Girl on a Plane

by Cassandra O'Leary

  This time, she’d wanted to bypass the hotel completely and take a taxi direct from Tullamarine airport to Gabriel’s apartment. But no, she might be presuming too much. He’d kind of invited her to stay with him at his apartment in Brighton, but not exactly. After their phone call twenty-four hours ago, when they’d practised dirty talk over the phone, she was bubbling over with excitement and plain old-fashioned lust.

  She raised her weary self and made a cup of coffee, reading her online messages. Bridie wished her a good trip, and Yuki told her to behave. Not likely.

  A riveted Yuki had sat through Sinead’s saga of a story on the second leg flight from Dubai. She’d updated her friend on her time with Gabriel. Sinead explained the horrible blow-by-blow of the whole weekend and the background on her stalker ex.

  Yuki was steaming mad with Sinead for not telling her the whole story sooner, in fact, she got a smack on the arm for her trouble. But Yuki swooned when Sinead explained how Gabriel had looked after her that night and stayed with her at the police station the next morning.

  Wandering to the windows, she looked out over the Melbourne skyline. Victorian buildings and silver skyscrapers and the Yarra River shimmering below in the sunshine. She wanted to be with Gabriel. Where would he take her? He seemed so excited to show her around his city. Even though she’d lived here before, she wanted to experience it with him. Not long now, and they’d be together.

  She stripped off all her clothes in a nudie happy dance. Her skin was so hot, sparks practically flew off with her uniform.

  One quick shower later, she was wrapped in an enormous white bath sheet and dialling Gabriel’s number. No answer. Unacceptable.

  But as soon as she ended the call, her phone buzzed and vibrated in her hand, startling her out of her daydreams.

  “Gabriel?”

  “Hello, Irish. Good to hear your voice. Have you gone through security yet? I can come and meet you.”

  Happy heat rolled across her cheeks. “I’ve checked into my hotel and had a shower. I’m all wet. And naked.”

  She exaggerated a little, hoping to hear his groan in reaction to her words. She loved that sound and he didn’t disappoint. The noise out of his throat was all deep and rumbly. It shot straight to its target in her lady parts.

  “God, Sinead. You’re trying to kill me over the phone. But why did you go to the hotel? I want you to stay with me.”

  Her lips stretched in a smile so wide her cheeks could’ve split open. “All right.”

  “All right? I’m at work at the moment so I’m already in the city. I’ll skip out early and pick you up. Give me half an hour.”

  “You know the hotel? The Southbank one.”

  “Yep, already on my way. See you soon. Stay naked, I’ll come to your room.”

  “Okay. Be quick.”

  She was definitely trying to kill him and he wasn’t complaining. Gabriel lay in Sinead’s hotel bed, naked and relaxed. Should he wake the sleeping beauty lying beside him? No, not yet.

  She’d jumped him at the door when he’d arrived. What a sight for sore eyes, wearing nothing but a towel and a pair of sparkly silver high heels. The towel disappeared in half a second and he’d been totally on board with whatever she had in mind. So much for taking her back to his place. Hotels had their uses.

  It involved a lot of kissing all over his very grateful body, while she removed his clothes and performed some kind of torturously slow sexy-dance. She’d left the high heels on, even when the dance became more horizontal and X-rated. Lucky they’d got through the preliminary round of getting to know each other before her jet-lag hit. Then she’d pretty much passed out.

  The waiting was killing him. Looking at her lying next to him, bare, creamy skin only half covered by a crisp white cotton sheet, his relaxed mood suddenly wore off. He wanted her again and it was getting urgent. He needed her. Not in this hotel. He was damned sick of hotels; he wanted her in his bed.

  Then she made a groaning, sexy noise, and to top it off, she wiggled her hips. He was close enough to feel the movement against his side. It did interesting things to his body.

  Her mouth popped open. “Oh, Gabriel.”

  He leaned closer, examining her face. Eyelids shut, eyes moving rapidly behind the shutters. She was still asleep. Dreaming of him. His heart suddenly felt too big for his chest, like it might explode at any second.

  “Yes, like that.”

  Fascinated and more than a little turned on, he watched as her right hand, which had been wrapped around her own stomach, pushed the sheet down lower. Her fingertips blazed a trail down the gentle curve of her belly to the Promised Land. A land he’d like to explore further.

  She made another little noise, like a sigh. He couldn’t lie next to her and watch, could he? It seemed creepy, like he was spying on her. But he couldn’t tear his eyes away.

  As a compromise, he leaned in and pressed a kiss on her throat, then whispered in her ear. “I’m here, sweetheart.”

  Her eyelids fluttered. “Mmm. I love you.”

  He froze. Hot blood pounded through his veins and his body tightened. Did she really say she loved him? It was all he hoped for, but she’d said it in her sleep so it probably didn’t mean anything. Her eyes flickered open, drowsy and clouded over by the lingering dream and some emotion he couldn’t read.

  “Hi,” she whispered.

  “Hi, yourself.”

  “I was dreaming about you.”

  “Were you?” Of course she was, but he couldn’t bring himself to mention what she’d said in her sleep.

  “Yes. I’m glad you’re really here.”

  Stroking the slope of her shoulder, he tried to speak. He tried to summon some bravery but chickened out. “Come stay with me?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “But first I think I need to make your dream come true.” Dammit, he couldn’t wait a minute longer.

  Licking a path from her breasts down to her stomach, he circled her navel and tasted her sweet skin. He couldn’t get enough.

  When he ducked under the sheet and moved down to trail kisses between her thighs, Sinead’s moans made him a very happy man. He’d make her a happy woman too. At least for now.

  Sinead squinted her eyes to block out the blinding sun reflecting off sheets of glass. The front of the designer townhouses opposite the beach were like mirrors on a hot, clear day. Where were her sunglasses? She held her hand up to shield her eyes. She wasn’t prepared for the last blast of an Australian summer after leaving London’s cool, misty winter.

  They arrived at Gabriel’s apartment in the late afternoon and sweltering heat. The heatwaves were visible, shimmering above the asphalt road like a gateway to another dimension. As if she was in a science-fiction movie and she’d stepped through a portal transporting her directly into the heart of summertime on another planet. She blinked her eyes a few times. Lord, she was so tired she was delusional.

  Gabriel opened his front door and ushered her inside, placing his hand possessively on her lower back. It gave her tingles. She loved feeling she belonged to him, even if it was only a tiny gesture. He let her go as he hauled her suitcase over the threshold.

  Stepping into the apartment, her mouth dropped open as she scanned the open-plan living space. It was elegant and modern as she’d expected, but minimalist to the point of being bare. Definitely the word for it. Bare.

  Gabriel’s apartment was like a space-age movie set, all blank white walls with one enormous flat-screen television, hard-edged grey leather sofas, dark metal and glass coffee tables and a black glossy kitchen with shining stainless steel appliances. No artwork, no photographs or magazines, none of the usual clutter lying around someone’s home. It was like a hotel room or a younger man’s bachelor pad, but even more sterile. Where was the reflection of his personality in this place?

  Sinead spun in a circle, taking it all in, then came to a stop and watched Gabriel. He still stood by the door with his hands stuffed into his jeans pockets. His expression was
closed off, eyes cool and distant. Waiting for her reaction.

  She glanced over his shoulder and caught a flash of blue – the view out the full-length windows on either side of the door. She could see straight across Beach Road to the bay, water stretching for miles in a flat aquamarine line until it met the cloudless summer sky.

  “Do you like it?”

  “I love the view, it’s amazing. The apartment is lovely too, but a bit … empty. Are you still decorating?”

  He shook his head, looking around the room. “I bought the place for the view, but I haven’t spent much time here. With all the travelling and Mum’s illness, I spend a lot of time in hotels and at her house. It is a bit empty.”

  Sinead felt something tighten in her chest at his words. This place wasn’t a real home, any more than her London flat. He deserved better. They both did.

  He strode towards her, closing the distance between them, placing his large hands on her hips. Sinead melted into him, like an ice lolly on the hood of a car at the beach. The imprint of his warm hand grasping her through her light blue summer dress made her lower belly clench. His touch warmed all sorts of places inside her, matching the heat on her exposed, sun-warmed skin.

  Her hands landed on his chest, hot and hard beneath his sunny yellow T-shirt with a surf brand logo. His heartbeat thudded under her touch. She’d been surprised he’d worn something so casual to work that day. But he’d said lots of Aussies dressed down in the office unless they were going to a formal meeting. He wore the look so well, like a cross between a professional surfer and a male model. So delicious-looking he made her mouth water. Summer weather was growing on her.

  Gabriel’s eyes were as deep as the sea in the distance. “I want to take you to meet her. My Mum, I mean. But I have to warn you, she’s not doing so well. She’s gone downhill and she doesn’t seem aware of what’s going on around her.” He took a deep breath and the words came out low. “It’s Alzheimer’s. She’s not getting better.”

  Her breath stalled. Alzheimer’s. She knew it was something serious, but Alzheimer’s was such a cruel disease.

  His eyes now had a liquid sheen warning of imminent tears. Poor, sweet Gabriel.

  She lifted her right hand to cup his face, stroking along his jaw, rough with the beginnings of a five o’clock shadow. She raised up on tiptoes in her flip-flop sandals and pressed a gentle kiss to his full lower lip, offering comfort through her touch. It was only a quick kiss, but the way he squeezed her hips showed he appreciated it.

  She pulled away and stroked her fingers down his arms. “So let’s go see her. We can come back here later and you can finish showing me around.”

  “Okay.”

  Sinead threaded her fingers through his and they walked hand-in-hand back out through Gabriel’s front door. She needed to support him this time, and she was thrilled he wanted her by his side.

  The ride in Gabriel’s convertible BMW down sunshiny Beach Road and some unidentified highway left Sinead’s hair in a matted tangle down her back. Her skin was dry after her long flight and now it baked under the unforgiving Australian sun. She wasn’t looking her best and her fingers shook in her lap. She shouldn’t be nervous, but meeting Gabriel’s mother was a big deal. And sort of scary.

  She straightened her short dress as she hopped out of the car, and stood tall as she entered the aged care facility. It was like a small hospital, somewhere in Melbourne’s southern suburbia, a concrete block of blandness.

  She walked beside Gabriel down a dull corridor smelling vaguely of bleach. A blast of chilly air-conditioning cooled her skin in an instant. Gabriel’s apartment seemed sterile, but this place took sterile to another level. The place gave her the creeps. She shivered, and she didn’t think it was only the air-con. What exactly was she walking into here?

  They entered a lounge area and she took in the scene – a group of ancient, white-haired people sitting in wheelchairs in a lounge area, facing the television or the windows, blank expressions on their faces. Family members sat nearby, drinking tea and making polite conversation, with no response from their loved ones.

  An old lady laughed at nothing in particular and a middle-aged nurse wheeled her back down the corridor. Sinead looked across to Gabriel, but he didn’t say a word. Was he okay?

  He took her hand when they came to another beige corridor, his grip strong and reassuring. They came to the first door on the left. Sinead noticed the photocopied sign on the door, which read ‘Susan Anderson’. Underneath was a tacked-on Polaroid photo of a good-looking middle-aged woman with unlined skin, short blonde hair, distant, pale blue eyes and a pleasant smile.

  Sinead’s blood ran cold as the implications hit her. Gabriel’s mother was still relatively young, only in her fifties. From what he’d explained on the drive, Susan was likely to be stuck in an aged care home for the rest of her life. A life which wasn’t expected to go on much longer. Her belly rolled over, sick for Gabriel and his mother. For a life cut short and a son’s pain still to come.

  Gabriel grabbed the door handle and pushed it open. Sinead took a couple of hesitant steps into the room behind him, her flip-flops thwacking on the floor tiles and Gabriel’s deep inhalation of breath echoing in the otherwise silent room.

  Tension bunched in Gabriel’s shoulders as he spoke. “Hello, Mum. I’m back to see you again. I’ve brought someone to meet you.”

  There was no response from the woman who sat half propped up on an adjustable hospital bed. Sinead stepped to Gabriel’s side and grasped his hand, then took in Susan’s serene appearance. She didn’t move. Her hair had been brushed into a smooth bob and she wore a casual T-shirt and track pants, as if she was about to go jogging at any moment. But that wouldn’t happen. The thin plastic tube running into Susan’s nose and the drip attached to her arm belied the idea. They were the only outward indications of her illness.

  Sinead tried to meet Gabriel’s mother’s eyes. “Hello, Mrs Anderson. I’m Sinead Kennealy.” Wondering what else to say, heart thundering in her ears, she tipped her face up to Gabriel’s. “I’m Gabriel’s girlfriend. Someday, something more. I hope.”

  Eyes widening ever so slightly, Gabriel went still as a statue. Sinead’s cheeks heated at the bombshell she’d let slip. Whoops. She trained her eyes back to the woman in the hospital bed. The pristine white sheets beneath Susan’s legs were unruffled.

  Gabriel tugged on Sinead’s hand and led her to the two visitor chairs by the window. He pulled both chairs across to the side of Susan’s bed and Sinead sat down. She crossed her legs and planted her hands in her lap, a lump rising in her throat. Sinead was out of her depth, not sure whether to talk to Gabriel, or stay silent until he took the lead. Was he regretting Sinead’s being here?

  Standing at his mother’s bedside, Gabriel was calm and gentle. He bent to place a kiss on his mother’s cheek and brushed his hand through her hair. Then he sat heavily beside Sinead.

  Gabriel patted her hand. “Why don’t you tell Mum a bit about yourself? I’m sure she’d like to hear from someone besides me and the nurses for a change.”

  She nodded, glancing at his face. He offered a taut smile. “Sure. I’m originally from Dublin, as you can probably tell from my accent. But why don’t I tell you how I met Gabriel. It makes a funny story.”

  Sinead’s mouth turned upwards as Gabriel placed his hand over hers, rubbing his thumb in tiny circles across the back of her hand.

  She spoke for some time, telling Susan the story of her relationship with Gabriel so far. She explained how she lived in London, but visited Melbourne often. Sinead couldn’t imagine going about her business in London without him. Susan breathed evenly, but had no other reaction to anything Sinead said.

  A doctor in a white coat knocked on the door and entered, smiling as she laid eyes on both Gabriel and Sinead. A plump woman with kind eyes, Sinead guessed in her mid-forties. The name “Dr Maria Fiorini” was printed on her name tag.

  “Hello, Gabriel. Nice to see you again and with ano
ther visitor too. I came to give you an update on Susan’s treatment plan. Is now a good time?”

  “Yes, it’s fine. Maria, this is my girlfriend, Sinead.”

  Hearing the girlfriend moniker from Gabriel’s lips caused a little bubble of pleasure to burst in her chest and her face to light up. She probably had a silly grin on her face. The doctor raised her perfectly arched eyebrows. It didn’t matter if Maria decided she was over-friendly.

  “Hi, Maria.” Sinead extended her hand to the doctor.

  Maria sat on the end of Susan’s bed and shook Sinead’s hand. “Hello, Sinead, it’s nice to meet you.”

  She retrieved a medical chart attached to a clipboard hanging on the foot of the bed and glanced over it briefly.

  “Gabriel, as you know, Susan contracted a severe chest infection soon after she arrived here for respite care. We treated her with a high dose of antibiotics through an IV line. She’s done well recovering and breathing on her own again, so the immediate issue is making a decision about her ongoing care. Alzheimer’s disease progresses slowly in the initial stages, but now Susan’s at a stage requiring a high level of care. I don’t think she should return home, even with the nursing staff you organised. I’d recommend she remains here. But of course the decision sits with you as next of kin.”

  Gabriel shook his head and looked at the floor. When he lifted his head he looked first to Sinead, then Maria.

  When he spoke, he sounded exhausted. “I understand. I’ve been expecting this, although I was hoping Mum could stay in her own home until the end. It’s what she wanted.”

  Maria reached for his hand. “I know. But Susan hasn’t regained her ability to speak since the infection hit. Even beforehand, she wasn’t capable of making an informed decision. We’re not sure how long she’ll have left.”

  “Okay, let me think about it. I’ll let you know tomorrow.”

  Sinead’s heart stuttered. Poor Gabriel, it was the kind of decision no-one wanted to make. She glanced at Gabriel now clenching his jaw, his eyes glittering. She wanted to hold him close, wrap him in her arms and let him cry or shout, whatever he needed. But not here. He wouldn’t let out such emotion in front of his silent mother and the doctor.