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"So, are you headed to the airport?" I asked while I heard shuffling in the background.

"Yeah, I'm in a cab. The flight is a little after three in the afternoon. When is your flight?"

"Mine's at eleven at night. It's three in the afternoon here now. I've still got plenty of time."

"Yeah," she mumbled, "it's in my purse, just take it," she said to someone on the other side.

"Remind me who's coming again," I said, packing up the last of my things I would be taking with me.

"Literally everybody. Grandma, grandpa, both from mom's and dad's side. Aunt Christy, aunt Rosa, uncle Tim, Toby." We both groaned.

Toby would be our second cousin from our Dad's side. We don't have any first cousins since our Dad was an only child but Toby is the cousin everybody wants to avoid. He's annoying, he's nosy, he's a brat, basically. And he's older than me. He's just not someone we look forward to seeing.

"From Mom's side, uncle Johnny, uncle Ben, aunt Kaelyn, and the twins," she finished. "A few of Mom's and Dad's close friends too, the rest are all from Aspen's side."

"Um, listen, Remy..."

"Yeah?"

"Is he coming?" I asked hesitantly.

"I don't know. Aspen spoke to him, not me."

"You would still know, he must have told you."

"Nope. Aspen and I decided not to tell each other. I knew you would ask about Adam and he knew Adam would ask about you. So, I don't know if Adam's coming and Aspen didn't know you were coming. Until now since he's heard me talking to you."

"Wait, wait, wait, what? Are you telling me that if he's coming to the wedding, then he has no idea I'll be there?"

"Yeah. If he's coming," she said nonchalantly.

"Remy, do you know how stupid this is?"

"What?"

"If you've invited us both, at least give us a warning that the other person will be there. What if I'm expecting not to see him and then he shows up?"

She paused and then said, "Well, clearly, you are expecting to see him."

"That's so not the point here."

"What is the point?"

"The point is, I don't want to see him. Ever."

"Well, that's just not possible. Because his brother is your brother-in-law. And I am his sister-in-law and you're my sister. So, obviously, at some point or the other, you have to see him. And nobody is telling you both to face the music yet. You can keep pretending like nothing happened if you see him. Just be civil. That's all I'm asking."

"Remy—"

"It's my wedding, Em. It's only going to happen once, I don't get a redo at this. Please, don't ruin it," she requested, her voice going softer.

"Remy, whatever happened or happens between Adam and me, I'm not going to let it ruin your wedding, don't worry."

"You have no idea how much that means to me. I do. Because I know how important he was to you."

"Keyword being 'was'," I added.

"Do you still hate him that much?"

"I don't hate him. I hate what he did."

"No. You hate him. You just hate him because of what he did. It's not the situation you hate. It's him. And it shows."

"Look, I'm sure Aspen doesn't appreciate you talking shit about his brother, so—"

"Oh no, he's nodding his head in agreement."

I sighed, "I don't know what to say to that."

"Why? You don't like us being on your side?"

"No, I don't, actually. I don't want either one of you to pick a side. I know you don't talk to Adam because of me, please stop doing that. It makes me feel like shit."

"Don't. I'm on your side."

"That doesn't help. I'm not even on my own side. Not that I'm on his side, but... I don't know. We both fucked it up."

She paused for a long moment. "At least you know it. All right, well, we just got to the airport, so I'm going to hang up. I shall see you in Marbella."

"See you. Have a safe flight."

"You too, bye."

I tossed my phone on the bed beside me and groaned, letting my head hit the pillow as I fell back and lay down.

It's true. We both fucked it up.

»»————　➴　————««

I sat in front of our boarding gate, one knee crossed over the other, my small backpack sitting in my lap while I held onto my passport and boarding pass along with my phone. I let out a frustrated breath, staring at the long queue. From the looks of it, it's going to be another long while before there's finally enough room for the crowd to move through. Apparently, there's a celebrity on board.

Was it an athlete or a boxer? Or wait, was it an actor?

I'm not sure, but everybody on this flight has been rushing in since then. I didn't spot any famous faces but one guy came to the counter to get on the plane and suddenly, a group of teenage girls swarmed him, then a group of teenage boys followed, and then adult women and men did too, pushing their kids forward. Some kids knew the famous guy and the others were just being used by their parents to get ahead in line.

Suddenly, my phone rang in my pocket. I answered it, reading Megan's name. "Hey," I exhaled, standing up, leaving my cardigan on the seat while tucking my passport and boarding pass into my pocket.

"There's a celebrity at the airport, isn't there?"

I stopped pacing. "How do you know that?"

"It's all over the internet. Some American footballer player is flying to Marbella from New York for a family event or some shit like that. Are you on the plane yet?"

"No. The line is huge, people are rushing in to go meet the guy. Even people who aren't supposed to be on this plane are trying to get in." "Where the hell is security?"

"Security is..." I glanced over. "Struggling, to say the least."

"Get on the plane, Em. Before you miss the flight."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Have a safe flight. And check in with me, once in a while."

"Will do. Bye, Megan."

"Bye, babe." She hung up.

I huffed in frustration, tired of waiting, and grabbed my cardigan, pulling it over the white tank top I was wearing with the washed denim baggy jeans and converse. I pulled the cropped beige, creamy-tan cardigan on and pushed my phone into my pocket, taking out my passport and boarding pass. I grabbed the backpack and pulled it over my shoulders, squeezing into line. I made it to the front, through the push and pull, and stumbled a bit, handing my boarding pass over.

She quickly scanned it and then handed it back to me. "Have a safe flight and wonderful trip, ma'am. Security, get them out of here!" she yelled to a man behind me.

I ducked under the arm of the security guard in front of me and glanced over my shoulder once before making it towards the plane. I sighed in relief and walked to my seat, sitting down in the window seat. I stared out the window once I placed my bag under the seat in front of me and took out the claw clip that was keeping my hair pinned back.

"Jacob, sit in the middle, come on." I looked up as a woman and a little boy who was clutching onto the woman's hand stopped at my row. The little boy sat in the seat beside mine, his legs rocking back and forth as he watched his mom load their luggage in the overhead compartment. She left the compartment open and sighed, turning to her son. "Stay right here, okay? Mommy's going to the bathroom, I'll be right back."

He nodded, holding onto the Spider-Man stuffed toy. She walked away towards the bathroom and he stared at his light-up Spider-Man shoes before standing on the chair. I watched him in amusement, chuckling softly as he tried to touch the ceiling with each jump. He moved to the aisle seat and then hopped off.

I leaned over to grab him and pulled him back in time before the man passing by almost crushed him. He swiveled around, staring at me. "I thought your mommy told you to stay put," I said, shooting him a pointed look.

"I'm looking for mommy."

"Mommy will be right back. But you should listen to her and stay put, don't you think?"

He glanced at the people passing by.

"I'm Emilia. What's your name?" I asked, despite hearing the name his mother called him.

"Jacob," he answered, thrusting his toy at me. "This is Spider-Man."

"Oh. And is Spider-Man your friend?" I feigned surprise, picking him up and placing him back on his seat.

"He's my best friend," he answered with pride.

"Really?"

He nodded and then turned to me. "Who's your best friend?"

"My best friend?" I paused, staring at him, feeling my heart sink a little in my chest. "Adam Blackwell." I ignored the pang of pain in my chest and continued, "Do you know who that is?"

"Is he a new superhero?"

I chuckled, shaking my head. "How old are you Jacob?"

"Five." He held up a hand.

"Wow. Five's a big number."

"I know. Five more and then I'll turn double-digits."

I nodded, acting impressed. "You sure will."

"I hope he isn't bothering you," his mother sighed, sitting in her seat.

"Not at all," I smiled, shaking my head.

"I'm Bianca, by the way."

"Emilia," I replied.

"God, look at this chaos. There's an all-star quarterback on the plane, have you heard? What was his name... Something with an 'A' I swear," she chuckled dryly, shaking her head.

"Oh, I heard. And I saw," I laughed, glancing at the people walking by.

"So, what's taking you to Marbella?" she asked.

"My sister's getting married there. You?"

"Oh, we're meeting my husband there for a holiday. He was traveling for work, so he'll come there directly."

I nodded in understanding as the crew finally went around, closing all overhead compartments before settling down as the pilot announced take-off.

"Do airplanes scare you, Emmy?"

I looked away from the window, the nickname startling me.

"Can I call you Emmy?" Jacob asked, raising his eyebrows at me under his blond curls.

I nodded hesitantly. "Of course. And um, no. Airplanes don't scare me. Do they scare you?"

"Of course not," he scoffed as if the idea was preposterous.

I chuckled, ruffling his hair.

Emmy... It's been years since I heard that one.

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