Liv is instantly on her feet striking a pose. “Then make sure you get me from every angle,” she says defiantly. “And make sure you tell them you are walking around just fine, lied about your boarding pass, and nearly got escorted off the plane.” She smiles and leans in closer to the phone. “Oh, and be sure to tell them what an entitled old witch you are.” Then she blows a kiss and sits back down, while I’m doing everything humanly possible not to laugh.
But I end up snickering and then the camera is aimed at me.
“You think it’s funny? You could have given up your seat too,” she goes on. “But the two of you are the entitled ones and the entire internet is going to know. You millennials are the worst! And I’m going to make sure the airline puts you on their list to never let you fly again! How about that?”
I know it’s not possible, but now I’ve had enough.
I stand, forcing this woman to take a step back, and I take a menacing step toward her. “Look, I don’t know what your deal is, but if you think this is going to intimidate anyone into bending to your will, you’re wrong. Just like you were wrong to try to shame Liv into giving up her seat. She paid to sit there. You didn’t. So why don’t you go back to the seat you were assigned to and leave us alone? We’re done here.”
I turn to sit back down and nearly collide with Darcy, who is smiling. “Thank you,” she says quietly. “I’ve got it from here.”
Slowly, I sit back down, fighting the urge to listen to the words Darcy is quietly but firmly speaking. Instead, I look at Liv, who is grinning.
“That was impressive, Sebastian. Like seriously impressive.”
“It really wasn’t. I should have stood up and stopped her the minute she started filming.”
“Yeah, but…then I wouldn’t have had the chance to show off my impressive modeling skills.” She winks, and I know she’s teasing.
“And while those skills were definitely impressive, I should have put a stop to it before things got to where they did. I had no idea people were this rude. Or petty!”
She studies me for a long moment. “Well, thank you for doing what you did. No one’s ever stood up for me like that, so…thank you.”
“I should have done it earlier too,” I admit miserably. “When you got on the plane, I should have immediately said something instead of just sitting here and making you and Darcy do all the dirty work.”
“To be fair, it wasn’t your responsibility. We don’t even know each other, so…”
“It doesn’t matter. It was the right thing to do and I should have done it, so…I’m sorry.”
Then, to my horror, her eyes fill with tears and she’s crying.
Shit.
“Liv, I…”
“If I wasn’t sitting right here with you, I swear I would think someone made you up! You’re so polite and nice and I never knew guys like you even existed! I’m just so used to people being crappy and like…here you are!”
She’s not openly sobbing, but I can tell it’s building up to it.
Luckily, the flight crew is starting their food and beverage service, so we’re saved from continuing this conversation.
Even though I ate in the lounge, I’m still going to order something, and opt for the burger with a bag of chips and a Coke. Liv orders the same, but with wine. When Darcy moves on to the next row, Liv looks at me with a small smile. “I swear I rarely drink this much. It’s just been a rough week.”
“Hey, you don’t owe me an explanation.”
“Maybe, but I feel like you’re looking at me like I have a drinking problem, and I swear I don’t. Between all the stuff today and the eulogy, I’m also just struggling with my career. I’m a writer with writer’s block. That can be the kiss of death for me. On top of that, my parents are being absolute nightmares because they don’t understand why I’m struggling, and if I could, I swear I’d move to another country, change my phone number, and leave no forwarding address. Is it wrong to just want to live my own life and write what I want?”
“Um…”
For the next twenty minutes, she rambles on about her life, and honestly, I have a hard time keeping up. She goes from one subject to another and one minute she’s laughing, then the next she’s on the verge of crying again.
Maybe the crazy old lady with the camera was the lesser of two evils…
Our food is served and thankfully, Liv puts all her effort into eating, and I have a little peace and quiet. The burger obviously isn’t the greatest, but I’ve had worse.
“Sebastian?”
Dammit.
