The lady in Red (REWRITTEN!)

Chapter 9

"Good morning, Ms. White, Mr. Dean. We have begun the descend to the main airport in Japan, where the current weather is clear with periodic clouds. We will be in the gates in about forty-five minutes. We'd like the flight attendant to prepare the cabin. Please buckle up and prepare for descent. Thank you."

Twenty-something hours later and we were finally descending. I was supposed to be strapped to the seat, but instead, here I was on the floor, leaning against the toilet with my head down.

"Another round," I croak, before emptying the last ginger ale I had down the toilet. Now, I was retching with nothing else coming out of my system. It was so painful, wanting to throw up but nothing coming out. I want to cry—out of pain, out of embarrassment and being helpless. A hand pushes my hair back for me and some of it still clings to my wet skin from perspiration.

"Are you okay?" he asks, quietly. I turn my head to look at him and wait. My stomach relaxes momentarily, and I weakly nod.

"We should get buckled up now." I move to stand and within seconds I'm on my feet but I still sway. Reece grabs hold of me and before I know it I'm in his arms. He carries me out of the bathroom and I hold on to him. I might die out of embarrassment later if not now.

"I can walk, Mr. Dean," I suggest, weakly, smiling. The gesture is nice so I don't fight him. He doesn't say anything, he just continues to walk me to our seats. Reece sighs before me and this catches my attention. His eyes zero in on me and I wish I knew what he was thinking. I wish I knew what was going on right now in his head. And I wish...I wish we could talk about the kiss. I open my mouth to say something but the ring of his phone beats me to it. The plane starts to descend.

Maybe he feels guilty for inviting me or for choosing me and that's why he hasn't said much to me at all after the kiss incident. I slept most of the time and distracted myself with TV in the lounge area but not once did he come to me. We barely talked. Now, I was feeling guilty. The plane hits the pavement and we bounce lightly before it comes to a resting point after a minute or two. It's a private plane after all so this isn't where we have to wait around for things to be clear. The moment we touch down, the plane comes to a resting point and the doors open. We unbuckle in unison and Reece stands before pushing his hand out for me to grab. The gesture is sudden, and it surprises me. I take it and he lifts me to my feet. The feeling of not bouncing anymore and the change in pressure has me feeling all sorts of things but nothing like the sensations that wreck my body from his single touch.

Within minutes, we are out of the plane. We walk silently towards a group of people who are already waiting for us. The moment my feet touches the ground and cool air touches my skin, I inhale deeply and smile. My hair dances freely in the open space. The air is crisp and nothing like the United States. Cherry blossoms invade my nostrils and I inhale again, shamelessly. There's a tree here somewhere...but where...

"Welcome to Japan, Mr. Dean. Ms. White. We all welcome you here," a man says, cheerfully, dutifully, and with a smile wider than my future goals. He looked to be about the same age as Reece's father and the way he was introducing us to the rest, it made clear sense. He was Mr. Ouishi, the man Jay Dean talked about for a long time. 

"Mr. Ouishi. It's very nice to finally meet you. Heard a lot of good things about you," Reece says, engulfing Mr. Ouishi's hand with his own. I stare at their conjoined hands and squeeze my own, unknowingly. Those same hands were in my hair when he kissed me on the plane. I cough quietly to recover before anyone notices. Mr. Ouishi notices me before smiling.

"How was the long flight? I heard it was your first time!" Oh. Mr. Dean must have told everyone here about my first time. I look at Reece, accusingly, then smile as my ears and neck burn. Events in the plane dwell back into my wrecked brain, forcing me to go back in time for a moment. I blush crimson.

"Yeah. It..it was something," I said, whispering the last part.

"Come. Car is waiting." I nod before Ouishi walks off. I chance a glance at Reece and bite my bottom lip as a small smile plays on his lips. He's amused. Nice. I've become a laughing stock just because I couldn't handle flying. They're laughing, right? Otherwise, why would Mr. Ouishi ask? Now, I'm overthinking. I'm distracted, too distracted because the next thing I know, my face is planted straight into Ouishi's back. I tumble backward, startled.

"Sorry—I didn't see you—" I start but he cuts me off.

"No, no. I am sorry, Ms. White. Mr. Dean. Just very concerned, if you don't mind. There are paparazzi out there waiting already. You know? You are very well-known here in Japan as well," Mr. Ouishi warns, nervously smiling. Reece chuckles.

"It's okay. Let's go." And we continue, suddenly aware of what's already waiting for us out there. I brace myself—not for myself but for Reece. I've been through this before but with his dad, everywhere we went. It's the reputation that they held—sharp, strong, and very powerful. We're in, we're out now, and that's when it all starts. Mr. Ouishi is already in the front with the rest of the security, blocking the paparazzi from Reece as we head straight towards a Limo waiting for us. Mr. Ouishi is equally known here as well so the security works in both their favors. Both Reece and Ouishi are in a very crazy situation right now. Suddenly, afraid I might get lost in the crowd, A strong, masculine hand grasps my hand and pulls me forward. I stumble forward but I don't think he seems to care. Maybe he didn't notice. He probably just wants me safe and sound and into the car. The gesture is nice, it makes me smile, but I wipe the smile off before he notices.

The limo surges forward and I can't help but to admire the interior of this car. It's so much different than the ones in America. Everything is almost made of glass here. While everyone is chatting away about business and professionalism, I zero myself out and focus solely on what's outside of the window. It's all beautiful. Almost every building, every house is built differently and a lot of it is made of glass. Only some houses I come across are from bricks, and cement, but the rest is almost all glass.  I'm mesmerized, so heavily distracted that I don't even hear a voice calling out for me. First, it's faint, and then it's clear.

"Huh? Sorry!" 

"Pretty huh?" Mr. Ouishi interjects, grinning.

"Very!" I say, almost too loudly. My God, this plane ride has gotten me delusional, loud, and all giddy. I chance a glance back at Reece who is watching me with a sharp gaze. For the longest time, none of us look away. It's like we're enthralled into each other's eyes, and see what the other person in front of us can't see. It's like it's just me and him and no one else in the car. I feel a strong pull between us, one so powerful and strong and intimidating that it makes me shift noticeably against my seat.

I force myself to look away, and back out the window.