As I walked the length of the small private terminal, I noticed how nice Taylor’s coat smelled. It was an interesting mix of sweet and almost a smoky scent. It wasn’t overpowering, and I really liked it. Out of all the women I’d been with, I couldn’t recall ever smelling this scent. My nose could pick up on nearly every Chanel and Dior perfume that had ever been concocted. Taylor didn’t seem like the type to wear perfume, but I could see her doing it for one of Michael’s parties maybe.
But this kind of trip? Not really. Either way, I really liked it. Whatever it was.
“Thanks for holding my coat,” she said as she approached. Her face quirked up into a smile when I slid the coat off my arms. I held it open for her to put on. “Oh, it’s still warm. Thank you.”
“No problem. I’ll be right back.”
“Do you want me to hold your coat?”
“No, I just need to whip it out. I don’t have to take my coat off to go to the bathroom. Besides, I might freeze if I take it off in this fucking place.”
I went to the bathroom and swore when ice-cold water trickled out of the only working faucet in the men’s room. This place fucking sucked. I’d always hated this airport. JFK was one of the shittiest airports.
I rejoined Taylor and asked, “Did the ladies’ room have warm water?”
She pulled her hands out of her coat pockets and held them out for me to see. Her hands were pale, but the knuckles and fingertips were bright red.
“No. There were four sinks, but a few of them were taped off with an out of order sign on them,” she said.
“The men’s room only had one semi-working sink.” I gestured to the sliding door with my head as I shoved my hands into the pockets of my coat. “Let’s get out of here. The jet is warm.”
While we walked back to the jet, I noticed some of Taylor’s sweet and smoky scent lingered on my coat from having held hers against me. The wind whipped around us again and made me wonder if the winter storm in Stockholm this week would feel like this. Vail was cold and snowy, but we usually didn’t have the ice-cold wind. I figured the wind here was so intense because of the nearby water, which also would be the case for the places we’d be visiting in Sweden.
“Hey, did you pack gloves? Or a scarf and hat?” I asked.
“Yes, all three. Did you?”
“Yeah. It might be smart to put those on when we land in Stockholm before we get off the jet,” I suggested.
We reached the stairs to the jet, and I gestured for her to go up ahead of me. I followed closely behind her, as I was just as eager as she was to get back into the warmth of the cabin. As soon as we stepped inside, Holly closed the door.
“It was so cold in the terminal,” Taylor said to Holly.
“Yeah, you were smart not to leave the jet,” I added.
“The seats have seat warmers in them. There’s a button on the armrest you can push to activate them,” Holly said.
I flopped down in the chair and pulled my phone out to text Michael. I put a few Tic-Tacs in my mouth and then shook the box close to Taylor to offer her some.
“No, thank you. What is it with you and those things?” she asked.
“They’re good.”
“It’s like you’re self-conscious about having bad breath or something.”
“Interestingly enough, I usually use them to cover up the pussy scent on my mouth. But I also like the way they taste.”
“Mhmm. Such a romantic,” Taylor mumbled sarcastically.
We’re getting ready to leave New York. Any word from Aria’s mother about Jensen?
Nothing.
Ok. Text me if something changes. Otherwise, I’ll text when we land in Stockholm.
Be safe. I’ll email you the hotel reservations.
Michael said he wanted Taylor and I to pose as a couple on vacation together. This meant we’d be sharing a room. The hotel reservation email came through, and I saw it was for one room with two beds, just as Michael had promised. The reservation was under our pseudonyms, Tim and Evelyn Chambers.
