My Tomorrow

by Megan Nugen Isbell

  “You’d better get going,” Ethan said, kissing me gently one last time.

  “I love you, Ethan.”

  “I love you too. Call me when you can and be safe.”

  “I will,” I said, hugging him once more before grabbing my suitcase.

  “Have fun,” he encouraged and I smiled and began walking towards the line, glancing back to Ethan who waited with a smile on his face. I tried searing his image into my mind, hoping it would last the week I was gone.

  ~~~

  “Good morning ladies and gentleman. Welcome to American Airlines flight 2357, non-stop service to Tokyo.” The loud voice over the intercom had jostled us all. We’d made it through security and spent our time at the crowded gate waiting. “In just a few minutes we will begin boarding. At this time we will begin with first class and our elite members, followed by our general boarding.”

  “That’s us,” Drew said, standing up, throwing his bag over his shoulder.

  “They haven’t called general boarding yet,” Court said.

  “We’re not general boarding. We’re first class,” he said and I couldn’t believe it. I figured he may be flying first class, but I was certain we’d be stuck in coach.

  “First class?” I asked.

  “You don’t think I’m going to sit for fifteen hours in coach.”

  “I didn’t think you would, but I thought we would.”

  “Do you really think I’m that much of a jerk? That I’d be up in first class while you guys were miserable in the back?”

  “Well…no…I just,” I stuttered, but then stopped under his gaze. “Thanks,” I said quietly, smiling up at him.

  “Don’t mention it,” he said, turning to get in line.

  I stood up and flung my bag over my shoulder and looked over to my co-workers who seemed as stunned as I did.

  “First class!” Court mouthed without words, but the excitement was spread all over his face. Even stoic Anna Beth had a twinkle in her eye and we all followed Drew to the boarding line.

  I hadn’t flown much in my life and it’d definitely never been in first class, therefore I had no idea what to expect. I was the last of our party to enter the cabin and I instantly felt like a fish out of water, like an imposter who didn’t belong, just like I had when we first moved to New York.

  “These are our seats,” Drew said, pointing to two seats by the window and two seats across the aisle.

  “I hate the window. Mind if I sit here?” Anna Beth asked, gesturing to the seat nearest the middle of the cabin. We all shook our heads and she slid into the seat, Court following a second later, leaving me with no choice but to sit with Drew.

  “Window or aisle?” he asked.

  “Window,” I said, sliding in and pushing my bag under the seat. Drew placed his bag in the overhead bin and then sat down next to me. He didn’t say anything, but I couldn’t help but notice how good he smelled.

  “Can I get you something to drink?” a flight attendant asked. She was tall and blonde and gorgeous. A stereotypical ideal of what one would expect a stewardess to look like and it was obvious by the way she ignored me that she was only focusing on Drew. I didn’t fault her though. It was impossible not to notice him.

  “Not at the moment. What about you, Natalie? Anything to drink?”

  “No, I’m good. Thank you,” I said and then looked up and met the steel blue eyes of the flight attendant who seemed to be judging me, curious as to why someone like Drew was sitting with someone as ordinary as me.

  “Let me know if I can get you anything,” she said, smiling at Drew and then walked away.

  Drew took off his jacket, standing up and placing it in the overhead bin and then sat back down.

  “Do you ever get tired of it?” I asked a moment later once he’d made himself comfortable.

  “Tired of what?” he asked, his head resting against the seat as he turned to look at me.

  “Women fawning over you.”

  “No. Never. Why would I? Endless possibilities, casual sex whenever I want. Who wouldn’t want that?” he smirked.

  “Your smugness is appalling,” I said, rolling my eyes as he laughed and I pulled out the Sky Mall magazine from the seat pocket in front of me and began thumbing through it.

  “At least you’re talking to me again,” he said and I looked up from the magazine.

  “I never stopped talking to you. You stopped talking to me.”

  “Only because you’ve pretty much been giving me the cold shoulder, so it’s nice to hear your voice in something other than a response to a question I’ve asked you.” I didn’t know what to say, so I just continued to stare into his eyes. “Anyway, I assume you’ll go back to ignoring me, so before you do that, let me just say enjoy the flight.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his iPod, putting in his earbuds and then rested his head against the back of the seat as he closed his eyes.

  ~~~

  The plane was boarded and the flight attendants had taken their seats as well. I stared out the window as the jet taxied down the runway, still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I was actually on my way to Japan. I’d never imagined anything like this, but here I was, sitting in first class next to my obnoxiously hot boss about to take off. I assumed Drew was still asleep listening to his iPod. I wasn’t sure though because I’d yet to look over to him again. I kept my eyes on the airport that was passing us in the distance. The plane made a sharp right turn, the engines roaring as the jet began to pick up speed and was soon bulleting down the runway. My heart started to pound and I began praying, something I always did during takeoff. I hated flying and I especially hated takeoff. I found myself with a white knuckle grip on the armrest as the plane lifted off the ground and began climbing through the air. I stared out the window as New York City grew smaller and smaller. Soon, my heart began to steady and my grip on the armrests lessened. I was beginning to relax, until we suddenly hit a pocket of air and the plane dipped, causing me to involuntarily gasp. I was certain we were going to die and without realizing what I was doing, I grabbed onto Drew’s arm.

  “Hey, it’s okay,” he said, leaning in closer to me and lacing his fingers with mine. “Calm down.” His voice was soft as he gently stroked the back of my hand with his thumb.

  “I hate flying,” I whispered.

  “It’ll be fine. We just hit a little turbulence, but it’s steady now, see?” he said in a low, kind voice and I began looking around the cabin. No one else seemed alarmed. They were all talking or sleeping. Even the flight attendants seemed unfazed by the bump we’d hit. “I take it you haven’t flown much.”

  “No, I haven’t and I’ve never been very good at it.”

  “There’s nothing to worry about, I assure you of that. I was actually in a plane that was struck by lightning once.”

  “Seriously?” I asked and he nodded.

  “Yeah. It was scary as hell. It was about ten years ago. I was on my way back from Spring Break in Bermuda.”

  “What happened?”

  “I swear we dropped a thousand feet, but I’m sure that was just my take on the situation. The lights flickered and the plane was rocking back and forth. Even the oxygen masks came down. I could’ve sworn we were going to die, but we didn’t. We made an emergency landing, but we were fine. Ever since then, nothing scares me on a plane,” he said with a comforting grin.

  “I don’t think I’d ever step foot on a plane again if that happened to me.”

  “You can’t live your life in fear, Natalie,” he said and I wondered if there was a deeper meaning behind his words.

  “No, you can’t,” I agreed quietly and I felt him squeeze my hand.

  “Try and relax. I’ll be here the whole flight. You can hold onto me whenever you need to.”

  “Thanks,” I whispered as I stared down at our hands. His grip was warm and strong and it made me feel better. He turned his body so his back blocked Court and Anna Beth from view. He raised my hand to his lips and kissed the back
of it softly, before releasing it as he rested his head against the seatback and closed his eyes again, leaving my heart pounding and my lungs breathless.

  Eighteen

  Tokyo was buzzing. I thought New York was overwhelming, but there was something about Tokyo that was almost electric. It was in constant motion, the crowded streets filled with people rushing here and there. I’d stared out the window of the taxi silently as we drove to our hotel, still trying to wrap my head around the fact I was actually in Japan. Even on the plane it seemed like a dream until we landed and I was bombarded with the chatter of a different language and a sea of dark hair when we stepped off the jetway into the airport. We’d cleared customs and got our luggage and were now on our way to the hotel.

  I was exhausted and was grateful when the taxi stopped in front of a towering Hilton. I’d managed a few naps on the plane, but what I really wanted was to curl up in a warm, soft bed and get some real sleep.

  We all followed Drew inside and after a brief exchange with the front desk clerk, we were on the elevator heading up to our rooms. When the doors opened, we turned right and followed Drew.

  “Our rooms are down this hall,” he said, divvying up the keys. “I don’t know about you all, but I’m exhausted, so I’m going to sleep. Feel free to order room service if you’re hungry. Let’s meet up in a few hours,” he said, looking at his watch. “How about five o’clock. We’ll catch some dinner and then hang out in our rooms. We’ll work on the presentation tomorrow. I don’t even want to think about it tonight.”

  “Sounds like a great idea,” Anna Beth said. “See you guys later.” She took her key and headed off down the hallway.

  “Yeah, I need a good shower and a good nap. See y’all in a bit,” Court said, disappearing down the hall too, leaving just Drew and I.

  “You look like you could use a good sleep,” he said, handing me my key.

  “Yeah, I’m pretty tired.”

  “Well, I hope you can rest up. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow.”

  “Yes, we do,” I said, smiling at him as we started walking down the hall.

  “Can I help you with your bags?” he asked.

  “No. Thanks. I’m good,” I said and we were quiet for a few moments until I stopped in front of my room and slid the key inside. I opened it when the light turned green, but noticed Drew was still beside me. He was opening the door next to mine.

  “See you in a little while, neighbor.”

  “Yeah,” was all I said and stepped inside.

  I turned on the light and was taken aback by the room. I hadn’t expected it to be so nice. There was a sprawling king sized bed in front of a large flat screen TV along with a separate living area with a posh looking white couch and loveseat and a kitchenette in the corner. I wheeled my suitcase over to the bed and then hoisted it up, unzipping it and taking out my toiletries. I walked into the bathroom, which was spacious with a large Jacuzzi tub and a side shower. I’d planned to shower, but the tub looked so inviting and I couldn’t resist the array of oils and bubble bath. I turned on the water till the room was steaming and poured a rose scented bubble bath in as a mountain of white foam skimmed the surface. I removed my clothes, leaving them scattered on the floor and stepped slowly into the nearly scalding water and sinking into the tub. I leaned back and it felt nice. I hadn’t had a good bath in ages. I wouldn’t even be able to stretch out my legs in my tub back in New York and even if I could, I wasn’t sure I’d want to. The tub there was old and the grout was gross. I’d never lay down in it, but the tub here was divine and after a long a fifteen hour flight, I never wanted to get out.

  I soaked in the bubbles and washed my hair and eventually forced myself to climb out. The bath had made me even more tired and I was ready to sleep. After stepping out of the tub and drying off, I wrapped myself in the soft, white robe hanging in the bathroom. It was warm and cozy and I could’ve fallen asleep in it, but instead I changed into some sweats and a t-shirt and climbed under the covers. The bed was soft and warm and I was almost asleep the instant my head hit the pillow, until I suddenly realized I hadn’t even contacted home to let Ethan know I’d made it okay.

  I rolled over and reached for my bag, not leaving the bed. I dug out my phone, not sure if I could even make a phone call without racking up an insane bill. I didn’t care though. I needed to speak to him, even with the thirteen hour time difference. It was almost eleven o’clock back in New York. He should be home from work by now.

  I dialed his number. It took a while for it to start ringing, but it did eventually and after five rings, Ethan’s voice sang through the receiver.

  “Hello?” he said and his voice sounded a million miles away.

  “Ethan, hey.”

  “Nat! Hey!” he said excitedly. “You made it!”

  “Yeah. I just got settled into the hotel.”

  “How was the flight?’

  “Long. Very long. It’s good to be back on the ground,” I sighed.

  “So…what’s it like? Tokyo?”

  “I’m not sure. I’ve only seen the airport and the hotel.”

  “You sound tired.”

  “I’m exhausted. I’m actually lying in bed, but I needed to call you first.”

  “Then you should go to sleep. We can talk later. I’m just glad you’re there safely.”

  “Me too. Would you mind texting my parents and telling them I made it okay? I really don’t feel like getting into a long, drawn out conversation with them right now.”

  “No problem,” he said and then his voice turned sweet and soft. “I miss you, Nat.”

  “I miss you too. I’ll be home soon. I love you, Ethan.”

  “I love you too. Get some rest.”

  “Okay. Bye,” I said, my voice fading off as the exhaustion took over. I left the phone on the mattress beside me and curled up under the covers. I told myself it was good to hear his voice and when I closed my eyes, I told myself it was Ethan I was thinking about. I had to tell myself that because I was too afraid of the truth.

  Nineteen

  When I woke up the morning of the presentation, I knew everyone would be nervous. We’d spent the last couple of days getting it all finalized and I hoped it would go well when Drew spoke with Mr. Tashawa. Drew was always so confident, but even he appeared anxious as we finished it up. He was quiet and I wondered what was going through his mind. He seemed untouchable, almost like he wasn’t a real person like the rest of us, and it bothered me to know he was so unsure.

  After a quick shower, I put on a white blouse and black suit. I pulled my hair into a tight bun, applied my make-up and gathered my things for the presentation before heading down to the lobby to meet the others.

  I could see Anna Beth and Court were already waiting, both of them sitting in the high-backed chairs. I began walking towards them, but then heard a voice next to me.

  “Good morning.”

  I glanced to my side and saw Drew in step beside me. His mouth was chiseled into a stern line and his brow was knitted together. He appeared to be concentrating, on the presentation no doubt, but there was no denying how handsome he looked. His charcoal suit was tailored to his body perfectly. His hair was gelled neatly and his face looked like porcelain after a fresh shave.

  “Good morning,” I replied.

  He didn’t say anything further and a moment later, we joined Court and Anna Beth, who both looked the most polished I’d ever seen them. We all knew how important this was for Drew and first impressions were everything.

  “We’re ready for this,” Drew said commandingly and we all followed him out into the busy Tokyo streets.

  The cab ride to Mr. Tashawa’s was quiet, with only a few quick questions from Drew as he scanned through his iPad. When the car came to a stop in front of the towering sky scraper, Drew got out first and we all followed him inside. Drew approached an information desk and began speaking to the receptionist in Japanese. It amazed me that he could speak it so well. It seemed like he was always do
ing something new that impressed me.

  Drew motioned for us to follow and after a long elevator ride, we got out on the 45th floor. He approached a desk and we were led into a small conference room. Drew began gathering everything together and a moment later the door opened. A pretty Japanese woman came in and began speaking quickly before turning and walking out.

  “Alright. Here goes,” he said, picking up his brief case.

  “Are you sure we can’t come?” Court asked.

  “No. I do this stuff alone. But seriously,” he said, looking at each of us, and I found myself looking away when Drew’s eyes seemed to linger on mine too long. “Thank you for all you’ve done to help me get prepared. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

  He stepped towards the door and a moment later he was gone.

  It seemed as if he was inside with Mr. Tashawa for an eternity. I was bored and watched as Court played a game on his phone, while Anna Beth read a book. Normally we would’ve talked, but we all knew we were here representing Andrew Saben, so instead, we sat quietly, waiting for Drew to return.

  When the door opened to the conference room, our heads all whipped around in unison. Drew was standing there and then a wide smile spread across his face. We all stood up and walked hurriedly over to him.

  “I take it the presentation went well,” Court said excitedly.

  “It was perfect. Couldn’t have gone any better.”

  “Everything’s set with the project then?” Anna Beth asked.

  “Construction will begin next month.” Drew was still smiling, but I took note that unlike before he’d left for the meeting, his eyes didn’t meet mine this time.

  “Then our work here is done. Time for some fun before we head back tomorrow,” Court said enthusiastically.

  “I’m with Court. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,” Drew agreed, loosening his tie and unbuttoning the top of his shirt. We all headed towards the elevators, but he stopped me with a gentle touch on my arm as Court and Anna Beth continued on. I was facing him and he was looking down at me, not with a smile, but with a look of ease that had been missing from his face lately. “I wanted to personally thank you, Natalie.”