Ashe walked back out into the snow, he released the burden ofChristmasthat he hadn’t realized had been so heavy until he experienced how light he felt without it.Thethought of skippingChristmasbrought a big smile to his face.Thiswas going to be perfect.
Five
Kelli
Kellipushedher rolling suitcase as the line for airport security inched forward, and then openedValeria’stext that had just popped up on her phone.
VALERIA:Doyou promise to have so much fun without me?
Kellismiled and typed backPinkiepromise.
VALERIA:Andfind someone to date?
Shepushed her suitcase around the switchback in the fabric barrier and then typed her response.
KELLI:Val,I’mgoing to a companyChristmasretreat, not a singles cruise.
VALERIA:Kels.Theseare all people who have no one to spendChristmaswith, so they are likely allSINGLE.Cozyup to one of them.It’llbe good for you.
Shewas scrolling through the facial expressions emojis to find one that perfectly encapsulated what she thought ofValeria’scomment and glanced up to see how close to the front of the line she was getting.Onlyabout eight more people in front of her.Thenshe noticed who had just gone through airport security.Sheabandoned her emoji search and instead typed a message.
KELLI:Youare never going to believe who just went through airport security!
VALERIA:Who?
KELLI:ParkerBrockbankfromTradeShows!Whatdo you think he’s doing here?
Shepulled herIDout of the pocket of her shoulder bag and opened her phone to the boarding pass.Anotification at the top of the screen popped up withValeria’sresponse.
VALERIA:Well, ifIhad to guess,I’dsay he’s looking to get on a plane.
KELLI:Haha.
VALERIA:He’sprobably going home forChristmas.
Oh, hey,ChristinaJenseninSEOis flying home today, too.Ifyou see her, tell herIsaid hi.
Ofcourse.Parkerwas probably flying home forChristmas.Thiswas the first day they were off work for the holidays, so it made total sense.
Kellihanded herIDto theTSAagent and then put her phone on the scanner to have it read her boarding pass.Theagent let her through, and she entered the screening line across from the lineParkerwas in.Hehad just removed his laptop and placed everything on the conveyor belt.Hewas so wrapped up in what he was doing that he hadn’t even noticed her.Soshe just watched him as she waited.
Becausereally, he was a very attractive guy.Sherarely let herself admire him because then her stomach would get all fluttery and then she’d have to remind herself how awkward their first date was years ago and how obviously unsuited they were for each other, and that was usually all she needed to stop.
Onthe rare occasion that didn’t work, she’d remind herself about the time a month or two later when she had first started datingJames, and she had ducked out of work in the middle of the day to have a super sweet phone call with him in the print and copy room.
Theyhad been talking for much longer thanKellihad guessed they would, andParkerhad come into the room not long before they hung up.Whenshe turned around,Parkerchided her for taking personal calls on company time.
Onlya few weeks after that, she went into the break room to grab a soda to hopefully help her wake up from a late-afternoon slump, and she caught him making out with his girlfriend before she was even his fiancée.Rememberingwhat a hypocrite he was helped, too.
Shewas just putting her stuff onto the moving belt whenParkerwent through the scanner.Whenhe stepped through, the security officer stopped him, but she wasn’t close enough to hear what he said and had to turn her focus to getting her own things through security.Shewasn’t stopped at all, and couldn’t help but give him a smirk as he was being patted down and having his fingers tested for bomb residue while she strolled to her bags and grabbed her things.
“Havea greatChristmas!” she called out to him as she pulled her rolling bag behind her, grinning all the way to her gate.
Shehad barely found a seat, hooked her shoulder bag on her suitcase, and pulled out her phone when she sawParkerwalking down the wide aisle.Shequickly typed a text toValeria.
KELLI:Sleighbells!Ithink he’s coming to my gate!
Hecan’t be going on this retreat, too.
