In the Life of a Rose

March 5, 2020

In the Life of a Rose...

I hadn't been out of California in a while, especially by plane. Being in the air, riding first class, was making me feel weird. I felt like my body wasn't fully aware of its condition; neither was my mind.

"Would you like something to drink?" the flight attendant asked. I could tell she was beaming at Chris; I mean, who wouldn't.

"Can I get a soda?" I asked. "A Sprite or something?"

"Yes, of course," she nodded. "And you, sir?"

"Just water," Chris responded and she went on her way. "What happened to lemonade?"

"Eh, I don't know."

"Are you nervous?" he asked. I couldn't really answer his question and he took that as a yes, and felt the need to slide his hand into mine, entwining our fingers together. "This usually helps with my anxiety."

I could feel his pulse from my hand tightening and my heart rate slowed down just to match his. I leaned my head back and breathed, closing my eyes, brushing Dodger's fur; the dog that was sitting on my lap. I didn't know when the attendant returned with our drinks and Chris passed me my cold beverage that made everything better.

The pilot on the intercom told us to buckle our seatbelts and prepare for landing and my hand slipped back into Chris'. Beneath me, I could feel the plane descend, the wheels pull out of the plane and land on the runway. There was a hum as we drove towards the dock and we grabbed our bags before exiting.

"Hey, put these on," Chris told me. He passed me a pair of wide sunglasses and a hat and I did as I was told and he put on the same disguise.

"Am I your new sneaky link?" I joked.

"What?" he questioned with a small grin.

"Nothing."

"Mm, whatever. The paparazzi's gonna see us and I don't want them to make a fake story. Got it?"

"Yes, sir. Major, sir," I saluted.

"Alright, let's go." He grabbed onto Dodger's leash and led us out and into the airport. Just as he said, I spotted two or three distant reporters taking pictures as we were collecting the rest of our suitcases.

The moment we left the front doors, security swooped in to save us from the clamoring photographers who waited by this airport for many celebrities. The one in Hollywood was the worst.

"Chris!" they all shouted. "Chris! Chris, who is this? What's your name?"

I started to laugh because I couldn't keep it in and I didn't mean to make Chris pull harder on my hand he was holding. He had me take Dodger into the backseat as he and the driver put everything in the trunk. Chris quickly got in and the driver swerved out of the overhang.

"Chris! Chris! Chris!" I mimicked the paparazzi, shining my phone's flashlight in his face.

He lightly laughed, "It's funny when you do it."

"It's funny in general," I said. "But it's kinda sad. They have to be caught up in someone's life to make a living."

"And they're annoying doing it."

I smirked, rubbing Dodger's head and he gazed at me. My phone rang and it was my mom so I put on my AirPods before answering.

"Have you guys landed?"

"Yeah, we're driving to his house," I told her.

"Thea..." she trailed off. "Does this sound like a great idea?"