Season's Greetings : Christmas Box Set

“Then we won’t do that.”

“Okay,” she says.

I straighten. “We should get back.”

She nods. We walk close together, but not quite touching, and I take the time to recharge. Back at the gate, we settle in side by side.

“Is this okay?” She wraps her arms around my waist.

I feel myself fall just a little bit for the mysterious stranger who seems to understand the unpredictable way my brain works.

“Yes.” She relaxes against me. I inhale her scent. Sleep evades me as my mind runs through scenarios of what happens after we get on the plane tomorrow. Connecting like this is rare for me. I won’t let my brain talk me out of going after what I want. Even if it takes me longer to get it than I’d like. It feels like she might understand. Maybe she’d be willing to wait and work through it with me. My heart accelerates, and I’m alive.

Chapter Three

Delta

It’s funny how things can change in twenty-four hours. Yesterday afternoon getting stranded at the airport was the worst thing that could happen. I glance to my left at Sam as we pass the vultures swooping down on the bags as they escape the hatch and slide down to the baggage retrieval. Today everything is different. There’s an ocean of unsaid things floating between us

“When will we meet up again after this?” I ask.

He glances down at me and blinks. I want to read him, but his eyes hold his innermost thoughts secret. “When do you want to?”

“I asked you first.”

“Today, tomorrow. The day after that.” He shrugs.

I laugh. From anyone else, it’d be a gimmicky pick-up line. From Sam, it’s sincere honesty. “I think your family would like to see you today, Sam.”

“Not all day.”

I think back to the magical Christmas lights I loved walking through this time of year. “Okay. Let’s do it. We’ll meet up at Peddler’s Village.”

“What time?”

“Eight o’clock?”

He fiddles with his watch. “I’ll be there.”

We stop in front of the escalators.

“My car is parked in the long-term lot. I need to go the opposite way,” Sam says.

“My friends are waiting for me down there, and I’d like to put off subjecting you to them this soon. They can be a lot.”

He flinches.

“Don’t worry. We’ll work up to them.” I squeeze his hand firmly. The skittish look fades from his dark eyes. The phone in my pocket rattles impatiently.

“I should go before they come up here and try to find me.”

“They can’t get past security.” Sam’s matter of fact tone charms me. He’s trying to comfort me in his own way.

“You’re right. This is good-bye for you.” I bite my lip and lean in, risking a hug.

His arms come up slowly and tighten around me. I inhale his woodsy scent once more before releasing him. Giving a small wave, I rush onto the escalator, embarrassed by my response to the virtual stranger.

Am I channeling my nervousness into my attraction to make it seem more than it is? I examine my feelings as the moving stairs take me closer to my family. No. I had enough failed dates over the years to understand attraction and spark. The inexplicable force that pulls us toward some and away from others.