A Flight's Desire

Chapter 18: Bye...For Now

The two friends said their goodbyes to each other outside the airport and took an oath to meet each other often and to keep in touch like always. They weren't expecting to be so calm and confident about their behaviour but they knew each other better than they knew themselves. It was the perfect first meeting that they could have hoped for, although Mila Anne was still shocked about meeting her favourite actor in the entire world.

"I will call you everyday." Mila Anne said.

"You will be my wake up call then." Robin brought humour into the tough situation, lightening the atmosphere effectively.

"Aye aye captain." She saluted. "Call me once you land. And don't forget to message now that we've met. I need your constant support to finish the book once and for all."

"I will. And don't forget to tell me when you will be free for our video calls. I need your help as well with a certain project." Mila Anne was about to ask what it was when Robin continued. "I will explain everything later. Just don't forget."

Mila Anne nodded and hugged her friend once more. She then turned her gaze to Ben. "It was....great meeting you." She put her hand forward.

"Likewise. Thank you," he said as they shook hands. "Bye, Mila Anne." Ben waved at her as she started to walk towards the parking lot.

"Bye, Ben." She waved back and Robin knew that she was silently freaking out to herself.

"So," he started. "Shall we?" He beckoned to the airport.

"We shall." She beamed.

The flight that brought them from Budapest to London was the first flight that they had to travel in. Since their tickets were connecting ones, the plane that they had to board belonged to a different airline and only after boarding the plane did Ben and Robin realise that they weren't going to sit together. They turned to each other and were going to say something but nothing came out.

"I'll meet you once we land." Ben assured her.

"Alright." Robin smiled before taking her seat in the front row. She turned around to watch him take his seat in the opposite aisle in the last row. Once he kept his bag in the overhead compartment, she turned back around and finally started to hyperventilate. The foot of both of her eyebrows started to hurt as the realisation of the past forty-eight hours washed over her. Her head became heavier than any sword from any fantasy story and she started to rub her temples in a clockwise direction while reminding herself to breathe. She had met Ben Summers and looked around Amsterdam with him. He then showed her around her dream city of London and he had met her best friend. It was so overwhelming that she felt like crying it out, but she thanked herself for the chocolate that she had bought. It really helped keep her calm.

In the last row of that cabin, Ben was clueless. He was absolutely clueless. He felt normal for the first time in the past ten years of his life. He had met a wonderful woman who treated him the way he wanted to be treated - without restrictions. He had tried to change his fate many times in the past but in the end, he was always going to be an actor and everyone was only going to see that side of him. He was forever grateful to have chosen to fly out of Budapest when he did because otherwise, he never would have met the one person that made him feel like he was already home. He didn't want to ruin the friendship that had formed between them but a part of him knew that she was always going to be a fan. No matter how much he could wish, she would be one of his fans and though that realisation hit him only after the take off, he convinced himself that she was his friend as well. It couldn't have been just any other stupid bet.

The two of them pondered about their lives and did not meet each other until the flight landed at the LAX Airport with no disturbances or trouble of any kind. They made their way to the luggage counter where they awaited for their travel bags to reach them. When Robin's suitcases came out, Ben helped her carry it to her trolley without a word having been passed between them since the take off. They shared an occasional glance and once their luggages was with them, Robin opened her bag and rummaged through it silently.

"I can finally see it?" He asked, remembering her telling him that she had a gift for him for once they landed.

"Yes, you can." Her hands started to search for the gift-wrapper and once she finally got it, she mentally exclaimed "Ah ha!" She stood up and brushed the wrinkles on the papers away before offering it to Ben.

He took it from her and carefully opened the paper and once he saw what it was, his mouth fell open. "This...."

"It is not as good as other artists' works but I was happy with the way it came out." She smiled. "I made it for your birthday, just FYI."

She remembered that day very clearly. Ben's birthday was coming up and everyone was making a big fuss about it - 'everyone' as in his fans. They were dedicating the entire month of November to him and were posting something new every day. Robin felt that she was being totally lazy and decided to sketch a photo of Ben, which was his profile photo on Instagram for the past four years. It was his favourite photoshoot but she did not know that. He was amazed at how she was able to capture every single detail because while removing the gift wrapper, he thought that it was a poster.

"This is beautiful! Thank you." Ben did not know how to pay back the greatest human being that was standing in front of him and so, he stepped forward and put his arms around her, pulling her into a soft hug. "Thank you."

She returned the hug and hoped that he couldn't hear her heartbeat. "You're welcome." She smiled as they let each other go, a thousand words being exchanged between them through the silent gaze.

"I have something for you as well." He said and rummaged through his hand luggage and pulled out her copy of Out of the Blue.

"Ah!" She smacked her forehead softly. "Thank you" she said, taking the book for him and holding onto it as if it was her life. Well, it was her life but that copy of the book meant more to her from then on. It was the first one that was given to her by the publishers.

"And this one." He brought out a newly-published paperback of her novel, which he had bought in London while Robin and Mila Anne spent some time together.

"You bought it?" She asked and was very close to pinching herself to wake herself up from the peculiar dream.

"Of course I did! Would you do me the honour of signing it?" He asked as he brought a pen out from the inner pocket of his coat.

Robin flustered. "It would be my honour," she said and signed it as 'For the greatest actor in the world.' She paused after that, not knowing what to write for the first time in her life. 'From his friend, Robin Hale.'

She handed him the book and he chuckled after reading what she wrote. "You have a great handwriting as well," he said in an 'I knew it!' tone. "Is there anything you can't do?"

"Oh, you are one to talk!" She joked, referring to his talents of being a great singer and musician.

Silence took in their space once again. "Can we stay in touch?" He asked, hoping that he wasn't too unprofessional and straightforward.

"Yeah," she nodded and wrote her number inside the book on a Post-It. "I don't do this for all the fans, just so you know." Being sarcastic in tough times? Motto.

"I am glad that I have one of these fans then," he said, going along with it.

They knew that they had to go their separate ways from there. "Be seeing you." She quoted Sophie from her book.

"I'll see you around." He quoted Caleb.

That was the shortest and longest journey that the two of them had enjoyed so much in their life. As they walked towards different exits, they turned to look at the other one more time when the other wasn't noticing them. They stood there for a while, smiling at themselves for their fate before the voices of their loved ones broke their little fantasy and brought them back to reality.

"Welcome home!"

Everyone has their own story and when they meet other people, their stories get entwined with each other, and Robin and Ben knew that that wasn't going to be how their story ended. It simply couldn't be. They would meet again for sure.