Sailing With Destiny

Friends

Mitchell's POV

I hated the look of disappointment on Mila's face. Even though I knew she put on a front, I saw through her façade. She had the purest heart and I respected her for letting me accompany Kelsey to London but also felt like shit for letting her down. 

I intended to stay in London for a maximum of two days and return to my girl and make it up to her. I would've never left if Kelsey had someone else at her side. She was there for me when I went through a rough patch in school so the least, I could've done is support her at a very hard time. 

I had no idea how long we were in the airplane but seconds felt like hours. Before we took off, I dropped a text to inform Mila that I was about to leave. I supposed she was busy because right up until the moment I had to switch my phone to airplane mode, she hadn't seen the text. 

My thoughts came to an abrupt halt when Kelsey's glass toppled on the little table beside her seat. I glanced at her cabin and with shaky hands, she lifted the glass and searched for a napkin to clean the whiskey that spilled. 

I undid my seatbelt, got up, and made my way to her. I took the glass from her and placed it on the table. "Leave it, someone will clean this up."

"I'm such a clutz, I don't know how it spilled and now I don't have a bloody drink," she ranted in one breath. 

I signaled for a stewardess to come over. I sat on the little spot in front of the television and leaned forward so I was close enough to her. "It's okay, we'll get you another drink."

Kelsey ran a shaky hand through her hair. "Should I even be drinking? I don't want to turn up knackered and unable to construct a sentence properly." She took in a breath. "I'm representing Dad and I need to be in my best form. I can't let his name got to shame."

"Kels, calm down. You could never shame him. I might not have known him but I am almost certain that he was very proud of you."

A stewardess came over, quickly cleaned up the mess and I asked for another drink. While we waited, I placed my hand over Kelsey's. "You don't have to put up a brave front, no one expects you to. Cry, yell, scream, do whatever helps ease the pain. No one's going to judge you and if they do, I'll handle them."

Kelsey's eyes pooled with tears and she choked on a laugh. She placed her other hand over mine. "Thank you for being here."

I tried to help keep Kelsey's mind clear throughout the flight and made sure she didn't get completely wasted. I felt terrible to see her so broken, the Kelsey I knew always wore a smile and was a joy to be around. I couldn't have imagined the pain she went through. 

The first thing I did when we landed was checked my phone and was disappointed that Mila still hadn't responded or read my text. It was so unlike her. No matter how busy she was, she always kept in contact when I was away. 

Should I call and make sure everything is alright? No, I'll first settle in at the hotel and see from there. 

I asked Kelsey if she wanted me to accompany her back home for a while but she said all she wanted to do was go to bed. It was after four AM in London and both of us needed to rest before the funeral the next day. 

While Kelsey offered I stayed at her home, I refused because it didn't sit well with me and I knew Mila wouldn't have liked it either. So, I booked a suite at a hotel my family owned that wasn't too far from Kelsey's home. 

As soon as I got to my suite, I took a shower and was ready to call it a night. I checked my phone and grew a little concerned that I still hadn't heard from Mila. It was around midnight in New York and she must've been home by now.