“Devon, don’t throw your sass. I live with your brother. If you have three hours a week to fill him in on everything from your school project to your latest failed date, you have ten minutes to spare for me.”
“You listen to our conversations?”
“If I can. It’s the only way to know how you are. The monotone texts with the repeat message give me nothing.”
“So you fly to Virginia to get on a plane with me, to then turn around and fly across the country three thousand miles?”
“Drastic measures.”
“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard!”
“It was a last resort to get you to listen to me. Now I have almost six hours with you alone.”
“Then what?”
“Then I share you with the rest of our families for the next ten days.”
“What!?” I screech a little too loudly because the woman in front of me turns around and looks at me worried. I nod apologetically.
“Yep, I’m delivering you safely to Aspen, where we’ll meet our families.”
Dread washes through me. There is no way I can be around Bryce for the holidays. Even though I’m doing better, seeing him makes old feelings resurface. Feelings I thought were gone, but obviously just repressed. Then it hits me like a ton of bricks. My breath picks up and I start to wheeze. My vision becomes spotty as tears pool in my eyes.
“Hey, Devon, what’s going on? Breathe baby girl.” Bryce’s arm wraps around my shoulder and tugs me into his shoulder.
“Holli?” the word slips out and my voice cracks.
His face melts and he lifts my chin so I have no choice but to look at him. “There is no Holli. If you’d have responded to my texts or returned my calls, you would know that. She’s been gone a while now, Devon.”
The confusion I’m feeling must be transparent because he chuckles and laces his fingers through mine, holding my hand tightly. He motions for the flight attendant, who disappears into first class and comes back with my original seatmate.
Bryce shakes his hand and thanks him then stands. He gets my bag and pulls me behind him.
There are two empty seats in the back of first class and he motions for me to take the window seat again. The flight attendant brings him a beer and me a Diet Dr. Pepper.
“I’m not really in the mood for a soda.”
“Humor me, with the amount of alcohol you’ve had the last few hours, I need to try and clear your head and make you stay awake. At least until we’re done talking.”
“Have you been watching me?”
“Yep. Been watching you since you came through security. Nice body shots by the way. I almost ripped those guy’s head’s off. But I kept my eye on the bigger picture.”
“Bigger picture?” I squeak, embarrassed he saw the guys at the bar.
“Yeah, like getting you on a flight where you had nowhere to run.”
“But why? What do you need to talk to me about? Really what is there to talk about?”
“Maybe the fact that I saw you or spoke to you almost everyday for years and you cut me off without even a goodbye. Maybe the fact that we used to be close, and you’ve dodged me repeatedly for far too long.”
“This is about me not being your friend? Because I’ve always been your friend Bryce, but my life has changed. And let’s not forget, I’m Nate’s little sister.”
“My friend? Nate’s little sister?”
“Well, yeah.”
“You have no fucking clue do you? I stopped thinking of you as Nate’s little sister the night you stuck your tongue down my throat with the sweetest kiss I’d ever tasted.”