Compass

by Jeanne McDonald

  “Sup?” Ryan quipped.

  “Just wanted to let you know all passengers are on board and the manifest is complete. Pre-flight drink service is underway.”

  “Speaking of which.” Kix lifted his coffee cup, dangling it at Makenna. There was some heavy sexual tension between the captain and chief purser, but Ryan knew Makenna would never give Kix the time of day. Everyone knew of his playboy ways and Makenna was better than that. Her restraint made Ryan protective of her. He adored Makenna like a sister and didn’t want to see her hurt by the captain, no matter how much he respected Kix.

  Makenna cocked her head. “You know what, just for that, you can get your own coffee.”

  “Kenna,” Kix whined, drawing out on every syllable of her name.

  “Nope,” she smacked. “Get off that lazy ass of yours and get your own coffee.”

  “Lazy!” he rebuked. “I’m not lazy.”

  “Whatever. We all know Fisher runs the show while you sit back and jerk off.”

  Ryan’s head fell back in laughter. “She pegged you!”

  Kix huffed and stood up. He popped Ryan against the back of the head and followed Makenna from the cockpit. Ryan laughed harder, pulled on his headset, and switched the radio to the control tower frequency.

  Just as Ryan received the clearing for departure, Kix reappeared in the cockpit sans a cup of coffee. “Everything set?”

  “We just received clearance. I thought I might end up flying this bird by myself.” Ryan nodded his head toward Kix’s empty hands. “What? No coffee? Or did Makenna finally give you a chance to join the Mile High Club?”

  Kix slapped his knee and buckled over in fake laughter. “Ha! Been there, done that. Besides, the purpose of the mile high club is being in the air. If you’d ever pull your dick out and use it, you’d understand.” He closed and locked the cockpit door. With a shake of his head, he slid back into his seat.

  “I’ll take that as a no,” Ryan stated.

  Kix buckled himself back into his seat. “We both know the answer to that one. But, I did see a passenger that would knock your socks off. She damn near did mine.”

  “Ah, that explains the missing cup of coffee.”

  Kix wrapped his headset over his crown, pulling the mouthpiece down to his lips. He settled his hands on the yoke, reviewing the coordinates Ryan had entered in for him. They were all set to take off. He spouted off a few instructions to the control tower and then turned to Ryan. “You should go check her out when we’re in the air. You won’t be sorry.”

  Ryan groaned, rolling his head from side to side. “I swear you have the libido of a teenager.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with a healthy sexual appetite,” Kix argued. The taxi had pulled away and the cockpit was now in control of the craft. Through Kix’s mastery of flying, the plane was set into motion. It picked up speed along the runway. The nose started to rise, lifting the commercial aircraft from the ground.

  Ryan loved how the sky looked as they started to ascend. There was no greater rush than gaining speed and taking an object that shouldn’t be capable of flying and make it soar to the Heavens.

  As soon as the plane was off the ground, Ryan lifted the wheels.

  “How about you make the announcement, Fisher.”

  Ryan jerked his head to Kix. “Are you sure, sir?”

  Kix gave Ryan a wink. “Don’t question your captain.” There was a playfulness to his tone, but also a note of seriousness. Ryan graced him with a smile and switched the frequency in his headset to the main cabin.

  “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, this is your first officer, Ryan Fisher, speaking. I want to welcome you aboard this nonstop flight from New York JFK to Dallas. Our expected flight time is three hours and forty-eight minutes. Your flight is being flown today by Captain Kix Jones. He’s assured me we have a smooth flight ahead of us today. So, I will now turn off the seatbelt signs.” Ryan flipped off the Fasten Seatbelt sign as promised. “Please feel free to move about the cabin if necessary. However, we, the crew, ask that if you are in your seats, to please keep your seatbelts fastened in case of unexpected turbulence. Otherwise, please sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight. If there is anything we can do to make your flight a more pleasant experience, please let us know.”

  Once his greeting was complete, he switched his frequency back to the departing tower and listened to their inflight instructions.

  “Nicely done, Fisher,” Kix noted.

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “So, as I was saying…”

  Ryan laughed. “Seriously, Captain, is that all you have on your mind?”

  “If you saw this babe, you’d have a raging hard on too.”

  “I have a bit more self-control than you.”

  “You wouldn’t be able to maintain that haughty smirk of yours if you knew what she looked like.”

  Ryan dropped his smirk, trying hard not to laugh. “Fine. If it makes you feel better, tell me what she looks like.”

  “She has these big brown eyes, and long flowing brown hair,” Kix described. “And her legs,” he let out a guttural groan, “I could imagine those lanky limbs wrapped around my neck. She was toned in all the right places, and had a rack on her that would bounce in your face as she…”

  Ryan waved his hands for mercy. “Okay! I think I got the mental image here.”

  He really did have the perfect mental image. The woman Kix described sounded like the same woman that had invaded Ryan’s mind the night before, causing him to oversleep and be late to work. While there was no way it was the same girl, Ryan felt a little flutter in his chest. A smile twitched the corner of his mouth as he recalled the memory of the old ladder he used to climb into her bedroom at night.

  When they were eight, their parents thought their sleepovers were adorable. Alexis would sing and dance for Ryan, while he regaled her with details of the last plane model he’d acquired. They would make tents in her bedroom and camp out. When they were fourteen, their parents started to worry that it might be inappropriate for them to sleep in the same bed. There were several arguments about how Ryan and Alexis’ bodies were changing to which they ignored. They knew they were only friends and their parents needed to get a clue to that as well.

  That argument ceased after Cora’s passing.

  The day of Cora’s funeral, Ryan stuck to Alexis like glue. Even at the tender age of fourteen, he could feel his friend’s pain. He loved Cora and thought of her like a sister. He grieved for the young girl, but worried about Alexis. She took the death of her sister hard. All through the funeral, he held her tight. He remembered how his collar was soaked with Alexis’ tears, but not once did he complain or attempt to change his shirt.

  That night he left her, at the bequest of their parents, only to be awakened by her screams from across the street.

  Ryan didn’t think twice. He ran to her side. The moment he wrapped his arms around her, she calmed down. Miles and Melanie quickly realized Ryan’s importance and the innocence of the arrangement. So, after that, their parents said nothing about them sleeping in the same bed. They knew nothing was going on between Ryan and Alexis besides sleeping.

  Not that Ryan wouldn’t have minded something more to have happened. For as long as he could remember, he was in love with Alexis York. She was beautiful, popular, and smart. But aside from all that, she had the soul of a poet and the freedom of a pilot. Every night he held her in his arms, close to his body. Many nights he would lay in silence listening to her breathing, while his hands would tenderly caress her.

  Her body was created just for him. It had to be. There was no other explanation as to why she fit to him like a perfect puzzle piece. But no matter how much he loved her, he knew she was out of his league. Alexis would never see him as anything more than her best friend. So with a heavy heart, he kept their relationship platonic.

  “Why didn’t I think of this before?” Kix bellowed.

  Ryan jumped, pulled back to reality. “Think of what?”
/>   “I should check the passenger manifest for her name.”

  Ryan’s eyes rolled upward. “Let it go already,” he grumbled.

  A knock came to the door of the cockpit. Ryan leaned back and unlocked the door. It opened and Makenna stood at the entrance, her face pinched with aggravation. She blew her hair back from her eyes.

  “Everything all right?” Ryan asked.

  “Not really. I have a passenger who’s about to drive me bonkers. Ever since you turned off the fasten seatbelt sign…” she trailed off.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “She wants to speak with you.”

  Kix started to unbuckle his seatbelt. “What about?”

  “Not you, Captain. She wants Fisher.” She cast a sideways glance to Ryan.

  Ryan pushed back. “Me?” He poked his own chest and wondered why this woman would want to speak with him. Not that he minded, but he was second in command. This wasn’t a commonplace occurrence. People usually wanted the captain, not the co-pilot.

  The stray hair fell back into Makenna’s eyes, only agitating her more. She thrust her hand through her midnight locks, forcing the hair out of her face. “Yep. You.”

  Kix laughed, smacking Ryan on the back. “Good luck, Buddy. Glad it’s you and not me.”

  Ryan winced at the sting of the slap. “I’ve never had a passenger ask for me before. They’re usually disappointed to get me instead of the captain.”

  Makenna smiled, her over-exaggerated irritation disappeared. “She wanted me to give this to you.” As Makenna opened her hand, Ryan leaned over and glanced at the object lying in her palm. He recognized it immediately. It was an old, faded red toy compass. “She said to tell you ‘forever and always’.”

  Ryan took the compass and flipped it over between his fingers, examining it closely. It was worn with age, the plastic soft to the touch. As he held the tiny toy in his hand, a huge smile exploded over his face. This couldn’t be. It wasn’t possible. But the evidence was real. Alexis was there. On his flight.

  “What’s that she gave you?” Kix inquired.

  “It’s a compass,” Ryan murmured, his own voice sounding soft and distant to his ears.

  “Well, no shit, Sherlock. I mean what’s it for?”

  Ryan flashed Makenna a cocky smirk and turned to Kix. “A compass,” he began, with sarcasm dripping from his tongue, “is a device used to determine geographic location. If you didn’t learn that much in flight school, maybe I should be the one flying this bird.”

  Kix’s mouth dropped to his chest. “Smart ass.”

  Ryan laughed as he removed his headset. “Maybe, but I have a passenger to speak with.” He unbuckled his seatbelt, without haste, and stood up, moving around Makenna.

  “Passenger in D2,” she called out.

  Ryan straightened his tie and took a deep breath, making his way out to the main cabin. He looked around the curtain separating the gully from the cabin, and his heart skipped a beat.

  Sitting in seat D2 was his Alexis. She was looking in a mirror, applying lip gloss. This was the woman he’d seen in the pictures on Facebook. Poised, sophisticated, and beautiful. Her thick brown hair hung straight down her back. Her lips plump and pink, and her big brown eyes were accentuated with the right amount of eye makeup to make them standout. She was everything Ryan remembered her to be.

  He took a deep breath, stepped around the curtain, and walked over to the row of seats she was sitting in. Next to her sat an older woman with hair white as snow. He heard the woman say something to Alexis as he approached, but couldn’t quite make it out.

  “Excuse me, Miss, but I do believe this is yours,” he greeted, a playful hint to his tone. He flashed his best smile as she looked up at him from the mirror. His hand shook, just slightly, as he opened his palm to reveal the toy compass.

  The moment their eyes met, time stood still.

  For a moment Alexis thought she was dreaming. She’d been on edge from the moment she sat down on the plane. Her palms were sweaty and her heart raced in her chest. The anxiety she felt intensified as the force of the plane lifting off the ground pushed her back into her seat. How the older woman she’d seen in line at security, who was now seated beside her on the plane, slept so peacefully was a mystery to her.

  Alexis felt everything from the nose of the plane rising off the ground to the tail that followed. Her ears muffled the higher they went until finally they popped. She looked out the window, enamored with how the city began to look smaller from her vantage point, which only added to her terror.

  The plane took them over Manhattan and then turned, heading west. She swallowed back her panic long enough to whisper a sweet goodbye to her home and friends. Anxiety mixed with anticipation gripped her as the reality of it all started to sink in. She was really doing this. After all her hard work, dedication, and sacrifices, her dreams were finally coming true.

  A pleasant smile settled on her face as she watched New York disappear under a blanket of clouds. And while her fingers dug into the armrest, there was a peace in her soul about the decision she’d made.

  That was until his voice came over the speaker. Gone was the peace, and in its exchange was a full blown panic attack. After all this time, with no contact and nothing more than a silly friend request on Facebook to give her insight into his life, she’d managed to find herself on the same plane with the boy who was once her everything.

  The fasten seatbelt signs went dark, but Alexis couldn’t move an inch. She was in a state of shock. Everything inside of her told her that she was hearing things. It had to be her imagination playing tricks on her. She was not hearing his voice. What were the odds of Ryan being the pilot of her plane?

  She rubbed her hands over her face, fighting the uneasiness inside her. All she wanted to do was jump up from her seat and rush to the cockpit, but even she knew that would be a fool’s mission. Logic be damned, because she had to see him. She had to let him know she was there. Alexis waved at the flight attendant, who held up one finger, signaling for her to hold on.

  She growled at the woman’s inability to see how important this was for her. Her leg bounced with nervous energy. She waved at the flight attendant again, only to receive another vague demand for time. Impatient, she reached down into her bag and grabbed her wallet, removing the tiny, plastic compass she’d placed in it the night before.

  A fortunate circumstance, she mused.

  This small token was the one way she knew, without a doubt, Ryan would believe it was her.

  Alexis bounced anxiously in her seat waiting for the flight attendant to assist her. Her aggravation intensified by the second. Patience was never a virtue Alexis displayed and this woman was trying her to the nth degree.

  Her irritation bubbled over when the raven-haired woman glanced in her direction then disappeared. She unbuckled her seatbelt, ready to become a lawbreaker, when her attention was pulled by the sweet, elderly woman sitting next to her.

  “How do you know the pilot?”

  She turned her head to see the woman staring at her through clouded, blue eyes. Her face, wrinkled with age, wore a bright smile. There were age spots on her face and hands, but they didn’t deter from what Alexis could’ve only assumed was a knockout of a woman back in her day.

  “I beg your pardon?” she asked politely.

  “You came unglued the moment our pilot made his announcement, so I’m only able to assume you know him. Which makes me curious as to how.” Her voice shook as most old women’s do.

  “Oh.” A small chuckle rumbled Alexis in her chest. Feeling a little embarrassed, she squeezed the compass in her hand and let out a soft sigh. “We went to high school together.”

  “There’s no more special a bond as that of high school sweethearts,” the old woman cooed.

  Alexis shook her head. “Oh, no, ma’am. We were only good friends.”

  The old woman’s smile dropped. “But there was love there.”

  Heat rushed through her cheeks. Alexis shook
her head.

  The woman’s smile returned exposing her bright white teeth. Alexis couldn’t determine if they were dentures or dental implants. But she was certain of one thing; her teeth were too perfect to be natural.

  “I highly doubt that. It’s written all over you. How long has it been?”

  Alexis lifted her eyes to the ceiling. A sense of nostalgia engulfed her. “Over fifteen years.”

  “He must’ve been something special.”

  “Even to this day, I’d say he’s the greatest man I’ve ever known. I hate that we lost touch, but things change. People grow up and distance tends to pull friendships apart.”

  “Sadly, that’s true.” The older woman stretched, and sat up straighter in her seat. Her back hunched slightly with age, and her cardigan skewed around her waist. “So what is it you do, my dear?”

  “I’m a doctor,” Alexis boasted. She couldn’t help but feel extremely proud of that accomplishment.

  “Lovely. What an achievement for one so young.”

  Her blush deepened when she realized she was bragging. “Thank you, ma’am.”

  “Please, stop calling me ma’am. You’re making me feel old,” she chuckled and extended a shaky hand. “My name is Mildred. Mildred McCallum. Most people call me Millie.”

  Alexis accepted her fragile hand and shook it. “Alexis York. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “The pleasure is all mine, I assure you. You know, Doctor, you remind me a lot of my late husband.” The old woman’s smile faltered as she released a small sigh. She glanced down at the faded gold wedding band on her finger, circling it with adoration and compassion.

  There was a tug at Alexis’ heart, seeing the love this woman had for her departed husband. It honored and saddened her to be privy to someone who knew such love. “How so?”

  “He was a sweet man, kind to the bone.” The woman’s eyes sparkled with a memory. “I see that same kindness in your eyes. Not only that, he was a spitfire, as are you.”