Chapter 72: The Airport

Rosalind and I trailed back as the two boys hauled our luggage onto the scale. We had all packed light, partly because our bags were small and partly because we didn't plan on staying in New York for very long.

"You ok?" Rosalind squeezed my hand. Her long hair was piled on top of her head and was held together by a pencil. Her eye makeup was a little short of being considered drag, and her lips were painted bright pink. She was dressed in black, and with her multiple piercings shelooked like the kind of girl who would ride a motorcycle with no helmet. The kind of girl who would drink herself senseless in a nightclub. The kind of girl who I would never have believed would end up being my friend.

"Yeah," I lied, when in fact I was as 'not ok' as I could be. The three of them were used to this sort of crime fighting thing, but I wasn't. I had absolutely no clue what to do when approached by a criminal. I had no clue how to fight. The closest I ever came to being attacked was with James; and Caspian had saved me from him.

I watched the grey suitcase I had borrowed from Caspian disappear down the conveyor belt, and I sucked in a deep breath as our journey began.

Caspian walked up to me. His tight T-shirt showed off his perfectly toned chest. I hadn't bothered asking him where he had gotten the money for the flight from, his reply would have been the same as with Janet's phone: 'I'm a Stinger'.

"Let's roll." Lewis brought his left arm over his forehead in what I assumed was a dab.

I giggled nervously. Caspian placed his hand on the small of my back and steered me in the right direction.

The airport was a metal tin that curved and bent in such a way that it caught the natural and manmade light perfectly. There was no shortage of windows, so the view of the taxiing planes could be seen as we walked. I could see the faces of people going on vacation and suddenly wished the situation was different, that Caspian and I were also on a trip of fantasy.

"This is our gate," Lewis yelled from behind us.

Caspian stopped by the large window and wrapped his arms around me. I all too willingly leaned into his hard chest, closing my eyes as he pressed his lips to the top of my head. Together we watched the view. The airplanes rose and glided upwards with utmost ease, overcoming the air resistance. Caspian squeezed my waist tightly and I turned around in his arms to see his face.

His jaw was clenched as he watched the planes take-off. I trailed my finger along his jawline and he immediately relaxed as my cool fingers met his warm skin.

"I still wish you had stayed behind," Caspian sighed, placing his hands on my hips.

"And let you have all the fun?" I asked, pouting.

"This is your idea of fun?" Caspian asked, flirtatiously. "Or is it only fun because you're with me?" He cupped one of my flushed cheeks. "You're so adorable when you blush."

I bit my lip. He gently brought a hand up and took my bottom lip out from between my teeth.

"You're so hot when you bite your lip," he told me, making me blush harder.

"We can't make out in an airport," I breathed as he brought his lips closer to mine.

"Why not?" he enquired, scrunching his nose in confusion.

"Too many people," I replied, looking around me at the swirl of colours as people rushed to catch their flights.

"Are you shy?"

I buried my head in Caspian's chest and nodded, causing his chest to vibrate as he chuckled.

"In the plane then."

It wasn't a question, so I didn't reply.

"Flight B34 to New York, boarding now," a voice boomed over the loud intercom.

"That's us," Caspian told me, before taking my hand and walking over to where Lewis and Rosalind were standing.

We waited in line behind a freakishly tall young man with strawberry blond hair; he was feet taller than Caspian, and that was saying something.

Finally, it was our turn to board and our tickets were scanned. Thank god you didn't need your password for internal flights; I wasn't even sure where mine was anymore, or if it was even still valid.

We were greeted by rows and rows of identical cushioned seats, each tilted back just a little bit for comfort's sake. I took the window seat and Caspian sat directly beside me, with Lewis and Rosalind sitting in front of us. Caspian gave one of the flight attendants an evil look as he walked past. The poor guy pulled at his neatly pressed uniform in discomfort as his eyes met Caspian's.

"What was that for?" I asked, as the attendant walked away.

"When we were boarding, his eyes were lingering in all the wrong places." Caspian looked at me. I knew the anger in his eyes wasn't directed at me, but I still didn't like it. His anger subsided when I rested my head on his shoulder.

"You probably imagined it," I told him.

"You have no idea how beautiful you are," Caspian argued, sinking down into his seat.

I opened my mouth to tell him I wasn't sure what he saw in me, but closed it due to not wanting to start an argument. I looked at him from under my eyelashes and once again marvelled at how lucky I was to have him in my life. His square jaw never failed to make me desire him, his lips never failed to tempt me, and his eyes never failed to capture me. I wondered how someone like him had fallen for me.

"You should never feel insecure." Caspian read my mind. "Are you forgetting the amount of male attention you attract?"

I shook my head, trying to laugh it off. Caspian grabbed my chin and forced my eyes to meet his. "You're as beautiful as a butterfly." Caspian fingered my butterfly pendant. "Scratch that, you're more beautiful than a butterfly."

The plane gave a quick shudder as it jerked into motion. A picture of a beautiful white and gold veined butterfly had begun to form in my mind as Caspian lightly kissed my lips. His kiss was as soft as the flutter of a butterfly's wings. His hands sunk into my hair as he tilted my head back. Thoughts of butterflies filled me head. It was like everywhere I went they followed me, these beautiful, deadly creatures. They were intertwined into every tiny thing. They were rulers of this world, changing the meaning of things. It was like they were the centre of the universe and all life revolved around them.

Asher was the name on my lips as I fell asleep, only half aware of Caspian's lips parting against mine. 

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