“Sweetie? Are you practicing or are we trying to fool the stewardess too?”
He chuckled.
With a low groan, I leaned back against the chair. In a flash, the bag vanished and Marcus was sitting across from me, smiling affectionately as he absentmindedly rubbed my knees.
“You saw that coming?” I quoted weakly.
“You licked the seatbelt.”
My face contorted in pathetic anger. “For luck, Marcus. Haven’t you ever heard of licking the seatbelt for luck?”
“No.” He was making a valiant effort not to laugh. “That’s not real.”
Too weak to argue, I brought my fingers up to my temples with another groan. My eyes fell on his hands, still rubbing my knees, and the hands instantly disappeared.
“Here,” he murmured, rummaging around in back of a seat, “take a water.”
I sipped it silently and cast a wary glance out the window. The towering skyscrapers of the city were quickly vanishing, blanketed beneath a fine layer of clouds. My fingers shook, and I drew in a quiet gasp, offering up a silent prayer for deliverance.
“Sri Lanka.”
I pried my eyes away from the window long enough to look at him. “What?”
“That’s where I got Eduardo. Sri Lanka.”
“Sri Lanka?”
“Yes.”
“You went all the way to Sri Lanka to pick up a peacock?”
“Eduardo was at my hotel and we kind of bonded. I’d feed him bread and he’d follow me around. When he got attacked by a dog, the vet was going to put the bird down. The staff said the peacock was testy and not worth saving. But I found something special about him. I thought he was very much worth saving. Doesn’t everyone deserve a second chance?” He looked into my eyes for a moment, and then continued. “I brought him home and saved his life.”
I couldn’t help but notice the symbolism. Marcus was beautiful, and so was the bird. All they needed was that second chance. The bird had gotten his. Would Markus get his?
“Does he like you?” I asked. “Because he hates me.”
“He loves me. And he’ll love you too.”
“Do you shop in Sri Lanka?”
Marcus leaned forward and gave me a winning smile. “Rebecca, there aren’t many things I wouldn’t go to Sri Lanka for. Have you ever been?”
“Uh...” I glanced distractedly back out the window before returning his gaze. “Let’s assume I haven’t.”
“Well, they have the most beautiful beaches. And there’s this incredible rock fortress called Sigiriya... We have to go and see it sometime.”
I shook my head with an exasperated grin. “If Takahari decides to golf from the top of it—I’m there.”
“I hope so. I’d love to golf there.”
My eyes narrowed, and I shoved the water into a cupholder. “Really? Well, I like to golf too. I like that it’s just a game, but me and my friends call it a sport. I like that it makes me feel really athletic when I drive from hole to hole sipping mint julips and talking shop. In fact, I even like the little argyle socks I get to wear—they make me look like a Keebler Elf.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our cruising altitude...”
I looked up in surprise upon hearing the disembodied voice before peering hastily out the window. Sure enough, the plane had evened out, and we were sailing through clear blue skies with hardly a bump—just a gentle hum from the engines.
When I twisted back forward, I saw Marcus watching me with a little smile. A sudden suspicion dawned on me, and my cheeks flushed pink in the cool air.