Until I Met You

Hugo showed his confusion with a slight tilt of the head. ‘It was the other way around. You were at my table.’

‘I guess so.’ Tara made a face. ‘I must have caused drama. Does everybody hate me? Do they think I’m a drama queen?’

Samantha popped a pretzel in her mouth and mumbled, ‘I wouldn’t go that far.’

Tara looked from Samantha to Hugo. ‘OK. Scale of 1 to 10.’

Hugo gave it some thought. ‘You’re hovering around 7 to 7.5.’

‘That’s not good.’ Tara frowned. ‘I love Anthony to pieces. How can I fix it?’

‘Send the couple an expensive gift,’ Hugo suggested. ‘That’s what I’d do.’

‘Good idea.’ She tapped Samantha’s shoulder. ‘You’re the bride’s best friend. What does she like?’

‘Shiny, sparkly things that come in pretty boxes.’

Tara decided on the spot. ‘Crystal candlestick holders.’

Hugo approved. ‘That’ll do it.’

‘Thanks, you two,’ she said. ‘I didn’t intend to cause trouble.’

‘What was your intention?’ Hugo asked. ‘I’m curious.’

‘That’s between Roman and me.’

Samantha choked on a pretzel and coughed up any good will she’d had for Tara. Hugo handed her the cup of green tea that sat cooling on the fold-down tray. ‘Are you all right?’ he asked.

She nodded, took a sip. ‘It’s nothing. I’m fine.’

A bout of turbulence prompted the captain to turn on the ‘fasten seatbelt’ sign and request all passengers return to their seats. No one other than Hugo was wandering about, so the request seemed directed at him.

‘I should go,’ he said. ‘Are you going to be OK here? Want to switch seats?’

Tara laughed. ‘She’ll be fine. We have premium snacks.’

Samantha rewarded him with a chocolate-covered pretzel. ‘Go back to Adrian. Tell him I said hi.’

‘Holler if you need me.’ A pointed glance at Tara, sharp enough to pin her in place, and Hugo returned to his seat.

‘He has to be the fun friend,’ Tara whispered.

Hugo was the most fun and the most nurturing. ‘The best. I love him.’

Tara returned her attention to the window. Timothy had the aisle seat on this and all the flights they’d booked. He hated feeling boxed in. The window that Tara was gazing out of was hers. She’d boarded the plane early and just took the seat she wanted. Samantha decided that this was the last time she’d let Tara spoil anything else for her.

‘I can’t say for sure Roman meant what he wrote in that note,’ Samantha said. ‘All I know is that what we had was meaningful. It changed me, for sure. I have no regrets.’

It wasn’t the right time for either of them to start something new. They had a lot to sort out on their own. In another world, maybe, they’d be perfect for each other. Saying goodbye now was the right thing, the mature thing.

Tara kept her eyes on the ever-changing sky. Another bout of turbulence had her clutching the armrest. She didn’t speak up until the captain announced the weather in Miami. ‘Sorry if I messed things up for you. Sounds like you had a momentum going and I crash-landed into it … Oops, poor choice of words.’

‘No need to apologize,’ Samantha said.

‘I never got a love note from him, not once in six years. I guess that proves my point. We loved each other, but weren’t madly in love with each other. We were nothing like Anthony and Naomi – those two take the cake.’

It wasn’t so much a love note as a farewell note, but Samantha didn’t point out the difference.