My twin sister's recent marriage has put a lot of things into perspective for me. You would think I would have had things all figured out by the age of twenty-two, but I guess not. I guess sometimes you're stuck wallowing in your own self pity.
So as my sister's Maid of Honor, I realized that I have done nothing, except write. Which was weird. I used to be the twin who did everything she could possibly do- yet now, I'm a faded shell of who I was.
I sure as hell wasn't going to stay that way.
So here I was, boarding ticket in hand, waiting outside of my plane to New Orleans. What I had done was wrote up a spontaneous Bucket List, and went and bought my first ticket. Ever. Yeah. Never been on a plane. Lets just say I'm not a fan of heights.
Being the shy girl I am, I wanted to have to be around as few people as possible. So I bought first class. The plane was very compact. I felt like when the amount of pressure grew, the long capsule like interior would end up shrinking around us all until we might as well have tried to stuff a hundred people into a soft drink straw.
The seats were blue cloth, and surprisingly comfortable- or maybe it was extra comfortable because of first class. Though I knew I would have to share this spot with one other person, I was going to have to deal as long as I had the window. Looking out into the small, thick plane of glass, I saw the people running around in their orange and yellow reflective vests, looking like they were all part of some sort of flash mob because of what looked to be bad dancing. I only then face palmed when I realized they were signalling a plane out of its lot doo-hickey, and it made its way onto the runway. It sped up, going faster and faster, until the wheels picked up and it must have been going at a sixty degree angle into the air.
No. Not happening. I need to get off this plane, before I die. I'm going to die. My seat belt isn't going to be buckled securely and I'm going to go falling to the back of the plane because of the tilt. Panic stricken, I began to get up, when someone walked right in front of the two seats, started putting a carry-on bag up, and sat down right next to me.
He was hot. Really, really hot. I felt like I'd seen him somewhere before, but I wasn't sure, because not many super handsome people came into my life. He had dark, brown curls poking out from around a blue beanie, a gray v-neck on that looked casual but probably costs about sixty dollars. That was the kind of guy he seemed to be. He had an air about him that simply said 'I'm sexy and I know it' as if it was painted in glowing red paint across his chest.
After he settled into his seat, he acknowledged my presence for the first time, either ignoring or completely used to the gawking expression on my face. His perfect, Hot Cocoa eyes looked into mine, and he grinned. His cheekbones were so perfect.
Oh Heavenly Father, if this beeth a prank, please leteth me die at the hands of thy angel thou hast sent to me.
And then I think God must be up there, because I died at this man's next words. "Hi. I'm Asher Kingston."
Asher Kingston. The guy featured in at least every magazine at least once a month. The model. The Bachelor. The heir to the Kingston Resorts, best hotel resort internationally. America's player, most eligible Bachelor.
He just said hi to me.
After i didn't reply, he gave me a funny look, and texted away until pretty flight attendants made everyone turn them off. The awe wore off when I watched him flirt shamelessly with a busty brunette, who turned bright red and ran off. It was a bit disgusting. He did the same to the dyed Blondie, too. I thought I was going to be sick.
Definitely a player. World's most eligible jerk face. But he was, of course, really freaking attractive.
The plane started rolling, and I clutched the arm rests as if I could pull them off and throw them at the pilot to make him stop. Oh my god. Suddenly every time a plane crash was shown on the news and the first episode of Lost popped into my head. The plane could blow up right here on the air strip. A wing could fall off. The floor could fall out beneath me. I pulled my feet up against the seat in front of me. Who knows what would happen when we got to the air.
![Our Secret [Completed] oleh _soph_9](https://img.wattpad.com/cover/161892870-80-k74496.jpg)
Asher must have noticed my fright, because he started laughing. "Is this your first time flying, kid?"
This snapped me out of my destructive thoughts. "I'm twenty-two- so not a kid. And yes. But certainly not the last." Oh my god, I was going to go on like nine flights, not even counting the stops and transfers...
He turned slightly towards me, meaning that he was so planning to make conversation. And I didn't exactly want that. "What is in New Orleans for you that you're going for?"
What do I say to that kind of question that some person I recognize from the world's most popular magazine is asking me? Nothing, obviously.
Yet for some reason words left my mouth before I had told my mouth to not say anything. "Just doing my Bucket List."
Stupid!! My face erupted into flames. I'll bet he thought I was insane. Based on the look he gave me, he did. "Bucket List? That doesn't sound like something that actually exists."
Dumbfounded, I turned in my seat to look at him in the similar way he had turned to chat with me. "I didn't make it up! it's on the Internet!"
"May I see this.. Bucket List?" He asked. At first I said no, but then he kept staring at me with his huge brown eyes. Saying no to those eyes was like saying no to a nice glass of cocoa with marshmallows on a snowy day. You just can't do it. I have yet to meet one person who can turn that down. So I pulled the crumpled paper out of my pocket along with my airline ticket, and gave the paper to him. He carefully translated my terrible chicken scratch, all the small side notes I'd put, the costs that I'd arranged, the time i'd spend in each place. Lets just say my fiance had left me a lot of money, so i had the ability to do most of it. Everything else... Well, lets just say I'm going to have some debt on my credit card for a long time.
But it will be so worth it. To finally do all the things I wanted to do? Hell yeah.
As he was reading, the plane suddenly picked up a ton of speed, and I clutched the hand rest in between Asher and I with such a ferocity that I'm sure I would have broke it had it not been so flexible. It seemed to mold to my own hand. I liked that.
I felt it when the wheels picked up off the ground. We were going up at an angle now. I could hear someone trying to get my attention, but I was too paralyzed in fear. I'm sure that if my eyes were open, I would cry. A baby did- it was a little startling when the cries far back behind me burst forth.
Eventually, the plane leveled out in the air. I was so relieved. I let go of the armrest, and Asher sighed in relief. "One hell of a grip." he muttered. "If you hate this, then I'm sure you'll just love turbulence."
I tore my eyes from the speckled fabric on the seat in fron of me, to his smirking face with fear. "Turbulence?"
"Oh yeah. It's really dangerous stuff- going through storm clouds, you know?" He nodded. "Yep. the cause of nearly all plane crashes."
I stared at him, shocked that this was so. I wish I knew what the weather was supposed to be like. Only when he turned to see my face and nearly died laughing did I know he was kidding.
"You bastard!" I shrieked at him, hitting him in the arm. "What the hell is wrong with you? Turbulence is so not a real thing!"
his howls of laughter cut short. "Oh, its totally real. I just made that crash part up. Accidents are usually from mechanical malfunctions. You've got nothing to worry about, if you like roller coasters."
I crossed my arms, stubbornly staring down the emergency instruction pamphlet- I should probably look at that.. I wasn't really listening to the flight attendants when they explained everything. A little bit busy freaking out. "What do roller coasters have to do with anything?"
"Well, turbulence, when its a stormy day, feels sort of like that. The rickety factor, I mean." Asher explained badly.
My voice went up two octaves. "Rickety?! Did you just tell me the plane is going to feel like its going to fall apart from the bolts in the middle of the sky? Are you out of your mind? I have nothing against roller-coasters, because if you fall you land at least with a chance of survival! Oh no! Falling from the freaking sky puts you on somebody's windshield!"
He grabbed my arm with one hand, the other on my shoulder to keep me in my seat. "Dude, chill. Its not that bad. There is hardly a place safer than an airplane. A roller coaster is far more likely to break than the plane." He couldn't keep the grin from his face.
"What, is that another made up statistic?" I huffed, calmer than I was a second ago.
"Yeah, but it worked, didn't it?" He pointed out, letting go of me. He was right. It did help a little bit. Don't get me wrong, I love 'coasters. They're awesome. falling from the sky? Not so much. "Besides, the weather was fair when we left New York like a half hour ago. So we're what, somewhere above Jersey? The weather will be either just fine, or maybe just a little bit of turbulence when we get closer to Orleans. Okay?"
I just nodded. Asher went back to pouring over my Bucket list, grinnig the entire time. Then, he stuffed it into his pocket. "Hey! Give that back!" I demanded.
He refused. "You never told me your name."
"If I tell you will you give back my list?" I raised my eyebrows pointedly. I was getting that list back. I needed it. Do you have any idea how much time I spent in organizing all this? Yeah. A lot of time. I wasn't about to let it go to waste so easliy by some guy who thought he the coolest thing that's ever been six miles above the earth.
"You'll have a better chance of me giving it back." He replied suavely. I wanted to hit him.
"Megan Daniella Jackson. Now hand it over." I ordered the stubborn rich boy.
Asher contemplated giving the list back. I didn't understand it- there was nothing to contemplate. All he had to do was slide the neatly folded paper from his huge man pockets and give it back. It was simple. Maybe he didn't understand the whole 'pocket' thing. I don't know. But it was weird. His face lit up with an idea, and mine fell with dread. This couldn't possibly be good.
"How about.. Instead, I pay for your entire Bucket List, Megan, and I come with you."
Weirdo!
~ODTT
