In Flight (Up in the Air #1)(82)

“You can come to my house monday afternoon, at five. We can speak then.”

It was hard not to feel anything when I looked into his seemingly sincere, pleading eyes.

“Sooner, please. Waiting until Monday will be pure torture.”

I shook my head, holding my ground firmly. “No. Monday. Now answer my question.”

He nodded. He shoved his hands in his pockets, looking absolutely devastating in his black tux with it’s crisp white shirt. His hair was messed up from the struggle but still somehow managed to just look artfully disheveled.

“Have you f**ked Jules?” I asked.

He tensed up, and I knew the answer before he spoke.

“Yes. But it’s been a long time.”

I didn’t want the question to leave my mouth, but it did anyways. “When?”

“A year, at least. I’m not sure exactly how long.”

And he’s known her for years, I thought.

“Was it just the one time?” I asked.

He closed his eyes. “No. But it never meant anything, I swear.”

“So you’ve been sleeping with her for years, and you were going on a date with her after I left tonight, and it didn’t mean anything?”

“I know it sounds bad, but it’s not like that. I’ve known her since high school, and our families have ties that go far back. Her brother Parker is a close friend of mine. And she is only a friend to me. I swear it.”

“But you obviously f**k your friends.” My voice sounded dead, and I wished I could just shut up.

His eyes pleaded with me. “Not anymore. Anything I had with her means nothing. It never did.”

“And you’ve only known me for a week. What does that say about us?”

His jaw clenched. “Please don’t do that. It’s different. We’re different.”

I turned away from him, finally done with talking. I just wanted him to leave.

“Please go. I’ll talk to you on Monday. And please don’t be on any of my flights. If you are, I’ll go work in coach to get away from you.” My voice was getting steadier by the moment. I sincerely hoped that meant that all of my hysterics were finished.

He didn’t leave for a long time, but he didn’t speak either. I heard the door open and close, then the latch being secured.

Stephan picked me up, carrying me to the bed. He held me and cried.

I knew he was hurting, and all because of me. His violent outburst would trouble him, as well as thinking he’d vetted James well, only to learn that I’d wound up hurt. And my hurt would hurt him too.

We hugged each other, and I found that my crying was far from done.

Stephan and I were both surprisingly functional the next morning, which was odd, considering how little actual sleep we got. Odd, but good.

We couldn’t miss work from a layover unless we were close to death’s door. Missing the return flight home from a trip had cost many a flight attendant their job. So we trudged down to the hotel lobby five minutes early, quiet, but in working mode.

Everyone had to ask Stephan why he’d never made it back to the bar the night before. He had forgotten to even text anyone, which was unusual behavior for him. He was normally considerate to a fault.

He made the excuse that he’d passed out on his bed, drunk and exhausted. The excuse served, and the chat shifted away from the issue.

I wasn’t in the mood to talk, so I stayed silent and remote for all of the crew chatter, only coming to life when it was time to work. The familiar routine helped, and I was grateful for a very busy morning, free of James.

I noticed the Agents were on the flight, one in first class, one in coach, as usual.

We had a full house. Every seat on the plane was occupied. So it was three hours into the flight before I asked the agent, James Cook, quietly, “Do you work for James Cavendish?”

He looked a little startled, but put his poker face back on almost instantly. “I’m not at liberty to say, Ms. Karlsson.”

I just nodded. I thought I had my answer.

Captain Damien surprised me by being oddly sensitive to my mood. He dropped his usual flirtatiously friendly routine, and took the time to step into my galley briefly, touching my arm, his eyes serious and sad.

“I won’t ask what’s made you so sad, but I just want you to know that I’m your friend. If you ever need anything, even if it’s just a sympathetic ear, please don’t hesitate to call me. I actually do sympathetic very well, if you can believe it.” He smiled gently as he finished speaking. He was so earnest, and seemed so sincere, that I found myself oddly touched.

I smiled back. “I can believe that, actually. I’ll keep that in mind, Damien. Thank you.”

My small contact with Melissa as she made a trip to the cockpit was the polar opposite of that. She eyed my bare wrist with a catty smile.

“Trouble in paradise?” she asked. She continued without waiting for an answer. I never would have given her one, so it was just as well. “You still have to wear a watch, you know. You can get written up for going without.”

Stephan spoke, surprising us both. He had approached without a sound.

“I doubt that would be as serious of a writeup as you ditching the other flight attendants in coach to go into the flight deck to sexually harass the pilots. Again,” he finished blandly.

She gave him a look that was positively murderous, but didn’t say a word. She stormed back to the main cabin.