Page 74 of Away We Go

CHAPTER 15

Cherry

“Miss Brenner?”

A melodic voice taps into my dreams and I push it away. I’m in the middle of a wonderful dream and do not want to be disturbed.

“Miss Brenner, we need you to get back in your seat. We’ll be landing in Montreal shortly.”

What is this person saying? I’m asleep in a bed. I won’t be landing anywhere soon.

“You have ten minutes.”

Fine.I open my eyes and take stock of the situation. The bed I’m in is the most comfortable I’ve ever had the pleasure of sleeping in, but I’m not in a hotel, or Nicky’s place—Nicky!

I look at the empty spot next to me, the spot where I’d last seen him before I’d closed my eyes and vowed there was no way I was going to sleep.

“How long ago was that?” I squint at my watch and gasp. I’ve been asleep for almost six hours.

How many of those hours did he sleep next to me?

Knowing that it was probably none, that he must have jumped out of bed the minute I’d drifted off to sleep, I force myself to get moving. Princess-Jasmine-air-hostess-lady said I had ten minutes to get into my seat, and I think I’ve wasted a good five minutes figuring out where I am.

Rushing now, I get dressed back into my jeans and splash some water on my face. When I emerge from the bedroom, I find Nicky asleep in a chair, the dark shadows under his eyes taunting me.

He was the one who needed to sleep on this flight. Not me.

I slip into the seat next to him and accept the cup of coffee offered to me by Jasmine (as I know her now).

“Thanks,” I whisper, trying not to wake the sleeping giant next to me. “How long until we land?”

She looks at her watch. “We’ll be starting our descent now.”

“Okay.” I look around the plane to get my bearings. James is still in the seat where we’d left him, like a statue who hasn’t moved a muscle. The rest of the team is scattered around the plane, all still working to various degrees.

I take a sip of coffee as Nicky snores softly next to me, a deep sense of guilt eating away at me.

“He really doesn’t need that much sleep,” James says, his sharp eyes seeing everything.

I bite my lip. “Are you sure? He has a big weekend ahead of him.”

“Believe me. There was no way he’d have been able to rest at all if he wasn’t sure you were sleeping in there.”

Warmth spreads through me and I gaze out of the window playing his words over in my mind. Nicky has always been this way with me; always willing to put my needs above his own.

The plane drops suddenly and rocks, and I grip my armrest, all thoughts of sleep and Nicky and anything else coherent blanking from my mind.We’re all going to die!

“Relax.” Nicky takes my nearest hand in his right hand, using the other to turn my head away from the window where I’m looking to see the moment we hit the ground. “It’s going to be fine.”

I watch his lips as they form the words and release a shallow exhale.

“That’s it, just breathe.”

I do as he says, focusing on my breathing and the feeling of his hand holding mine.

“See? Everything is fine.”

Blinking, I glance out of the window to see we’ve landed safely on the tarmac and not into a fiery inferno as I’d expected.

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