Chapter Two
A draught of cold air wafted across my nape as he sat back in his seat. Goosebumps erupted across my neck, and I shivered at the loss of comfort the connection had brought as I opened my eyes. The panel of the wing was still flapping up and down as the nose of the plane lifted higher. I glanced over my shoulder. He had already unfastened his seat belt, arm outstretched, reaching for the call button. But a member of the cabin crew was hurrying down the aisle towards us.
“Sir, please. I need you to take your seat and fasten your seat belt for take-off.”
He waited until she was almost at our seat before explaining. I turned away to peer out of the window again and my stomach somersaulted—trying to escape back to the safety of the airport—as we left the ground. The panel lifted even higher before once more dropping back down. It rose again, but this time it didn't stop. As the plane climbed, the panel kept rising until I could see beneath it into the bowels of the wing. It balanced almost upright for a second or two before it wavered then ripped clean away from where it had been attached.
Hands on either side of the window, I pressed my nose to the cool plastic as it disappeared from my sight behind the plane. “Oh my God, we're all going to die,” I whispered before covering my mouth with trembling fists. Black spots danced before my eyes, so I squeezed them shut. All I could hear were my shallow breaths panting out from between my splayed hands.
But he must have heard me. Cool fingers pried mine from where they clutched at my face. He curled them firmly around my palm, then gently squeezed as he said, “We'll be fine.”
His voice was low. He spoke slowly, drawing the words out. The delivery of them reminding me of the police officer breaking the news of my parents' death to me. His words wrapped around me, trying to offer comfort, but in the end were meaningless. He didn't know if we would be fine, didn't know if we'd even survive. Just like the hollow words of the police officer. I would never see my parents again. The message was the same: something terrible had happened, and I had no control over it.
Emotions I couldn't stop from welling up tried to escape, so I bit down on the inside of my cheek. Clamping my teeth together, trapping the sob inside.
The air hostess strode back down the aisle towards us, a pilot behind her. Why weren't they more concerned? Half the wing was practically missing. Why was I the only one panicking? And who the hell was flying the plane if the pilot was back there with us?
The pilot leaned over us to get a better view out of the window. Salt-and-pepper hair, eyes narrowed, making little lines fan out around them. But other than that, his face gave nothing away. He straightened and ushered the air hostess back up the aisle.
As they left, the worried murmurs of the other passengers grew louder. They stretched up in their seats, trying to see what was going on. A man in the row of seats behind me piped up.
“It's just a panel off the wing. I've flown across the Atlantic with that happening before. It's not a problem; she's just making a fuss over nothing.”
Arsehole. What did he know? Surely you needed a full wing to fly—otherwise why design it that way in the first place? I turned my back to the other passengers, not wanting to see their questioning looks aimed my way, and glanced back out at the gaping black hole that had been left behind. Through the window, I could make out a bunch of blue wires exposed from the missing panel.
“I knew this was a stupid idea. Should have stayed at home instead.” Closing my eyes, I sank back against the seat. Fingers tightened around my hand again and I looked over to see those rich brown eyes trained on me, shining with intensity. They had little flecks of gold in them like when I added gold leaf sprinkles into my ganache.
“I'm Beck, by the way.”
I almost laughed at how surreal that moment was. How utterly British it was. To introduce yourself to your neighbour before you both plummeted to your death. Couldn't possibly die next to a stranger. When I didn't answer, he tilted his head towards me and the overhead spotlight lit up the side of his face. Highlighted a silvery line that ran down his cheek. A faded scar maybe?
“Kimberly,” I said, remembering my manners at last. “Kimberly Hardwick. I'd say it's a pleasure to meet you but—”
The plane lurched; the left side of the plane—the side I was sitting on—dropped. Before I could stop it, a scream tore from my throat and my nails dug into his hand. But as suddenly as it had dropped, the plane levelled out again.
I pressed my nose against the window, my breath fogging it up. “Oh, my God. What's happening now?”
A trail of white—smoke?—something snaked out from beneath the wing. The plane banked again and I could see the sprawl of the city lights of Leeds ahead in the distance.
Beck's chin landed on my shoulder as he peered out the window. The stubble along his jaw scratched against my cheek. His thumb traced over my hand back and forth in an arc I assumed was supposed to be calming.
“Shh. It's okay, they're dumping fuel in preparation to land.” Tugging on my arm, he leaned back in his seat trying to drag me away from the window. I went willingly. Rested my head against the cushion and stared up at him.
“How do you know that? And how can you be so calm?” Our entwined hands rested against his thigh and his thumb traced across my wrist.
“I fly a lot. And I'm no stranger to high-risk situations.”
Well, that was…intriguing. “Really? Are you a paratrooper or something?” I licked my lips and he looked away from me. The muscle in his cheek twitched like he was stopping himself from confessing some deep, dark secret.
He glanced out of the window and said, “Or something.”
Huh. Vague much? But then he had every right to be. If we weren't in this situation, we would probably have spent the duration of the flight ignoring each other. Polite chitchat as we manoeuvred around sharing the same cramped space for so long. I was saved from trying to come up with a reply by the crackle of the announcement system.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. There is no need to panic, but there is a slight issue with the wing. Purely as a safety precaution, we will be returning to Leeds Bradford airport. Again, there is no need to worry. We'll be circling for a little while as we dump some fuel before we make what I expect to be a swift and easy landing. Unfortunately, not at your destination airport as planned. I'll speak to you again once we land, but for now, please remain seated with your seat belt securely fastened.”
The Tannoy crackled again followed by a brief moment of silence before the murmur of the passengers' voices started up. That was good. Wasn't it? Although the pilot was hardly going to admit he thought we might crash, was he?
“Hey, are you okay? You've gone as pale as the moon outside.”
“It's…my parents were…in an accident and it reminded me of them being hurt.” What was I saying? I didn't talk about what happened to my parents to anyone except my brother.
His fingers slipped from my hand and slid across my back. Arm wrapped around me, he pulled me closer until my head rested on his shoulder. Nose just inches from his neck, the scent of his spicy cologne invaded my senses. I closed my eyes and breathed him in. He smelt like safety. And the faint trace of ginger lingering on his skin reminded me of the gingerbread loaf my gran used to love to bake.
Slow, even breaths as I tried to empty my mind of any thoughts other than counting each inhale and exhale. My ears popped as the plane descended, but I ignored that to concentrate on matching my breaths to the slow rhythm of Beck's.
Finally, we dropped quickly. A whirring noise made me jump, but Beck pulled me closer. With a thud, I assumed we'd landed and the force of it pushed me against Beck's chest.
The plane taxied for what felt like forever before it jerked to a stop. As a few cheers erupted from the seats behind me, I lifted my head and gave Beck a lopsided smile. Because—back on the safety of the ground—I thought I may have overreacted a tad. I slid back over into my seat and his arm dropped away. “I'm sorry.”
“It's okay. We're okay.”
And we were. But up there, when it had been happening, I'd honestly thought we were all going to die. Since losing my parents, it was like I was hyper-aware of my own mortality and that…I'd thought that was the end.
As first times on a plane went, it could definitely have been better.