Page 67 of Love Unwritten
“Ellie! Look what I found!” Nico, my knight in light-up sneakers, runs over to us with the newest edition of his favorite comic book.
“Whoa. Where did you get that?” I quickly jump into a conversation with him, although Rafael’s knowing gaze follows me long after we buy Nico’s new comic and leave the airport bookstore behind us.
I do my best to keep calm and collected, but no amount of encouraging texts from Willow and my mom or silent prayers to a higher power save me from the overwhelming sick feeling I’m hit with when our group is called to board the plane.
Thankfully, Rafael doesn’t comment on me dropping my guitar case on the way, although he does spare me another strange look when he goes to pick it up for me. I regret bringing the instrument, but I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving it behind, in part because I’m still not sure if I want to take Cole up on his offer to write a song.
Who knows? Maybe I’ll get inspired on our trip.
Nico remains unaware of my struggles, which is a blessing in disguise since the last thing I want to do is worry him about a plane. He leads the three of us, looking far older than his nine years of age with the way he manages to roll his suitcase while talking to his grandma at the same time.
“Si, Abuela. Yo te llamo cuando lleguemos.”
My heart hammers in my chest as Nico goes before us and hands his first-class boarding pass over to the smiling airline employee.
Despite usually traveling on Rafael’s private jet, Nico acts like a pro as he tucks his boarding pass into the front pocket of his miniature carry-on suitcase before taking off to the jet bridge.
Acid climbs up my throat as the employee beckons me forward. My feet remain frozen to the carpet, my body paralyzed by fear until my fight-or-flight response kicks in.
Nope. Can’t do it.
The thought of getting on that plane—of spending hours trapped in a small metal tube with hundreds of people at the mercy of turbulence and a pilot I don’t know—seems impossible.
“Ma’am?” The employee frowns. “Your boarding pass, please?”
“I got it.” Rafael slips his hand into my hoodie pocket, replacing the cold dread in my stomach with a wave of heat. A cotton barrier prevents his fingers from grazing my skin, but my body reacts anyway.
“Just breathe,” he whispers in my ear as he holds the boarding pass out toward the woman. “You’re going to be fine.”
Am I? Because I don’t exactly feel anything remotely close to fine at the moment.
Si, Abuela. Yo te llamo cuando lleguemos.: Yes, Grandma. I’ll call you when we get there.
“Nico is waiting for us. See?” Rafael reminds me.
I was so busy panicking, I forgot all about Nico. We haven’t even made it to Hawaii yet and I’m already messing up.
It’ll be a miracle if I still have a job by the end of our two-week vacation.
“Miss, are you all right?” the employee asks.
“Define all right?”
She makes a face.
“She’s joking.” Rafael swaps my boarding pass with his. With a quick scan, both of us are cleared to board.
Too bad my shaky legs won’t cooperate.
Rafael places his hand on the small of my back and gives me a small push. “I know this part is hard, but you’re going to be okay.” His palm remains a warm, soothing presence against my spine, grounding me to the world.
Rafael offering me comfort was not something I ever thought possible, but I’ll never say no to an emotional support buddy during a plane ride.
He lightly pushes me with one hand while rolling both of our carry-ons with the other. “Come on. The sooner we get on the plane, the quicker you can get settled in.”
He leads me down the never-ending jet bridge that feels hotter than hell thanks to the June sun beating down on the metal tube. “You didn’t tell me you were afraid of flying.”
“You didn’t ask.”