I don’t even answer him, I just smile through the post coital pleasure and nod. He’s right. Soon we’ll be seeing the wonders of the world, and I’ll be one of them now that my memories are returning. Against all the odds.
“I just can’t wait to get on the plane, that’s going to be the best part. Flying away, leaving all of this behind. I don’t even have to go into work for much longer. I can’t wait to leave that damn office too.”
I almost as him if he’ll go back, but then I manage to stop myself at the last moment. I don’t want to think about afterwards and I’m sure he doesn’t either. Life might be very different when we get back, there’s just no way of knowing. I’m excited for that part too, I can’t wait until that happens. The after bit where we get back to real life. Me and Logan, finally taking on the real world safe in the knowledge that we have what it takes.
27
Logan
I inhale deeply, breathing in the weirdly clean smell since there are so many people here. They must use some crazy good disinfectant to get it like that… although why I’m focusing on that part, I’m not too sure. This day isn’t about the cleanliness or the bright lights. It’s about the first day of my trip, the thing that I’ve been planning forever. It’s finally here, and now that I’m actually going through it, it doesn’t quite feel real.
“This is exciting, isn’t it?” Tamara gleefully grips my hand. “I can’t believe we’re really here.”
“I know, it’s awesome. It took us a while to get here though.”
“I can’t either,” Al grumbles by my side. “I didn’t think it would ever get to this point.”
“Well, of course you wouldn’t think that.” Katherine rolls her eyes at him. “You never had faith.”
“I never had faith? Wasn’t I the one who was all excited about helping Tamara out?”
“I helped too, there’s no way you can take all the credit…”
“I cannot believe that I gave up my bed for you. Never again.”
Me and Tamara share a look and roll our eyes. We’re used to this now, the constant arguing. It never gets quite as vicious as it did on that first night so now we just leave them to it. There’s no point in getting involved. They will just continue to argue it out, over an over again, and never get anywhere. It’s pointless.
I flick my eyes over the stores in the front of the airport, trying to lure us in with their bright colors and lights. They’re all offering something that may or may not be needed on a flight; travel pillows, adaptors, seat belt extenders… but I’m not about to be lured in by the sky high prices. I’ve done my research, I have it all.
Then I spot the check in desks. Rows and rows of queuing systems with well dresses employees at the other end. Each airline has its own color of uniform, it’s like a clique or something. I already know that we’re going to the blue one, but my eyes devour them all hungrily in awe. I haven’t ever flown before, this will be my first time, and I’m super excited. It’s all shiny and new, filling me with glee. I’m glad I’m not doing this alone.
“So, are you bastards going then?” Al shrugs his shoulders. “You know I hate long goodbyes.”
“Yeah right, as if you’re not going to miss me. You’ll be so lonely… unless it becomes a sex dungeon. Just try not to make too much of a mess of it, okay? I can’t come back to a real state.”
He rolls his eyes dramatically. “Yeah, yeah, I know. I’ll clean up, don’t you worry about it. And it won’t be a sex dungeon, you make it sound like I’m so seedy.” I give him a look. “I’m not that bad!”
He yanks me to him and pulls me in for a hug. It actually feels nice to embrace him before we go, it’s an acknowledgement of all that we’ve been through together. We’ve always been great mates, but now that he’s been such a rock for me, our friendship is even deeper. I know that I can count on him for anything.
“You have a good time, mate.” He pats me on the back. “Enjoy it. You deserve it.”
Once he’s done he moves over to hug Tamara and Katherine pulls me in to her. She isn’t someone that I would have been friends with otherwise, but I’m glad that I got to meet her. She’s a nice person who will do anything for anyone. Maybe a bit of a workaholic, at least according to Tamara, but sweet and kind too.
“You take care of my friend, okay?” Her voice is thick with emotion. “I know that you’ve looked after her well for the last few weeks, which is the only reason I’m letting you steal her from me, just… be good to her.”
“I love her, Katherine, I really do,” I reassure her. “I won’t let anything bad happen to her.”
“I know you won’t. And keep in touch, okay? Email me, and stuff. Keep in touch. Let me know where you are, I don’t want to spend the whole time imagining you captured by pirates or something.”
“Pirates?” I let out a belly laugh. “We’ll do our best to avoid pirates.”
She pulls away from me and takes hold of Tamara. While they hug and weep a bit I can hear words murmuring between them. I can’t make out anything being said, but it seems to be a lot about missing one another. I smile to myself, knowing that it’ll be hard but also that we’re going to have such a good time. It’ll be worth it.
“It won’t be long until we’re back. Only six months. Then it’ll be life as normal.”
But to me six months feels like forever. It’s a massive expanse of time for us to complete our plans. We can’t see everything that was on our list, that would have just taken up too much time and money, but we’ve narrowed it down to the essentials and I can’t damn well wait. It’s so soon, it’s here right now!
“Yeah, I suppose it’ll fly by.” Katherine pouts out her bottom lip as if she doesn’t quite believe her words at all. “Six months, that’s nothing, is it? And then it’ll be all back to normal. Pick up where we left off.”