Betty Suarez winced, her nose scrunching upward as the smelly, fat man next to her snored, drooled, and twitched in his sleep. Usually on flights, she liked to take the window seat so she could watch the landscape under her grow smaller and smaller as the plane ascended into the air. She loved how the same crowded streets she walked down daily became a meaningless grid of gray lines. It relaxed her to realize that even New York City was just one small part of the entire world.

This time, though, Betty felt claustrophobic crammed between the window and the flabby snoring man and nervously squeezed her eyes shut, wishing that the plane could just hurry up and arrive at her destination. She wiped her hands on her red skirt and tried to dry her clammy palms while glaring nastily at the guy squished next to her. For the past month, Betty had been enjoying total freedom in Mexico, jumping from town to town and visiting all of the places she'd heard her papí talk about. She had walked barefoot down the beachside cobblestone streets of Puerto Vallarta, toured the Mayan temples in Merida, wandered through the gardens in Castillo de Chapultepec in Mexico City, took the ferry from Playa del Carmen to Cozumel… all by herself. For the first time in her life, she had truly lived an adventure.

"Ladies and gentlemen, get ready to fasten those seatbelts. We're expected to arrive at JFK International Airport in approximately 15 minutes."

'Oh no…!'

Her mind was racing with thoughts. After spending so much peaceful time on her own, she wasn't quite sure how to suddenly throw herself back into her hectic New York life. She pushed her glasses back up on her nose and gripped the armrests hard. What if her family wasn't ok as they had assured her when she'd called them to check in? What if Daniel was having problems at work without her there to help? What if they all totally forgot about her in just one month? What if Gio…

Gio! She sucked in a sharp breath at the thought of him. Her stomach began doing that all-too-familiar 'you're thinking of the sandwich guy's pickle again' dance.

'Great, I'm going to get an ulcer,' Betty thought.

Her mind drifted to what his trip to Rome must have been like. That was, if he went at all. Ever since the disastrous softball game, the only contact she'd had with Gio was a pathetic voicemail that she'd left on his phone, explaining that she needed some time alone but hoped that he would still take both tickets that Daniel had provided and enjoy Rome nonetheless. As if that made the situation any better. Betty sighed and pressed her hand against the window as the city skyline emerged through the clouds.

As much as she tried to avoid it during her travels, every time she found a place she loved, she couldn't help but think what it would be like to return to Mexico one day with him to share her experiences. Betty remembered one night specifically that it hit her hard: She was sitting on a beach in Puerto Vallarta, raking sand through her fingers as she watched a couple get married at sunset by the water. It was moments like this when being by herself reaffirmed how much she wanted someone in her life. And who it was that she wanted. She closed her eyes on the beach that night and swore she could smell his scent - the smell of citrus and cologne- enveloping her body. She looked up at the newly married couple by the ocean and wondered if one day she and--

As if on cue, the sleeping fat man beside her unconsciously lolled his head onto her shoulder, sending a large puddle of drool onto her top and interrupting her happy thoughts. "Ew!" Betty whimpered to herself. "Um… excuse me…Sir?" She poked a finger into his pudgy face but instead of moving away, the man grabbed Betty's arm and hugged it like a teddy bear. "Ok, this is kind of really gross," she mumbled. Betty tugged her arm away hard but accidentally ended up elbowing the man in the face, causing him to wake up in an outrage.

"Stewardess!! This… this girl just attacked me! I think she might have tried to mug me in my sleep!"

"What?! I didn't do anything!" Betty exclaimed, her eyes wide. "He was drooling on me and I tried to stop him!" A stewardess came over to size up the situation.

"Sir, are you missing any items?"

"I don't think so, but who knows what she has hidden under that big ass of hers!"

"Excuse you!" Betty angrily exclaimed. "And seriously, didn't anyone ever tell you that people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones?" The fat man opened his mouth as if to say something but then shut it. The stewardess shook her head and walked away.

With a humph, Betty let her head fall back against the seat and waited for the plane to land. As soon as they had stopped and the annoying fat man had stalked off, she turned on her cell phone and saw that she had a voicemail. Her father's urgent voice flooded through the phone:

"Mija, I do hope you get this message before you return to the city. Justin fell and broke his leg while he was teaching one of those cheerleading pyramids in gym class this morning. Your sister and I are on our way to the hospital right now. Lo siento, mija, we will not be able to make it to the airport. We should be home by dinner and we are so excited to see you and hear about your adventures! Te amo mucho…"

She snapped the phone shut and dejectedly moped toward the baggage claim. She really hoped that Justin was ok, but at the same time, she was disappointed that her own family wouldn't be there for her big return. More importantly, she was stuck at the airport with tons of luggage and no way home but a taxi cab, and she just didn't feel like dealing with that kind of near-death experience right now. Betty pulled her suitcase off of the baggage carousel and dragged her massive amounts of bags outside to the taxi line. Standing against the wall, she opened her phone again and scrolled through the list of contacts, pausing over Gio's name.

'Nope,' Betty thought bleakly. 'Assuming he used those tickets, he won't even be back for another 5 days,' she thought, remembering the dates on the travel papers. 'And even if he didn't, he'd be in the middle of the lunch rush right now. So much for a sexy airport reunion!'

"Shut up," she said aloud, arguing with her own thoughts. "It's not like he's magically going to come running at you in slow motion… Things like that only happen on TV! This is reality…"

Fantasies are fun but you live in reality. It's not perfect, but that doesn't mean it can't be pretty good.

Betty suddenly smiled, remembering the words Gio had spoke to her on her birthday. She smoothed down her skirt and raised her hand to hail the next taxi, refusing to let life get her down.

--

Gio walked through the crowded airport and tossed his bag over his shoulder. He'd arrived home 5 days early after he'd gotten word that his older sister was getting married on the spur of the moment. She was stubborn and he knew better than to talk her out of it, so he simply traded in his ticket and headed home for her wedding. Gio fumbled in his pocket for his keys and headed toward the parking lot where he'd left his van almost a month ago.

And then he saw her. He didn't know why she was here at this exact moment, but he was too awestruck to care. She was standing outside and the June breeze was blowing her red skirt gently against her bare legs. Her hair hung in shiny waves down her back and she'd started to grow her bangs out. She was wearing a black off-the-shoulder top and when she raised her arm to hail a cab, he couldn't help but gaze at every inch of sunkissed skin from shoulder to fingertip. Simply stated, she took his breath away. Out of all the beautiful things he saw in Italy, he couldn't think of a more perfect sight than this.

Gio quietly slipped out the glass doors and walked up behind her. He stood silent for a second and bit his lip, staring at her hair grazing her shoulders. His heart pounded in his chest as he leaned close to her to speak.

--

Betty adjusted her glasses as a taxi pulled up to the curb in front of her. Suddenly, just like that night on the beach in Puerto Vallarta, she swore she could smell him- the scent of citrus and musky cologne flooded her senses. She shook her head and whispered to herself, "You're crazy."

She shivered as she felt a warm breath on her neck. "What's that, B? You're crazy without me?"

Betty was so startled by the familiar voice that she dropped her purse and the contents went flying across the sidewalk. She turned around slowly, open-mouthed and wide-eyed, coming face to face with the man that made her legs feel like a big bowl of jiggly flan. And what a man he was.

"How long have you been standing there?" Her voice rose to an unnaturally high pitch.

"Long enough to know that wherever you've been has done a body good." He gave her a mischievous grin and eyed her up and down.

She felt the need to whack him for his pervy comment but was still too shocked to move, unable to comprehend how he ended up here at this exact moment.

"Well, Suarez? Aren't you going to properly welcome me home?" He raised his eyebrows and stretched his arms out in front of him.

"Um, maybe you should be welcoming me home," she replied with a shy smile.

She still didn't realize that tampons, her Hello Kitty zippy wallet, a condom, and her retainer were strewn on the sidewalk below them.

"How about we both do a little welcoming then?" He stepped forward and put his hands on her shoulders. Betty walked into his embrace, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist and burying her head in his shoulder. "Nice to see you back in town," he murmured in her ear. Gio slid one hand down to the curve of her hip and tenderly rubbed her lower back. They melted into each other, both enjoying the warmth of the other that they'd missed so much. He rested his chin on the top of her head and inhaled the smell of her hair, beginning to get turned on by the fragrance. After a few moments, he felt her body tremble and he tilted her chin up to find that she had started crying.

"Woah, Betty, what's the matter here?"

"Nothing… I'm fine. I'm great, I'm fine!"

"Betty, come on, what's wrong?" he asked softly. She looked up and saw nothing but affection and concern in his eyes.

"It's nothing really," she started, not able to express the flood of emotions that had hit her all at once. "It's just that I'm really shocked to see you…here…now… like this," Betty sniffed and fiddled with the hem of his black t-shirt.

"More."

"And I kind of… Well, I accidentally punched this guy on the plane and then I got a message that Justin hurt himself in cheerleading, so my family's at the hospital with him instead of here with me, and I know that sounds selfish but I was really looking forward to having them meet me here and--" Gio held a finger up to her lips and silenced her rambling. He pulled his keys from his pocket and pointed toward the parking lot.

"How about we get outta here? Although on the way home I'd love to hear more about this punching thing. I never thought you'd be the kind who liked to play rough."

Betty rolled her eyes. "Ew, Gio." He looked over at her and saw that she'd stopped crying and cracked a tiny smile.

"Here, let me just get this stuff first…" Gio squatted down to pick up the objects from her purse that were scattered on the ground. Betty was too distracted by staring at his ass while he bent over to realize what exactly he was picking up. Suddenly he stood, holding a tampon in one hand and the condom in the other. A conceited smile spread across his face and he raised his eyebrows excitedly.

"Heyyy, impressive! Betty Suarez: A woman prepared for all occasions!"

"Oh my God, Gio! It's not what you think! Gio, give those back…!" He teasingly held the mortifying items above her head as she tried to jump up and reach them. The more she jumped, the more her off-the-shoulder top sunk down, giving Gio his first view of cleavage which she usually kept hidden under sweaters. The more cleavage he saw, the more he made her jump. People were slowing down on the sidewalk to look at the commotion.

"Gio, you put those back in the purse right now or I swear, I'll hurt you in ways you never knew possible!!" They'd only been around each other a few moments and she was already prepared to slaughter him.

"Mmmm, kinky, B, very kinky," he laughed once more as he dropped everything back into her purse. God, he loved it when she got feisty. Finally getting ready to leave, he picked up his bag in one hand and pulled her suitcase with the other.

"Who needs dignity anyway!" Betty threw her hands up in defeat. She gathered her remaining bags and followed Gio to his van. "So…"

"So…"

"Looks like you used those tickets to Italy, huh?"

He nodded. "One of them."

Betty exhaled a quiet sigh of relief. "Good, no tramps," she said under her breath.

"What was that, Suarez?"

"Uhh, I said.. good, no more cramps!" She rubbed the side of her stomach in fake pain.

Gio wrinkled his forehead in confusion. "Riiight."

"Yeah, anyway… What made you come back early? Your flight home was supposed to be 5 days from now."

Gio sighed heavily. "My older sister, Pia..." he broke off and shook his head in disappointment. "She decided a few days ago that she wanted to get married. And she can't wait. She has to do it this weekend. So, here I am. I haven't even met the guy yet to decide if he needs to be taught an old-fashioned lesson in Italian family values, you know what I mean?" He groaned as he lifted Betty's suitcase into the van. "Geez, Betty, what do you have in this thing? The entire Trojan display case?" He cocked his head and winked at her. "If so, I might need to work on my stamina!" She gave him the evil eye and violently shoved her carry-on bag into his chest, sending him stumbling backwards, before hopping into the passenger seat.

Gio finished loading their luggage into the van and started the engine. "Now it's time for me to ask the questions," he said in an eager voice. "Where the hell have you been the past month? Last I heard from you, you ditched me to go have some 'alone time.'" He gave Betty a sarcastic, smug smile. Gio knew for certain that she didn't ditch him, but he loved to push her buttons and get her fired up.

"I did not ditch you!" she snapped.

"Oh yes you did!" He glanced over and gave Betty his best puppy dog face.

"No, I didn't!" Her voice rose to a shrill level and she let her head fall against the window in frustration.

"Yeah you did!"

"Gio, I was in MEXICO!" she finally exclaimed, looking totally exasperated. "I just needed some time away to figure out what I wanted to do with my life!"

His expression suddenly became serious, realizing that although they'd just had a friendly enough encounter at the airport, that didn't mean she had chosen to be with him in the long run. "Well, Betty, did you find what you were looking for?"

She opened her mouth to speak but the air caught in her lungs and she could only sit silently and watch Gio as he drove. Betty knew exactly what he was asking but wasn't yet prepared to expose the feelings she'd unearthed while she was in Mexico. Yet at the same time, she knew that facing those emotions was part of becoming who she needed to be.

Finally, Betty gulped and timidly reached over to place her hand on top of Gio's which was resting between them. He looked over with wide eyes, surprised that she initiated such intimate contact. Betty soon felt his fingers clasp around her hand, his thumb tracing little circles on her palm.

"Sometimes you have to leave everything behind to realize what it is you can't live without," her voice cracked. Her stomach was churning so violently that she thought she might throw up. "Everything I need is right in front of me," she added shyly, feeling her skin radiate with heat as she said the words she was so scared to admit.

Gio practically swerved off the road as he comprehended what she was saying. He glanced over at her and their eyes locked upon each other. He wanted to say something to convey the bubbling happiness soaring through his body, but he didn't trust words to properly convey what he felt. Instead, Gio smiled to himself and gently squeezed her hand in his as they drove the rest of the way in perfect silence.