“Right, so let me get this straight. India is going away with you to Sicily, but she won’t know about this until you are sitting next to her in the plane?” Mum asks, sounding angry.
“Yeah, this is my master plan to make her trust me again. I have five days to fix what I screwed up with her.”
“I don’t know, Oliver. She might hate you for it.”
“I know, but then she will love me, so it’s all good,” I assure her and then hang up. Mum might be right, but I can’t start worrying now. Everything is ready. I can’t get back to sleep planning and wondering if there is anything else that I can do. I’ll have plenty of opportunities in Italy. She gave me an ultimatum. Things between my mother and me are much better right now. There is still work to do, but I have forgiven her.
I have apologised to India a million times, but she seems unbreakable. It was easy to be that horrible bastard and it took me a long time to realise how much I love her. The question remains. Does she still love me the way she did before I hurt her?
When the day of our departure arrives, I can’t seem to stay in one place, waiting for a text message from Dora. Jacob is going to take me to the airport. Everything has to go according to plan; otherwise, I can forget about India forever. The girls are getting to the airport in the bus. Then Dora is going to lie that she has forgotten her passport. I had to pay Michael again, so that he would keep Dora on the list, so this whole shebang looks legit. In the end it’s all going to be worth it.
I can only pray that India will be sitting in the plane and by the time she realises that Dora is not going to make it, it will be too late for her to leave. That’s where I have to jump in. Yeah, to save the day.
I’ve got my own passport, but I’m anxious to check everything multiple times, stressing over Jacob’s inability to keep his thoughts to himself. I’ll be a little less nervous once I’m in the plane sitting next to India. Jacob isn’t too happy with me at the moment. I made him go to the store three times today, and in the end he lost his temper. He plants doubts in my head even when I don’t want to hear his shit.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asks. “Man, she won’t forgive you that you manipulated her into this trip.”
“Can you shut your mouth for now? I can’t think straight when you keep yapping about this all the time,” I tell him, thinking that he is worse than Dora and my mother. He needs to chill out.
“I’m just saying. I know her. She was worried about you when Russell beat you up. Maybe you should call this off and talk to her.”
“No. I’ve put too much work into this. Our trip will clear the air. She will see that I only have good intentions, so please, mate, shut up now.”
He goes quiet but only for a few minutes, until we get the text message and we leave. I have never been in Italy, but I’m excited.
The drive to the airport takes an hour. For about twenty minutes we are stuck in traffic. I keep checking my watch every second, just to make sure everything is going the way it is supposed to. The girls are going to get to the airport after us. I wanted to be early, so I can check in before India. Jacob wishes me good luck, dropping me outside of the terminal. I owe him big time. Every part of me is waiting anxiously, hoping that everything goes as planned. As soon as my gate is open, I check in to get rid of my suitcase. I find a quiet place in the bar, just by the entrance, so I can see who is coming in and out. In about twenty minutes the Uni group will show up and then the situation will get complicated.
India doesn’t panic; most of the time she is calm and in control. Even when I told her to leave Braxton, she looked me straight in the eye told me that she wasn’t going anywhere. Will she panic seeing me on the plane next to her?
To keep myself occupied and alert, I fill my body with an energy drink and double-check that I have everything again. The text from Dora arrives only five minutes later. The bus is running late but they left early, so I don’t need to stress. It’s easy for her to say.
My heart pounds in my chest when, twenty minutes later, I spot them by the entrance. Michael is leading the group. India looks slightly down and Dora looks around anxiously, probably searching for me. As they come in to check in, Dora starts looking for her passport. Everything goes as it’s supposed to. After some time Dora lets out a frustrated sound and grabs India, telling her that she can’t find her passport. So far, nothing is working against me.
India paces around Dora. She checks the flights, biting her lips, then talks to the rest of the group and they separate. Dora continues to search her bag. We both know that her passport isn’t inside, but she is showing off her good acting skills. Another twenty minutes pass by, and Dora leaves. India looks completely lost, glancing back and forth at the door. India knows that Dora has plenty of time to get to Braxton and then get back. I’m sweating like a pig, my nerves slowly getting to me. India takes too much time, hesitating just before the main airport security post. I keep watching her, wondering if this whole thing is going to work. Finally, after a long delay I lose her, and I exhale abruptly. She can’t notice me, so I wait again and then hand my passport to airport security, wearing a baseball cap. A few minutes later I see the Uni group near the shops. I hide in the bookstore, panicking a little that India spotted me, but after some time I see her having a heated discussion with Michael, who doesn’t look too happy, waving his hands around like a maniac.
My pulse races dangerously fast as he points out that she needs to sit down and chill.
I call Dora.
“What the fuck is going on?” I ask. “India is talking to Michael!”
“I don’t know, Oliver. She’s freaking out. I’m not sure if she will get on that plane without me.”
“Please do the best you can.”
Dora doesn’t seem convinced that our plan is going to work. I pace in the shop, thinking about any other options. The next chance I get, I grab Michael by the toilets. So far I haven’t been noticed by anyone, but the gate is going to open soon and the boarding will start.
“What the hell is going on, Michael?” I ask, once India is out of sight.
“She wants to wait until her friend gets here.”
I grow extremely frustrated, pacing around him like a moron. This whole thing is not going the way it’s supposed to.
“Please, just get her to the plane,” I say.
Michael is taller than me, with bushy eyebrows and a heavy jaw. He keeps staring at me blankly. Confusion is written all over his face.
“I don’t get it. Why is this so important?”
“Because she’s the love of my life and I need you to get her to that plane no matter what. Can you help me?”
Michael tells me that he is going to try his best, and I stroll back to the toilet wondering if I might have gone too far and fate is simply not on my side. When Michael vanishes to talk to India, my battery goes off and a moment later I have to show up by the gate as the boarding starts.
My heart hammers in my chest. Everything is slowly falling apart. I wait and wait, looking for her outside the gate, but I can’t see India or anyone from the Uni group. Sweat covers my back and my head feels like it’s just about to explode. I can’t wait any longer because the flight attendant will start calling my name to get to the plane before they close the doors completely. India isn’t foolish enough to get on the plane when Dora isn’t there, but soon I don’t have any choice. I have to get on.
If India is already on the plane, she’ll see me walking on as one of the last passengers. At the moment I’m left with no options. I walk towards the aircraft, making sure that I’m moving along at normal speed, keeping my head down. I’m fucking anxious as hell. Dark thoughts are crushing me down. When I get to the steps I know that I should be already buying a return ticket. Sicily sounds fantastic, but I don’t want to be there without my India. The flight attendant says to take any available seat, so I jump into the nearest one to the window. I have no idea where the Uni group is or if they actually made it. Minutes are passin
g by and I keep looking for her, knowing that she would have listened to Dora. She is on the plane, she has to be.
After another few minutes of faffing around, most people are sitting and the staff keeps telling everyone to sit in whatever place is available.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard this flight…”
That’s it now. The staff won’t let anyone to leave the plane and I’m fucked, because I know that India is not here. Because she would have tried to leave by now. Dora is her best friend and she rarely goes anywhere without her. She is loyal. Fuck, I’m an asshole. I wanted to surprise her and now I’m going to travel to Italy on my own. I start drowning myself in misery, closing my eyes for a brief moment, already planning my way back home. My pulse slows down and I decide that I’ve had enough. All my efforts have gone nowhere. She doesn’t want me. I screwed up from the moment I chose to hurt her in the restaurant.
Soon the doors to the plane are being shut and everyone is asked to put their seat belts on.
“Excuse me, but I need to leave right now, I made a mistake. I shouldn’t be on this flight.” I hear the voice that automatically makes me want to stay alive again. I’m not wrong when I open my eyes. India is standing a few seats away, determined to leave. She already knows that Dora had set her up and won’t be going with her to Sicily. She starts arguing with the stewardess. I snap out of that strangely depressing mood and get up, ready to put my plan in motion right now.
“India, come on, let’s sit down. I’ll explain everything,”
Then she notices me and the frustration on her face is replaced by obvious shock.
The blond flight attendant looks from me to India with irritation. “Madam, you need to sit down now. And so do you, sir. We are just about to take off. ”
I don’t know if India finally understands that she is making this situation very difficult for both of us, but she moves while staring at me with her eyes wide open. I push her into the seat next to me and the flight attendant leaves, talking rapidly to herself about people and their manners.
“You and Dora—God, I can’t believe that she would do this to me,” she says, shaking her head in disbelief. Our elbows are touching and that familiar electric current charges my body faster than I want. This is the first time since the party that we have been so close to each other. Fire starts brewing in my pants and this isn’t the right moment. I have to calm down.
“Just chill. We both know that you needed this trip,” I assure her, but I don’t think that she cares. There is another long announcement and India’s body tenses. She moves away from me, probably ready to blow this whole thing out of proportion.
“Don’t be stupid, Oliver. I don’t know what you said to Dora that all of a sudden she is on your side, but I already know what you’re doing.”
I lean towards her, fucking annoyed that I have this bandage on my nose. I’m at a disadvantage, my normally seductive look won’t work and India has become immune to my charms, for the most part.
“You need some time out. Everyone needs this once in a while.”
She laughs, and I scratch my head staring at her, confused. I wasn’t expecting her to find this whole situation amusing. She was supposed to freak out or slap me; either way she is too fucking calm.
“I’m not yours, Oliver. At that party in Gargle I thought that I put things into perspective for you, but a few days ago you showed me that you’re still the same person. Arrogant and obnoxious Oliver Morgan who believes that he owns everything and everyone,” she snarls, shaking her head.
“Listen, I’m sorry that I kissed you. It just happened. Evans is a good guy and I hope that you can sort things with him.”
“Like I’m going to believe you.”
“You will see. I just needed some time with you away from everyone. I know that I don’t deserve to be with you.”
She stares at me for a really long time, the tension stretches between us. I swallow hard, knowing that India hates manipulation. Evans is still her boyfriend.
“I don’t want to talk to you, Oliver. I don’t even want to look at you. Once this plane touches the ground, I’ll be out of here. I’m getting the first available flight home and I don’t care what you think,” she says, raising her voice. Michael gives us a sharp look to keep it down, but I know that I’m already screwed. I misjudged her. She is going home. It looks like I made another stupid, egotistic mistake.
Chapter Twenty-five
Her worst nightmare.
Present
I thought that I’d enjoy the flight, but India turns her head towards the window and doesn’t say anything for the first hour and a half. We are thirty thousand feet in the air and she refuses to even look at me. At least my plan is working all right, so I can relax a little. I’m not sure yet what’s going to happen once we touch the ground. We have another few hours before we land on the beautiful coast of Sicily.
It’s going to take me a while to make her look at me as she used to. She is not going back home. I won’t let her, even if I have to tie her to the seat in the bus. Soon the captain switches off the seat belt sign, but India doesn’t move. She keeps looking away, making sure that her elbow doesn’t make any contact with mine. We sit like that for some time until my body goes numb and I can’t take this awkward silence any longer.
“India, come on. I’m sorry that it had to come to this, but you didn’t give me any other choice. We will spend five days together, so please stop pretending like you don’t care at all,” I plead, moving a little closer than necessary, inhaling the soft scent of her perfume. She can feel my breath of her back; goose pimples appear all over her shoulders. My body swells with a rush of heat. India can lie to me as much as she wants, but her body is betraying her. We both know what kind of effect I have on her.
For a long moment I hear her unsteady breaths, then she turns her head, slowly aware of me invading her space. Our eyes meet and her body radiates with heat towards me, but I don’t move. She is wearing shorts, which means that I have a complete view of her bare legs. I swallow hard, trying to keep my thoughts straight. Her perfume lures me, crushing the wall that she has been building between us since the restaurant.
“Oh, so shall we pretend that we are best buddies now, like when your psycho brother was alive?” she asks, narrowing her eyes.
“It’s just a conversation, India, that’s all. I’m not expecting you to forget that I’ve been an asshole. At least we can try to be friends.”
She laughs. “Friends? Are you kidding me? Do you think you can fix everything by keeping us together in a foreign country? Dora is a traitor, and from this point forward our friendship is just history.”
I roll my eyes. I can’t help it. “Dora is only trying to help.”
“I don’t know what you did, but she betrayed me. She lied to me.”
“Please stop being miserable. Enjoy the holiday because whether you like it or not, you’re stuck here with me,” I say with a smile.
She angrily folds her arms together and turns around. I might not know how India manages her money, but she won’t throw three hundred quid in the mud just because she can’t stand me. The flight back home is going to cost her a fortune. She is pissed with Dora, so she won’t ask her for a loan. We both know that she won’t have any choice but to accept that I’m going to be her companion for the next few days.
“We will have a good time in Cefalu. Trust me, this trip is going to be epic.”
“You don’t have to pretend that you care, Oliver. Deep down, we both know that you don’t.”
“I care about you, India, more than you can imagine,” I say, but she doesn’t say anything more. My new strategy of keeping the peace between us is not going to work. Despite my best efforts to keep the conversation going, she doesn’t say anything else to me for the rest of the flight. I offer her my iPad with the newest film that she hasn’t seen yet, but she bluntly ignores me.
Her body is slowly melting me away and I don’t know what I’m going to do
when we have to share the room together. A few hours later, after a long, frustrating flight, the view out the window finally takes our breath away. Blue waters stretch over miles and miles as we approach that Italian island. I have a couple of romantic ideas to make this holiday unforgettable.
“It’s stunning, isn’t it?” I ask her, leaning over, pointing at the island and at the same time inhaling her citrusy perfume that turns me on every fucking time. I hear her sharp intake of breath. Her body stiffens when in contact with my skin, but this is just the beginning. She doesn’t say anything for a long while, breathing harder than she should. Our last inflaming kiss kept me up for nights.
“It’s pretty, but I told you I’m going home.”
I sit back, wondering if she is really going to go through with this decision.
Five minutes later the captain lets us know to put on our seat belts. We have twenty minutes before landing. I’m anxious, because I might be wrong. India hates me. What if she really is going to take the next available flight home?
As the plane touches the ground, Michael tells us to meet outside the passport control. I keep close to India, who looks annoyed. She keeps glancing around, checking her phone and biting her mouth. I can tell she is contemplating if this is really what she wants—to waste three hundred pounds just because she can’t stand the sight of me.
When we are finally done with passport control, I’m ready to scream in frustration. India keeps scrolling through her phone, probably checking the prices of the tickets. Everyone is waiting for us, looking bored. It looks like they are glad that India hasn’t killed me yet. There are a few guys I recognise from one of my classes, but there are a lot more girls. Michael gives us some updates about the hotel and distributes itineraries. It looks like we are going to have a busy few days. Then India asks him for a moment alone. I curse, wondering if he’ll convince her to stay. Now this whole thing is out of my hands.
Another half hour passes and India finally joins me again. I can’t read anything from her face, but my heart pounds in my ribcage.