CH. 44

The endless waiting in airports was one of the many things Willa hated about flying. It ranked just beneath the always-freezing temperature in the cabin that was guaranteed to dry her contacts out and the no-touch automatic flush toilets that somehow never seemed to realize it was time to flush.

She sighed, crossing and uncrossing her legs. Conversation buzzed around her, the bored, dull tones of business travelers who had seen the inside of too many airport terminals and the excited prattles of families on vacation. The scent of coffee wafted over her, rich and aromatic. Willa raised her drooping head to give the passing woman's styrofoam cup a longing look before she fell victim to yet another outrageously large yawn.

The departure board was flooded with delays and she still had another half hour to kill until her gate would start boarding to Los Angeles, California. Peeking out of her purse was Nate's envelope, begging to be opened. Willa swallowed. On the drive to the airport, she'd turned it over in her hands, weighing how much she wanted to open it against her mother's inquisitive, beady-eyed stare. Finally, she'd stowed it in her purse.

She now pulled it out, biting the bullet and ripping it open, earning a startled look from the mother and child two seats down from her. Inside was—Willa's breath left her—a copy of her book. Her mind retreated to the far-off memory of going to the bookstore with Nate and buying his book. Her fingers went slack and the hardcover book almost slipped to the floor. She caught herself in time, her hand curling around corner before it landed on the floor.

Why would he send her a copy of her own book? With a furrowed brow, she pried the cover open. The book obliged only with the greatest of reluctance, the spine creaking. On the first page, above the publisher's name and the title of the book, his handwriting sprawled in black ink. The W in Dear Willa was smudged.

She read.

Dear Willa,

I saw this book on the same shelf as mine in Barnes and Nobles and even though we're not together anymore, I couldn't resist pushing your book next to mine so we could be side by side. An employee caught me so I had to pretend I was buying it. I was going to ditch it on my way out, but then I remembered that you bought my book and I thought—

Willa blinked. Thought what? Then she noticed a little arrow with the words turn me above it. She flipped the page. His words continued, this time not as big as before. The words were scrunched, like Nate had realized too late that he would need to economize on space. She smiled, one part nostalgia and one part amusement.

—that I should buy yours. Is that weird?

I lied to you, Willa. And every time in the last year that I convinced myself that you were just another person who came with an expiry date was another lie. I guess I lied to myself, too. Maybe that was worse.

I learned to think of relationships as temporary because it always felt like I was the one who cared the most. I decided people would just be a chapter, a paragraph. They'd be like my college friends, or Bridget, people who came through just for a little while, and then decided to exit stage left.

But not you, Willa. You're more than a chapter. You're more than the book - yes, the whole book. You're like the first in a series that I've fallen in love with, and I'm waiting desperately for the sequel, but in the meantime I'd re-reading the first over and over again. Falling asleep with it tucked under my pillow. Holding it up against my nose so I can be as close to the story as humanly possible.

Here the words got smaller and more scrunched, the letters running together on the last inch of the page.

I want to be your boyfriend, Willa, but more than that, I want to be your friend. I want to be the kind of friend you fall in love with. The friend with whom you share an epic love story that actually surpasses anything that exists in a book.

Willa, you're the book I want everyone in the whole world to read.

Stunned, she closed the cover. He didn't sign it with Love, Nate or even just his name. He didn't need to. His declaration was plenty.

She dimly registered that an announcement was coming over the loudspeaker. Her gate was boarding. For one wild moment, she spun around, half-expecting Nate to come running along the moving walkway. He wasn't there.

A Japanese man was running with luggage in each hand, sweat dotting his brow, his cheeks ruddy with exertion. Behind him, a blond girl with supermodel legs and Daisy Dukes scuttled past a family, followed by teenagers with headphones slung around their necks and comic books tucked under their arms.

But no Nathan Wheeler.

She wasn't sure what to think or how to feel. She was touched, shocked, and a little weepy - but what was she supposed to do with those emotions now? Willa took a deep breath to steady herself. Had Nate intended to throw her for a loop on the first day of her book tour? Her affection began to fade, replaced by annoyance.

She jammed the book back into the manilla envelope and put it back inside her purse. With another breath, she gathered her things and made her way toward the gate.

"Have a nice flight," the ticket attendant chirped with a breezy, diva-red smile.

Willa smiled. "Thanks." The words felt hollow.

It wasn't until much later, after the plane had taken off and the soft drinks had been served, that Willa pulled the book out again. She read Nate's words over and over until the ink muddled together before her eyes.

She pulled her cell phone out, even though she knew she wouldn't get reception in the air. She typed What the hell are you trying to accomplish, Nate? Her finger hovered over the Send button.

Slowly, she deleted each word, letter by letter. She stared at their last text message, an innocuous Amazon link she'd sent Nate the day before they'd broken up. He'd broken the top three in paid Kindle e-books that day and been number one in all his keyword categories for print books. He'd responded to her link and accompanying giddy smiley faces with a thumbs up emoji.

She stared at the tiny thumb until her eyes blurred with tears and she turned her phone off, sending the screen blissfully black.

A flight attendant came by with a large trash bag and Willa tossed her empty plastic cup into it. Willa sighed, leaning her head against the window even though part of her knew how icky it was. She was contemplating whether or not to start reading when someone cleared his throat. Loudly. Not in a gross, phlegmy, I-have-a-cold way, but in a way guaranteed to get someone's attention.

She straightened her neck and met the cool gaze of the person seated diagonally from her. He'd twisted around his seat, a position made more uncomfortable by the way the person in front of him had reclined his seat all the way. Willa could see the boy's knees scrunched up against the back of the cushion.

"May I?" he whispered, pointing to the empty aisle seat next to her. "Everywhere else is full."

"Go for it," she said, obligingly moving her purse from the seat to the floor in front of her.

"Thanks." He scooched over, wasting no time. He flashed her a grateful grin as their arms brushed against each other's.

Willa studied him. He had an academic look to him - roundish face, short and neat brown hair with the comb marks still evident, and a smattering of freckles across his nose. He was cute, vaguely familiar - but how crazy was that, right?

"Good book?" he asked, nodding at her novel.

Willa flushed as she became aware she was still clutching it. "Oh, I, um..."

"It's a long flight, I should have picked something up at the airport book store before I boarded, but I thought I could just read on my iPad - well, it's low on power, and there's supposed to be somewhere I can charge it hidden on the armrest, but I can't seem to find it?"

Willa couldn't help it. She laughed. His fumbling, earnest way of speaking was adorable. "Here, let me help you."

He smiled. His teeth were white and straight, like the boy in the Crest commercial. "Thanks." He stuck his hand out. "I'm Jeff."

"Willa." She gave his hand a vigorous pump.

"That's pretty unique," he commented. He released her hand. "Almost as unique as mine."

"Jeff's what passes for unique?" Willa smiled to show she was teasing.

"The way I spell it, it is! G-E-O-F-F," he spelled out. "Pronounced the same as Jeff, though."

The irony made Willa want to collapse into helpless giggles. Geoff, the same polo-wearing, sheepish-smiling Geoff who Cyn had mocked almost two years ago? She couldn't keep the smile off her face. "Geoff, I know this is going to sound like, so weird, but were you ever on Tinder?"

"What?" His smile grew uneasy. "How did—"

She took a deep breath. She wasn't sure how to feel about Nate's confession. She wasn't even sure if she would contact him as soon as she landed. She didn't know if she wanted to be his girlfriend again, even if he wanted to be her boyfriend.

She remembered his last sentence: You're the book I want everyone in the whole world to read.

Maybe that was what she needed to do now. Meet the world and let the world meet her. And if her path led her back to Nate, then maybe it really would be a love story worth a sequel. But if not, that would be okay too.

She looked into Geoff's expectant, slightly creeped-out eyes. Willa exhaled, angling her waist so she faced him. "Geoff, have I got a story for you..."

THE END

Author's Note: What did you guys think of Nate's confession? Anyone think it was unfair of him to spring it on Willa after so long? Would you guys love a romantic gesture like this one? :) Let me know!

P.S. Bonus points if you figure out who Geoff is.... ;)

P.P.S. If you've made it this far, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING + GIVING ME YOUR SUPPORT! I feel so honored to have met so many wonderful readers and I hope this won't be the end of our journey together - please do follow me so we can stay in touch, or drop me a PM or note on my board, or even consider reading some of my other stories! I write Fantasy and Romance and sometimes even a little Horror/Mystery, so I am sure you will find something new to read. Thank you again xx