Beyond all that awkwardness I was expecting, I thought it was going well until I opened my mouth and made it all worse while he simply chose to ignore me with silence. Kill me instead, I thought. We were flying thousands of feet above the ground, and I had nowhere to go. I could continue watching the movie in front of me or try to mend whatever was left between us.

"I'm sorry, Noel. I didn't mean to say it like that."

"It's okay, Swetha. Shit sorry, Anu," he said, planting his face on his palms.

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry at his fumble, but I chose to smile and let it go. Teasing him wasn't going to do any good. "Let's just forget this," I said. "Let's forget our boring lives for a while, at least until we land and instead we could talk about something fun."

"Sounds like a good idea", he agreed, getting back up.

"What do you want to talk about?" I asked and waited for him to come up with something. Both of us went quiet and got engaged in our thoughts. I had to come up with something just to break that big, icy rock between us.

"Why don't we start fresh?" "Why don't we start where we left off?". We spoke at the same time.

I was shocked by the disparity between our ideas. Start where we left off? What was he thinking? I knew he was always unpredictable and quirky, but I didn't think he would still want to start things again with me. This time, I wasn't angry or shocked. I was curious where this would lead. Anyway, there was nothing else for us to do, and I had nothing to lose either.

"What do you mean?", I asked, like I didn't understand what he meant.

"You know what I mean."

"No, I really don't understand. What do you mean by starting fresh? For starters, you have a fiance and now you want to start fresh with me?", I was puzzled.

"Don't you think it's easier if we keep the animosity away and start fresh?"

"Yes, but...uh... are you sure?", I asked.

His eyes sparkled in joy as he nodded with the same old innocent smile on his face. I realized how much I missed looking at him - his smile, the way he strokes his beard, and his scent. Why would he do this to me, again?

"Do you remember the time you made me watch The Notebook?"

"Of course. You cried like a little boy."

"No. I didn't"

"Oh. Yes, you did, Noel. Accept it"

"No way. Maybe my eyes were filled with tears, but I didn't cry."

"Big difference! Anyway, what about that movie?"

"After we watched the movie, we promised each other something. That we were going to be together forever no matter what happened."

"I know. How would I forget that!"

He nodded. "You need to know; even after our breakup, I never lost hope. I thought we'd be like Noah and Allie. I kept dreaming about the day we'd meet again and fall in love again. I kept waiting for you, but you never came."

"I missed you too, Noel. I know I made the decision for both of us, but I never stopped missing or loving you. I only wanted the best for us. You know that." I stopped myself from saying more. I've missed him for the most part of these few years. Flirting with another man only reminded me of him. It wasn't easy for me, as he thinks.

"Can I hold your hand?", he asked.

I froze, and I didn't know how to react. He slowly took my hands and interlaced his fingers with mine. It reminded me of the first time he took my hand in a movie theatre, and I used to tease him that he was the most cliche boyfriend I could ever get. His eyes met mine, but he was quiet.

"I want to kiss you, Anu."

I continued to be perplexed and lost in his eyes. I wasn't ready to listen to anything he said. Anyway, who even asks if they can kiss? When did he learn manners? He never used to ask me back then. We just knew. And now he's asking me. Did he really change, or maybe the new girl was a good influence on him?

"I don't know Noel. It's too soon, and I don't think it's right. We just met after so many years."

"Exactly. We've met after so many years, and I don't know when we'll ever meet again. But, just for old-time's sake? I know this is wrong, but I don't know what I'll do to myself if I don't kiss you now. Please, Anu.", he said, cupping my cheek in his hand.

It felt like time had slowed down, but my heart only beat faster. His cold palms and his heavenly scent reminded me of my first kiss. He was my first kiss, and this felt like one too. I had pined for this touch for a long time, and I couldn't refuse. I knew that the day was going to end in another heartbreak when we parted ways, but this was an offer I couldn't refuse.

I leaned onto his palms and closed my eyes. The perfect lips that once caressed my whole body were touching mine once again, at this very moment. It wasn't electric like I thought it would be, but it was passionate. I thanked the Gods above for bringing the starry gloom around us, and I kissed his moist lips back.

Was I being selfish? I didn't care. I wanted him to touch me. I wanted him to own me, even if it was only for the next few hours.

He pulled away and leaned closer to my ear. "Thank you". We backed into our seats, holding hands and hiding the new blush on our faces. Never in my wildest dreams have I imagined meeting him like this, or that I'd end up kissing him again. I was having all the hot feelings for him again.

He looked up and whispered, "Can you remove your seat belt?"

"Why?" I whispered back in curiosity.

"I want to make you happy", he smiled mischievously. "Just like old times."

"Here? What. No." I gasped.

He nodded and unbuckled his belt. He leaned toward me and threw a blanket on my lap. He grinned the whole time as he leaned even closer and said "Thank God, you're not wearing jeans". He put his hands on my crotch and stroked it gently. I knew what he was doing to me. That wicked man knows just the right thing to do.

He looked right into my eyes as he brushed over my pants. I was half embarrassed that this was happening on a plane with hundreds of people around and only a minute away from getting caught, but it didn't matter anymore. I was beginning to enjoy it.

"Do you like it?" he whispered.

"Mm-hm"

Slowly, he slipped his hands into my underwear and stroked the already erupting volcano. Is this what heaven feels like? It was jitters all over my body, and I could barely keep my eyes open. But he was quite aware of everything around him and was in constant vigilance for anyone walking by. The two grumpy men who sat in our row were fast asleep, and we had nothing to worry about.

His fingertips circled over the edges of the lips underneath and finally dug into the depths of the unknown. Every stroke did something different for me. He slid his finger into me and pushed further and further. I was gasping for air, and my back wanted to slide down.

I wanted to moan as loudly as I could so he could hear what he was doing to me, but I couldn't. I closed my mouth with one hand, clutched the edge of the seat with the other, and panted heavily.

"How does it feel?" he whispered in my ear.

"Good"

"Good what?"

"Good, Noel. I feel good, Noel."

"Do you feel like you're on top of the world?"

"Are you kidding? I am on top of the world."

"Good girl. Now, tell me you love me", he said, slowing down his rhythm and teasing me.

This wasn't love, but I wanted to obey him. I didn't want him to stop. Maybe, it was a long shot, but I was excited, imagining that our relationship might just be rekindled. We're both grownups now, and maybe we deserve a second shot. Maybe we could be like Noah and Allie. Despite my difficulty getting those words out, I picked myself up and said them. "I love you."

"Say my name."

"I love you, Noel". I was out of breath, and I should have reached for the oxygen mask right then, but he suddenly pulled away from me. He went back to his seat and settled in as if nothing had happened.

"What happened? Is someone coming?" I asked, wide-eyed and clueless.

"No," he said casually, keeping his eyes to the front.

I was too wet and shocked that he stopped suddenly. "What happened?"

"How does that make you feel? Betrayed? Angry?" he said, turning his head sharply at me. "It's just a taste of your own medicine, love. That's how it feels when someone fucks you up and leaves you mid-way."

I couldn't believe it. Was this really happening? None of this makes any sense. I closed my eyes trying to wake up from this bad dream, but it wasn't.

How did I believe him and give in to the moment? Did he just use me? Was everything he said a lie, and was that kiss for revenge too? I knew he was capable of doing things in spite of them, but this I never even dreamed of. I wanted to choke him right then, but my body had frozen over in shock.

"Are you serious? I thought you had really moved on. I thought you grew up but you seem to be the same immature asshole you were, and you still carry all this anger within you."

He smirked and leaned back with his hands behind his head. He did not say a word, but his smirk vexed me.

"Was any of this real?" I asked, throwing the blanket back at him. "Speak!"

"Everything I said was real. Then and Now. I'm not sorry for what I just did. I wanted you to understand how devastated I was when you left me like that."

"Do you think I've been jolly?"

"How would I know? You seemed to be doing just fine, but unlike you, I would have never let our relationship end. I would have fought for it till the end. Come what may. But you just gave up."

"It's not like I did it on purpose. I had to. How many times do I tell you this?"

"No! You didn't have to. You chose to." he paused. "And you chose to do it over a phone call and leave. After all that time, you couldn't even face me. I deserved answers, but you never gave me a chance to ask."

I had no answer to that. He was right. He deserved much better than a breakup call. I should have given him a chance to fight or to reason with me.

The truth was — I was scared, I panicked, and I did it to protect myself, but I didn't stop to think about him.

"I'm very sorry. I couldn't face you."

"When you said you wanted to break up, I thought you were pulling a prank. I didn't understand where it came from. There was neither a hint nor a fight. You could have fought with me, hit me till I understood, or at least waited a little bit more."

"I didn't want to fight. If you remember, that is why I left."

"You left because you were afraid of fighting? Do you think we were the only couple who fought? Everyone fights Anu. And you call me immature", he said, getting up from his seat and storming away to the toilet.

I was left to my own devices again by the glumness around me. I wanted to scream and vent it out, or at least talk to a friend about this deceit, but I had no one except him to talk to. Either I had to sulk in defeat or brace myself for whatever he was plotting against me. I could avoid him entirely and wait for the journey to end, or I could play along and see where it would go. But would it be another clever trap I might fall into again?

This time I wouldn't be blind to his trickery. I need to have a plan if he ever manages to outsmart me again. He fooled me once into thinking he was into me. He wouldn't do that again. He had raised the stakes higher and I had to be one step ahead and smarter.

A few minutes passed and he walked quietly into his seat. He brought his hands over his head, cracked his neck to both sides and moaned in relief. I knew he wanted to provoke me but I stayed observant and kept calculating my next move. I had to be very convincing and seize the moment when he was off guard.

But, I had only a few hours left.

QOTC : What do you think Anu should do?

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