Page 4 of The Holiday Disaster

As I thought I might pass out from the lack of oxygen, a large hand pressed firmly on my back. “It’s going to be okay. I’m here with you.” His warm voice invaded my senses, soothing the fear in my heart.

I faced him. My sight was full of him as the edges of my vision were still tinged in darkness. “Everything’s going to be okay. I’m here,” he whispered again. His brows were furrowed with worry, and I could barely make out the blues in his eyes with how dilated they were. It was evident that he was anxious about the whole situation as well, and yet here he was comforting me.

What else could I do besides lean into his arms? He wrapped me inside his warmth as I snuggled into his chest. His gentle pats broke down the last of my resolve of trying to appear like a calm and collected adult. Who gave a damn about appearance when we were all about to crash?

Fat teardrops dampened Kingsley’s white shirt, but he didn’t seem to mind. His focus was on me, whispering sweet nothings as his hands set a slow rhythm on my back that eventually turned my frantic sobs into tiny sniffles. His spicy scent filled my lungs, and it was like I was home in his arms. I hated that he was the one making me feel that way.

Even in the midst of what was sure to be my death, my mind was still filled with Kingsley fucking Sharp.

FOUR

KINGSLEY

It broke my heart to see Ethan’s eyes tinged red and filled with terror. I would be lying if the same panic wasn’t feeding my thoughts, but that wasn’t what he needed right now. He needed someone to lean on, and damn did it make me so happy to see him curled up in my arms as I soothed him from his sobs.

The seconds ticked by as the plane continued to rock. Little sniffles still came from Ethan who was snuggled against my neck. His cries had calmed, but he was still shaking. His trembles would intensify with each pass of turbulence we encountered. I held him closer to me like I could protect him from whatever disaster was heading for us.

More announcements were made over the PA system. It was horrifying to not know what lay ahead of us or if this was the last few precious moments of our lives, but I tried to keep those thoughts away as I trained my focus on Ethan. I patted his back, stroked his hair, did whatever I could to try and calm him.

A couple of minutes later, our Captain’s voice filled the plane. “Cabin crew, prepare for landing,” he said before the aircraft was finally filled with silence. We slowly descended, the plane jolting against the strong winds. I swore we were one terrible wind away from crashing, but the plane continued to hold on.

All the other passengers were eerily silent, many of them holding their loved ones and probably praying that the Captain knew how to do his job properly like I was. Thankfully, the landing process was quick, and a few breaths later, the plane had safely touched the ground.

The cheers and sobs of relief surrounding us were deafening, and I couldn’t help but join in on the celebration. “Oh, thankGod!” Ethan cried out as he gripped my shirt, leaning into my chest as the last of the tears slid down his cheeks. It was like he released his emotions now that we were safe on steady ground.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to cry all over you,” he said as he pulled away from me too quickly for my liking. He rubbed his eyes and wiped away the remaining tears. They had mostly dried, but his eyes were still tinged red and puffy.

Why did seeing him like this make my heart squeeze as though it were being crushed to pieces? I didn’t have time to think about that right now since my sole thought at this moment was to make sure that I never saw him in this state again.

I’d protect him…because he was my best friend’s younger brother. Now I just had to convince myself that was the only reason behind my actions.

My body wanted to bring him back into my arms to comfort him, or maybe myself. I didn’t know anymore at this point, but I did know that when he was against me, a wave of calm came over me and distracted me from the chaos that had surrounded us.

Another announcement came before my body could move based on my wants despite my logical mind telling me holding him again wasn’t a good idea. The Captain’s voice was solemn over the PA system, explaining that there was a problem with one of the plane’s engines. He said that it wasn’t anything too serious, but they needed to have it repaired before we could be air bound again. Meaning that we would be stuck in Wintertown until the engine failure was fixed or they managed to get another plane out here for us.

Angry murmurs shot up around me. It was understandable. Nobody wanted to spend their winter vacation stuck in the middle of nowhere, but it was a shit ton better than the alternative of having our plane crash on our way to our destination.

Plus, it also meant that I would get a lot more alone time with Ethan, which was the silver lining to this entire situation. I took a peek at him. He was fiddling with the loose threads of his blue sweater. His head twisted as he examined the other passengers with wide eyes. He had to be in shock.

I placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to jump in surprise as he focused his eyes on me. Would it be too much if I pulled him into another hug? Then again, he couldn’t even stand to wait at the same gate as me. If I tried to hug him now, he might pass out from too much shock. So I settled with words instead. “Are you okay?”

My voice brought him out of whatever daze he’d been in. “I, uh, I’m okay. I think my life has flashed before my eyes like a thousand times since I got on this plane.” He let out a nervous chuckle. Being able to crack a joke was a good sign, right?

“Hey, we’re gonna be okay. I won’t let anything happen to you,” I said, squeezing his shoulder. Never mind the fact that I’d be as useful as a turtle on its back if something had actually happened while we were in the air. Still, my words brought out a small smile to crack through his worries, and that was enough to make me burst out in my own grin. “Besides, Elliott would kill me if I let anything happen to you.”

The smile fell from his face, and I instantly knew I’d said the wrong thing. I didn’t usually have a habit of putting my foot in my mouth, but I’d somehow always managed to say the wrong thing in front of this man.

“I didn’t mean—”

“It’s fine,” he cut me off. The gentle tone he’d used on me earlier was gone, and in its place was the cold detachment I was used to hearing from him. He’d never been rude to me growing up, but it was obvious that he had wanted nothing to do with me.

“You don’t have to sugarcoat it. We both know you can’t stand the sight of me. I’m not delusional. I know the only reason you’re being so nice right now is because I’m your best friend’s brother.” His voice got smaller the more he spoke and was barely a whisper on the last sentence.

“Wait, that’s not—”

“I said it’s fine. It’s our turn to deplane. We should go,” he said before releasing his seatbelt and getting up.

I knew Ethan was stubborn, but I didn’t think that he wouldn’t even let me get a word in. I also didn’t know where all this had come from. He was the one who hated me, not the other way around.

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