“You, too.”
I stood. “We both will. I’ll be back.”
I studied my reflection in the mirror of the men’s room, then splashed some water on my face. I had already sent my father a text so he knew I was stuck here indefinitely, and Chris still couldn’t get here with my wallet because of the storm. I knew all that should bother me more. Normally, I would be impatient, cursing the weather and pacing the airport restlessly, but instead, I grinned at the pretty girl waiting for me by the wall.
Lowering myself down, I arched an eyebrow in her direction. “We gonna sleep on the floor?”
“It has to be more comfortable than stretched out across those chairs.”
I rubbed my sore stomach reflectively. “You’re probably right.”
I took the little pillow she had in her hands and placed it on my lap, patting it in invitation. She looked at me, her brow furrowed. “Are you sure? I was going to sit up and you lie down.”
“Nope. I slept earlier. Your turn. C’mon.”
She curled up, her head on my lap, staring up at me. I ran my hands through her thick hair, stroking her forehead the way I remembered my mom doing when I was a kid. I loved how Maggie leaned into my touch, pressing her head to my hand. “Relax, angel,” I murmured. “My turn to watch over you.”
Her eyes fluttered and drifted closed, her shoulders curling inward as her body grew heavy. I didn’t stop stroking her head, even when I knew she was asleep. Something about her made me want to make sure she was safe and cared for. That she knew she was both—however brief our time was together. My hand stilled as I realized how sad the thought of leaving her in a few hours made me.
I shook my head at the strange thoughts and leaned back into the wall. I must be overtired and overthinking everything.
This was just a fleeting moment in my life—in both of our lives.
A layover.
Nothing more.
CHAPTER FOUR
SEBASTIAN
I woke up, confused. Blinking, I opened my eyes, and I realized I was staring at a wall. I shifted a little, my muscles protesting as I moved. I was stiff, sore, and unsure how I ended up lying down. The last thing I remembered was sitting on the floor next to Maggie and her falling asleep curled beside me.
Maggie.
My body jerked, then relaxed as I understood why I was so warm. Maggie was still snuggled into me, except now we were both lying on the floor, her back against the wall and me in front of her like a human shield. She was pressed up against me, my shirt held tight in her fist, her face buried in my chest. Our legs were entwined, and the little blanket she had earlier was draped over top of us. My head was resting on my folded arm, the nerves tingling as circulation began to flow again. I had my other arm draped over her, holding her close. An announcement on the loudspeaker, calling my name, made me ease my arm out from under Maggie and sit up. At the same time, my phone buzzed, and I grabbed it out of my pocket.
“Yeah?” I rasped.
“Sebastian, man, where are you?”
“Chris?”
“Who else?”
“Where are you?”
“I’m at the airport. I’ve been paging you.”
“Shit. I fell asleep. How did you get here?”
He chuckled. “I borrowed my neighbor’s snowmobile. Wicked. I’m by the check-in counter.”
“I’ll be right up.”
I glanced over to see Maggie watching me, still lying on the floor.
“Chris is here with my wallet.”
She sat up, nodding. “You should go get it. You should also see if they have any information about flights.”
I stood, stretching, trying to get the kinks out of my neck. “I will. I’ll have to come back through security, so I might be a bit. Give me your ticket—I can at least ask for you at the same time. I’ll bring coffee too, okay?”
She smiled up at me, all sleep-rumpled and tired-looking.
I thought she was the prettiest girl I’d ever seen. I bent down and kissed her forehead. “Don’t run away, Maggie Andrews.”
Her eyes crinkled. “Where else am I gonna go, Sebastian?”
It took all of my control not to tell her wherever it was, I would go with her. Instead, I grinned back. “I’ll be back.”
“I’ll be here.”
Even knowing that, I hated leaving her.
Part of me felt guilty for not wanting to hang with Chris. After all, he had driven all this way with my wallet. I was glad when he told me the snowmobile was outside and he couldn’t stay anyway. He did reiterate his invitation to stay with him longer, assuring me he’d help me find a job. I smiled in gratitude as I shook his hand. I had to face my father and accept my life. Chasing after a dream that would never happen needed to end.