Riley and Devin

Chapter Twenty-Six

We leave today for Florida. I smile as I get dressed in Vans, ripped jeans, a tight t-shirt and a sweatshirt. I grab my bag and meet the boys downstairs. It's been nice to sleep in an actual bed, rather than the couch in the hospital. Mrs. Wright has a nurse that she's hired. So, we don't feel as guilty about leaving her.

"Are you ready?" Devin asks me as we climb into a cab with Nick and Theo.

"Yeah, are you?" I ask him. He nods. I take his baseball cap off his head and put it on my own. He glares at me but doesn't take it back. Theo and Nick both grin. I love airports and flying. I can't seem to stop smiling. Pretty soon we're boarding the plane.

I take the window seat. Devin sits next to me. I stick one of my earbuds in and give the other one to him. He sticks it in his ear. I yawn. Devin raises an eyebrow, says, "Are you tired?"

"I couldn't fall asleep," I say and rub my eyes.

"Why don't you take a nap then? We have a long flight," he says.

"Okay." I move the armrest and take off my hat. I put my head on Devin's shoulder and curl into him. "I have a book in my bag that you should read," I tell him.

"Is it one of those shitty romances that you always read?" Devin asks me.

"Course it is," I say. I add, "I know you love them." He smiles. He shifts closer to me. I readjust and put my head on his chest. He wraps his arms around my shoulders.

"You really should take a nap," he tells me. I shrug.

"Okay." I shut my eyes. "You're warm," I murmur. I love airplanes but at times they're cold.

"Yeah, we're about to take off," he says.

"I hope we get turbulence," I say. Devin shakes his head.

"Unh-unh, do not hope for that. I do not want to die!" He yells the last part. People turn around to look at us. Devin's cheeks turn slightly red.

"First time flying. I think he might need a sedative," I say. People go back to doing whatever.

"This isn't my first time flying you know," he says.

"I know," I say.

"I just get a little bit nervous," Devin tells me. He glances his around.

"Clearly, oh! We're about to take off," I say. Devin shifts nervously. I slip my hand into his and he gives a grateful look. The plane starts to go down the runway, gathering speed until finally it starts to leave the ground.

His hand squeezes mine. Once we've been in the air for a couple of minutes he loosens his grip. "I'm gonna take a nap. Remember you can read my book." I shift myself closer to him.

"Okay, duly noted," he says. My eyes close. Soon I'm sleeping.

Devin shakes me awake. "What the fuck?" I ask him.

"I got you coffee," he says. And then I realize that the plane is going through turbulence. The romance novel is open on his lap. He closes it quickly and puts it in his bag.

"Thank you," I say. He nods. I sip my coffee and then set it down. His moves his hand to rest on my thigh. "You okay?" I ask him.

"Fine, just a little nervous," he says.

"You wanna talk about something else?" I ask him. He nods. "Uhhh..." I trail off. I rack my brain trying to come up with something.

"How are things with Alex?" Devin asks me.

"Really?" I ask him.

"It'll distract me," Devin says. The flight hits a rough patch of air and the plane lurches upward. Devin shoots me a panicked look.

"Okay, fine. Well, I'm not really sure if we're still together. I mean, the last time I talked to him was right after I ran from his family dinner. You remember, when we went to my house to get clothes and stuff? Anyways, I'm pretty sure we're broken up," I tell Devin. His lips twitch into a small smile. "Why are you smiling?" I ask him.

"No reason," he says. I hit him on his chest.

"Asshole." I cross my arms over my chest. He grins bigger. "Not so scared of flying now, are you?"

"I'm petrified," Devin says. I roll my eyes and open the thing covering the window. The captain announces that we'll be arriving in Florida in twenty minutes.

"Well, you only have to be petrified for twenty minutes, I think you'll manage," I say. He shrugs and goes back to reading my book.

After a couple minutes he says, "It's pretty good, this book."

"Are you fucking kidding me? It's like the bible of teen romance," I say.

"What's it called again?" Devin asks me.

"Shatter me," I answer him. "So, do you like Warner?"

"He's kind of...different. I like Adam though," he says. I groan.

"Adam? Really? He sucks dick," I say.

"You're just prejudiced," Devin says.

"That's big word, where'd you learn it?" I ask him. I hear Theo cough behind me to cover his laughter. Before I can say anything else the plane starts to descend. I smile giddily. "I love landings," I tell Devin

"Even more than you love take offs?" he asks me. I nod. The plane starts to speed down the runway. After a couple of minutes the plane pulls up to the gate and people start to get off. I grab my messenger bag from under the seat. Devin grabs his backpack from the overhead bins and we get off the plane. Theo and Nick join us. We walk to baggage claim. I scan the line for my bag.

"Shit," I mutter. There are too many bags that are basic black ones with wheels. Devin pulls two bags off of the line and hands one to me. "Thank you!" I say and hug him quickly. He nods. Nick and Theo both have their bags and are waiting by the door. I take Devin's hat out of my bag and put it on my head.

I put my sunglasses on.