Read Online Loving Your Lies by Piper Shelly - Free Book Online

journey.
    “Pleasant, my arse,” I mumbled and trudged
down the narrow aisle behind Charlene until she found the row with
our seat numbers inscribed overhead.
    She turned to me with an expectant smile.
“Would you like to sit by the window?”
    Julian ushered a few words in French to her.
Her expression blanked, then she slid into the window seat. Did he
just reveal my little problem with big heights to her? I wished
he’d chosen English to sell me out.
    Damn! Shock weakened my knees as I realized
in France no one would speak my language at all. Julian planted
himself next to the dragon which left the aisle seat for me. I
collapsed into the navy blue fabric seat, my mind racing.
    The flight attendant had the passengers
buckle their seatbelts. I slid the metal slots together, but the
belt was long enough for me to fit in there three times. I opened
the buckle and searched for a second, shorter belt around my seat,
but there was none.
    “Let me do it for you.” Julian’s fingers
were on the seatbelt before I could refuse his help.
    Hands lifted to my shoulders, I watched as
he buckled me in then pulled at the loose end to tighten the belt
around my waist. His alluring, sweet scent filled my head when he
leaned toward me. I licked my lips.
    His hand rested on my belly. “Too
tight?”
    Slowly, I shook my head. He stared into my
eyes for an infinitesimal second longer, then he leaned back. I had
to forcefully take in a breath. “Thanks.”
    On the small screens attached to the
overhead compartments, an animated hostess had started to give
instructions for what to do in case of emergency. I strained to
listen and memorize the appropriate conduct in the unlikely event
of the aircraft performing a landing on water. The short movie of
people gliding down on a giant slide and then initiating their
life-vests in the water freaked me out.
    “If it’s so unlikely, then why show this
movie, anyway?” I clenched my teeth and prayed that Julian wouldn’t
notice my trembles. Crap. No such luck.
    “Relax. Nothing’s going to happen,” he
whispered in my ear.
    The plane taxied back then rolled to the
runway. I stared straight ahead, focusing on the headrest in front
of me.
    The captain announced the time in France
would be one hour plus to British reckoning and the weather on the
mainland was supposed to be sunny and close to thirty degrees
centigrade. He expected the flight to take sixty minutes. There
shouldn’t be turbulences, just a slight rattle when the aircraft
crossed the borders from the island to the sea.
    Bloody brilliant. This was going to be one
hell of an hour.

 
     
     
    5
     
    A HAPPY THOUGHT
     
     
    SITTING WITH MY back pressed to the seat, I
really didn’t want to look through the small porthole window, but I
couldn’t help myself. Outside, parts of the wing moved up and down
with an eerie creak when the aircraft had come to a standstill at
the start of the runway. My stomach churned.
    “Don’t be afraid.” Julian leaned toward me,
and the warmth of his breath slowed the rollercoaster in my belly.
“They are not loose parts. It’s standard procedure. The captain’s
testing everything before takeoff.”
    “Isn’t now a bit late to be testing
everything?”
    “That’s routine, believe me.”
    I hoped he wasn’t bullshitting me. Tipping
my head back to my seat, I focused on the front.
    Seconds passed, the sound of the revving
engine dotted my forehead with beads of cold sweat.
    The instant the airplane shot forward with
break-neck speed, my back plastered into the seat. My knuckles
turned white with the strength of my grip on the armrests.
    Dear God, I’m too young to die. I had
yet to get my driver’s license.
    If only Peter Pan was here. He would know
what to do. Think a happy thought. Think a happy thought. My
lips moved as I repeated the mantra in my mind like a prayer. But,
alas, no happy thought came to me.
    The craft flew down the runway like a
rocket, the world outside zoomed past in a