17
The terminal was alive with movement – players in team jackets, with civilian clothes underneath, bags slung over shoulders, staff juggling paperwork, medics coordinating last-minute details.
Claire navigated the maze of rolling suitcases.
She had barely taken two steps when Jack appeared at her side.
“Looks like we’re stuck in the shuffle together,” he said, lifting his carry-on with a grin.
Claire rolled her eyes, but there was no mistaking the relief in her voice.
“Lucky me,” she said, matching his wide pace as they dodged a flurry of teammates racing for check-in.
Jack slowed down, realizing that she was shorter than him, and does not walk as fast. He instinctively takes her bag to carry it for her.
“Thank you,” she says to him earnestly.
“I’m a big strong man, what can I say?” he said to her cheekily, “It’s my duty- nay- my privilege to carry heavy things”. She chuckled at his response.
The preflight chaos was a storm of familiar and unfamiliar faces. Players weaved past each other, shouting jokes or complaints about missing chargers and a missing scrum cap that Kelsey has lost somewhere. Claire was grateful he slowed down for her and kept pace, sharing the rhythm of the crowd.
Jack leaned closer, speaking over the murmur of announcements. “Have you been to Johannesburg before?”
“Never, not once.”
“It’s going to be a great time.” He seemed confident.
“Be sure to sleep on the plane, boys!” Coach Reynolds yelled to the team, “as soon as we land, we go to war!”
This earned whoops from the team.
They reached the gate just as boarding was called.
Claire handed over her boarding pass, and they found their row, the shuffle now giving way to the subdued hum of the plane’s interior.
Jack settled into the aisle seat beside her with a relieved sigh.
“Finally. Seat, food, silence… well, as much silence as a plane full of these hooligans will allow.” He gestured to his teammates in the back.
Claire laughed, easing into the seat and letting the world outside fade as the engine roared to life. The chaos of dodging teammates, managing paperwork, surviving the hectic terminal was soon replaced by the intimacy of shared space.
The plane purred steadily as it climbed above the clouds. As soon as the seatbelt sign dimmed, Jack leaned back, stretching his long, bulky legs. “I’m glad we’re together for this haul. I would rather sit next to you than anyone else in the whole world right now, Doc.”
Claire chuckled, shaking her head. “You make it sound romantic.”
“Maybe a little,” he admitted, eyes glinting. “But I also like having someone to talk to. You’re interesting – smart, pretty…”
“Ooh tell me more,” Claire joked.
“…not scared to tell me when I’m being ridiculous.”
Claire smiled faintly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I do have a reputation for that, I guess.”
They fell into easy conversation, the kind that happens when two people have just enough curiosity about each other.
Jack told her about why he loved rugby. He said it was the feeling of connection, the discipline, the adrenaline of a perfectly executed play, of being on a team.
He spoke about growing up in a coastal town in Australia, and the long afternoons of playing sports with his friends.
He was the only one to get signed straight out of university.
Moving back home from the States was a big move at the time for him. Now it all seemed so trivial.
He asked about her family, and told her about his.
“My dad,” he said, his tone softer, “he remarried after my mum and him separated… my sister’s only twelve.
She’s… a handful. Cute, but a handful.” He laughed.
“I try to keep her out of trouble, but she’s got her own ideas.
The younger the sibling, the harder it is to not give in to her puppy dog eyes. ”
Claire listened, genuinely intrigued. “Is it strange? A big age gap like that?”
“Yeah,” Jack admitted. “But she’s sweet. I don’t mind being the protective one. And honestly… I think my dad needed some happiness too. It’s just… complicated sometimes.”
The conversation drifted effortlessly, like a river finding its course, moving from family stories to favorite movies, childhood memories, and even guilty pleasures they’d never admit to anyone else.
Jack’s eyes lit up when he talked about his sister’s obsession with space documentaries, and Claire couldn’t help but laugh at the way he described trying to sneakily get her to eat vegetables – like a stealthy, exasperated older brother.
“Wait, you actually hid broccoli in her pancakes?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Absolutely,” he said with a grin. “You’d be amazed at what kids won’t notice if it’s covered in syrup. I guess technically they are pikelets, not pancakes, but whatever.”
Claire laughed again, the sound soft but genuine, and Jack’s grin widened. “You have a nice laugh,” he said quietly, leaning just a fraction closer.
He slid the in-flight tablet from the armrest, holding it between them. “Movie?” he suggested, nodding to the screen.
“Sure,” Claire said, letting him pick. Soon, the soft glow of the screen filled the small space between them.
Jack handed her one earbud, keeping the other for himself.
The dialogue of the film and the occasional musical cue wove around them, but the most captivating sound was the warmth of his voice as he whispered commentary, just low enough for her to hear.
She shook her head at one of his jokes about the ridiculous plot twist, and he laughed softly, a sound that made her chest tighten in a way she hadn’t expected.
He leaned closer again, just slightly, enough that the tip of his knee brushed hers.
He was a large man and takes up all of the thin airplane seat.
Jack’s hand moved subtly, resting lightly near hers on the armrest. The brush was casual but deliberate. It sent an electric thrill up her arm. He reached for her hand, and let his fingers dance over hers, longingly.
She tried to focus on the screen, but her attention kept straying – to the curve of his smile, the intensity in his eyes when he laughed, the warmth radiating from his shoulder where she leaned closer than necessary.
Minutes passed, each one slower than the last, the world of the plane receding until it was just the two of them in that little cocoon of shared space and whispered commentary.
And then, despite her best intentions, the combination of soft lights, the gentle background noise of the engines, and the comfort of his presence lulled her into drowsiness.
Her head tilted, almost unconsciously, coming to a light rest on his strong shoulder.
When the flight attendants passed with dinner, Jack gently shook Claire awake. They shared a tray, occasionally feeding each other bites or swapping tastes. Jack asked for two small glasses of wine, raising his in a quiet toast. Claire clinked her glass gently against his, smiling.
Hours passed, and the wine, the warmth of shared space, and the comfort of conversation made Claire’s eyelids heavy again. When she finally dozed off for the night, her head found that same soft spot on Jack’s shoulder.
Jack froze for a heartbeat, a soft smile tugging at his lips as he looked down at her, brushing a strand of hair away. He didn’t move her, didn’t disturb her rest.
But not everyone in the cabin seemed oblivious.
Across the aisle and two rows back, Noah watched them quietly.
His jaw tightened, his fingers curling around the armrest. Sparks of jealousy flared – not just all at Jack, but at the closeness Claire seemed so easily to allow.
He glanced away, trying to mask it, but the small smile on Jack’s face as he gently kept her head steady was enough to set Noah’s chest tightening in a way he didn’t like.
The plane soared on, a quiet tension weaving between unspoken feelings as the world outside the window turned dark and endless and eventually to South Africa.