#brokenpromises

~~ CHAPTER THREE ~~

"Five dollar drink and a lonely window seat / Half empty plane on New Years Eve / Love birds in the row in front of me are driving me crazy / The pilot comes on, says the year is almost gone / Five, four, three, two, one / Looks like it's just me and the whiskey / 'Cause you ain't here to kiss me"

"Ten...nine... eight..."

Elle wasn't sure how long she'd been lost in thoughts of the past, but her attention was pulled back as the sounds of a countdown reached her ears. She hadn't realized how late it had gotten; she knew that she had an overnight flight, the plane was scheduled to land around 2 in the morning, but she honestly had been hoping she slept through the New Year's announcement. That was another celebration that only left her with a bitter feeling; it was yet another celebration she would be celebrating alone thanks to Katherine.

Looking down at her phone, she sighed quietly as she noticed the reminder for the New Year's Eve party; she had been excited to spend Christmas and New Year's with the boys, especially Bryan. It had been the first time in a long time she'd actually been looking forward to the holidays. Instead, though, she'd spent most of the days leading up to Christmas completely alone. She had been pleasantly surprised when her father and siblings showed up on her doorstep a few days before Christmas, and she'd been happy to see them, but she couldn't help the sadness she felt Christmas morning when she woke up alone in her bed. A little over a week had passed since she'd returned her engagement ring, and she hadn't heard anything from Bryan at all. A part of her had hoped he would come to her. At least try and talk to her. Fight for her. For what they had. But he never showed. Her family helped her forget for a little while, but she knew the sooner she could be on a flight to Rome, the better. She just needed to start over.

As she looked around the fairly empty plane, though, she knew starting over wasn't going to be quite as easy as she had hoped. Even here, on a flight to Rome that barely had any people on it, she was reminded of everything she'd lost. Her eyes landed on a couple seated a few rows ahead of her, and she felt that familiar tug on her heart. She'd learned when she first boarded the plane that they were heading to Italy for their honeymoon, and she felt her heart lurch again at the air of excitement that surrounded the couple. She quickly blinked away the tears that had started to gather, briefly wiping at her eyes, and forced herself to look away from them with a quiet sniffle; there was a time when she'd been like that with Bryan. Happy and in love without a care in the world. Just happy to be in each other's presence.

Downing the rest of her drink, thankful that the flight attendant had slipped her an extra bottle of vodka free of charge, she pulled her headphones from her carry-on as the countdown reached zero.

"Three...two...one...Happy New Years, everyone!"

The pilot's words rang through the plane, followed shortly by a few cheers from the people actually on the flight, and Elle shoved the earbuds into her ears as she watched the newlywed couple sharing their New Year's kiss; the pain in her chest only increased as she watched them. Tearing her eyes away from the sight, she fought the tears that were threatening to fall once more as she pressed play on her phone and focused on the darkness outside the window of the plane while the sound of her 'piano & violin ballads' playlist echoed in her ears, and she allowed her mind to wander again.

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"Raise a toast to the thought of you and me / This was just the way it had to be / Ninety-proof to give me clarity / The flight attendant must know that somethings going on / Can't hide the look of love gone wrong / So she's pouring them a little strong."