Hawaii. It’s an island built for romance and vacations with the love of your life.
Or weddings for people you low-key despise.
Marley’s eyes narrow, but there is playfulness to them. “The beach is waiting for me,” she answers. “Frozen drinks with umbrellas. Peace of mind. No distractions.”
I nod, relief washing over me. “Good to know.”
Very good to know.
She adjusts in her seat, turning her focus on me. “I suppose a woman can’t go on vacation alone? She needs a man to travel with?” she quips, doing a terrible job of looking offended. The cute pout on her face only makes me laugh out loud.
“You’re killing me. Come on, stop. I didn’t say anything like that.”
“Maybe not. But don’t lie, you were thinking it.”
“Okay, yeah, I was. For a second. But I’m glad to see you’re not.”
“If anything, I should be asking who you are meeting in Hawaii.” She crosses her arms across her chest. “I saw your profile on Hooked.”
“Hooked?” My eyebrows crease in confusion.
“Yeah. Hooked.”
What the hell is-
“Oh! Yeah. That dating app?” I shake my head. “I haven’t been on that in months. I meant to delete that shit.”
Marley tilts her head, lips curling in amusement. Her face says she doesn’t believe a word I just said. “Mmhmm,” she hums.
“I kid you not. I don’t use that app.”
“Really?”
“Really. I’m old school. I like meeting people the classic way. You know, like at the grocery store or on plane rides to tropical islands.”
“I hear you talking.”
“It’s true,” I hold my hands out in defeat, as if that will convince her to believe me. “I’m here for a wedding. My cousin is getting married at Grand Palms Resort. I hear it’s phenom-”
I stop short at the mixed-up look on Marley’s face.
“What?”
“I too am staying at the Grand Palms Resort,” she admits.
“In Maui?”
“Yes. For a week.”
“You’re kidding?”
“I kid you not,” she mocks.
A slow, amused grin pulls at my mouth as I look at her in wonder.
How the hell did she do that? Five minutes ago my mind was in a war zone.
And somehow she appears and quiets all of it without even trying.
Like she simply reaches into my head and adjusts the volume down on my chaos.
She has my full attention, and that’s not something a woman has had in a long time.
“Okay, so we definitely have to hang out while you’re in Maui. I can take you to dinner.”
“No, thank you,” she deadpans.
“No?” I repeated, genuinely surprised.
“Yes, no.” She says again with certainty.
“Why not?” I am more amused than offended.
I’ve never been turned down before. The female gaze tends to find me no matter where I go or what I do. I’ve learned to ignore it at most. The fact that Marley doesn’t seem bothered by me in one way or another makes me find her even more attractive. It’s me that’s burning with curiosity.
“What part of no distractions did you not understand?”
I press my hand into my chest. “I’m a distraction?”
“You are.”
“I’m just a young man wanting to take a beautiful woman, you, out to dinner. That’s it. That’s all.”
“Dinner with a stranger in Maui?”
“Am I a stranger?”
Her laugh makes me want to tell jokes all day long so I can hear it again and again. “Why do you want to go out with me anyway? You don’t even know me.”
“That’s kind of the point,” I tell her. “I’d like to.”
Marley’s wide, doe-like eyes connect with mine once again, our gaze lingering until surprise flashes across her face.
Then, as if snapping out of a trance, her body goes rigid.
I watch her tense, shoulders locking up as her eyes squeeze shut.
She presses her back into her seat, fingernails digging into the armrests.
“Hey, you good?” I ask, concern on my face.
I scan her over before peering out the window. The plane is now on the runway, revving up for takeoff. In seconds, the engine roars to life. When I look back at Marley, she is shivering, her mouth silently counting down numbers.
The moment I sense her fear, instinct takes over. Without a second thought, I take her hand in mine. The reaction is sudden and impulsive, but I can’t help wanting to put her at ease in some way, shape, or form.
Marley’s eyes snap open, and she looks at me. At that moment I feel like I’ve made a mistake.
Stepped over a boundary.
I wait for her to pull her hand out of mine, but instead her grip tightens. I relax, my chest swelling up with triumph when her fingers thread into mine. I can feel her anchoring herself, and that alone puts me at ease.
“I got you,” I tell her softly.
The takeoff is pretty shaky, and the plane is still ascending. I give Marley time to catch her bearings, silent, but never letting go of her hand, which has a mean death grip on mine. If she squeezes any harder, I might lose feeling in my fingers.
Once we’re above the clouds and the seat belt sign dings, I ask her if she’s okay.
“Yeah,” she says, nodding, eyes still closed as she takes a deep breath in and a long one out.
“Sorry. I hope I didn’t freak you out. I just hate takeoffs.”
“Don’t apologize. The worst part is over,” I assure her.
“Well, we haven’t landed yet.”
“True, but let’s not think the worst.”
I watch her for a beat longer, my brain racing over what she might need at this moment. I come up with nothing. But a story similar to this moment comes to mind, and it’s the only thing I can think of that may get her thoughts off what’s happening right here and now.
“Can I tell you a story?”
She agrees, clearly still trembling like a leaf.
I turn towards her, her hand still in mine.
“Back in the day, my babysitter took me to the movies to watch this film called Alive. I was traumatized. A rugby team’s plane crashes in the Andes Mountains.
Half the team dies, and the other half are stranded in freezing weather.
No food. I’m eight years old watching this shit like, yeah…
there is no way in the world I’m getting on a plane. ”
Marley’s shoulders drop, and she finally turns to look at me, her expression caught somewhere between disbelief and horror.
“Excuse me, but what is your point in this?” she galls. “You seriously think this is a good idea? Like, right now?” Her head turns toward the window, indicating the fact that we’re literally on a plane, in the air.
I can’t help but laugh.
“I’m getting to my point.”
“Well, can you make it quick?” she snaps, playfully.
“Right. Sure.” I shift in my seat. “Okay, so, not long after that movie date, we had to go to Cali for a family reunion. We were living in Georgia. My mom was scared of flying too and wanted to drive, but my pops shut that down real quick.”
She laughs.
“We got the tickets, and when I tell you I was scared out of my mind… I was at school saying bye to all my friends like it was the last time I’d ever see them.”
Her contagious laugh continues, and I keep on.
“But the pilot made it the best experience ever. My parents told him how scared I was, and he brought me up front and let me sit in the cockpit before we took off. Put these huge headphones on me, showed me all the buttons and gears, and everything.”
She smiles.
“But I just remember his encouraging words and reminding me that we were going to be safe. And I guess the point in me saying all this is that if you need a co-pilot, I’m right here.”
My story is done. I wait for Marley to say something, anything. But she just stares at me, face stoic, lips twisting, and it dawns on me that she is trying to hold in a gut-busting laugh.
I lift my chin, my expression deadpan, daring her to do it. And she does. Right in my face. The joy in her laughter is enough to make me smile, and before I know it, I'm laughing too.
Okay, yeah, the story was horrible. But it worked. I’d accomplished what I’d set out to achieve. The tension in her body is gone, and her mind is at ease.
“Never tell that story again,” she says, trying to control herself.
“Hell, I tried.”
“Too hard.”
“You know, that reminds me of something else I tried, and it didn’t work.”
“Yeah, and what’s that?”
“The night we met, I approached you because I wanted to ask you out.”
Her eyes meet mine. And I can’t stop thinking about that phone call that interrupted our moment. I wonder what she would have said then and what she will say now. All of a sudden, I’m just as nervous as I was that night.
“I mean, that’s if you have time in your busy, all about you, solo vacation,” I tell her. “I would love to take you out to dinner.”
“In Maui?” she asks.
“Yes, in Maui.”
“So, you know all the hot spots to go to then, huh?”
I drag my hand across my mouth, trying and failing to hide the grin on my face. “Nah, I’ve never been to Maui before. This will be my first time. But… I’ll figure it out. I just need you to say yes.”
Our eyes meet and linger.
“Yes,” she says finally.