Page 1 of One Taste
Devin
“Welcome to Newark, New Jersey,”the flight attendant’s voice comes over the loud speaker signaling our arrival at the gate. “Thank you for flying with us. We hope to see you again soon.”
I’ve never been happier to be getting off an airplane in my life. The man next to me took his shoes off right before takeoff and the smell has been horrid. Six long hours of that smell, plus his snoring.
God, get me off this plane.
Thank god for the small miracle of having an aisle seat. I shoulder my way into the crowded aisle and reach up to grab my carryon.
I drag in a breath of non-dirty-foot scented air as soon as I step off the plane and I sigh in relief.
It’s good to be home.
As I drag my suitcase behind me, I take in the feeling of comfort being back in my home state. I’ve traveled the country, and loved every minute of it, but there’s nothing like being home.
Coming down the escalator, I listen as they announce where we can find our bags.
“Baggage from Delta flight 964 will be loaded onto carousel—”
“DEVIN!” I hear my name screamed over the announcement. Looking past the crowd of passengers waiting for their bags, I see my best friend barreling toward me.
I brace for impact just as Brielle launches her body into mine and wraps her arms around me like a spider monkey.
She squeezes me. Hard. “God, I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too, but could you please refrain from strangling me to death my first day home.”
Brielle Montgomery has been my best friend since we fought over the last jump rope at recess on the first day of second grade. It was love at first fight. She called me a dooty-head and told me it was her jump rope, she got to it first, and I told her she was a mean brat who didn’t get to it first because I did. We pulled it back and forth in a tug of war until we both had to sit along the wall in a recess time out.
The next day, after both of us were in the front of the line, each getting a jump rope, we jumped rope together singing a song that I can’t remember, and that was that.
“Sorry, sorry.” She laughs. “I’m just so happy to have you back.”
“Let’s just hope these interviews go well or you won’t have me for long.”
I have four interviews lined up over the next two weeks, and if I don’t land one, I won’t be staying long.
Brielle smirks and shrugs a shoulder. “With your resumé, I’m not worried. Let’s get your shit and get out of here. We’re going out tonight.”
“Ugh,” I protest. “I’ve just spent six hours on an airplane. I don’t want to go out. I want to go back to your place and veg-out with a bottle of Pinot for the rest of the night.”
“Too bad,” she says taking my small suitcase from me. “I wasn’t asking. I was telling. Let’s go, bitch.”
* * *
The smellof coffee infiltrates my nose. I stretch out in bed and my muscles ache.
Damn, I’m out of shape.
I haven’t spent a night out on the town in forever. I forgot how much energy Brielle has. Who plans a bar crawl on a random Saturday night? My best friend as a welcome back to town.
Rolling out of bed like I went twelve rounds in a heavy-weight match last night, I follow my nose to the smell of coffee filling the air.
“I was wondering when you were going to drag your ass out of bed.”
Brielle’s smirk irks me in the best possible way.
Damn, I’ve missed her.
