Page 23 of The Suite Life
I find myself fidgeting with the zip on my handbag. Back and forth, again and again, trying to focus on the rhythmic movement in a poor attempt to distract myself.
‘Still a nervous flyer then?’ Nathan’s voice snaps me from my thoughts.
I twist my neck in the direction of the familiar voice, and there he is, casually settling into the seat next to mine.
‘I guess we gave the wedding planner the same time slots,’ he points out with a smile. ‘Flying through the night, to land in the morning? Great minds.’
‘Yeah, I guess so,’ I reply, still a little stunned to find him here, next to me. ‘I was hoping I would be able to sleep for most of the flight.’
‘That’s my plan too, so we’re lucky we’re sat next to one another,’ he replies, still smiling away, like this isn’t weird at all.
As we settle into the seats, I chew my lip thoughtfully. Nathan’s comment about me still being a nervous flyer is an interesting one. It makes it seem like we were together a long time ago, as opposed to just last year. Yes, of course I’m still a nervous bloody flyer, nothing has changed in recent months – why would it? His choice of words suggests that Nathan views our relationship as a more distant memory than I do. It makes sense; after all, he’s moved on.
‘Where is Sunshine?’ I ask, my voice casual. God, please tell me she isn’t coming to sit with us. I don’t think I can stomach hours on end of close quarters with those two.
‘She’s catching a later flight,’ Nathan replies. ‘She’s always so busy with work. She’s in Rome or Paris at the moment – I forgetwhich. Wherever she is, she’s making her way to Maui from there.’
‘Cool,’ I say simply, trying to come across as though I don’t have any thoughts or feelings on the matter.
‘Isn’t it mad,’ Nathan continues, seemingly oblivious to any potential discomfort or awkwardness that might exist between us. ‘We always said we’d love to go to Maui for our honeymoon – and here we are.’
‘Oh, my goodness, are you two off on your honeymoon?’ an excitable flight attendant interjects, having overheard a snippet of our conversation.
‘We’re…’
‘We are,’ Nathan answers, talking over me.
‘Oh, well, you two deserve something special,’ the flight attendant gushes, clearly delighted at the thought of having newly-weds on board. ‘Once we’re up in the air, I’ll bring you some drinks.’
‘Aww, that would be lovely,’ Nathan replies appreciatively, looking at me. ‘Right, Gigi?’
‘Right,’ I agree with a forced smile, playing along with the unexpected charade. What on earth is he playing at?
As soon as the flight attendant is out of earshot, Nathan leans in and lowers his voice.
‘If they think we’re a couple, we’ll get free stuff, so play along,’ he insists.
‘Okay,’ I reply, bemused, struggling not to pull a face. It’s probably best if I just humour him, I just want this flight to go as quickly as possible.
‘It’s a life hack that Sunshine taught me,’ he explains with a wink. ‘That or pretending to get engaged – that always bags you freebies too.’
‘Right,’ I say, rolling my eyes at the term ‘life hack’. I’m sick of hearing the term because it’s rarely an actual hack, and is moreoften just straight-up being deceitful or it isn’t a hack at all, it’s just doing normal things.
I’m anxious throughout the safety demonstration because, for some reason, it worries me even more that there is a plan for if things go wrong, than if there were no plan at all. It’s almost as though they’re expecting it – even though, deep down, I know that they are not.
The moment the plane begins its ascent, my anxiety intensifies. I push myself back into the seat, and my fingers grip the armrests so tightly my knuckles begin to turn white.
It surprises me when Nathan reaches over, takes my hand in his, and squeezes it reassuringly.
‘It’s all going to be okay, I promise you. I’m here for you,’ he says in a calming voice.
I sigh gratefully, feeling a bit better thanks to his unexpected support, but at the same time it only serves to remind me of what I’m missing. But what am I missing really? Is it having someone who is there for me, who makes everything feel okay, or am I missing Nathan?
Sometimes, I can’t be sure.
14
A driver takes us from Kahului Airport to Wailea, which is thankfully only a short drive across Maui. Honestly, any journey feels like a breeze when you’ve just endured a long-haul flight with your ex-boyfriend, quickly followed by a medium-haul one. I swear, the flight from LAX to Maui felt even longer than the one from London to LAX – I think it’s because my tolerance for Nathan has almost completely run out. I’m grateful that the last leg of the journey is a simple drive, sparing me from another short-haul flight to complete the set – I’ve had my fill of air travel for the day.
