Chapter 8 - Ellie
The plane lands smoothly and I wait in my seat for the doors to open and for people to start filing off. I’m hoping Derek will be long gone by the time I get off the plane. Finally my row starts disembarking and I grab my carry-on bag from the overhead compartment.
I walk off the plane and follow the signs to the baggage claim. My heart is beating in excitement. Mike said he’d meet me here. We’ll go to his office to finish off some last minute planning and then head straight back to the airport for an overnight flight to Beijing. I follow the crowd of people down an escalator and out some sliding glass doors into the arrivals area. I look for the right carousel and make my way over.
“You made it!” Mike exclaims behind me. I turn to face him and smile. He extends a hand and I shake it.
“The flight was pretty smooth. A bit of turbulence but nothing too hectic.”
Mike smiles at me. He’s a bit older, in his mid forties. His brown hair is streaked with grey, and he keeps a short beard on his face. He’s got a friendly, fatherly air to him. Mike’s got years and years of experience as an investigative journalist, and now as an editor. He’s helped me grow as a writer and journalist since I met him five years ago.
“You excited?”
“Mike, I can’t believe I’m doing this. I can’t believe we’re doing this!”
He lets out a big belly laugh, throwing his head back. “It’s great, isn’t it! We’ll be able to say we’ve met the Supreme Leader. As long as we make it out alive, that is.”
I grin, and turn back towards the carousel. It’s started moving and people are starting to crowd around to look for their bag. My eyes are glued on the moving conveyor when I hear a throat being cleared beside me.
“Ellie…”
I turn and there he is. Derek Hart. Again. Why does he have to be so handsome? Even in the fluorescent lighting of the airport it’s like he radiates sex appeal. His plain black t-shirt looks like it was made for him, with his chest and shoulders straining slightly against the fabric.
Instinctively, I wonder what it would feel like to have my face buried in his chest and his strong, muscular arms wrapped around me. My voice catches in my throat and I catch myself staring at him with my mouth open.
I close my mouth and swallow.
“Hi, Derek,” I say softly.
He’s shifting his weight from foot to foot. He wipes his hands on his jeans and then flicks his eyes back up towards me.
“Ellie, I just wanted to say,” he pauses, looks away and takes a deep breath. “I just wanted to say be careful. I’d hate it if anything happened to you.”
I can’t help but smile. Maybe he has turned a corner and isn’t the stupid teenager he once was.
“Thanks Derek, I appreciate it.” I can sense Mike move beside me. I glance over and he’s staring at Derek, wide-eyed. “This is Mike, my editor and travel companion.”
The two men nod at each other and shake hands.
“You ever been over there, Mike?” Derek asks. His eyes are probing into Mike’s, searching.
“No, first time. We’re meeting with a Chinese guide who’s an old friend of mine in Beijing. He’ll accompany us over to North Korea. I uh…” Mike pauses, glancing between the two of us. “I didn’t know you guys knew each other?”
You didn’t know I knew Derek Hart, you mean.
“Eleanor and I grew up together,” Derek responds before I can talk. I shoot a glare at him and now it’s his turn to grin. I wish I didn’t love the way he says my name.
“Alright, thanks for the well wishes, Derek. Here’s my bag,” I say with relief as my bag appears on the carousel. “We’d better get going.”
I walk over to the carousel and suddenly Derek is beside me. I can feel the heat of his body as his shoulder brushes mine. He leans forward and grabs onto my suitcase with one hand, brushing my fingers where they’d grabbed onto the handle. An electric thrill runs through my body from my arm all the way down to my core. I can feel my wetness gathering between my legs even with that simple touch.
I want to feel his touch again, but I take a step back as Derek lifts the suitcase effortlessly onto the ground. He pulls out the handle and turns it towards me. I try not to stare at his bulging biceps as a heat blossoms inside me.
“Thanks,” I stammer, grabbing the handle. “I, um… I’ll see you around,” I say lamely.
Derek smiles and nods. “See you around.” He runs his fingers through his hair and I see that strip of skin between his t-shirt and his pants again. I try not to stare.
He lifts a corner of his mouth in a shy smile, and then turns on his heels and walks towards the exit. Mike steps forward and is beside me.
“You didn’t tell me you grew up with Derek Hart,” he says quietly.
I glance over at him and shrug. “You never asked.”