Compass (6 page)

Her body was created just for him. It had to be. There was no other explanation as to why she fit to him like a perfect puzzle piece. But no matter how much he loved her, he knew she was out of his league. Alexis would never see him as anything more than her best friend. So with a heavy heart, he kept their relationship platonic.

“Why didn’t I think of this before?” Kix bellowed.

Ryan jumped, pulled back to reality. “Think of what?”

“I should check the passenger manifest for her name.”

Ryan’s eyes rolled upward. “Let it go already,” he grumbled.

A knock came to the door of the cockpit. Ryan leaned back and unlocked the door. It opened and Makenna stood at the entrance, her face pinched with aggravation. She blew her hair back from her eyes.

“Everything all right?” Ryan asked.

“Not really. I have a passenger who’s about to drive me bonkers. Ever since you turned off the fasten seatbelt sign…” she trailed off.

“What’s wrong?”

“She wants to speak with you.”

Kix started to unbuckle his seatbelt. “What about?”

“Not you, Captain. She wants Fisher.” She cast a sideways glance to Ryan.

Ryan pushed back. “Me?” He poked his own chest and wondered why this woman would want to speak with him. Not that he minded, but he was second in command. This wasn’t a commonplace occurrence. People usually wanted the captain, not the co-pilot.

The stray hair fell back into Makenna’s eyes, only agitating her more. She thrust her hand through her midnight locks, forcing the hair out of her face. “Yep. You.”

Kix laughed, smacking Ryan on the back. “Good luck, Buddy. Glad it’s you and not me.”

Ryan winced at the sting of the slap. “I’ve never had a passenger ask for me before. They’re usually disappointed to get me instead of the captain.”

Makenna smiled, her over-exaggerated irritation disappeared. “She wanted me to give this to you.” As Makenna opened her hand, Ryan leaned over and glanced at the object lying in her palm. He recognized it immediately. It was an old, faded red toy compass. “She said to tell you
‘forever and always
’.”

Ryan took the compass and flipped it over between his fingers, examining it closely. It was worn with age, the plastic soft to the touch. As he held the tiny toy in his hand, a huge smile exploded over his face. This couldn’t be. It wasn’t possible. But the evidence was real. Alexis was there. On his flight.

“What’s that she gave you?” Kix inquired.

“It’s a compass,” Ryan murmured, his own voice sounding soft and distant to his ears.

“Well, no shit, Sherlock. I mean what’s it for?”

Ryan flashed Makenna a cocky smirk and turned to Kix. “A compass,” he began, with sarcasm dripping from his tongue, “is a device used to determine geographic location. If you didn’t learn that much in flight school, maybe I
should
be the one flying this bird.”

Kix’s mouth dropped to his chest. “Smart ass.”

Ryan laughed as he removed his headset. “Maybe, but I have a passenger to speak with.” He unbuckled his seatbelt, without haste, and stood up, moving around Makenna.

“Passenger in D2,” she called out.

Ryan straightened his tie and took a deep breath, making his way out to the main cabin. He looked around the curtain separating the gully from the cabin, and his heart skipped a beat.

Sitting in seat D2 was his Alexis. She was looking in a mirror, applying lip gloss. This was the woman he’d seen in the pictures on Facebook. Poised, sophisticated, and beautiful. Her thick brown hair hung straight down her back. Her lips plump and pink, and her big brown eyes were accentuated with the right amount of eye makeup to make them standout. She was everything Ryan remembered her to be.

He took a deep breath, stepped around the curtain, and walked over to the row of seats she was sitting in. Next to her sat an older woman with hair white as snow. He heard the woman say something to Alexis as he approached, but couldn’t quite make it out.

“Excuse me, Miss, but I do believe this is yours,” he greeted, a playful hint to his tone. He flashed his best smile as she looked up at him from the mirror. His hand shook, just slightly, as he opened his palm to reveal the toy compass.

The moment their eyes met, time stood still.

For a moment Alexis thought she was dreaming. She’d been on edge from the moment she sat down on the plane. Her palms were sweaty and her heart raced in her chest. The anxiety she felt intensified as the force of the plane lifting off the ground pushed her back into her seat. How the older woman she’d seen in line at security, who was now seated beside her on the plane, slept so peacefully was a mystery to her.

Alexis felt everything from the nose of the plane rising off the ground to the tail that followed. Her ears muffled the higher they went until finally they popped. She looked out the window, enamored with how the city began to look smaller from her vantage point, which only added to her terror.

The plane took them over Manhattan and then turned, heading west. She swallowed back her panic long enough to whisper a sweet goodbye to her home and friends. Anxiety mixed with anticipation gripped her as the reality of it all started to sink in. She was really doing this. After all her hard work, dedication, and sacrifices, her dreams were finally coming true.

A pleasant smile settled on her face as she watched New York disappear under a blanket of clouds. And while her fingers dug into the armrest, there was a peace in her soul about the decision she’d made.

That was until
his
voice came over the speaker. Gone was the peace, and in its exchange was a full blown panic attack. After all this time, with no contact and nothing more than a silly friend request on Facebook to give her insight into his life, she’d managed to find herself on the same plane with the boy who was once her everything.

The fasten seatbelt signs went dark, but Alexis couldn’t move an inch. She was in a state of shock. Everything inside of her told her that she was hearing things. It had to be her imagination playing tricks on her. She was not hearing his voice. What were the odds of Ryan being the pilot of her plane?

She rubbed her hands over her face, fighting the uneasiness inside her. All she wanted to do was jump up from her seat and rush to the cockpit, but even she knew that would be a fool’s mission. Logic be damned, because she had to see him. She had to let him know she was there. Alexis waved at the flight attendant, who held up one finger, signaling for her to hold on.

She growled at the woman’s inability to see how important this was for her. Her leg bounced with nervous energy. She waved at the flight attendant again, only to receive another vague demand for time. Impatient, she reached down into her bag and grabbed her wallet, removing the tiny, plastic compass she’d placed in it the night before.

A fortunate circumstance,
she mused.

This small token was the one way she knew, without a doubt, Ryan would believe it was her.

Alexis bounced anxiously in her seat waiting for the flight attendant to assist her. Her aggravation intensified by the second. Patience was never a virtue Alexis displayed and this woman was trying her to the nth degree.

Her irritation bubbled over when the raven-haired woman glanced in her direction then disappeared. She unbuckled her seatbelt, ready to become a lawbreaker, when her attention was pulled by the sweet, elderly woman sitting next to her.

“How do you know the pilot?”

She turned her head to see the woman staring at her through clouded, blue eyes. Her face, wrinkled with age, wore a bright smile. There were age spots on her face and hands, but they didn’t deter from what Alexis could’ve only assumed was a knockout of a woman back in her day.

“I beg your pardon?” she asked politely.

“You came unglued the moment our pilot made his announcement, so I’m only able to assume you know him. Which makes me curious as to how.” Her voice shook as most old women’s do.

“Oh.” A small chuckle rumbled Alexis in her chest. Feeling a little embarrassed, she squeezed the compass in her hand and let out a soft sigh. “We went to high school together.”

“There’s no more special a bond as that of high school sweethearts,” the old woman cooed.

Alexis shook her head. “Oh, no, ma’am. We were only good friends.”

The old woman’s smile dropped. “But there was love there.”

Heat rushed through her cheeks. Alexis shook her head.

The woman’s smile returned exposing her bright white teeth. Alexis couldn’t determine if they were dentures or dental implants. But she was certain of one thing; her teeth were too perfect to be natural.

 “I highly doubt that. It’s written all over you. How long has it been?”

Alexis lifted her eyes to the ceiling. A sense of nostalgia engulfed her. “Over fifteen years.”

“He must’ve been something special.”

“Even to this day, I’d say he’s the greatest man I’ve ever known. I hate that we lost touch, but things change. People grow up and distance tends to pull friendships apart.”

“Sadly, that’s true.” The older woman stretched, and sat up straighter in her seat. Her back hunched slightly with age, and her cardigan skewed around her waist. “So what is it you do, my dear?”

“I’m a doctor,” Alexis boasted. She couldn’t help but feel extremely proud of that accomplishment.

“Lovely. What an achievement for one so young.”

Her blush deepened when she realized she was bragging. “Thank you, ma’am.”

“Please, stop calling me ma’am. You’re making me feel old,” she chuckled and extended a shaky hand. “My name is Mildred. Mildred McCallum. Most people call me Millie.”

Alexis accepted her fragile hand and shook it. “Alexis York. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine, I assure you. You know, Doctor, you remind me a lot of my late husband.” The old woman’s smile faltered as she released a small sigh. She glanced down at the faded gold wedding band on her finger, circling it with adoration and compassion.

There was a tug at Alexis’ heart, seeing the love this woman had for her departed husband. It honored and saddened her to be privy to someone who knew such love. “How so?”

“He was a sweet man, kind to the bone.” The woman’s eyes sparkled with a memory. “I see that same kindness in your eyes. Not only that, he was a spitfire, as are you.”

“Me? A spitfire?” An amused smile tickled her lips.

“You did put that man in his place back at security.”

If Alexis hadn’t already been blushing, she would’ve been after that reminder. “Oh, Heavens. I’m so sorry about that. There are times my mouth gets the better of me.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about. He deserved much worse.”

“Amen to that. So, how long were you and your husband together?”

“Fifty-two years.”

“Wow!”

Millie’s grin widened. “We were high school sweethearts. That’s how I could tell about you and your pilot fellow. There’s something in the eyes that shows a pure love like that.”

Alexis chewed on her bottom lip, letting her guard slip. “I did love him. It just wasn’t meant to be.”

Mildred patted her hand, her ghostly eyes filled with sympathy. The compass rattled against her palm when Millie’s hand touched hers. The old woman stared down at the faded red compass in bewilderment.

“May I ask, what’s that you have in your hand?”

She flipped the circle over to reveal the large green N on the white face of the toy. “It’s a compass. Ryan gave it to me before…” she drifted off. The irony of the situation struck her. She was moving then when she left him, only to find him again during another move.

“A compass to lead you home,” Mildred whispered.

Alexis was stunned by the woman’s words. Her mouth dropped and tears swelled behind her eyes. Suddenly the sound of Ryan’s voice echoed those words in her head.

“Excuse me,” a sweet but firm voice interrupted them. “I apologize for the wait. How might I help you?”

Alexis looked up to see the woman with raven black hair and deep blue eyes staring back at her, from behind a pair of cat-eye glasses.

“Yes, ma’am. I’m sorry to be a pain, but I really need to speak with the first officer.”

“The first officer is currently working to ensure the safety of this flight. Is there maybe something I can help you with?”

Alexis’ chest deflated at the finalization in the attendant's expression. Still determined, she knew there was only one other way to reach Ryan, for him to know she was there, even if he couldn’t come to her.

“May I ask your name?”

The attendant nodded. “Yes, ma’am. It’s Makenna.”

“Well, Makenna, I understand the first officer is very busy ensuring the safety of this flight, and I’m more than appreciative of that. All I ask is for you to do me one tiny little favor.”

Makenna straightened her back, her head cocked to the side in curiosity. “And that might be?”

“Take this to him and tell him an old friend is waiting for him here,” Alexis stated, handing the compass to Makenna. The flight attendant looked bewildered as she accepted the toy from the passenger. Her eyes darted from the compass and then back to Alexis.