Alarm

Too Early

I sat in the lobby with my bags by eight in the morning. I pulled out my phone and leaned back heavily into the sofa. My eyes shut just for a moment before someone jumped onto the couch next to me.

   “What the fuck?” I asked groggily before turning over to see Kane.

   He had a grin plastered on his face. Sharp stood behind him looking like how I felt. “So are you awake?”

   I sat up and set a duffle bag down on his lap heavily. “I am about like Sharp over there, but I plan on sleeping on the plane.”

   Sharp snorted. “Good luck with that. It can get a little noisy.”

   “Wait… what?” I questioned looking between the two men. The elevator suddenly opened and tons of men spilled out into the lobby. I was assaulted by laughter, talking, and yelling.

   “You get the seat right next to mine,” Kane pulling me up from the couch with my bag in his other hand.

   I yanked my arm away from him. “What the hell is this? I didn’t sign up-“I began.

   He stopped walking towards the doors and looked over his shoulder at me. “You want to go to Chicago right?”

***

   My mouth hung open as everyone sat down on the plane. Kane plopped down next to me and studied my face.  “I don’t know if that is a good look on you.”

   Totally ignoring his comment I spoke. “So you know all these people?”

   “Uh, yeah.”

   “And you have your own plane?”

   “It’s not my plane per say.”

   “Who the hell are you?”

   He smirked before pulling out head phones from his carry-on bag. “I kinda want to see how long it takes you to figure it out.”

   A man popped his head over the seat in front of me. He looked me up and down with a sly smile. “Where did you pick this one up Kane?”

   He raised an eyebrow at the person in front of him. Kane opened his mouth to speak but I beat him to it. “I picked him up and managed to get him to buy me a couple drinks. Apparently I am pretty irresistible.”

   Kaner did something between a laugh and a snort. “Sure, whatever floats your boat.”

   Toews popped his head over the seat. “You were pretty sexy in those heels and that dress.” He looked at the jeans and sweater I was wearing. “Your ass looked pretty good in those jeans too…”

   Heat rose up my neck and burned my cheeks. “I have to go the bathroom,” I stated standing up from my seat.

   The man beside Toews gave me a suggestive look. “It’s at the front of the plane.”

   “Shit, I’ll just stay in my seat.”

   “I’m Niklas Hjalmarsson,” he said.

   “I’ll just call you Nick.”

   Toews nodded his head, “Smart move Paige.”

   I stared out the window watching Vancouver disappear underneath the snowy clouds of an early morning. The reflection of the sun off the buildings slowly disappeared into oblivion. I leaned back in my seat and opened my phone. A picture of my sisters was the first thing that I saw. For a moment I admired the look of happiness that had masked all of our faces. It was the day we had first moved to Chicago. It was two months before I left.