He put his earbuds and phone in his pocket as the speakers broadcast a near-unintelligible message. The restless crowd flowed toward the gate agents, proving they were better at deciphering airport announcements than William. “Now it’s our turn to go wait in line,” he said, reaching for his suitcase handle. “You’ll need to show your boarding pass to the gate agent. Then, we’ll walk through some kind of tunnel that connects to the plane.”
He’d set out to explain everything after Adathan nearly walked into the women’s restroom. It was a mistake people made all the time, but Adathan was clearly embarrassed. William felt guilty for having underestimated the extent of Adathan’s ignorance regarding what was considered general knowledge in this sphere of society.
Adathan wrapped his hand around William’s bicep as they made their way toward the line. “We’re like ants,” he whispered.
William let out a low chuckle as he cast a glance at their surroundings. Adathan was right; they did act like ants. Except instead of carrying organic matter, they were dragging their luggage, and no one gave a shit about anyone else.
“It’s a short flight,” William said conversationally as they advanced two steps. “We’ll have just enough time to finish watching the documentary and take a nap.”
Adathan squeezed William’s bicep, but he said nothing. He stared blankly at the man in front of them, seeming to focus all his energy on staying calm.
William could only imagine how much anxiety Adathan had been carrying—and their trip was far from over. They’d have to navigate another crowded airport, then take a bus, transfer to the subway, and walk twenty minutes to finally reach William’s apartment.
Which, of course, was on the fourth floor.
The thought exhausted William, but unlike Adathan, he’d be in familiar territory. He had no right to feel sorry for himself.
The line moved at a steady pace, which William was grateful for. Soon they’d be on the plane, with a few hours to relax. FIS Poker had exchanged William’s plane ticket so that he’d be sitting with Adathan, landing him a window seat with extra legroom. The weather was nice, and the sky was deep blue, almost cloudless. The view would be phenomenal.
Silver linings.
Adathan let go of his arm to take out his paper envelope from his pocket—the one his Canadian IDs and birth certificate had been delivered in this morning. William had blacked out the Eden Serviteurs logo and given it to Adathan to use as a makeshift wallet until he had a chance to buy him a real one. It sucked, but it was better than William carrying Adathan’s IDs as if he were a child.
“What’s your favorite part of the documentary so far?” William asked as Adathan gripped his arm again.
Adathan pressed his envelope to his chest. “Um, the...” He trailed off, his gaze darting between the two gate agents.
The airport staff obviously made him nervous, and William wished he knew why. Could it be their uniforms? They weren’t particularly intimidating with their bright blue sweater vests and yellow silk scarves, but maybe their outfit reminded Adathan of the Eden Serviteur employees who’d abused him.
“Want me to give them your boarding pass?” William asked as the line thinned in front of them. It felt like a ridiculous thing to offer, but he was grasping at straws, desperate to ease Adathan’s anxiety.
Adathan seemed to snap back to reality. “No! Thank you, William.” He let go of his arm and awkwardly opened his envelope with his bandaged hand.
William suppressed a wince as he watched him struggle. Maybe he should have held on to Adathan’s papers after all.
Adathan gasped as he nearly dropped his envelope. He caught it against his chest, but one of his IDs fell and slid toward William’s foot.
William crouched to pick it up.
“Thank you, William,” Adathan blurted as he snatched it from him, but not before William caught a glimpse of the reason for Adathan’s extreme anxiety.
Gabriel S Eden
Oh.
Shit.
The gate agents motioned for them to step closer. William stood up and forced a smile on his face. “Sorry,” he told them as he presented his boarding pass. “It’s his first time; he’s a little nervous.”
The woman gave an empathetic smile. “There’s no need to apologize.”
“Captain Jones has over twenty years of experience,” her colleague said as he looked at Adathan’s—or rather Gabriel’s—boarding pass. “You’re in good hands.”
“Thank you, sir. You’re very kind,” Adathan said weakly. He gripped William’s bicep as they followed the other passengers toward the jet bridge—this time hard enough to hurt.
William had been determined never to bring up the Gabriel thing, but the universe had yet again decided to shit on his plans. If only he’d inspected the envelope’s contents carefully this morning, Adathan wouldn’t have suffered all this time. He’d been in such a hurry to get the fuck away from that hotel, from Richard. And now Adathan was paying the price for William’s carelessness.
William glanced at Adathan, his own legs weakening at the distress he saw in his eyes. Adathan was white as a ghost, his panic so palpable that William was afraid he’d faint before they reached their seats. But when they did, what would William even say?
