Terms and Conditions (ONC 2023)

06

Jonah's POV

     I have never really been fond of airports. And had this been a few months ago, we would have been on a private jet already halfway to Russia. But because of my father, we had to sell the company's jet, and I'm using my own money to travel in first class. I shudder at the thought of riding anywhere else.

     Harley's head swivels in different directions as she takes in the sights around her. Someone bumps into her, and I turn to say something, but they're already gone, vanished into the throng of people rushing to get to their gates in time.

     Harley lets go of her suitcase to walk up to one of the giant windows facing the tarmac and watches as a plane takes off. It's only a few feet from her, but I eye the people walking around it in case anyone gets any funny ideas.

     "Har - You can't just let go of your suitcase. Haven't you ever been to an airport before?" I grab her suitcase and carry it with me as I approach her.

     "No, actually," she says, stepping away from the glass. She shrugs. "I drove when I moved from Columbus to Seattle."

     I blink. "You, what? How long of a drive is that?"

     She looks up and moves her mouth as if she's counting. "Few days, give or take."

     I stare at her for a second, not sure if she's joking or telling the truth. That's a crazy drive. Especially if she did it alone. Couldn't she have had movers drive her stuff?

     Then it hits me that not everyone is as privileged as I am. Even when my father and I first moved from Sicily, he had his parents' money. He didn't have to struggle like so many other immigrants have.

     Her phone begins to ring, and she looks down at it before smiling and bringing it to her ear. "Ma? Estamos en el aeropuerto ahora." She pauses for a second, and it takes me a second to register what she just said. It's been too long since I've been at the academy. And I was never the best Spanish student. "No, honestamente, no es tan aterrador como pensé que sería."

     I look around us at the people rushing to get to their gates. I don't blame her for thinking the airport would be a scary place. Especially here in Seattle. There are so many people from here and other states/countries trying to leave before the weather gets too bad to go anywhere.

     "I will, Ma. Te amo, también." Harley takes the phone away from her ear and looks down at the paper in her hand. "It says we're going to gate five. We have a little bit, though. Do you think I'll have time to get something from the Farmer's Fridge?"

     "No need," I say, carrying our suitcases with me as I follow the signs to gate five. "We're in first class. You can just get something on the flight. It'll all be charged to my card, so you can get whatever you want."

     She looks at me as if I've just offered her the cure to cancer.

     I laugh a little as I stop in front of our gate. "Does that surprise you? Do I seem like the type to sit in economy?"

     That makes her eyes go from soft to sharp. As if I made her mad by even suggesting that economy and first class weren't the same. "No, you don't. You also didn't seem like the type to care, but maybe I was wrong."

     I fight back a smirk. Even though she's insulting me, she still somehow manages to soften the blow just by being the one to say it. Somehow, when it comes from her, it doesn't feel much like an insult.

     "I enjoy the finer things in life. What can I say?" I shrug and pull my water out of my backpack. "Honestly, it's a compliment to you, because I enjoy your company."

     She rolls her eyes but I can't help but notice a slight rosiness to her cheeks as she looks away. "Don't do that."

     "Don't do what?"

     "You always get that smug little look on your face when you say things that are meant to...like..." she trails off and avoids making eye contact with me.

     "To what?" My smirk grows deeper, and that only seems to make her blush more. Out of anger or embarrassment, I'm not sure.

     "Tease me? Fluster me? I don't know, but it gets on my nerves." She snatches her suitcase out of my hand.

     I raise an eyebrow. She makes this way too fun. "Who says I'm trying to fluster you? I'm your boss. That would be highly inappropriate, no?"

     Something seems to register in her mind, and she drops her head. "Right."

     I immediately regret what I said. I'm not sure how I expected her to react, but it wasn't like that. "I was kidding, Harley."

     She shrugs. "You're right, though. You're my boss."

     I feel like a scolded puppy. My blood turns warm and I wish there was something I could do to get that look off her face.

     She chews on her lip and looks up at the signs. "Gate five is this way."

     I follow behind her, and the silence between us is almost deafening compared to the bustle of the people around us.