Chapter Thirty-Two: Altitude

I was cursing all day. In all honesty, that was an understatement. I've been cursing all week. Although it was mainly to myself, I had the higher advantage of working in an environment where people curse all day with good reason. The last thing I wanted to do was have this work day over. Once it was over, it only meant I had to grab those suitcases and hop on a plane.

The last time I've been on a plane is when I came back from Florida. That whole plane ride all I wanted to do was smoke a cigarette. I can only assume the same feeling will occur on this plane, perhaps even more so.

I thought it was brutal enough to have to deal with James on occasion and his constant remarks and spiteful comments... I didn't even want to think about Aria's parents. I only knew two things about them. They were rich and her father was a self absorbed asshole who treats his daughter like shit. Just peachy.

I was fixing together the last of the car I've been waiting forever to get the parts delivered, when the rust of the underside scraped up against my hand and sliced my skin open.

"Mother fucker, son of a fucking bitch," I muttered as I rolled myself out from under the car. Instant blood flowed from the side of my wrist. Another scar in the making by the looks of it. "Fuck sakes."

"Christ Kingsley, what's got you- Oh fuck, that look's gnarly," One of my co-workers noticed the blood and I saw him instantly pale. He was new here, I was teaching him slowly about mechanical things while the rest of the idiots here were teaching him how to talk smack to one another. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, hand me that towel," I nodded to the rag sitting on top of the hood of the car.

He fumbled in his not very far distance to get me the cloth and tossed it to me. "It's dirty though, maybe I should get you a clean- Or, or you can just press it to your wound... Yup, okay. Got it."

I made a face. "It's just blood, not a big deal."

"Um, are you sure? It's lookin' like you might need stitches," He suggested while his eyebrows knitted even closer together. I don't do hospitals.

"It's fine, Mickey."

I stood up and removed the rag to inspect my wound. Still bleeding, quite deep, a little fleshy. I was just thankful that it didn't reach my tattoo.

Mickey disappeared before Shawn appeared at an odd coincidence. "Kingsley," Shawn hollered and stormed up to me. "Let me see that."

He took my hand which forced me to suppress a wince. He wasn't a gentle fella. "It's nothing, Shawn, relax. That kid is overreacting."

"Yeah well I don't want any workmans bullshit coming my way. You should head to a hospital."

I laughed. "Yeah, no. Hospitals mean waiting rooms and waiting rooms means I'll miss my flight and my girlfriend will kill me."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, yeah I already know what you're going to say, fucker. I've settled down, I'm whipped. Fuck off, I'm fine."

He began laughing his known belly laugh before shaking his head at me; something he did often. "Suit yourself, but I think you're an idiot. First aid is in my office."

I rolled my eyes and smirked while walking passed him and into his office. An outsider would listen to Shawn and me's conversation and think we were enemies and cruel towards each other, but in reality I had a lot of respect for him. I cherished him and we had a really good bond. No one spoke to Shawn the way I did, and no one understood how I've been able to get away with it. That's the great thing about our friendship, it's unlikely.

Shawn needed to upgrade his first aid box. Shitty bandaids, a half empty bottle of alcohol, and a thin wrap were the only things inside. I poured the peroxide on my bloody skin, secretly enjoying the epic burn it produced on the injury. Fuck that stung. The bubbling effect made it all the more satisfying and the look of my blood pooling out was mesmerizing. This was nothing new to me.

I did a poor job with wrapping my wound and decided that Shawn was right and I should leave. He could finish putting the last piece of the car together for me. I didn't want to even look at the metal because it betrayed me.

"See you Monday, Shawn," I said in passing, already pulling a smoke out.

"Leaving so soon? I knew you were a puss," He challenged.

I turned around and looked at his grinning face. Eavesdroppers were shocked by the statement thrown at me. Shawn knew most of everything about my past with gangs and having a shitty father to grow up with. He was allowed to joke.

"I thought I'd give you the chance to get off your lazy ass and do a task for once." I put the smoke in my mouth and fiddled with my lighter. A smirk slowly formed on my face as smoke pooled out of my lips.

Shawn laughed aloud, the crinkles of his face really showing. He was a drinker, it was evident. "Safe trip, Kingsley. Don't do something stupid, I expect you back on Monday," He warned with a heavy tease. "We all know what happened last time you took a vacation... Fucker disappeared for a whole year." He added in a mumble. Ah the audacity. He was lucky he was one of the few I liked.

"Have a good weekend, Eli!" The tattler meekly exclaimed.

A few of the other men started chirping him for being a kissass.

"You too, Mickey."

At home, I stared at the empty suitcases sprawled out on my floor. I had to pick her up in an hour and I haven't even taken my clothes off the hangers yet. Shrugging, I lazily stocked to my shower and turned it on almost full heat.

I didn't even know what to do with parents. Do I bring them flowers? A card? Chocolate? A lottery ticket or a cat? I don't know. Do I shake their hand, do I hug them? When I met Tyler's parents it wasn't in the traditional sense but more so a friend coming over. I never expected to turn into their "family." But Aria's parents... Pressure. I had to get it right. It was one thing I absolutely did not want to fuck up. She meant too much to be exiled.

Out of my shower, I walked to my room and was faced with the empty suit cases again. Fuck me. What would I even wear? Definitely nothing I owned. Black everything, ripped jeans, leather jackets, hoodies. Hm. I might have to go through Ty's closet.

I lifted my phone to a three texts from Aria, expressing how excited she was to see me. Awe. And that she was a little nervous to visit her home. You and me both, pretty girl.

I texted back.

Eli

What do I wear?

Ari<3

Clothes would suffice.

I frowned. So witty.

Eli

So an empty suitcase isn't the goal?

Ari<3

Last minute I see. Don't be late!

I took that as a hint to get my shit together and start packing. I threw in a variety, at this point not caring. I could always stop at a mall and buy something more suitable once we got there. It'd be late by the time we arrived anyways.

Quickly cleaning myself up, I rushed to the door with my suitcase, keys, and smokes. Her text tone alerted my ears and I paused for a minute to check my phone, fumbling and mentally wishing I had a third hand to do such a difficult task.

Ari<3

Just be yourself, you're going to be fine xo

Myself, hm. I wouldn't even be allowed to step in the door if I was myself.

The drive to her house was shorter than I wanted it to be. I was hoping there would be traffic but the town was so small it was barely possible. I just wanted to waste time and have a probable excuse to miss the flight. Oh darn... May as well watch movies naked and order pizza.

She was already outside with her suitcase, waiting for me on the steps. I liked when she had her hair up in a high ponytail, it showed off all of her flawless features. I liked when she wore my clothes, especially because she practically drowns in my hoodies. White looks good on her. She walked towards me with a skip in her step and offered a brightened smile. Nerves, instantly calming. For now.

I jumped out of the truck and rounded around the front to grab her suitcases.

She met me halfway and I kissed her hair. "Hey, handsome," She smiled large while I threw her bags in my backseat.

"You look gorgeous today," I said, focused on rushing to get to the airport before we actually missed the flight. I closed to door behind her after she hopped in.

"Thank you," She answered but I was barely listening. Distracted.

I kept focus on the road while driving, but I knew her eyes were on me as per usual. I kept still anyways and stared off into the distance.

"What's going on in there?" She finally asked.

I exhaled in what felt like forever. "I'm just mentally preparing myself."

"Are you nervous?"

"Yes."

She began laughing. I frowned at the road. Well then. "I don't see this from you often. It's cute."

I cracked a smile. "I'm glad you find it amusing, Aria." I reached beside me while driving and held her hand in mine. "This is the last thing I'd want to be doing right now. You seem to have a lot of power over me lately."

She giggled and squeezed my hand. "I don't want to be doing this either but we may as well get it out of the way while we can. Besides, to see you in this light, all fidgety and nervous is quite entertaining."

I groaned.

I haven't been to California in a long time.

As suspected, the town didn't grant us with nice weather for long and it was back to pouring rain. I didn't mind though, it was comfortable; gloomy weather has always been warming to me. The sounds of the rain hitting the glass of the windshield was relaxing.

I tapped on my steering wheel in the beat that fit against the rain and created a rhythm inside my head. Aria was jamming out to her music on the dash which I couldn't really be bothered with.

When we arrived at the airport, it wasn't packed and it wasn't surprising. I parked inside the garage and took both mine and hers luggage out of my truck. When we walked inside, I had a familiar feeling of when I was here last time. I was nervous for something all the different back then.

The last time I was here was when I had my first pack of smokes in a year. Now I was back to the beginning, dependant on them.

Aria and I went to the check in line.

"Passports," The employee said, monotone. He looked to be in his forties, full of pimples. Poor guy.

I pulled my passport out of my back pocket and glanced at the photo. Internally, I shuddered at my old photo. I was so high in the photo, I was surprised they actually took the picture. I was so thin, the bags under my eyes were dark purple and my cheeks were sunken in. I used to look like that, sweet hell.

Before Aria had a chance to look, I handed the passport to the employee. Aria was cleared instantly, and I wouldn't doubt it considering she traveled so often. But the worker stared at my photo and back to me for a while.

I shifted my footing, uncomfortable. Yeah, yeah, I know. I look like an imposture.

Finally, he handed me my passport and I nodded before walking away.

The two of us took off our shoes and she emptied her bag onto the belt to be scanned. I threw my truck keys, wallet, and smokes into the bin. She walked through the metal detector and was cleared with a green light. When I first walked through one of these, I was detained for carrying weapons with me. I learned from my mistakes.

"Thanks," I muttered when the worker handed me back all my items. This was similar to jail except I could keep my clothes on.

I grabbed Aria's hand and we walked to the airplane. There was no turning back now.

"Can I have the window seat?" She asked, skipping beside me.

I glanced at her cheerful tone. "I suppose I could give up my favorite seat to you."

A lady in front of the plane doors greeted us with a fake smile. I handed her the tickets wordless and awaited for her instructions on where to sit as if I couldn't read it on the ticket myself.

When the airplane piled up with passengers, the doors closed and the pilot started talking over the intercom. I never listened to what they had to say nor the safety procedures. If the plane crashes, it's your time to go, there's no stopping it.

"What the hell happened to your arm?" Aria frowned when I took off my hoodie to reveal my blood soaked bandage.

Shit. "I cut it at work this morning." I gave her my arm to inspect.

"That's a lot of blood Eli, that looks painful. Why didn't you tell me?" She looked at me with a scrunched face

"I forgot. It's okay, love. It doesn't hurt. When we land, I'll be sure to buy more gauze." I leaned over and kissed her gently. I didn't want her to worry. In reality, it stung quite a lot but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle.

"How did you manage to do something like that?" She asked, a concerned tone still attached to her words.

I scratched the back of my head. "I had a lot on my mind I guess. I wasn't paying attention and it caught my skin without my realizing."

"What were you thinking about?"

I scrunched my face. She always liked to have me talk even when I didn't feel like it. "The airplane."

For a moment, she sat there in my words. Then smiled. "Thinking about my family were you?"

"Yes."

"You'll get to meet my brother, you're going to love him." She leaned her head against my arm.

Fuck, I completely forgot about him. Another person to impress.

"Are you and your dad still fighting over what happened last time?"

She shook her head. "No. Once a fight happens, when it comes to the next visit he plans out for me, it means that it's time to forget the incident happened and pretend there's nothing wrong."

I frowned. "Sounds healthy."

"Oh believe me, it's not. I know it's not but there isn't anything I can really do about it. Even when I run away to a whole new country, he still has a hold on me. I thought I could break free but he still controls a bit of my life and I resent him for it." Her eyes were dimmed, and it made me angry.

"One day he won't, Aria. It's just a waiting game. And when the day comes, you'll still have me to take care of you."

She smiled and pressed her lips to my neck. "You smell nice."

I wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer to me while the plane started to slowly wheel onto the runway. At least we had a free seat next to use so we could be partially alone.

Sigh.

"Good evening, would anyone like some tea or anything from the back?" A stuartist cautiously approached our seats with her hands clasped in front of her round belly. She didn't look me in the eye for long.

"No," I muttered.

"May I have some ice cubes? In a baggy preferred. With napkins. And a cup of coffee, please?" Aria sweetly requested. Why wouldn't she just ask for an iced coffee? Or at least ice in a cup...

"Right away, miss," The lady replied before retreating to the mystery backroom.

"Coffee?" I raised an eyebrow. It was almost six in the evening. We wouldn't arrive to her parents house until around nine thirty, which I hoped they went to bed early.

All she did was smile. She chose a better substance to be addicted to than I ever did.

When the stuartist returned, she simply handed the odd requests and walked away with a kind nod.

"Give me your arm for a sec," Aria demanded.

I raised an eyebrow and presented my arm to her. She unwrapped the bandage from my arm and inspected my wound. A small gasp flew into her throat. "That's not looking good," She commented while taking an ice cube out of the baggy. She placed the ice around my wound which stung to the touch. My skin around the area was burning so much, the ice cube was already dripping down my arm.

"Hmm," I watched her work on my arm, trying to suppress the pain.

After she wet the area, she used the napkins to wipe away the blood. As she applied a bit of pressure, my cut was starting to ooze fresh red liquid.

"You should've gotten stitches, Eli. It's still bleeding." She scolded, but her face was concerned.

"It's not all that bad," I reminded her. I've had worse wounds than this.

"Are you feeling light headed?"

"A bit."

She lightly tapped my chest. "And you thought it was a good idea to go thousands of miles in the air?"

I shrugged. "I know how important this is to you, I didn't want to miss the flight." Although, I desperately wanted to miss the flight.

She sighed. "How sweet. Hold on," She said and rose from her seat. I eyed her as she walked away and started talking to the chubby lady who brought us our ice earlier. I continued to press napkins on my arm.

She returned with a small first aid kit. I pushed over to the window seat, casually taking back the good seat and she slid beside me, too focused on my arm to pay attention to my sly movement.

"I got you some stuff and when we land, I'll take a look to see if you need to still go to a hospital," She said while opening the kit. She put antiseptic wipes and started to lightly brush my skin. I wanted to wince at the touch but kept my calm face. After that, she pulled out adhesive tape and started putting together my arm again. Hm. Lastly, she wrapped my arm in fresh gauze and kissed the top.

"Thank you," I brushed the side of her face with my hand. She's admiring.

"I also got you Tylenol and a bottle of water to help with the light headedness."

"You're so good to me," I mumbled.

Her blue eyes lightened at my words. "I snuck extra Tylenol because you'll need it after this weekend." She joked. Joy.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the window. "I'm looking forward to it."

A soft laugh come from her mouth and her fingers trailed up and down my arm. When she stopped, I whined. "No, keep going," I pouted with my eyes still shut. "Feels good."

Her arm looped around mine as she cuddled against my side. I shifted my position to have her lean against my chest instead while she lightly brushed her fingers up and down my skin in the most sensual feeling. It gave me satisfying tingles.

The plane ride seemed short even though it was three hours. It was relaxing, filled with only small talk and resting. Surprisingly, no crying babies for once.

As we descended, I slipped my sweater back on, as did she and prepared ourselves to get the fuck off the plane. It'll be a more enjoyable ride when I take her somewhere tropical. Maybe Tahiti or Bora Bora.

Outside the airport, I opted to a car rental right next door so we could at least drive around and visit wherever we wanted to while visiting. And had an excuse to leave the house to get away from her family.

Choosing a black Ford Mustang, I grabbed the keys and opened the passenger door for Aria. "We could have just rented a cheap car, you know," She pointed out when I sat down in the driver's seat.