Page 2 of Not Your Basic Love Story

Silence grew between us as the plane taxied to the runway. The flight attendant gave out safety instructions in both English and French while everyone ignored her. I glanced over at my seatmate to see him studying the laminated emergency response instruction card.

He looked up, catching my amused smile. “I had to see if the people in the pictures were as calm as that movie said.”

I thought for a moment, racking my brain for the reference. “Fight Club?”I guessed.

A surprised smile lit up his face. “You know it?”

I grinned. “Do I? I practically have it memorized.”

“So if this is Fight Club,” he said, leaning closer, “does that make you Tyler Durden, or me?”

“We’d both be Tyler Durden, obviously. But I’d be Brad Pitt.”

“No way. If anyone’s Brad Pitt here, it’s me.”

I chuckled. “Not that there’s anything wrong with Edward Norton. I mean, he’s a babe.”

He smiled at me for a long moment, his eyes twinkling. Then, he slid the instructions back into the seat pocket and reached his hand across the empty seat between us. I took it, his large hand enveloping my comparatively dainty one; his grip was confident but gentle, nails trimmed with care.

“Dev,” he offered.

“Rebecca,” I replied.

He held onto my hand for exactly three heartbeats before letting go. I forced my eyes forward, biting the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling. The plane increased in speed, rumbling and shaking as we darted down the runway, engines roaring.Dev inhaled sharply through his teeth and gripped the armrests. I took note of the tendons and veins as they rippled beneath the skin of his hands.His eyes were shut tight, a light sweat forming on his brow. My stomach dropped a bit as we gained elevation, but soon we were at a steady incline, and everything was normal.

“You okay, Dev?” I asked, enjoying the taste of his name on my tongue.

He opened his eyes and nodded once.

“The worst part’s over. Do you want something to drink? My treat!”

A curious smile played upon his face. “I don’t think a lady has ever offered to buy me a drink.”

“Well, I’m a feminist,” I said with a smirk.

He laughed. “Sure, yeah, I can’t turn that down.”

“What are you going to Mexico for?” I asked, small talk coming easily for once as I waited for the attendants to begin their service.

“Winter break, final year of college. Next semester is my last one. It was kind of a last-minute decision. A bunch of my cousins are going down. They’re up there, near the front somewhere. They talked me into it. It’s been a while since I’ve travelled, and I thought it would be fun to get out of the rain and have some sunshine for once.”

“Ooh, what’s your major?” I twisted in my seat to face him.

“Business administration. Are you a graduate?”

I nodded. “Engineering.”

“Wow, that’s impressive. You must have a really cool job.”

My job was... meh. It wasn’t what I’d imagined myself doing as a little girl when I dreamed of becoming an engineer. Everything was different than I’d imagined... I changed the subject. “Are you from Vancouver?”

“No, Surrey.”

Surrey was just east of the Greater Vancouver Area. It would be an hour from my place to his, at least, and I’d have to get off the Skytrain. Probably take a couple of busses. Wait, what? Why was I even thinking that? Geez, Rebecca. You’ve known him for like five minutes, and here you are—

“How about you?”he asked.

His question caught me off guard; I’d been in my head again instead of paying attention to the conversation. “I live in Vancouver.”

---