Chapter 10
Ten
JESSE
C lara’s knuckles were turning white against the armrest as the stewards did their safety talk. Her eyes were not really focused on what was being demonstrated, and her breathing was happening consciously.
I hadn’t pegged her as a nervous flyer. She’d been her usual calm self the whole day up until the moment her seatbelt clicked shut.
Without thinking too much about it, I placed a hand on Clara’s leg, just above her knee. I felt the muscles clench underneath the fabric of her leggings before they relaxed on a shaky exhale. The colour returned to her knuckles just a little.
I absently traced a pattern with my thumb on her leg as the plane started taxiing down the runway and watched the colour leach out of her hands again as we picked up speed. I removed my hand and offered my palm. Clara studied my hand for a breath before she released her death grip on the armrest and placed her hand in mine.
Clara had a strong grip. If I hadn’t been prepared for it, I would have flinched at how hard she held onto my hand. Her eyes slipped closed, and she started counting in French under her breath. I settled into my own seat a bit more and just held on, my thumb stroking across the soft skin between her thumb and forefinger. The silver of her rings was cool against my too-hot hand while I looked out the window, the city getting smaller beneath us.
When she got to one thousand, her eyes blinked open, and her grip loosened, but she didn’t let go of my hand.
“Take off is the worst,” she mumbled in English. I nodded in understanding.
“Landings are my least favourite part,” I offered.
“Flying in general is the worst, actually. I can’t promise I won’t get worse,” she said, more confidently now, but still nervous. I was happy that I pushed to be on the same flight as her, now knowing how much she hated flying.
“I’ll be here,” I replied as I closed the window blind. I was rewarded with a small smile.
She didn’t let go of my hand for the duration of the short flight.
* * *
If I hadn’t witnessed the terror that had gripped Clara’s entire body while we were in the air, I would never have known that she was terrified of flying as we passed through passport control and into baggage claim.
It was almost eerie how calm she was as we found the correct conveyor belt. While everyone else from our flight was jostling for the best spot around, Clara walked over to a nearby pillar and sat on the floor.
“I’m going to pull up the rental car info now. It will make getting out of here so much quicker when our luggage gets here,” she said in my general direction, not looking up from her phone.
“That luggage you’re really eager to retrieve,” I teased as I dropped my carry-on luggage onto the floor next to her.
She laughed as she looked up at me. “Jesse, our suitcases either got on the plane or they didn’t. There’s not much we can do at this point except hope. I have enough emergency clothing in this rucksack to last a couple of days, and my parents have that emergency bridesmaid dress. Anything else, I can either buy or do without for a week.”
“I am not that organised,” I replied as I sat down next to her. My eyes flicked over to the conveyor belt, which was starting to fill with luggage. None of it ours.
“Always have emergency underwear as a bare minimum. If you take nothing else from this trip with me, please take that. Although, I guess you could also master the ways of hand luggage only.”
“Hand luggage only sounds too good to be true. It’s not something I think I am capable of.”
Clara laughed. “When did you lose your luggage, then?”
“Boys trip to Magaluf. There were eight of us and only seven suitcases arrived when we did. I was the unlucky one. It arrived on day four of a week-long trip.”
I felt the weight of her stare as it dragged up my body before she made it to my face. “At least it was Magaluf, where minimal clothing was required.”
“I did leave with minimal tan lines.” I didn’t miss the way her brown eyes darkened before she cleared her throat and looked back at the conveyor belt. “What about you? Ever been stranded somewhere without your luggage?”
“Only once. It was a couple of years ago when I went to New York with Drew. It was only for twenty-four hours, and I was raised to have spares of everything on me, so it didn’t bother me. Pissed him off to no end, though. He didn’t shut up about it for the entire trip.” There was a bitterness to her voice before she cleared her throat again. “Your suitcase was black with a white handle, right?” I nodded. “It just came out.”
I stood up too fast, and the world started spinning when I reached my full height. I heard a chuckle from the floor but ignored her as I moved through the crowd to collect my suitcase. As I pulled it off and yanked the handle up, I noticed a blue suitcase with a red ribbon tying the zips together. It was Clara’s. I waited until it was in front of me and grabbed the handle.
It took Clara a beat to notice that I had returned, and when she did, her gaze immediately narrowed in on her suitcase.
“That’s mine,” she stated.
“I know. I’ve saved you the trip, and we can get the hell out of here.”
Clara stood up slowly as I bent over to pick up my backpack and sling it over my shoulder. I then grabbed the handles of the suitcases in each hand.
“I can take that, you know,” Clara said as she settled her backpack on her shoulders and held her hand out.
“Just lead the way to the car.”
She hesitated, and I winked at her. Just before she turned away from me, I caught the barest of blushes appear high on cheekbones, and I smiled to myself as we left baggage claim.