𝑇𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑚𝑒 𝑎 𝑙𝑖𝑒

𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑦-𝑓𝑜𝑢𝑟 | 𝐼'𝑚 𝐷𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑠

I mean, I have to introduce that I meet him on the way for breakfast. He says hello to me in his morning voice. You're particularly looking forward to that, or rather that you see him shirtless on the beach.

My voice should really hold back when it comes to that. Ares noticed my look and scanned too. As our eyes met, we were interrupted by Mr. Bennett's loud voice.

I immediately turned and listened. "Well, students, it looks like we're all arrived, we'll go through the check first, then get on the flight together, and afterward we'll all be on the plane, so please follow the rules and don't do anything stupid."

--

I finally sat in my seat on the plane. I don't think he's that bad. The back row and right by the window where I had a view of the outside. Too bad I never flew without my dad.

I've been told that it's always good to sit here, but I don't know. Next to me is only one older lady who is sitting on the edge of the three chairs.

I checked my phone to calm down a bit. Before I drove here, I read through thousands of documents and reports about what airplanes are all about. Did it help me? Well, rather less.

So I looked out the window when someone nudged me on the shoulder. I pulled out my headphones and looked to the side, where the older woman kindly pointed to my teacher.

"Yes?" "Aurora, someone new will be sitting next to you, there was a complication." I nodded, I also expected a small child or Zoe, but not Ares, who then sat down in the middle.

Mr. Bennett said where he sit, and then he left. "I didn't choose to sit here, so stop looking at me like that." I rolled my eyes and looked back to the window.

Before the flight started, the flight attendant explained what we had to do and that we should buckle up because the plane could take off at any minute.

I did it quickly, leaning back, gripping the chair handle tightly, and closing my eyes. "Everything okay?"

"Did you know that the statistical probability of dying in a plane crash averaged 1 in 264,000 in the 1970s?" I frantically said everything I read on the internet before.

"What are you talking about?" Ares asked. "Last year it was around 1 in 16,042,000. So nothing should happen, right? I mean, we are safe."

"Open your eyes. Smartass" "No." I shook my head.

"Are you scared?" "From 1945 to 2021, 864 plane crashes occurred in the United States. Am I worried? Not at all."

"Stop telling me some dumb facts from Google and tell me if you're scared." I nodded slightly. "Fear of flying?" "I've never flown alone before and..." I felt a kind of pressure. I couldn't and didn't want to continue talking.

I couldn't breathe because I was scared. My grip tightened, it was already making holes in the seats.

"Concentrate on my voice, okay?" as if I would like to do that now. "Listen to her even if I'm talking nonsense, feel the pressure I'm giving you on the hand." Ares put his hand on mine.

"Concentrate on your heartbeat, which is beating slowly, on your breathing." I did it and it really helps. Not much, but idiot isn't even that bad at what he's doing.

"You can open your eyes." "I don't want to." I hissed, I'm not that calm yet. "Just open it now." I trusted him in this and opened my right eye slightly, we're flying.

Above the clouds, I saw it out the window. It looked beautiful. I opened both eyes and looked at Ares, who was looking at me. His hand is still on mine. I quickly ripped my away. "Keep your paws to you."

"Those beautiful paws just saved your life." "Are you going to overdo it? I was just scared I didn't die." I rolled my eyes.

"It looked to me like you were going to die if I didn't help you." "I should have..." I couldn't finish my sentence because the woman next to us was laughing. Ares and I looked at her.

It looked to me like she was watching a movie or something, but she wasn't. "You see, you sound so ridiculous that even strangers laugh at you." "She's more likely to laugh at your stupidity."

"You two remind me so much of someone." The woman said. Again we look at her. "You two will argue until one can no longer, right?" she laughs again.

"Oh, I am sorry. I am Doris." "I'm Aurora and that's Ares."

"You can't just tell strangers our names," Ares argued.

"Yes indeed. You look so familiar to me. You guys hum like me and my husband used to." she laughed.

"Your husband?" I asked. "Yes, my husband. He was just stubborn and didn't want to lose in a discussion. He gave everything he could with his word."

"Where is he now?" I hit Ares on the chest. He can't just ask that. "Unfortunately he died a year ago." the poor woman. She still looks young, in fact, her hair is already gray, and she has wrinkles on her face.

"Don't get me wrong, I didn't want to disturb you under any circumstances, but this beautiful time in the past was just great that I had to smile." "I'm sorry about your husband," I said for the both of us.

"Oh it's okay, the death catches us all times, and unfortunately it was already time for him. But I'm happy that I was able to grow old with him by my side, even if it wasn't till the end." I think I'm about to cry. How can this woman be so strong?

Her husband passed away only a year ago, and she accepts it as if it happened twenty years ago. Don't get me wrong, everyone's pain is different, but with her, it's like she's already forgotten the pain.

"What was your husband's name?" "Alexander. He was a pilot. He was always so funny. Once when I was on the plane, and he was the pilot, he made an announcement..." she laughed.

"He said, 'And a beautiful flight to my beautiful wife. Doris buckles up." Doris looks happy as she tells this as if this memory would make her even happier.

I mean, that's cute, if I thought my husband would do something like this, I'd have melted in my seat with embarrassment.

Still, it's cute. "That sounds like a great marriage." It came from Ares, who also listened the whole time. "Oh yes, she was." Doris started in front of her, on the small TV that was attached to the seat.

Her smile, which so often appears on her lips, faded. "Excuse. Could I go to the toilet, please?" she asked the flight attendant. "Of course, only down the aisle on the left." she nodded and unbuckled her seat belt.

"Is everything okay? Hopefully, we didn't say anything wrong." I said quickly before she could leave. "But no. I just want to freshen up a little bit." she talked her way out.

She got up and walk away. "You see. There is true love." I turned my head to the window, put on my headphones, and let the time fly.