Waves - Book #2 [completed]

44 ~ Sciamachy

The plane ride will be a short one and once all passengers are buckled up, a flight attendant stalks up and down the alley, checking if everything's ready for take-off. The leggy blonde spends a few extra seconds at our row before her fingers graze my shoulders in passing, making me perk up because that was not by mistake.

Riley didn't notice, or at least she doesn't say anything until we're up in the air and the flight attendant comes back, this time addressing me directly.

"Is everything alright?" she asks sultrily, bending at the hip to level with me. She's pretty with a narrow face and elegant features.

My brows fly up my forehead. "Yeah. Why?"

Her smile widens as she dips her head even lower. "I was informed that you requested an economy seat at check-in even though your ticket was upgraded to business class during booking because of your frequent traveler status. I just wanted to make sure everything is to your convenience," she says, laying it on thick.

Oh yeah, my miles. Curtis and I do have a lot of those but didn't want Riley and Harry to feel inadequate and so we downgraded. To think that something like this would've never crossed my mind a few months ago is baffling.

I nod, taking my time to answer her, "everything's great."

"Well," Marina – as per her name tag – flicks back her neat ponytail and leans even further down, bracing her palms on her thighs and pushing her breasts together. There's a lot of those too. She's - or was - definitely my usual type, and I'm only human and must shamefully admit that my eyes flick down for a tiny, itty-bitty milli-second before snapping back to her knowingly sparkling eyes. "If there's anything I can do for you, please do not hesitate to press the call button. I'll be at your service at once."

"Uh-huh," I woodenly hum my acknowledgement, roll my lips into my mouth and turn my eyes back to the backrest in front of me. My knees uncomfortably bump into it even though I've spread them as far as possible. These damn planes are not built for people past the six-foot mark.

Marina straightens and sashays away. I know the she was flirting with me. I'm not oblivious nor immune to certain signs. Besides, she wasn't subtle. But what would've exited me in my past life leaves me cold now. How I've changed. Pleased with myself, I chuckle once and lean back, turning my head to look at my girl with an expectant and smug, a little prideful grin too, on my face.

Riley shakes her head slightly when she feels my eyes on her. "That was a good one," she snickers.

"What?"

"You didn't believe her act of checking in on you and your poor business class tush in economy, did you? She mentally undressed you." She smiles even wider now.

"No." Why does it sound like a question?

"Good." Riley's head flops to the side and onto my shoulder as she twines her hand with mine. The way she does it is sheepish, hesitant. It's not possessive or to show off that we're together.

I sit up straight. "Wait, you're not jealous?"

"No."

"No?"

"Why would I be? I trust you," Riley says, looking up at me from where her cheek rests on my shoulder. "Besides, can you blame her, hot-shot?"

Reaching up, I move a strand of wild, freshly trimmed hair away from her cheek and tuck it behind her ear. She got it done the other day and it's so much shorter now, barely grazing the middle of her chest. But it suits her just as much. "So, it would've been okay if I flirted back a little?"

Her eyebrows jump. "Yeah."

"You sure, crabby?" I smirk, letting the tip of my tongue peek out.

Her shoulders bob with a shrug. "She's pretty." Then, sitting up, her eyes flicker alight with a challenge in them. "Maybe I should flirt with her. That'll distract me."