Rely on Me - Elizabeth Knox Page 0,10
Don’t you think they’d realize you were suffering as much as they were? For fuck’s sake, the baby was yours too. Your eggs.”
I shut my eyes, feeling water beginning to well up. Any time someone brings up losing the baby, I become a waterfall. “Can we drop it?” I ask, slowly opening my eyes.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“I know you didn’t. Let’s just get to work. They’ll be boarding any second now.” I tell her, and sure enough, the first of our passengers start to board the plane. Olivia and I are used to welcoming them aboard, asking them if they need us for anything and whatnot.
The next ten minutes pass by very quickly. Regardless of where you’re going, passengers always board the plane and exit it quickly. I sink into the cockpit for a moment to ask the pilot a question about the weather. One of the passengers is worried about the potential of turbulence, so wanting to give her an accurate answer I spoke to him.
I come back out and tell her we’ll know more when we approach, but it’s likely we’ll encounter some kind of turbulence. She thanks me and decides to take an anti-nausea pill. I smile and move on my way, working down the aisle until my eyes fall on a familiar face.
“Mammoth?” I say his name like a question, unable to hold my smile back. I’d met him on a flight ages ago with two of his friends.
He turns to look at me and I see his hair has grown out a bit longer and he’s sporting a thick beard. “Hey, darlin’. Long time no see.” He smiles widely, his eyes sparkling.
“How are you? God, it’s been ages.”
“Yeah, been a while, huh? I’m good, stayin’ busy as always. How’re you?”
“I’m okay. Keeping busy as well.” Gosh, I didn’t know how this would go from fun to awkward in less than ten seconds. I don’t even know what to ask him.
“How long have you been working for this airline?” He asks.
“A couple months.”
“Shit. What a nice surprise.” He mutters. I doubt he can tell I even heard him. “You had the baby?”
When he saw me I was six months or so pregnant. I don’t know how to respond and I don’t want to dive into the gritty details so I simply smile.
“Obviously you did. Shit, sorry. It’s so weird seeing you after all this time.”
“Yeah, kinda weird on what to say, right?” I ask.
He chuckles, “A bit. Listen, last time I didn’t shoot my shot . . . and I’m not the type to make mistakes like that twice. You seein’ anyone?”
“No, she’s not.” Olivia pipes up from behind me, ‘causing me to jump.
The woman with black hair and ruby red lips mutters something in Spanish beside him. Meanwhile, the redhead beside her stares at me, raking her eyes over my body.
“Perfect. What’s your number?”
Olivia starts rattling off my phone number to Mammoth, not even asking me if it’s alright. I glance back at her and glare, feeling my cheeks fill with heat. “I’m gonna shoot it straight with you. When we get off this plane, you’re gonna get a text from me.” Mammoth smirks.
I don’t know anything else about him besides the fact he’s in a biker club. I can’t believe Olivia just gave out my number like that.
“We will be taking off in ten minutes, folks, so please give your attention to one of the lovely ladies who will be going over some safety protocols.” Rich, our pilot explains through the speakers.
“Shit, I have to go.” I say lowly, starting to turn around.
A hand grabs my forearm and I turn back, figuring it was Mammoth. I’m proven right. “Listen, I’m glad I ran into you.” He speaks sweetly, mustering a small smile.
“Yeah, it was nice seeing you too.” I say as he releases my arm.
Walking up the aisle to give the demonstration on how to use the safety equipment I wonder what I’ve just done. I’m sure I’ve opened a can of worms that I can’t put back now.
Shit.
Chapter Six
Pain is real, but so is hope
~ Unknown
Mammoth
Surprisingly, seeing Riva boosted my mood more than I could explain. It’s been a relaxing few days but seeing her might’ve been the highlight of my trip. She’s one of those women that stay stuck in the back of your mind, where you always wonder about them and whatnot. I’ll be texting her soon, that’s for sure.
We made it to the area where we pick