"Hello?" Pt. 2

It Could Be Worse

DELAYED

The same stark message appeared on all the flights shown on the departure boards at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. I blinked as I tried to process the fact that the return flight to London was delayed, meaning that Sophie was not going to be happy. Not in the slightest. Turning to glare at the men that forced me onto a plane a few days ago, I feel the rage bubbling up inside me.

"Well, it could be worse," my brother says, shrugging his shoulder casually, like getting stuck in the Netherlands is not a big deal. "I'm sure they'll reschedule it soon. Just wait, a couple of hours and we'll be back in London."

Closing my eyes tightly, I feel my fists ball up as I try to control the anger threatening to spill out. "It could be worse?" My words come out in a quiet rage. "Reschedule? A couple of hours?"

I knew my voice was gradually getting louder and angrier, but it wasn't until Michael and Fletch took a step forward to shield Samuel that I realised I had advanced on my brother with a deathly glare held within my eyes. Elias, meanwhile, was stood to the side, phone in hand as he text Jenna to let her know about our change in circumstances.

"Samuel," I say my brother's name in the calmest tone possible. Which, under the circumstances, probably isn't all that calm. "I missed mine and Sophie's meeting with our wedding planner. We missed our dinner date with Jasmine and Sophie. Our flights are delayed. I am stuck in Amster-fucking-dam!"

Considering I'm not the biggest fan of swearing- before Sophie came into my life, I very rarely cursed- my brother and friends all took note of the fact that I dropped the f-bomb. Slumping against the nearest wall, I slide down until I'm sat on the floor, legs stretched out in front of me. Granted, this week had been fun- at times- but right now, I just wanted to get home, get on my knees, and beg Sophie for forgiveness. 

Being away from Sophie doesn't get easier. All those months when she was away in New York, I was lost. Back then, though, we had our daily phone calls to keep me sane, as well as random visits to one another. During this past week, however, Soph and I didn't even have our calls. We had shouty conversations, answer phone messages, and Samuel coming in between us. This was not how I wanted my stag party to go. 

In fact, not even everyone I wanted was here. Yes, my brother was here, Elias was here, Michael and Fletch were here too, but where was Lucas? Where was Jimmy Delaney? Adam D'Souza? Where was my brother-in-law, Alistair? Even Hugo would have loved coming here with us. The more I thought about it all, this trip to Amsterdam was just an excuse for Samuel to relive his playboy days before Jasmine came into his life and he got tied down with a fiancée. For Elias and I, both happily settled with women we love, this Boys Tour had been what Americans might call a Frat Party. 

I was dressed as a Roman one evening, a chicken another, and then on Friday, the guys decided that it would be hilarious if they forced me to dress in drag and took me to some of the notorious bars in the risqué districts of the city. Fletch very much enjoyed that evening, but Elias and I felt like grandpas in comparison to him, Michael, and Samuel. 

"Ok," Elias spoke up, placing his phone into the front pocket of his jeans. "So, I've got a plan. Well, the girls back home came up with it, but let's just all pretend that I am the mastermind behind it."

We all look to Elias expectantly, but it's Fletch that's the first to question it. "What is the plan?"

"Basically," Elias took a deep breath before he announced how the women back in London had planned to rescue us. "Sophie's dad is sending his private jet to pick us up and take us back to Biggin Hill. That's the upside of the plan."