How It's Going To Be [h.s.]

Chapter 46

I stepped off the plane in Stockholm, Sweden feeling as though my senses had betrayed me. I felt weakened with shaking hands and heavy feet. I could see everything around me clearly, but hardly make sense of any of it. Voices and passing noises sounded distant, dwarfed by the deafening thrum of my heart beating mercilessly in my chest.

I took two staggering steps and felt a hand on my elbow. "You alright?" The voice sounded like it was underwater, but I recognized it as Eli's.

"Fine," I murmured.

"Stay close," he instructed.

As we navigated through the airport, hardly any eyes followed us for more than a second. People were preoccupied with running to their gates or the baggage claim. When I was in London or New York or Berlin, people would stare or take photos. Here, I was unseen. It was a relief to be able to travel without being noticed.

Just outside the doors of the airport, a man wearing a suit leaned against a white SUV with silver keys dangling from his fingertips. Eli approached the man with me in tow and greeted him warmly in Swedish. The man shook Eli's hand, and then gave him a short embrace. They spoke briefly in Swedish before the keys were passed to Eli. The man winked at me and disappeared down the walkway and into a waiting taxi.

"Here," Eli's voice was patient. I turned to find him standing with the passenger door opened and waiting for me.

"Thank you," I mumbled.

Eli walked around the front of the SUV, getting in the driver's side. The interior of the car smelled new. A screen used to control the GPS, radio, and car temperature settings was displayed in Swedish. Eli turned the key in the ignition and the SUV roared to life.

"Where are we headed?" Eli pointed to the GPS. I read the text message Julia had sent me giving the address of where I could meet the team when I landed in Stockholm. Eli programmed the GPS with the address and a feminine voice rang out in Swedish giving the first set of directions.

"Did you know that guy?" I asked.

"Who?"

"The one who was with this car," I continued.

"Oh, yes. He's an old friend I met when I moved to Sweden to play professional ice hockey. We played on the same team together for four years. You told me we were going to Sweden on such short notice that I had to call him to get a car we could use for the days we're here. He owes me a favor."

"That's nice of him to lend it," I said absentmindedly.

"It is. So what are we doing here anyway?" Eli asked.

I hadn't told a soul why I had made a sudden trip to Stockholm. The only people who knew I was even in the country were Julia, Eli, and me. I stared out the window and tried to think of an excuse. The entire trip was short notice so obviously I had a real reason. "I need to talk to Harry about something. A phone call just wouldn't do."

Eli seemed to think it over for a few minutes. Finally he shrugged, "Okay."

The GPS called out directions as we drove through Stockholm traffic. Anxiety stemming from my very core prevented me from focusing on the beautiful city surrounding me. Instead of seeing stunning architecture and storefronts, I saw glimpses of green eyes and curly hair. We eventually turned down an alley to a small parking area behind a building where the band was conducting a televised interview with a local television station before they were expected to appear on the Swedish singing competition show. Eli nodded to security guards and was able to park the SUV right by the backdoor of the building.

"I'm going to go in alone, if that's alright," I said quietly.

"I'm not letting you walk into a strange building alone."