STICKY NOTES // JSchlatt X Reader

14

Six hours later, the plane landed and you pulled yourself out of your seat, grateful to be able to stretch your legs again. 

As you made your way to baggage claim, it sort of felt like you hadn't even gone anywhere at all - this airport was remarkably similar to the one you had been at six hours prior. The same boring practical architecture, the same hustle and bustle of people. The only difference was the city outside the windows.

You stopped by a large one to gaze out over it, mapping out the way the buildings formed a puzzle piece against the sky. It looked awfully pretty in the setting sun - and somehow looked exactly like where you pictured Schlatt living. 

You moved on to baggage claim  from the window, not wanting to spend too much time dallying around. You would like to make it to your hotel before it got truly dark. 

You watched the bags spin by, your eyes scanning over other people's luggage and looking for your own. You only looked away when your phone buzzed, and you pulled it out of your pocket to see what it was. A DM from Schlatt.

turn around

Furrowing your eyebrows, you did, coming face to face with a familiar set of mutton chops and a Yankees hat. 

Schlatt made his way over to you, cutting through the throng of people, a slight smile on his face. You were a little taken aback for a moment - he hadn't seemed so tall when you had seen him on the Austin show, but in real life, you found yourself looking up at him. 

"I didn't know you were coming." You said. Him picking you up had not been part of the plan, yet here he was anyway.

Schlatt shrugged. "Well, I figured you wouldn't have anybody to greet you, and you could probably save money on a cab if I picked you up. Just thought it would be the nice thing to do."

You smiled. "Well, it's great to see you. I didn't think you would be so tall."

He scratched at his chin with a smile. "They do call me the big man."

In the corner of your eye, you spotted your bags. "Oh, those are mine." You said going over to lift them from the carousel, lifting one off the belt and reaching for the other. 

"Here, let me take one." Schlatt said, grabbing the second before you could and draping it over his shoulder with ease. 

"Thanks." You said. 

He adjusted the strap on his shoulder. "I'm parked outside." He said. "How far is your hotel?"

You made your way out of the airport with Schlatt, moving in his wake through the crowds. You hadn't been expecting anyone to pick you up when you got off the planes, and as you walked past people jostling for a cab outside, you were grateful that Schlatt had come anyway. It probably would have been long dark before you got to your hotel if you had been on your own, and that really wasn't the way you wanted to introduce yourself to a new city.

Schlatt's car was simple, and he popped the trunk, dropping your bag inside. You lifted up the other into the trunk as well before he closed it. You slid into the passenger seat as he turned the ignition, and the car rumbled to life. 

"Any specific music for the ride?" He asked. 

You shook your head. "I'm good with whatever."

"Cool." Schlatt flipped on the radio. It seemed he had been in the middle of an alt-J song when he had parked, and the music flowed through the speakers of the car, a nice background noise as he turned, laying an arm across the back of your seat to back out of his parking space.

You watched as the airport was left behind, and you joined a freeway jam packed with cars, funneling into the city proper. 

Taking one hand off the wheel, Schlatt fished his phone out of the cupholder between you and unlocked it before handing it to you. "Put the address of your hotel in?" He asked. 

"Sure." You said, taking his phone and putting the address of the place in to his maps app. "Thank you again for coming to pick me up, that was really nice of you." You placed the phone back into the cupholder.

"It's not that big of a deal." Schlatt said. "Least I could do for a friend coming to visit."

You smiled, leaning back in the seat and watching as the city rolled by. The sun made the buildings glimmer and pricks of light dance on the glass as you drove past. Combined with the gentle background music, it felt an awful lot like a moment in a movie - or maybe that was just the grogginess from the plane catching up to you.

You drove in comfortable silence through the city, Schlatt gently humming along to the song playing. You had expected him to be more like he was online, but from what you had seen so far, it was nice.

Eventually Schlatt pulled to the side of the road in front of a hotel and parked the car. You made to get out but he stopped you, grabbing his phone with a quick, "Hold on a sec?"

You turned to look at him. "What's up?"

He handed you his phone again, the screen to create a new contact up. "Can I get your number? It would just be easier for the next few days, instead of having to go through Twitter every time."

"Oh yeah sure." You said, putting your number in under your name. "Not a problem." You handed his phone back to him. "Thank you again for the ride." 

"Of course." He said, popping the trunk. 

You slipped out of the passenger seat and went around the back to grab your bags, slinging the strap over your shoulder and closing the trunk with your free hand. You waved to Schlatt once more before you headed inside, and smiled as he waved back before driving off.