Free Delayed by Daniela Reyes

Not that he would. If he told anyone, his Abuela would accuse him of sneaking around with strange girls, and he’d never be allowed to fly alone, even when he became an adult. His Abuela always argued with his grandma Joan about how eighteen was just a number. The two women liked to banter about it at reunions.  
    “I guess it’s really over,” he said, half-jokingly. He put the crackers in his pocket, careful not to crush them too much.  
    As his fingers reached inside, he grazed the outline of a palm tree. This was his chance. It was Olivia’s keychain, not his. He watched as she scooted out into the aisle, joining the others in line. He didn’t return it. They still had time.  
    The line moved slowly, until all the passengers filed out to the baggage claim. He stayed close to her, not knowing where else to go. The airport was half the size of the one back in Boston, and it already smelled of the sandy beaches of Shepton.  
    They waited together, for their suitcases to appear on the conveyor belt.  
    “So how long are you staying?” he asked, suddenly aware that whatever game they had been playing on the plane was over. They were back to being strangers again.  
    “All summer,” Olivia said. Her eyes followed the moving conveyor belt.  
      “Maybe we’ll see each other,” he said. The words were hopeful and already defeated.  
    She nodded, only once. “Maybe.”  
    Nick would have rather she said no. He knew the maybe was meant to be polite, but it was just as painful. Why had she kissed him?  
    And as if reading his mind she spoke. “About the kiss…”  
    He stood up straighter. “Yeah?”  
    She finally looked at him. “I was out of line. And the flight attendant was standing right there, so I wanted to keep the whole fake relationship show going. It didn’t mean anything.”  
    The last part of her statement sounded more like a question. What was he supposed to say? Could he disagree and say that it had. It meant something. Even if it had been a kiss with a practical stranger.  
    “Yeah. No, I know. It was just a kiss.” My first kiss he wanted to add but didn’t.  
    “Oh. I see my suitcase,” Olivia said. She ran toward the belt. He followed her automatically, like a lost little puppy.  
    He helped her pull her suitcase out, even though she held on to one side of it. His suitcase appeared right behind hers. She helped him drag it onto the floor. They worked with the grace of a two-person team.  
    When all had settled, she stared at him once again. “Thank you. For everything, I mean. The birthday gift, the movie date, and for spilling your coffee on me.”  
    “I didn’t mean to,” Nick said in his own defense.  
    Olivia gave him an entertained smile. “I know. But either way, you made the flight bearable, so thank you.” She paused and turned to look behind her. “I should get going. My mom’s probably waiting for me.”  
    “Oh. Yeah. I, I should go too,” he said.  
    She took a step back, but then took two steps toward him. Without warning, catching him off guard yet again, she wrapped her arms around his torso. Grant it, not as tightly as she had done on the plane, but the embrace felt even more intimate than the kiss had. She released him before he had a chance to return the hug.  
    “It was good seeing you Nick,” Olivia said one last time. “Have a fun trip. Tell Mimi I said hi.”  
    And with that, before he could say something remotely similar, she was gone. Nick stood alone now, his thoughts not quite settled on what to do next. He remained that way for a while, staring idly into the distance, hoping that for whatever reason, she might have turned back.  
    He was jarred out of his daze when the conveyor belt stopped moving, and he realized everyone from the flight was gone.  
    Nick wondered. Would it be strange if he tried to find her? Maybe she has a phone number or an email. Something within him propelled him forward. And he tried to follow the