“You still lied. Or maybe you didn’t, but you weren’t honest. And you didn’t stick up for me. I don’t know how I feel about that, so I need some time.”
“Bonnie…” I wanted to argue with her, but she held her hands up.
“I’m not saying no. I’m just saying I need some time, and I need you to respect that, Elijah. It’s been a very emotionallycharged few days, and I just need…I need to sit in it alone, okay?” She was asking, and as much as it pained me, I would give her whatever she wanted, even if it made me die a little bit inside.
“Okay, I’ll give you time.”
She looked at me, almost like she was considering my words, like she had expected me to put up a little bit more of a fight. I swore I saw a little bit of disappointment in her eyes.
“I’m only leaving because you’re asking, but I’m coming back tomorrow, and the next day, and the next. You got me?”
Unable to help myself, I pulled her completely against me and just breathed in the smell of her shampoo.Coconut, lime, honey. Bonnie. Love.I kissed her head before I started to cry in front of her again. But this time, I was leaving with renewed hope.Hope.
Chapter Thirteen
Elijah
Since I was giving Bonnie the space she clearly needed, even though it was killing me, I decided it was time to execute the rest of my plan. It was…risky, but it was necessary. I didn’t see another way out of my contract, another way I could leave without giving considerable notice and that just didn’t work for me. There was no way I was going to wait any period of time to right my wrongs. Even if it was risky.
I also refused to go back to our house until Bonnie came with me. I couldn’t—wouldn’t—do it. I rented a room in the closest hotel to Ellie’s apartment, and stopped quickly to pick up some of the essentials, including a few pairs of clothes.
After a quick shower, I made my way to the airport, where, due to the schedule, I knew that Justin was going to be getting ready for a flight. Like I said, my plan was risky, and really…not ideal. But there was no other way. Maybe if I was willing to give it a little bit of time, I could have figured something better out, but I wasn’t, and I’d made peace with that.
I scanned my badge, parked in the employee parking lot, and made my way into the airport. Pulling up the schedule on my phone and making my way over to where I knew Justin would be, I saw him talking to a few flight attendants and another pilot whose name I’d forgotten.
“Justin!” I yelled his name. He whipped his head in my direction, his smile slipping into a scowl. There was zero hesitation as I closed the distance between us, pulled my arm back, and socked him in the noseonetime. And that was all it took. I heard the crunch of bone beneath my hand as blood splattered. He dropped to the ground, yelling out profanities, and all I could do was grin.
“Jesus.”
“What the fuck?”
“Are you crazy?”
Everyone was running around, checking on Justin and calling security, where we were both hauled off to. I was put in front of my chief pilot and HR in record time.
“Look, we know this job gets stressful, but that’s no reason to…”
“He deserved it,” I told them.
“That very well may be, but we can’t excuse this kind of behavior. You’ll have to issue a formal apology, and…” They started listing their demands like they thought I would be crawling on my knees for my job. Little did they know, there was only one person I would crawl on my knees for, and she was absolutely not in that room.
“I won’t be doing any of those things.”
A silence filled the space. They weren’t exactly sure what to say because there was never a doubt in their minds that I’d agree. They shared a look.
“If you don’t, we will have no choice but to fire you.” My boss spoke slowly, like he was making sure I understood what he was saying. And I understood perfectly.
“That sounds like the only reasonable option.”
I started to pull out my badge and clearance cards—all the things I was forced to carry on me for that job. They were bothstaring at me, confused, until it became clear that I was getting exactly what I had gone there for: being let go.
“You won’t get another job as a pilot again,” he warned. “Many pilots’ biggest fear is being grounded.” His attempt to scare me into submission wasn’t going to work.
“No, my biggest fear is a life without her. Is there exit paperwork?”
“Uh…ye-yes, yes, there is. Follow me to my office,” our head of HR—I didn’t even know her name, nor did I care—said. I stood up, gave half a nod to my boss and my past, and continued to walk to my future. I’d never been more sure of anything.
*****
