Chapter Six
Ten Years Ago – LAX Airport
"So I got Vanity Fair and gummy bears." He offers her both with an expectant smile.
She looks up at him with a smile, that she apparently can't seem to keep of her face when it comes to this guy, "Rick, I told you I didn't really want anything."
"I know but are you telling me you don't like gummy bears?"
She rolls her eyes, "I wouldn't dare."
"Well there we go. So you're welcome." He plots himself in the seat next to her, his shoulder brushing against hers as he moves around.
She glances at him, not really sure what's happening. They've been chatting for a couple of hours now, just random things before he got up and asked her to keep an eye on his stuff. Now he's here with gummy bears and is apparently sitting next to her. And she...kind of likes it.
"So I was-" he pauses as suddenly his phone starts blasting the I'm a Barbie Girl theme song.
She lifts an eyebrow at him when he looks at her with wide eyes, "Something you wanna tell me Rick?"
"Uh – That's Alexis," he explains sheepishly as he fumbles with the stuff in his lap trying to reach for his phone, "She wanted to choose her own ringtone. I got to take this, excuse me."
"Hey Pumpkin."
She watches him as he talks to his daughter, the way he instantly transforms into a father; she gets it now. She can see him as dad, a good one too, with the way he listens and laughs with his daughter. It makes her ache for her dad, assures her that she's doing the right thing. Her dad needs her and she needs him to be her dad again. She snaps out of her thoughts when she hears him sigh besides her as he tucks his phone back in his pocket.
"You okay?" She asks.
"Yeah yeah. It just never gets easy being away from her."
She smiles softly at him and nods. She wants to reach and smooth out the lines forming above his eyebrows but she swallows that urge down nudges him with her shoulder instead, "Hand them over," she tells him nodding at the abandoned gummy bears.
He grins as he hands her the bag of gummies, "See. You wanted them all along."
"Shut up." She mumbles.
"So, Kate, since you don't want to divulge your deepest darkest secrets at the moment, Do you want to play a game?"
She lifts a suspicious brow at him while taking a green gummy bear for herself, "What kind of game?"
He snaps the magazine, open with flourish, "I just happen to know that Vanity Fair happens to publishes this questioner, they use it to interview some famous people, and it's always the same question."
"And?" She already knows she won't like this.
His shoulders sink dramatically, "Come on! We are stuck here. I really don't want to write and…it will be a fun way to get to know each other."
"Fine, but I get to ask questions too."
"I'm an open book." He smiles innocently.
She narrows her eyes at him, "And just so you know if I don't like a questions I'm not going to answer it." She adds petulantly as she takes another gummy.
"Fine," he snatches the bag of gummies from her, "then you don't get any gummies until you answer."
She rolls her eyes at him, then sits back crossing her legs and intertwining her fingers on top of her leg, "Ask away."
He grins at her triumphantly, "If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?"
She looks at him surprised, she was expecting a series of overly personal questions that she would have to turn down, not…fantasy. "Umm… Some sort of Bird I guess," she says it like it's a question, not really sure how to answer such a question.
"Hmm."
"What?" She defends at judgy look he gives her.
"It's just that you could be anything. Such a wasted opportunity."
"Are you going to be this judgey throughout this game?" she narrows her eyes at him.
"If all your answers are 'some sort of bird' then yes I'm gonna have to be." He smirks, he really loves pushing her buttons.
She knows he's doing it on purpose, "Okay and what would you like to be oh wise one?"
"A dragon of course," he says without missing a beat.
"They're not real," she protests; how the hell does this guy have a kid again?
"And yet I don't think you'll be turning into a bird anytime soon." He counters smugly
She crosses her arms over her chest, "I'd like to turn into a bird and fly away right now," she mumbles.
"I heard that."
She grins, "Give me my gummy bears."
He hands her one green gummy bear exactly and takes a red one for himself.
She glares at him.
"Alright, next one. Who is your hero of fiction? Oh I like that question," he looks at her expectantly.
"Are all the questions like that?" she asks a little nervous at his expectant look, feeling like she's being tested somehow.
"Nop, just thought we'd start with the easy ones." He wiggles his eyebrows at her.
She can't help the smile at his antics, "Elektra."
His eyes widen, "Like Marvel's Elektra?"
"Exactly like that." She defends her choice to what she thinks is a another judgmental comment about her answer.
He lifts an eyebrow at her, like he's reevaluating her all of a sudden.
"What now? She's got bad ass ninja skills."
"I know, I know. It's just…that's so fucking hot," he blurts out a little taken by this girl who reads Russian literature and chooses Elektra as a fictional hero.
She blushes at that and the way he looks at her isn't helping, she clears her throat and offers her hand as she nods at the bag in his hand.
"Right. Uhh Green again?" He asks awkwardly.
She nods and the way he's still looking at her makes her want to lean in and pull the gummy between his fingers with her lips but she swallows and averts her eyes; popping the gummy into her mouth "What's yours?"
"See now I want to say Batman… but as cool as his toys are I have to go with Atticus Finch," he watches as her eyes flicker at that, "Kate?"
"Good choice," she says summerly, not meeting his eyes.
He knows he should probably let it go, "Did I say something wrong?" he asks softly instead.
"My mom used to really love that character," she gives him a watery smile, "She actually kind of reminds me of him, she was a civil rights lawyer."
He swallows, "Sounds like a great lady."
"She was," when he just keeps staring at her, she smiles and takes the magazine from him, "So what else have we got. Oh. On what occasion do you lie?"
He sees her reaching for levity and he doesn't disappoint, "Oh that one's easy, when I miss a deadline and I like to get creative with it too," he grins at her.
"Wow that publisher of your keeps the reins tight." She grins back.
"You can't rein in genius Kate."
"Your modesty is astounding."
"Alright miss sarcastic, when do you lie?"
She bites her lip to stop the smile, it's been a while since she's had this much fun just talking to someone, "Probably to get out of a social thing or something like that." God knows she's been doing that a lot lately.
He nods and offers her the bag of gummies and she takes one.
They're almost done with the bag of gummies when there's an announcement for their flight. Her eyes meets his and he swears he can see the disappointment he feels reflected in them.
"So…I guess this is it," she says lamely when neither of them move to collect their stuff.
"It doesn't have to be," he adds gathering his courage, "We are both heading to the same place," he finishes weakly at the pained look on her face.
She chews on her lip, desperate to find the words to make him understand, "I-I'm sorry Rick, this was really great…"
"But?" he smiles softly because it was great…but maybe this is where it ends. It's just that the idea that he doesn't get to see her again, …unsettles him.
She knows what this could be, she even wants it a little bit, but her life right now doesn't have space for this, for him. "I'm just…not in a good place now."
He nods, sighs, "I understand."
She swallows, feeling guilty at putting that look on his face.
He smiles softly and extends his hand to her and she shakes it, he lifts her hand to his lips. "It was the pleasure of a life time Kate."
A/N: Okay so I know I've let this story go for a long time and I don't want to make excuses for why that is, I'm sorry to have let it go this long without an update. I hope you guys are still reading. I have appreciated it greatly.
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