Chapter 9
A day and a half with Sylas wasn’t enough time, but it was all the time we had.
He was scheduled to fly out on Saturday afternoon, so we made the most of our time together.
I wasn’t scheduled to work again until Sunday night, so Mena came to spend the night with me after he left so we could catch up.
“It feels like I haven’t seen you in ages besides on FaceTime,” Mena said as we hugged.
She slipped off her shoes and put her overnight bag by the door before we headed to the living room and got comfortable on the couch.
“I know, sis. My schedule is crazy. There’s really no rhyme or reason to how it’s determined.”
“Do you still enjoy it?”
“I do, but it’s exhausting. If I had a family, work-life balance would be impossible.”
She smiled while giving me the side-eye.
“Umm, is there something you need to tell me? Why are you talking about having a family?”
“No. There’s nothing I need to tell you.”
“Are you sure you ain’t let Mr. Pilot knock you up?”
“Girl, I take my birth control religiously, and neither of us is ready for kids.”
“Oh, but you’ve talked about it. Do tell.”
“There’s nothing to tell. I mean, we’ve talked about the future, so of course, having kids came up.”
“Are y’all official?”
“He told me my pussy was his, and I told him as long as he knows who his dick belongs to, we good.”
“I know that’s right! I love to see it.”
“Honestly, I like him . . . a lot, but I don’t want to rush. That’s where I went wrong with Harlan—”
“Aside from the fact that he was a lame and not the man for you,” she interrupted.
“True, but I was in such a rush to define what we were, I missed or ignored the red flags. When I reflect, I think he made things official to appease me, and I wasted two years of my life that I can’t get back.”
“Think of it as a learning experience and apply what you learned where it’s needed with Sylas.”
“Girl, Harlan and Sylas are nothing alike. It’s been a blessing that our schedules haven’t been in sync because it’s forced us to communicate more. I’ve learned more about Sylas in a month than I learned about Harlan in two years.”
“Which means he’s learned just as much about you, and if he’s still around, he’s obviously smitten.”
I gasped and put my hand over my chest, pretending to be offended.
“Whatchu trying to say, sis?”
“I mean, we all got our weird shit about us, and clearly, Sylas likes your weird shit. This is very promising.”
“It is, but I’m hungry. Are we ordering in or going out?”
“Let’s order in and binge-watch Harlem,” she suggested.
We ended up ordering pizza and chicken wings. By the time our food was delivered, we were showered and in our pajamas. About halfway through the first season, Sylas called, and I got butterflies when I saw his name flash across my screen.
“Pause it. I’ll be right back,” I told Mena with a grin.
“Oh my God. Look at you all giddy. Go talk to your man, girl.”
On the way to my bedroom, I answered his FaceTime.
“Hey.”
“Hey, beautiful. I miss you.”
“You just saw me.”
“That doesn’t matter. I missed you as soon as I left. What are you up to?”
“Mena is spending the night, and we’re watching Harlem. How was your flight?”
“Smooth sailing. I’m in the crew lounge at Miami International, waiting to fly to New York because the plane was delayed. I’ll stay in New York overnight, then head back to Miami in the morning, and back to Chicago for the night.”
“How long will you be in Chicago?”
“Just overnight. I think I fly to Dallas the afternoon after that, but I haven’t looked at that route too closely yet. One day at a time, baby.”
“I understand. I’m flying to Memphis tomorrow evening, then I have my first red-eye to Atlanta. We’re there until the next morning, then on to Milwaukee, then Minneapolis, and back to Chicago.”
“Damn. They really don’t give a fuck about the routes they give the newbies. Shit is crazy.”
“It’s definitely a good way to weed out the people who aren’t serious.”
“True, but I think a few good ones are lost as well. I know you don’t want me to pull any strings—”
“Sylas, don’t. I’m good. I swear.”
He sighed and rubbed his hand down his face. “Baby, it sounds like it’ll be at least a week before we see each other, and I don’t like that shit.”
“It’s not ideal, but we can manage.”
“Would it upset you if I used my connections to get you on my crew?”
“I don’t need any special treatment.”
“That’s not what I asked you. Answer the question, and if that’s truly not what you want, I’ll respect it.”
“No, I wouldn’t be upset.”
“Say less, baby. I don’t want to keep you from your friend. I’ll call you in the morning.”
“Okay.”
The call ended, and I went back to the living room to find Mena scrolling through her phone.
“I hope I wasn’t gone too long,” I said, returning to my spot on the end of the couch.
“You good, sis. I’d never interfere with love in bloom. Everything good?”
“Yeah. He just landed in Miami and is waiting to fly to New York.”
“I still can’t believe you snatched up a pilot on your first day on the job. That’s what the fuck is up. Maybe I need to reconsider my career choice.”
“You know damn well you have no interest in being a flight attendant.”
“I don’t, especially with their application process.”
“I still can’t believe I went through with it. Anyway, Sylas wants to use his connections to get me on his crew. He doesn’t like waiting weeks to see me in the flesh because our schedules don’t align.”
“Is that cool with you?”
“I wouldn’t mind seeing him a little more often. I just hope it doesn’t mess up how things are going.”
“If he’s meant to be your man, it’ll work out fine.”
“I hope so. Let’s get back to the show.”
We ended up watching all three seasons of Harlem before calling it a night. The next day, Mena was gone by noon, and I slept a few more hours before getting ready for work. I wouldn’t be back home until late Monday night, unless there were delays.
It had been two weeks since I’d last seen Sylas, and I missed him a lot more this time than before.
I hadn’t had more than a day off between my routes, and when I was off, he was in the air.
I wasn’t scheduled to work for the next three days, and Sylas was off for two of those, so I was on my way to his place.
“Hey, Ma,” I answered through my Bluetooth when her name flashed on my dashboard.
“Hey, sweetheart. It sounds like you’re on the road.”
“I’m headed to spend a couple of days with Sylas since we’re both finally off at the same time.”
“Oh, okay. When will we meet this young man?”
“Umm, I don’t know, Ma. I’ll talk to him about it and see if we can figure something out. Our schedules are crazy.”
“I’ve noticed. You haven’t been by the house nearly as often.”
“Nonstop traveling is exhausting. I’ve been trying to make sure I rest so I’ll be ready to fly again.”
“It’s been about two months. Do you still enjoy it?”
“I don’t know if enjoy would be the word, but I don’t dislike it. If I had a better schedule, I’d like it more.”
“I suppose you have to pay your dues first. Give it some time.”
“I am, Ma. I’m not ready to throw in the towel yet.”
“Good.”
“I’ll be back on Sunday, and I’ll come over.”
“Okay. We need to start planning Yandy’s baby shower. I’ll see you Sunday. Be safe. Love you.”
“I will. Love you too, Ma.”
I listened to nineties hip hop for the duration of my ride to Oak Brook.
When I arrived, I parked in the designated spot for visitors, grabbed my overnight bag from the back seat, and used the code Sylas gave me to enter the building.
As I rode the elevator to the top floor, I became anxious with excitement.
When I stood in front of his unit, I took a deep breath before knocking. He opened the door almost immediately without asking who it was. Barely a second later, he had me wrapped in his arms with his face nestled in my neck. I dropped my bag and hugged his waist.
No words were exchanged as we took a moment to bask in being in each other’s presence. I closed my eyes and inhaled his fresh, woodsy scent. Being in his arms felt like home.
“I missed you,” he whispered.
Every time we spoke, he told me he missed me, and I thought it was the sweetest thing.
“I missed you more.”
He lifted his head and took a step back, but we remained in each other’s arms.
“That’s impossible, but we don’t have to argue about it.”
He kissed me before I could respond, and if the way he kissed me was an indication of how much he missed me, I felt it with every swipe of his tongue over mine. When he pulled away, we looked into each other’s eyes for a moment. A dreamy smile graced his lips, which made me blush.
“I made you breakfast,” he said.
“Is that why you told me not to eat? I thought you were taking me out.”
“We’ll go out for dinner. I want you all to myself for a little while.”
“You’re a sweetheart.”
He kissed my forehead.
“Only for you, baby. You can wash your hands in the kitchen while I take your bag to my bedroom. I’ll give you a tour after we eat. I don’t want the food to get cold.”
He led me to the kitchen, then disappeared. I looked around, pleased with what I’d seen of his place so far. After washing and drying my hands with a paper towel, I leaned against the counter and waited for Sylas.
“Have a seat, beautiful. I’ll make your plate.”
I sat down and watched him move around the kitchen. He told me he could cook, but this was the first opportunity I’d had to try his cooking. Most people could cook breakfast, so I wasn’t too concerned that he’d messed it up.
A few minutes later, he placed a plate of French toast, bacon, scrambled eggs, and a glass of orange juice in front of me. My stomach growled loud enough for him to hear, causing us to laugh.
“As you can hear, I’m hungry, so this better be good,” I warned.
“I told you my mama made sure I could cook before I left for college.”
“I won’t find any eggshells in the eggs or baked into the French toast?”
“You’re funny. Hell nah, baby. I can cook, for real.”
“Okay. Make your plate so we can eat.”