On the Run [a.i. au]

EPILOGUE - Nothing Would Be Better

FOUR MONTHS AFTER THE EVENTS OF THE LAST CHAPTER

The plane shook violently as the sound of the wheels hitting the landing strip roared in Thalia's ears. Thalia gritted her teeth tightly as the strong vibrations from the wheels colliding with the runway rattled through her body and momentarily distracted her from what she had just been viewing five minutes before.

"Are you okay?" Luke asked, turning to his right to face her. He reached his hand out to her out of habit, but drew it back before either could assess the action.

Thalia nodded politely as she decided to reach over and pat the hand he pulled away from her. "You know me, I'm not good with heights."

Luke exhaled as he gave her a soft smile. Since they had left the trial six months earlier, tension was high between them. Of course, they lived in the same home so they had to keep civil for the family's sake, but Luke was scared Thalia would never forgive him for giving up his testimony and prolonging the conviction process.

Despite their issues, though, Henry and Marissa insisted they traveled to Sydney together as they had planned to do so on Thalia's birthday. Christmas was coming, and it was only right that they did this before the holiday season kicked in to high gear.

Thalia was grateful for the change in scenery; they both were. Thalia and Luke finally finished school a week prior, after many hard, stressful nights of cramming in order to stay caught up. She still didn't know how Luke ended up with higher marks than her after not being in school for over a year, but she didn't deny his intelligence.

The pilot cheerfully announced their successful landing, and Thalia rolled her eyes as some passengers, including Luke, applauded and cheered. Thalia never understood that, but to each their own.

Thalia and Luke spoke not a word to each other as they retrieved their carry-on luggage and made their way off the tarmac. Their surroundings became louder as they made their way inside of the airport.

Immediately, Thalia wanted to run out. There were too many people, and she was anxious to finally go sight-seeing. She knew Luke would be, too.

Luke glanced at Thalia for a moment as they walked towards the baggage claim area. He saw her head move upwards as her eyes landed on a television. They had been watching the same news station before they had boarded the plane, but the coverage didn't seem to have changed.

His stomach twisted as he saw the courtroom that was packed with reporters. He also saw a few familiar faces that he had dreamt about every night since they had returned home from the trial.

He read the headline: Verdict of Gang Trial to Be Released by the End of the Month.

His throat felt tight as he swallowed his anxiety and led Thalia to baggage claim. Thankfully, most of the passengers from their plane hadn't arrived yet, so they hadn't clogged up the line to get luggage. Thalia and Luke, again, stayed silent as they grabbed the rest of their luggage and exited the airport as quickly as possible.

Thalia raced to the street in front of them and called for a taxi urgently. She wanted more than anything to lay down for the rest of the day. They needed all of their energy for all of the sight-seeing Thalia had planned to do, and to keep things not-so-awkward this week. That would be the most difficult part.

A few cabs passed them, leaving Thalia a bit flustered. She was aware of how short her temper was versus what is was a year ago, but it seemed that her constant anxiety forbade her from doing anything about it.

Luke could tell Thalia was on edge. He quietly stepped forward, raised a hand, and it was as if a cab appeared out of thin air. Thalia fixed her eyes on him, her mouth wide open in shock. Luke chuckled quietly as he sent a cheeky wink her way.