Lynne

Chapter 37

"Gate A39 is now boarding. Passengers for flight to San Diego, please report to Gate A39."

"Gumi, I swear to God, if we miss our flight because of you-" Miku muttered as the eight of us sprinted through the terminal.

"I couldn't find my hairbrush! I'm sorry," she groaned, trying to keep up on her short legs.
"This... this is... why... we drive," Len panted next to me.

"I want to be there now," Luka spoke up. "Driving is no use. You'll be fine, Len."

"Ugh," he sighed.

We ran around other people awaiting their flights, earning our fair share of glances, and apologizing profusely to any fans who came near us. There was no time for pictures at the moment. My arms were aching from the weight of my bag, but I couldn't complain next to Len, who had, as always, insisted on carrying my second duffle. And now we were sprinting.

"There it is!" I called out, pointing towards a line of people in front of Gate A39. "We're fine! We made it."

Everyone slowed to a walk as the gate came into view.

"Dude," Len said. "I'm really not looking forward to this."

"Just don't puke on your girlfriend," Gumi laughed. "You'll make the whole cabin smell."

I leaned over to him. "You can puke me on me if you need to," I joked.

"Please, never say that sentence again."

The flight attendant's eyes perked up when she saw us. "First class?" She said.

Miku nodded, offering up her boarding pass and entering first.

"Just in time," the attendant smiled. "Enjoy the flight!" She chirped after each one of us. We all responded in a similar tone, except for Len, who merely grumbled his thanks.

"Be nice," I said, jabbing him in the ribs as we walked through the tight hallway. All joking aside, he was not happy to be here.

First class was more of a room than a row of seats. It was at the top of the plane, with a thin leather couch stretching against the walls, the windows all open around it, and a TV in the center. It was carpeted with a lavish, red floor. Buttons littered the ceiling.

"Just place your bags under the seats," another flight attendant explained politely. "And, if you need anything, just press this button."

"This is sick," Luka pointed out, flopping onto the couch. "We should fly more often."

"No, we shouldn't," Len disagreed.

"If it makes you feel better, we can close the windows," Miku offered.

Gumi pouted. "But I like looking outside!"

The others laughed, turning on the TV. Len and I sat with our backs to the opened windows.

I offered my hand to him. "You can hold my hand if you want." I grinned.

Instead, he hooked his arm in mine, and leaned his head only my shoulder, closing his eyes. "I think I'm just gonna take a nap."

I nuzzled my ear into his hair. "That works, too."

Thank God I had convinced my parents to move into a bigger house. Having six people working in the kitchen at Grandma's old house would have been a nightmare.

"Could someone carry this to the table?" My mom called from next to me. Had I not been chopping carrots, I would have offered right away.

"Sure thing!" Luka appeared out of nowhere, gently taking the steaming bowl of mashed potatoes from her hands. Cloths separated the dish from her skin.