Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 92930 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 465(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92930 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 465(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
I hated how uncomfortable she was and vowed that once we got to our gate, everything in my power would be done to make her feel better. We were early, so there would be a lot of time to kill.
At security, an alarm went off when Nina passed through the detector, so she was pulled aside. Under any other circumstances, watching her being frisked by another woman would have been hot, but it pissed me off because it was putting her further on edge.
We finally got to the seating area with an hour to spare before the flight. I reluctantly left her sitting alone while I bought some things from the shop across the way.
When I returned, I handed her the bag. “Here.”
“What’s this?”
“Some survival items for you.”
She took the candy out first. “Pop Rocks?”
“To counter your ear popping. These cancel it out. Pop some in your mouth. You won’t even notice it.”
“I heart New York underwear?”
I grinned. “In case you pee your pants again.”
She wasn’t laughing, perhaps because her pissing herself was a likelier scenario than either of us wanted to admit.
Next, she took out a small paperback I bought. It had two guys and a girl on the cover. “Midnight Ménage?”
“Just some kinky shit to get your mind off things.” I wiggled my eyebrows. “I can read it to you if you want.” She smiled for the first time all morning. “Nina Kennedy, is that a smile? You dirty little minx.”
She took out the last item. “A teddy bear?”
“He’ll keep you company if I have to get up to use the bathroom.”
A hint of another smile spread across her lips. “Jake…”
I took the items. “I’ll put everything in my bag for you.”
Despite the brief distraction from freaking out, Nina went right back into her own mind soon after. She was staring up at the digital screen that indicated our plane was now at the gate. A boarding announcement rang over the loud speaker.
She gripped my arm. “I don’t think I can do this. I’m serious.”
“I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“How can you say that? You don’t have any control in this case!”
I placed my hands on her cheeks and looked into her eyes. “We’re never a hundred percent in control in life, Nina. We just think we are. Something bigger than us is always in the driver’s seat. What we can control is our perception, our reactions to things. We can also control whether we choose to live life or live in fear.” I slid my palms off of her face, stood up and held out my hand. “Now, give me your hand. I’ve got you.”
Nina was shaking, but she obliged. I lifted her out of the seat, her delicate arm buckling under the force of my grip. Her soft breasts brushed against my chest as I pulled her into me. I flashed a reassuring smile. “Let’s fly.”
While my smile went unreturned, she continued to cooperate and dragged her feet all the way to the plane as I rubbed her shoulders.
After we made our way to our seats, an idea came to me. “I’ll be right back.”
“Don’t leave me!” she said as I started to walk down the aisle.
“I’ll only be gone a minute.”
I walked up to a flight attendant and asked if Nina could visit the cockpit, which was open. The pilots were going over their flight plan.
“I’m sorry, sir, but this is a really packed aircraft. I don’t think that’s going to be possible.”
“My friend has never flown before. She’s extremely scared, and I think it would help if she could meet the guys in control.”
“I just don’t think so.”
I glanced worriedly over at Nina. She looked pale, breathing heavily and licking her lips incessantly. “That’s her in row nine. Look how petrified she is. People are still boarding. Please? We’ll only be a minute.”
She must have spotted the terror in Nina’s eyes, because she gave in. “Go back to your seat. I’ll talk to the pilot and call you up if they allow it.”
“Thank you. I really appreciate it.”
A few minutes later, she waved her hand at us.
“Come on, Nina. We’re gonna go meet the pilots real quick.” She took my hand and followed me down the aisle as we squeezed past incoming passengers. I looked behind my shoulders at her and said, “It’s not a faceless vessel. You need to see that there are qualified people at the helm.”
They wouldn’t let me go in with her, so I stayed back just outside the cockpit door. The pilot and co-pilot seemed very friendly, showing Nina all of the controls and touting the years of flight hours they had between the two of them. Both had white hair, so that was a good sign. She was clearly still scared shitless, but I think it helped to reassure her just a smidge.