Page 29 of Sold to the Highest Bidder
He was pulling her to an empty ticket counter. Apparently, he had already ordered the tickets online.
Fifteen minutes later, they were sitting beside each other in first class. First class! Nazalie still couldn't believe her life.
She turned to Joshua, who was tapping away on his phone.
"Did my mum leave because of this trip? Was she lying about being okay?"
"No, I told Dina that we'd be away for a few days. It was her idea to surprise you. I told her she could stay, but she insisted on leaving. She said she wouldn't be comfortable staying in the large penthouse alone. She’s going to check herself into a rehab center. She told me she was going to try to get better.”
Hearing that made Nazalie happy. Her mom was going to try to get better.
“Do you think it will work? Will she actually get better?” Nazalie asked, turning to him.
“Let’s hope for the best. We'll be back in a few days."
Paris, Nazalie thought. Her life was like a dream right now. What were the odds thatshewould be going on a spontaneous trip to Paris? Nazalie felt sad that she couldn't tell Katherine.
It would be worth it in the end. When everything was set in place, Nazalie would tell Katherine everything.
A flight attendant came by to ask if they needed anything. Nazalie shook her head while Joshua asked for a drink.
She wrote down his request and told him she would get back to him when the plane had taken off. The take-off was always the hardest part for Nazalie. From what she remembered, she often held her mother's hand tightly when the plane was about to take off.
Nazalie hated the dreadful feeling of her internal organs sinking. She low-key had a fear of being confined in tight spaces.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Joshua was looking at her with concern. He had dropped his phone and was almost totally facing her. “You almost appear as pale as a vampire." He joked while helping her put on her seat belt. The intimacy of the action wasn't enough to distract her from the situation.
"Well?" He asked, still waiting for her to reply.
"The plane to Paris is about to take off now. Everyone, please put on your seat belts, for your own safety."
The flight attendant from earlier was signing everything that was said over the PA system.
"It's always like this when I'm on planes. My mum always had to hold my hand when I was younger. Taking off is always the hardest part."
"That's totally normal. I can hold your hand if that would make you feel better."
Nazalie grabbed his large palm before he could finish his statement and squeezed tight. Joshua didn't complain. He buckled his seat belt with his other hand and went back to looking at his phone.
The next thing Nazalie knew, her eyes were slowly drooping. She hadn't realized how tired she was until the plane was moving at a steady pace. The low murmurs around her and the sound of Joshua's breathing lulled her to sleep.
She dreamt of Joshua, Paris, her mother and Katherine. She woke up to Joshua, towering over her, tapping her lightly.
"We're here."
How had she slept through an eight-hour journey?She must have been exhausted. Nazalie vaguely remembered Joshua waking her up to ask if she needed anything. She remembered mumbling nonsense sleepily and going back to sleep under a blanket that she was sure Joshua draped over her.
Nazalie tried to stand up, but her limbs felt stiff. Yeah, that had to happen when an idiot such as herself slept for eight hours straight. She rubbed her still drooping eyes; she needed a ice cappuccino right now. Katherine would laugh if she heard her thoughts right now.
Nazalie felt like her body had been asleep for so long that it didn't know how to function now that she was awake.
"Do you need help standing up?" Joshua was helping her hold her purse. If it didn't look so funny, Nazalie would have let him keep it with him. The black clutch purse actually matched his outfit.
"No, I'm okay."
She waited briefly for the pins and needles to disperse before she stood up again. "Great, let's go!" She said, walking forward confidently as if she wasn't the one delaying them in the first place.
"Do you even know where we're going?" Joshua called as they exited the plane. Nazalie collected her purse.
