The Prince

I

"This is a reminder of your flight tomorrow from LaGuardia Airport to Heathrow Airport at 12:30 am." I read the email once more before taking my bags which I had hidden in my closet. I hadn't told my parents that I was leaving the country, and I wasn't planning on it either until I was over the Atlantic. You see, leaving the country by yourself 2 days after high school graduation wasn't exactly smiled upon by my parents. They would have stopped me from leaving at all cost. But that's the thing, they didn't understand that I needed to leave. And that I could not return to Manhattan. Claire Bryer is not a name to be proud of having in the upper side. Everyone at every school knows what happened, even if the police did not. By the time that the police do find out I will be long gone, half the world way with a new name and a new life.

Closing the door quietly behind me, I make a run for the taxi. The sooner I can get out of here the better. I watched the grand city pass by through the taxi window. Never would I see the streets packed with high end stores and fancy apartment buildings. Never again would I see the playground I grew up on and the sidewalks where I mastered the art of hopscotch. But I guess that is just the bitter sweet of the moment. The taxi slowed to a stopped in front of the airport. I grabbed my bags and hurried into the airport avoiding the little raindrops that started to fall.

One perk of being the child of the infamous Chad Bryer is that lines are never a problem. I was in and out of security and before I knew it, I was boarding my flight headed straight towards a new life. Another perk of being my father's daughter is first class. No one ever flies first class, which makes not being noticed so much easier. Making my way to my seat, I notice one other passenger in first class. He was handsome. His brown, curly hair seemed to be blowing perfectly in a foreign wind as his eyes gazed into mine.

But with all the pros of my family's name, there was also the cons. I was so lucky to have inherited two left feet from my father. And while the handsome stranger and I were sharing this intense glance, my feet fumbled. I faced planted right into the ground. Grunting from the pain I knew for sure was carpet burn, I heard a laugh which without a doubt came from the boy. Before I had the chance to stand up myself, a hand was placed in front of me which I gratefully grabbed. Standing up, I found myself face to face with the blue-eyed beauty dressed with a smirk.

"What is a pretty girl like you doing with her nose in the ground?" he said trying to not laugh at the sight. He had an accent. It made sense to me that he was from England, catching this flight home, but I couldn't quite pinpoint it.

"Oh, you know, just seeing how comfortable the carpet is" I say trying to play off the embarrassing scene I had previously caused.

"Well if it's any constellation, I find carpet quite comfortable myself" he said back with a grin.

I give him a thankful nod. He gets my hint and heads back to his seat, not forgetting to turn around with a friendly smile. Looking back down at my ticket, I reassure myself of the seat I had chosen, seat 7B. I always choose the second seat because I like to have both to myself. No one ever chooses the inside seat when the outside is already taken. I glance at the surrounding seats and work my way back to the seventh row. I glance to right and know immediately that that must be the wrong side of the plane since the boy was sitting at the window. Making my way to the far-left side of the plane, I glance at the seat. I read 7E. That had to be wrong. I look at the window seat next to it, 7F. I move to the seats in the middle of the row. Seats 7D and 7C. I look to my right and find the nameless stranger smiling at me.

"You must be the lucky individual I chose my seat next to." He says with a wide grin. I look at the seat next to him, and boy was he right, seat 7B. I must have looked upset because he was quick to apologize and offer to move to a different seat.