‘I’m very patient. I’ve been sitting next toyouthis entire flight.’
‘Shame on you.’ I shake my head. ‘Fine, I’ll play a game.’
Callum looks quite surprised at this.
‘Worried you’ll lose?’ I ask.
‘I haven’t told you what game we’re playing yet. I wouldn’t get too cocky.’
‘How about hangman?’ I offer.
‘Are you flirting with me, Moss?’
‘Ha ha, very funny. Do you want to play or not?’
‘Sure. Brains before beauty,’ he says, motioning for me to start.
I groan so loudly that someone shushes me.
Callum and I set about a quite aggressive game of hangman, in which he accuses me of pretending it’s him as I draw my little stick man in the noose. I doodle a smiley face on the stick person and add a speech bubble.
Callum leans in closer to read what I’ve written inside the speech bubble and his lemon-and-lime scent fills my nose.
‘Hi, I’m annoying,’ Callum reads out loud.
‘Oh, Callum! You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself.’ I am victorious.
‘Very juvenile,’ he sighs.
FIVE
It’s a huge relief when the cabin crew are asked to take their seats for landing and I find myself giddily anticipating what’s to come. A chance to accidentally-on-purpose run into the one that got away and watch as he immediately falls back in love with me! And, very much coming into second place, a chance to have a Glastonbury shower and stretch my legs.
Singapore is going to be the one.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, we will shortly be landing in Singapore. Arrival time is a little later than planned so passengers taking the connecting flight to Perth International Airport will need to move immediately to their next boarding gate, ready for departure.’
Oh what? Straight to the gate means less time for the above and I was also quite keen on a potter around the shops.
Callum shakes his head at me as if this is somehow my doing.
‘What?’ I ask. ‘Have you decided that this is my fault? Is this because you lost at noughts and crosses, Callum? Because if so, you really do need to grow up.’
‘I did not lose at noughts and crosses. You cheated.’
‘How many times! It’s impossible to cheat at that game. You are such a sore loser.’
Callum bites his lip as if it’s taking all of his strength not to argue back.
‘It is a little bit your fault that we’re landing late, though,’ he says, clicking his seatbelt back on.
I roll my eyes. ‘I’m all ears.’
‘Humphrey held the plane up, remember?’
‘Hamish,’ I insist. ‘It’s Hamish.’
‘You say potato …’
