Only, I now knew something she didn’t. That Ben wasn’t actually dead. Knowing it terrified me to the core. Because what would happen when she found out I’d known for all this time and kept that information from her? Would she hate me for not telling? I hoped not. I prayed not. Her friendship had become so important to me. More important than whatever weird limbo-thing I’d once shared with Ben.

“How are you holding up?” she asked me as soon as we entered the bathroom, safely away from the others. “Has Rhett even spoken to you?”

“Not a word,” I replied, dropping my bag on the ground and heading for the sinks to wash my hands. “Not even hello.”

“I don’t get it,” she said, using the sink beside mine. “If he likes you so much, why bring Luce?”

“Maybe because he doesn’t like me that much.”

“No. Trust me. He does. Sometimes, if your name is ever brought up in conversation, he gets this look on his face…like he can’t breathe or something. It’s painfully obvious how much he still cares for you. So painful that my stomach hurts for him. Noah told me…” She trailed off, clearly knowing something I didn’t.

“What? Tell me.”

She grimaced. “Noah told me that he and Luce used to be casual. His word, not mine.”

“Casual…as in they slept together regularly? Perfect. Just perfect.” Now my stomach hurt—like I’d swallowed a gallon of cement, that sort of hurt. Grabbing a paper towel, I dried my hands a little too forcefully. Then I flung my heavy-ass bag over my shoulder.

“I don’t think they still do it but—I’m sorry.” Georgina squeezed her arms around me. “This trip was supposed to be fun. I hope it’s not ruined already.”

“It’s not,” I said confidently. This trip was about Ben, not Rhett. About figuring out my feelings—both past and present—for Ben, not trying to make sense of this weird thing I shared with Rhett. Rhett could go to hell for all I cared. “I’m over it. He could at least say hi, maybe be a little friendly, but if that’s too hard for him then whatever. Let’s go join the others before he thinks we’re in here talking about him. Him thinking I care—that’s about the last thing I want right now.”

“Yes!” Georgina said, excited all at once. “Screw him. Maybe you’re about to meet some Hollywood celebrity on this flight anyway.”

“Trust me, I already have enough to handle.”

“Well, you never know.”

We left the bathroom and started heading across the airport toward our gate. Noah approached us through the crowd, saying, “Our flight’s boarding. You girls ready?”

“Sure.” I guess I was as ready as I’d ever be. With my ticket clutched tightly in my hand, I followed the others to the gate. Somehow I ended up behind Rhett and Luce, the last one in our group to board. I watched the two of them as they presented their tickets and then as we all walked down the jet bridge. Technically, other than sitting on his lap on the car ride here, she hadn’t touched him again all morning. Why I cared about this…who freaking knew? Actually, I didn’t care. It was none of my damn business. I needed to stop obsessing.

With about two feet left to walk before we reached the door onto the plane, Rhett suddenly stopped walking. I bumped into his chest as he turned around. “Hey,” he said to me and pulled me aside.

Luce glanced back at us briefly before disappearing onto the plane.

“Hey, yourself!” I snapped, narrowing my eyes up at him. “What are you doing?” Just looking at his face pissed me off. He stood so close to me that I could smell his familiar scent—which shouldn’t have brought back memories—intimate memories—from the past, but it did.

“How much did you drink in the car?” he whispered.

I gasped, shocked that he even knew I’d been drinking and shocked that he had the balls to ask about it. “That’s not really any of your business. Now would you please get out of my way so I can board? My bag’s breaking my arm.”

He took my bag out of my hand, and easily slung it over his shoulder. Which was actually nice of him, since it was too freaking heavy to carry, but I glared at him just the same.

“You’re so mad,” he stated, still not moving out of my way. “Is it because I brought Luce? We’re just friends. You know that, right?”

“It’s fine that you brought her. I don’t care. She could be more than your friend and I still wouldn’t care.”

He sighed. “Okay. Here’s the real thing then—I’m actually nervous about flying.”

I chuckled because he had to be bullshitting me.

“No, it’s true,” he argued. “This is only the second time I’ve ever been on a plane. The first flight didn’t go so well, and I was about nine. So, can we please call a truce or whatever for the next five hours? And will you please sit beside me?”

“Um…” That was a totally unexpected request.

He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck, taking a deep breath. “See, the thing is, if the plane is going to crash into a mountain or catch on fire or happen to fall out of the sky…then God forbid you are not beside me when we go down.”

Wow. Somehow, that was almost sweet. In some weird, twisted way.

“Okay,” I answered. “Fine. I’ll sit by you.”

“Really?”

I nodded and just like that we were semi-okay again. He carried my bag to the seat and then stowed it in the overhead for me. Luce was already sitting beside Ellie, so she must have known he’d wanted to sit beside me instead. Which almost made me feel better about Luce being along on this trip. Maybe they were only friends after all. Sitting down, I got comfortable in the seat by the window, and then Rhett plopped down in the seat to my right.

All through taxi/takeoff, he didn’t say a word. He didn’t act dramatic or try to hold my hand or seem nervous about the flight in the least, he simply sat there beside me. Then once we were comfortably in the air and on our way to LA, he pulled his phone from his pocket, plugged some headphones into it, and started a movie. That was when I finally relaxed. I rested my head against the window and dozed off.

* * *

I slept like a baby for most of the flight. It was amazing. So peaceful and so needed. But when I woke up, Rhett wasn’t there beside me. Wondering where he’d gone, I popped my head up over the seat. Georgie and Noah were adjacent to my row, both asleep and using each other as pillows. Behind me Ellie sat alone, but she seemed more interested in the clouds outside her window than me peeking at her. What the hell? I thought as I slipped back into my seat. That meant wherever Rhett was, he was likely with Luce.

Ten minutes ticked by. Then fifteen.

Meanwhile I had no idea what to believe with Rhett anymore. He was so confusing and annoying, that my head was spinning. The bottom line was, why bring Luce on this trip at all? Here were my theories: one, he was purposely trying to make me jealous, two, he’d brought her along as backup in case I didn’t want anything to do with him, three, I was the backup, or, four, he was so clueless that he didn’t even get what he was doing.

I left my seat to go find them. I needed a definitive answer on this one.

In the back of the plane, both lavatories were locked. I immediately thought the worst. The word ‘mile high’ and some other choice nasty words about Rhett popped into my head. Then I noticed some people in the galley sitting on the floor. Rhett was one of these people; beside him sat Luce, a man that looked like another passenger, and a flight attendant hovered close by, holding out a cup of water.

Something had happened. My stomach dropped to my toes as I hurried to them. “Is everything okay?” I asked, worried instantly. “Is he okay?”

“He’s fine, princess,” Luce barked. “Why don’t you go back to your seat?”

That sealed the deal—I hated her. I wanted to wring her skinny little neck. How did she know that Rhett sometimes called me princess? It meant he’d told her intimate details about us and that made me even more livid. How could he? Plus, the way she spoke to me…it was belittling. I’d never put too much stock into my age difference with Rhett before this moment, but I suddenly felt it.