2 the alternate airport pick-up
gabe
TALA
Just said goodbye to Lu. Thanks again for the trip! We really needed that.
GABE
Don’t mention it. Enjoy your time with Jason.
Finishing the dregs of my coffee, I glanced at the arrivals gate. Travelers trickled through the doorway with their bags in tow, most of them in pairs or groups. I left some bills under my saucer and threaded my way through the crowd.
Two Christmases ago, Tala forced me to watch Love Actually. She teared up even before the plot began, when they were showing clips of people greeting each other at the Heathrow Airport. When I asked why she was crying, she said she imagined flying home and finding her family waiting to welcome her.
Tala would get the airport reunion she’d been dreaming of in a few days. I was happy for her, despite the fact that I’d miss having her around. If things with Jason worked out, I’d hopefully see her again soon.
For now, I’d make sure her sister would get to her apartment in one piece.
I spotted Luna before she saw me. Her hair lay loose and dark against her cream sweater. She wore a long floral skirt and a thinly veiled look of panic on her face.
Pulling her suitcase to a stop, she scanned the signs hanging from the ceilings, probably trying to find the way to the bus. I walked faster.
I was three feet away from her when she looked my way. She blinked like she wasn’t sure what she was seeing. Her full lips parted in a sharp inhale.
I stopped in front of her.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I was in the area.”
“I didn’t know Charleston Airport was so close to Sterling U.”
I raised my shoulders. “Distance is relative.”
She bit her bottom lip. “I thought you’d be happy to never see me again.”
“Technically, I’ll still see you on campus anyway.”
“Don’t sound so excited.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Her lips spread in a shy smile, and something shifted in my chest. “Aren’t you going to grab my bag?” A teasing note crept into her voice.
“You might accuse me of being a thief. Or—what did you call me that other time?” I paused like the word wasn’t stuck to my brain. “Right. An ass.”
Shaky laughter bubbled out of her mouth. “You remembered.”
“It’s not every day that I get called an ass for doing someone a favor.”
“Maybe not to your face.”
I nodded. “I’ve been said to look scary.”
“Scary isn’t really the word I’m thinking of.”
I wanted to ask what word she did think of but didn’t. That veered too close to flirtatious territory. I was already pushing it by being here, but I didn’t want her to be alone.
“Are you going to let me get your bag?” I asked instead.
“Asking permission now. We’re making progress.” She grinned at me, and damn if that didn’t tempt me to smile back at her.
Without waiting for her response, I took hold of her suitcase and nodded toward the doors. She walked beside me and talked about her trip.
By the time we were in the car, Luna had gotten to the part about meeting Jason’s teammates that morning. It didn’t escape my attention that she’d spent time with Miles again.
“Are you hungry or do you want to go straight home?” I caught a glimpse of her shivering, so I turned up the temperature control. “Is the heat okay?”
“Yes, thanks,” she said, giving me the same smile she had at the airport.
It was timid and bewildered, and it struck me for reasons I didn’t want to unpack.
After paying for parking, I asked again. “So?”
“I’m kind of hungry, but I can order delivery.” Her voice sounded wary, as if she expected me to lash out on her at any second.
“What kind of food do you want?”
“Chicken wings.”
I smothered a smile at her instantaneous answer and shifted to the right lane. “Alright.”
She turned in her seat, tucking her left ankle under her right knee. The position meant she could face me. “I thought you couldn’t be seen with a student.”
“I know a spot where that won’t be likely.”
Half an hour later, we were parked on one of Charleston’s streets opposite a row of houses lined with butterfly bushes. Luna took a second to admire the blue flowers before she dug into her box of wings.
“Napkin?” I eyed the soy garlic sauce smeared over her hands.
“No need. Getting messy is part of the experience.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” I used a napkin to fish out a parmesan wing from my own box.
She laughed. “You’re such a neat freak.”
“It’s called proper hygiene.”
“The germs add to the flavor.”
My mouth hung open as I stared at her.
“This is tradition, Gabe. We call it kamayan.”
“Are you referring to the germs in your food?”
“No. I mean eating with your bare hands.”
“Ahh.”
“Sometimes, we put banana leaves on the table and pile up the food directly in the middle. No plates and utensils. We just grab what we want and eat away.”
“What about the rice?”
“You scoop it up with your fingers.”
“That’s…an experience.”
“You should try it at least once. It’s fun—everyone’s just relaxing and enjoying the food and company.”
I wasn’t convinced, but I could respect cultural traditions. “It’s the opposite in Brazil. My parents taught me to use napkins, even if we’re eating sandwiches and pizza.”
“Seriously? I guess we really are opposites then.” She took a sip of her iced tea, her face turning thoughtful. “Are you being nice to me because of Ate?”
“Yes.”
“Oh.”
The disappointment radiating from her prompted me to say more than I should. “That’s one of the reasons. Also, I may have misjudged you.”
Her head jerked up, revealing wide eyes. “Really?”
“There’s a possibility.”
“Way to hedge your bets,” she scoffed. “I thought you’d be more decisive about your calls.”
“Sometimes a cautious approach is best. But I can give you a specific percentage if you’d like.”
“Please spare me the numbers.” She picked up a wing.
“Only if you spare my car the chicken sauce.”
“You’re on.” She jolted upright. “I almost forgot! Hold on.”
Unceremoniously dumping her takeaway box on my thigh, she grabbed the tissues I’d set between us and wiped her fingers. I opened the compartment in the center console and took out a packet of wet wipes. Pulling one out, I passed it to her.
“Thanks.” She gave me a wry smile as she cleaned her hands. “Any chance you were part of the Boy Scouts growing up?”
“No.” The question reminded me of how we barely had the budget for the essentials, let alone any extracurriculars.
Her flinch told me I’d sounded harsher than I intended, but before I could attempt to apologize, she twisted and reached into the back seat. Her scent hit me at the same time that her side brushed my arm. I grunted at the dual impact she had on my senses and moved to the left, putting distance between us.
“Sorry,” she said, mistaking the reason for my reaction. Thankfully.
She hauled her backpack onto her lap while I rearranged the food containers to prevent a mess.
“Got it!” She pulled out a square box and held it out to me. “I was going to wrap it before giving it to you, but since you’re already here…”
I stared at it for a second before taking it.
“I remembered you telling Ate what you were drinking last Christmas. Cacha?a, right?” she said, pronouncing it as kuh-sha-kah instead of kuh-sha-sah.
I’d mentioned it in passing to Tala when we exchanged gifts. I didn’t even realize Luna had been paying attention.
“Cacha?a,” I corrected her gently.
She tried again and got it right. “I looked it up and saw you can drink it as a cocktail or neat. I guessed you don’t really do mixed drinks.”
“You’re right. I prefer it neat or on the rocks.”
“Yay! I tried to find one that I thought you would like. I mean, we don’t really know each other, so I based it off your vibe. I asked Ate, too, and she agreed with my pick.”
I turned the box over in my hands.
“This is the part where you open it.”
Looking up at her, I noted the nervous twist of her mouth. It mattered to her that I liked her gift. She didn’t know that putting thought and consideration into it was more than enough for me. Whether I’d like the item itself was just details.
There was a strange thickness in my voice as I spoke. “Thank you.”
She tsked. “That’s not how it works. First, you open the gift. Then, you say thank you.”
“I’m grateful no matter what it is.” I peeled off the sticker sealing the box and lifted the flap. The item inside was wrapped in packing paper, but I knew what it was.
Feeling her eyes on me, I carefully removed the wrapping and found exactly what I expected.
A rocks glass.
Unlike my set at home, it didn’t have fancy edges. Instead, it was etched with numbers that might appear random to some.
I ran my fingers through the brief indentations. “A pi theorem rocks glass?”
Her grin came fast and bright. “You got it!”
I cocked an eyebrow at her. Did she really doubt that I would recognize the significance of the numbers?
“I know it’s not directly related to finance, but it was the closest I could find.”
“I love it,” I reassured her.
“Really?”
“Really.”
She exhaled. “Good. I was overthinking it. I spent my own money too—part of my salary from the store. So you don’t have to worry about me mooching from my sister like always.”
I frowned. “I never said that.” I’d thought it, though. Multiple times.
Guilt curdled in my stomach.
“We both know it’s true. But this came from my money. It’s not much, but I wanted to thank you for the flights.” She ducked her head so her hair hid the left side of her face. “I had the best time with Ate, and it wouldn’t have happened without you.”
The urge to brush her hair away filled me, but I stopped myself. It was inappropriate. She obviously felt uncomfortable as it was, and I didn’t want to add to it. “You didn’t need to give me anything. I’m happy to help out.”
“We don’t really need to give gifts. That’s what makes them special.”
I shouldn’t have accepted it.
I did anyway.
When I got home after dropping her off, I took out the glass and put the box away in the cupboard where I stored my watch and gadget boxes. Then I placed the glass on the shelf above my desk.
Luna might have gotten it from a shop, but to me, it was one of a kind. I couldn’t use it and risk damaging it.
As I stared at the glass with its endless sequence of numbers, I realized that, for someone who wasn’t supposed to know me that well, Luna had gotten me one of the most meaningful gifts I’d received in a long time.