Chapter 1 : Myra's POV
Myra's POV:
I WAS RUNNINGGGG.
You've got to be kidding me. They cannot sell out of Lindt.
It's the only reason I even go to duty free.
Also, I booked this trip last minute like an absolute idiot and my anxiety has been sitting in my throat since I entered the airport.
I hate airports.
Everyone looks calm and composed and I feel like I'm one announcement away from a breakdown.
Which is why I needed the chocolate.
I ran and grabbed the last box of red classic truffles - the last box I could afford. They'd already run out of the other regular size packaging, not the fancy XXL sizes that cost a whole damn kidney.
And then-
A warm hand brushed mine.
Not brushed.
Slid against mine.
Our fingers touched.
And stayed.
An incredibly hot stranger had grabbed the box at the exact same time.
We both froze.
His thumb was lightly pressed against my knuckles.
Neither of us moved.
I looked up.
And forgot how to breathe.
He had that annoyingly effortless look - messy hair, relaxed shoulders, like airports didn't stress him out at all, unlike me, who was internally spiraling.
"Oh-" I started.
"Sorry," he said at the same time.
We both laughed softly.
"Do you mind if I grab this box?" he asked, still holding it, but not pulling. "I promised my nephew I'd get some."
His voice was steady. No rush. No stress.
Meanwhile my heart was sprinting.
I looked at the box.
Looked at him.
He was so relaxed.
How are people relaxed at airports?
"Sure" I said finally, letting go.
His fingers slid away from mine.
Which was honestly worse.
"Let me buy you coffee as a thank you."
I swear my stomach flipped.
I checked the time immediately.
One and a half hours till boarding.
I came four hours early because I don't trust myself.
"Why not," I said casually.
We walked to billing.
I could feel myself being hyper-aware of everything. My tote strap. My boarding pass. My breathing.
He looked effortless.
I grabbed M&Ms. If not Lindt, this would have to emotionally sustain me.
We handed over our boarding passes.
I reached into my bag to pay.
"I've got it," he said.
"Oh no I can-"
"It's fine. Relax"
He said it so casually.
It did bother me that he paid but I let it slide.
"You two make a cute couple," the cashier said suddenly.
"Oh we are no-"
"Yeah no-"
We protested at the same time.
And then-
A man.. grabbed a well packaged bottle of perfume and ran..??
Security chaos. Announcements. Whistles.
It was like the universe was on caffeine today.
"I guess we should go..." he said slowly after a minute, equally weirded out at the situation.
Who steals at an airport? That's so dumb. They will 100% get caught.
But also.
Someone thought we were a couple.
Why did that sit in my chest longer than it should have?
We grabbed our seat at Starbucks because it was close to the duty free.
"Soo... what would you like?" he asked.
"I could go for hot chocolate."
I opened my M&Ms and handed him some without thinking.
It felt natural.
Like we'd done this before.
"Great choice," he smiled. "I'll get hot chocolate too."
Just as he stood up-
An announcement, "Flight 860 to Amsterdam is departing in 10 minutes"
I froze. What??? How is a flight preponed??? Of all strange things to happen , today was the day??
I stood up in a hurry and grabbed my stuff.
"I'm sorry but that's my flight, it was supposed to depart about an hour later but they just announced it"
And I pretty much ran before he could say anything.
