We’re getting on the highway now and Liam quickly shifts through the gears to his car so that he can hold my hand again. I know what he’s feeling when he isn’t touching me. It would be the same empty ache that engulfs me without his touch and neither one of us likes it.
“Okay,” I sigh dramatically.
He lets go of my hand quickly and hands me the small box. I turn it over in my hands and play with the shiny ribbons. There are eight tiny bows all knit together, making it look like blooms of a flower.
“When did you get this?” I ask as I carefully remove the colored ties.
“Don’t worry about that, you don’t need to know details. Just open it.” His voice is carefully calm. But I know him well enough to know that he’s bursting on the inside. Liam loves his surprises.
I remove the tri-colored trim and place my finger under one side of the tape and yank it open. I’m careful not to tear any paper, more so for dramatic effect. I can practically hear Liam’s eyes roll. The tiny box from what I can see in the dim light is black and smooth. I lift the lid and inside lays a delicate oval-shaped charm. I carefully pinch it in between two fingers to examine it in the light from the counsel. I see a fragile and whispy design engraved around its sides, and on the back are three words inscribed in the same dainty scrawl:
True Love Waits
I have no idea how whoever had engraved the charm had managed to get the elegant words to fit on such a small canvas, but there they are.
“It’s to put on your bracelet,” Liam explains. “The link is plenty big enough for the charm to slip on easily.”
“But how did…” I trail off. I’m in complete awe. I had just received my bracelet this morning from Elly, and here Liam offers me a charm to hang from it.
“Go ahead, see if it fits.” He’s beaming.
I release the clasp on my newly acquired bracelet and slip the charm onto the gold band. It fits just as he said it would, and the tiny golden charm matches my bracelet exactly.
“You like it?” he asks with a huge smile.
“It’s beautiful.”
“I love you,” he whispers.
“Thank you. It’s perfect.” I lean over the arm rest and kiss him on the cheek. It isn’t all that I want to do, but it’s all that time will allow for now.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Liam and I arrive to the airport two hours before our flight; that is what has been instructed of us for an international flight. He parks his car in a parking garage close to the terminal and insists on carrying both sets of luggage. I don’t feel quite so bad about it being both of the large suitcases have pull out handles and wheels to make the transport easier. I’m glad that he chose to park his pretty car in a covered lot though; it makes the walk to the airport doors more comfortable being it’s freezing outside and it also shelters us from the whipping snow.
I’ve always felt sort of like a child whenever I come to the airport. I just could never get used to the sight of the colossal planes and all the hustle and bustle of the organized pandemonium. I can feel the excitement creeping up inside me now, just like I always do when I catch a glimpse of the first airplane. I love to watch the big jets taking off and landing, but I also greatly enjoy people watching. Lordy knows there’s plenty of that in an international airport. So many cultures and diversity in front of me – it’s hard to take my eyes away from it all as I imagine what it would be like to live within their worlds.
Liam and I reach the check-in counter and to my pleasant surprise there isn’t much of a line. I call Elly as we wait, to inform her that we’ve gotten to the airport safely. We’re moved through the line quickly and the security check point is tedious, but at least that goes fast too. Once we’re through, Liam wants to stop at a little coffee shop to get a caffeine boost. We both order an overly-priced-fancy-type-coffee; mine is decaf though, with lots of whipped topping and his without, and he insists on paying for mine. He leads us over to a quiet corner table next to a window that makes up the entire wall of the tiny restaurant with floor to ceiling glass. It’s beginning to snow slightly and it looks like a wintery dream with white peppery specks scattering across a dark night sky.
“Are you hungry?” he asks after taking a sip from his steamy cup.
“No, not really.”
“Tired? You look tired. We’ll sleep on the plane. The flight will go faster that way.”
I nod. I am rather exhausted. As I remember back, it has been quite the eventful day. But that reminds me that I should probably take the Dramamine now. I don’t want to get sick on the flight and if I want any chance at rest, I can’t have a queasy stomach.
“You don’t like to fly?” Liam asks when he sees the Dramamine pack.
“It’s not that I don’t like to fly. My stomach doesn’t. I get motion sickness for some reason.” I shrug.
“What’s the longest flight you’ve ever been on?” he inquires.
“Last summer, when my mom and I went to the Caribbean. That flight was almost four hours.”
Liam doesn’t comment. Instead, he continues to sip his coffee as I do mine. I turn so that I can watch out the large window which happens to be overlooking a long line of airstrip framed with lights illuminating the way for departing planes. After a few minutes, I watch a plane line up on the runway and then let my eyes follow as it pummels off into the night sky with quick flight. I let my eyes follow it until I can no longer see its blinking red lights as they disappear into the black night, the plane becoming one with the stars. When I turn back to Liam, his face holds the same expression I’d come to see him wear those initial first few days of our meeting each other. He looks as though he’s trying very hard to make a decision but, too, as though he’s aching somehow.
“What is it?” I ask quietly.
He shakes his head and the look overtaking his beautiful face makes me upset, causing my stomach to knot. I get up from my seat and go to sit on his lap. Liam opens his arms for me when he realizes what I want, and when I sit down, I rest my cheek on top of his head. I stroke his thick, messy hair while he buries his face into my neck. I feel him inhaling at my skin and smile to know that he’s working just as hard as I have to reconnect me to his memory. We stay like that for a long time, neither one of us feeling the need to speak. It’s as if being close together like this somehow makes up for a little bit of the time we’ve missed. Being in each other’s arms feels so compelling and so natural that I wonder how either of us have survived without it for so long. We’re connected in both body and spirit; on a level I can’t quite put words to, but I can feel the link we have is otherworldly. We fit together on a degree most people will never know in their lifetime or maybe even after that, and I’m only just beginning to realize how epochal it is to have Liam in my life. Maybe it’s all the spirit world talk today, but all the same, Liam and I are linked on a level that exists outside human nature.
“We should head toward the gate,” Liam murmurs in a gruff voice against my neck.
“Is it almost time?”
“Another twenty minutes or so ‘til they start boarding. We’ll be the first to be called, so we should be there when they make the announcement.”
“Why will we be the first to board the plane?”
Liam smiles patiently. “Because we’re traveling in upper-class.”
“Oh, we are?” I’m surprised. I’ve never flown anything but coach seating, but I have to admit this makes me a little excited. I feel that little bubble of childlike fervor again.
“The seats are larger and more comfortable. It makes the long flight exceptionally more bearable.”
“Do we get a Blu-Ray player to watch like in your fancy car?” I joke, remembering how he had said that could make long trips easier to cope.
“Maybe,” he smirks.
Liam picks up my canvas bag to sling it over his shoulder and then clasps my hand to lead us to our gate. He was right; we’re the first section to be called to board the plane. The seats in first-class are far
more luxurious than I’ve ever known to fly in. Black leather seats double the size as those in coach seating and, of course, each person has a fairly nice sized TV screen to watch that has been strategically mounted into the headrest of the seat in front of them. Headphones neatly wrapped in plastic lay on each armrest and when I sit down, I notice that the seats can recline almost as far back as a small bed. Liam notices my ogling and laughs.
“You like it,” he says when my eyes meet his.
“It certainly is something.” I approve.
“You’re so cute,” he chuckles. “Would you like a blanket?”
“I’m fine right now, thank you. So how long is this flight?” I know he’s told me, but I can’t remember. I’m too distracted by the luxury in front of me and to the prospects of sitting in fancy first-class. I note that I’m very slightly bouncing up and down in my seat as I let my leg twitch underneath me, but I decide not to care if Liam notices my twitching. I’m just too stirred up to sit perfectly still. So far this trip rates beyond expectation.
“Not quite eight hours,” he answers as he tucks my carry-on into the overhead compartment. “Oh, did you need anything out of here before we take off?”
“My gum. It helps my ears pop.”
Liam hands me my bag quickly and I retrieve the pack of chewing gum from a side pocket. He takes it when I’m finished and again tucks it overhead and then sits down in his luxury seat next to me. Liam's assigned seat happened to be by the window, but he offered it to me and I happily took it. I love to watch the world pass by below me as the cars zooming about turn into ants crawling and big lakes turn into puddles the higher we travel into the sky. I know most of this trip will be dark as the majority of our voyage is to be flying over ocean in a night time sky, but I still feel excited to watch the world pass by beneath me.
“A little ancy are we?” Liam says as he places his hand on my twitching leg.
“No,” I answer, shaking my head quickly. “But maybe a little bit excited,” I then admit with a big smile. Of course he laughs.
Once the rest of the passengers are loaded, the captain’s deep voice comes onto the speaker’s overhead announcing weather and the estimated time of our arrival. I make out he doesn’t have an English accent; he’s American. The flight attendants do the usual run-through on how to clasp your seat belt, what we’re to do for emergency landings, where the exits are, and I see one in particular is thoroughly bored with the reenactment. The plane makes its way to the runway strip and I soon feel rumbling beneath me as the plane vibrates with its colossal force. The nose of the plane soon starts to point upward into the sky beginning our journey. Within the matter of seconds we’re in the air and headed for Liam’s home.
I watch out the window until everything in sight becomes specks of nothing beneath us. Car lights became tiny white dots against a black canvas painted with night. Rivers are just thin glossy ribbons tying their way through mysterious landscapes. We slice through clouds colored pale by the moonlight and I can see Liam gazing at me in the reflection of the window. Soon, the lights overhead are turned out and the cabin of the plane becomes quiet with sleeping passengers.
“You should sleep,” Liam whispers. “We still have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”
“Okay,” I say, feeling my eyelids droop. “I’ll take that blanket now.”
Liam reaches for the call light above us and within seconds a flight attendant appears to stand next to him. It’s the same one who had demonstrated emergency techniques and I note that she is none too thrilled with being called upon either.
“May I help you?” she asks Liam in a hard murmur as she tries very hard to keep her fake smile in place.
“Yes, we’d like two pillows and two blankets please,” Liam requests in his seductive voice. The woman thaws out instantly. It’s hardly fair the way he can affect people like that. I’m beginning to think his persuasive skills are much more potent than even he believes.
“Oh, of course. I’ll be right back.” Her voice has turned softer and her smile seems more genuine. I give Liam a sideways look and he winks at me. She’s back in record time and hands Liam the belongings he requested. “Is there anything else?” she asks.
“No, thank you.”
Liam hands me one of the blankets and pillows and we both attempt to get comfortable.
“How does this recline?” I ask as I unfold my blanket – a very nice blanket I note. Nothing like the thin scratchy ones I’ve used before on a flight sitting in coach. This one is thick and very plush and soft. It smells a little funny, but I won't complain.
Liam reaches his arm across my body to push one of the many buttons located on the armrest of my seat. His hand grazes my arm and I feel the now familiar jolt of electricity surge through me from his touch. I wonder for the bazillionth time if Liam ever feels that, too.
“Lean back,” he instructs. I catch his aquatic eyes and my breath catches with the ever intensity of his stare. I do as instructed and when he releases my eyes, I focus on breathing normally and calming my racing pulse. Just when I’ve gotten all of it under control, Liam reaches over to the arm rest in between our seats and raises it, so there’s no longer a barrier separating our bodies.
“Come here,” he says in a deep throaty voice.
I lean into him and lay my head on his chest as he wraps his arms around me. I hear his heartbeat in my ear and I inconspicuously rest my hand over my ribs so that I can feel my own pulse. I’m pleased to find that his heart still beats to the same rhythm as I experience the bump-bump of mine beneath my hand, listening to his pulsing in time with mine under my ear. Liam plays with my hair and it makes me sleepier. Laying with him this way makes the outlook of the long flight very pleasant. I faintly think of Joseph and what it would do to me if he were to appear, but I quickly push the thought to the back of my mind. I won’t let that ruin my moments with Liam and if I let those types of thoughts consume me, I’ll only live in constant fear.
“This isn’t exactly how I pictured our first night together,” Liam murmurs in my ear.
For the second time, my breath hitches. My droopy eyes are suddenly very wide as my entire body begins to prickle like a live wire. There’s also a very new type of feeling residing in the pit of my stomach. The only other time I’ve felt this stomach dipping sensation was early today in my living room when Liam and I were… um… we were… I blush just thinking about it.
“Oh? Um… how did you… uh… picture it?” My voice cracked at the end. I try discretely clearing my throat. His words and the way his voice had sounded when he said it has me completely tongue-tied. Much like I was when I couldn’t think straight to talk to him upon our first meeting one another.
I feel him shrug beneath me and I lift my head to look at him. His eyes meet mine and I see that this will be the only answer I’ll be getting. I raise one eyebrow to his coolness on the subject. He simply isn’t playing fair. He can’t open a topic like that and not elaborate.
“Aren’t you sleepy yet?” he asks in a soft voice.
“Well… I was,” I begin.
“Why aren’t you now?” The corner of his mouth is twitching to hold back a smile.
I’m unsure what to say. “Er… because now… my mind is in a much different place.” Yeah, that works. He laughs quietly and lifts his hand to my face to stroke from my temple to my jawline with the tips of his fingers.
“You should sleep,” he soothes. I sigh impatiently then give him my best pouty face. “Breckin,” he breathes. “Please be good.”
“All right.” I murmur in quick defeat. I’m just too tired to argue it further. “You started it though. And you’re not playing fair, you know.”
He kisses my nose. “I know.”
I lay my head back onto his chest and begin listening to his heart again. He continues to twirl my hair and eventually I’m able to fall asleep. The nausea medication I’d taken before the flight has done its job, so I sleep without waking from a queasy stomach until the boom
ing voice of the captain comes on the overhead speaker. I jump in reaction and sit up like a shot as I hazily listen to another weather report – this one for London – and to the instruction to fasten our seatbelts. This must mean we’ll be landing soon.
Liam raises his seat back into its upright position as instructed and when I fail to move, he leans over and adjusts mine as well. I look over to him with groggy eyes. I really need to become more of a morning person.
“Sleep well?” he asks.
“Mmm-hmm,” I mumble while trying to stretch. My body is stiff from sleeping in an airplane seat although it was much more comfortable than I’d ever expected – all due to the fact that I’d gotten to lay with Liam all night, no doubt. “You?”
“You could say that,” he answers vaguely.
I squint my eyes in confusion as I hear the double meaning to his words, but I’m not awake enough to think of questioning him. Instead, I slump over in my seat and stare out the window as we begin to descend. The nausea medication must be wearing off because with every little drop we take in the sky, my stomach does a flip to match. I struggle to ignore the heading of nausea and watch the ground below us becoming closer and more pronounced while Liam rubs my back. Green tree tops are all I can make out at first as it’s a bit cloudy here. As we get closer, I see a dark river snaking its way through the city and rows upon rows of tightly knit buildings. Liam leans over me to point out the window.
“See that there on the water?” His breath tickles against my cheek. I can see what he’s referring to. Apart from the generic bridges sits another bridge much bigger than the others and it looks like two mid-evil castles stretching across the width of the water. “That’s Tower Bridge. It’s beautiful at night. Actually, the entire Thames River is quite breath taking at night. I could show you if you’d like.”
“Okay.” Brilliant answer. I swallow bile as my stomach heaves.
“Are you okay? You look a little green.”
“Yeah.” I don’t dare look at him. I’ve fixated my eyes on the landscape below in an effort to distract myself from vomiting all over the cabin floor.
Hollow Sight Page 47
