No Worries Ch. 01

Thank you to Brett J for being my editor

This story was written with my brother in mind, however all events are fictional.

God, she hated flying. But this trip was essential to her job. If she landed this account she would get a healthy raise and the corner office. But almost 32 hours on a frickin' plane was ridiculous. Granted she had a 14 hour layover in Honolulu, so technically she would only be in the air for a little nearly seventeen hours {if you included the stops in Atlanta and LA}, but good gravy! She was going to sleep for a week when she got back! She had a three-hour time slot to deliver her presentation to Anderson and Associates in Sydney on Monday morning... local time. Which was... her brain hurt... around dinnertime Sunday back in Baltimore. She would leave her hometown on a Friday morning for a three-hour meeting and not be back for five and half days. God, she hated flying.

Sabrina had taken the window seat, as she always did. She would know exactly when they were about to taxi down the runway. She watched out the window as the plane reversed slowly and then proceeded at a crawl towards the runway. Her breath grew more labored and she knew the time was near. As the plane made its final turn and the engines roared to life she held onto the armrests with a death-like grip.

Matt watched the woman out of the corner of his eye. She was obviously terrified of flying, but wore a business suit of sorts. He could see her light blue silk blouse beneath the gray blazer and her short gray skirt to match was halfway up her thighs. He looked appreciatively at her long legs and then at her tiny feet encased in gray low-heeled pumps. Her auburn hair was loose in curls around her face and her eyes were shut tight. The grip she had on the armrest told him that she was not a seasoned traveler as he was. He felt the roar of the engines as they sped down the runway. He sincerely hoped she would be getting off in Atlanta and he wouldn't have to cringe at the thought of her perfectly manicured hands leaving dent marks in the steel armrests all the way to LA. Matt noticed however, that the higher the plane got, the blood returned to her face and her grip lightened. As the flight attendants began milling around in preparation for serving snacks, she let go completely, reached into her carry-on bag at her feet and retrieved a book. She began to read and she crossed her right knee over her left leg as if nothing was wrong.

He stood up himself and got out his laptop from the overhead bin. It was a short flight to their first stop in Atlanta, but there were things he could be doing.Liar, he told himself.You're on vacation Matt! He was going home for the first time in three years for his sister's 22nd birthday and his grandmother's eightieth. Tutu was advancing in years, but she was still spry in actions and had the mind of a woman a quarter of her age. She and Jennifer could debate anything from politics to religion to evolution. And usually Tutu won, Matt smiled softly to himself. It would be good to see his family again. He had been working too hard in New York these past few years, but it had paid off. He was a junior partner now in the advertising agency located in Manhattan, just blocks from his high-rise apartment. The bustle of the city was extremely different from his upbringing on Kauai. He thrived on the stress and high pace, which was why he had excelled in advertising. He had told his boss that he would stop in at the Baltimore office on Thursday to check things out there. Rumors were flying that Matt would soon be in control of that office at the young age of twenty-six. He wasn't sure if he wanted to leave the hustle and bustle of New York City. After his afternoon appearance at the Baltimore office, he grabbed a hotel room and then this morning flight: the official start of his vacation.

She noticed the young man sitting in the aisle seat only when he got up to get his laptop from the overhead compartment. He was young, twenty-five or so, with short light brown hair. His complexion was darkly tanned as if he spent a lot of time outdoors; or in this case, in the middle of winter, in a tanning bed. Sabrina kept reading her book, paying him no attention until he asked if he could use the center tray table since no one was between them. "Sure!" she said. "No problem." He wasn't dressed in business attire, but his laptop and files definitely gave her that impression. She turned back to her book and read for the rest of the two-hour flight to Atlanta.

As the flight attendants took their seats to prepare for landing, Sabrina tucked her book away in the pocket of the seat in front of her and prepared herself for terror once again. She hated flying. No. That wasn't really true. She didn't mind the in-the-air part. It was the take-offs and landings that scared her to death. She closed her eyes and held on for dear life as the plane touched down and the air brakes screamed.Stop! STOP! STOP!She cried out internally.The runway is ENDING! Gradually the plane slowed to a crawl to taxi its way to the terminal. The layover here would be brief, so she retired to her book once again.

The plan was filling up with passengers and soon voices were permeating her mind, taking her away from her romance novel.

"Oh dear," a woman with a soft southern drawl stated. "It looks like we'll be separated."

"I'll take Maggie and Denny here with me," her husband said. "And you sit behind us in the middle seat there." Her husband was pointing to the middle seat next to Sabrina.

"Pardon me, ma'am," the young man in the aisle seat in her row started. "If you want the aisle to be closer to your family, I'll sit in the middle."

"Oh, you're a doll!" she squealed and Sabrina internally rolled her eyes. "We're on our way to Disneyland and the children are so very excited!"

Indeed they looked it. Maggie, about four, was fighting with her brother Denny, probably six, about who would have the window seat. The father settled the argument by taking the window seat himself. The two young children sat silent and unmoving in their seats, more than likely fuming with anger and disappointment, which was a relief to Sabrina. She would have disliked hearing their fighting and feeling the cabin around her move with their tantrums in their seats.

Matt moved to the middle seat next to the auburn beauty, but she paid him no mind. She was immersed in her book.Jane Feather, he mused. She was a romantic. He took the opportunity to surreptitiously look at her face and could see her eyes were bright blue when they weren't clamped shut. She was a very attractive woman with her auburn curls and slim features. She was perhaps ten years or so older than he was. As the plane doors closed and it began its reverse roll towards the runway, Matt made sure his hands were in his lap. She had returned her book to the pocket in front of her. He feared she might grab onto him during takeoff as she had when they had taken off in Baltimore and when they had landed in Atlanta.

Sabrina watched through the window again and as the plane made its last turn, she leaned back, closed her eyes tightly and gripped the armrests once again. The engines roared in her ears trying to gain speed.Get Up! GET UP!GET UP! The runway is ending! Suddenly she felt a warm, large hand closing gently over her own and knew it was the young man in the middle seat. She didn't dare open her eyes just yet, but his hand over hers was alarmingly reassuring.

As the plane began to level off high in the air, she relaxed and opened her eyes. She turned towards the young man to offer her thanks. He glanced into her eyes and for the first time she saw his face clearly... it was Steven.

She tried to look away, but his eyes bore into her own, searing her soul. "Are you all right, miss?" he asked.

Sabrina couldn't breathe. "Y-you look like someone I used to know. I'm sorry."

"No worries," he flashed a brilliant smile at her. It was the same phrase her brother had used when he would chuck her on her chin and then gather her in a bear hug. Her eyes stung with unshed tears. Her older brother had always made her feel like there wasn't a care in the world... nothing would happen to her that he couldn't fix. Except when he had been killed in action in a useless war. Her heart broke, and Steven wasn't there to fix it. It was eerie how much this young man looked like her brother had the last time she had seen him.

She had seen him off at the airport that day in Denver. She was eighteen and in her freshman year of college. She expressed her concern about his going to Iraq. He chucked her on the chin, gathered her into his arms and hugged her tight as he had said "no worries." He released her and headed down the ramp to board the plane, waving and smiling back at her. They were the last words she'd ever heard from him. He was dead six days later when his helicopter had been shot down.

Her father had died of a broken heart less than a year later and her mother lost touch with reality. Mom had been hospitalized for five years before she too joined her husband and beloved son in death.

He could tell he had startled her and even as she retrieved her book again, she was still shaken. She said he had looked like someone else. He shouldn't take it personally and yet for some reason, Matt did. Whenever Matt tried to diffuse a tense situation at work he always used his humor and wit. Ninety-nine percent of the time it worked in his favor. Would it work now? He leaned over and whispered into her ear, "The butler did it."

Sabrina was startled again at his words and flushed. Then she laughed with him and stared into his pale blue eyes, so like her brother's. Her heart skipped a beat as she confessed, "I think you might be right." Her flirtatious wink was spontaneous and she blushed again.

He extended his hand, as he turned sideways to see her more clearly. "I'm Matt. Business taking you to LA?"

"Sabrina," she answered. As she took his hand, it was warm, soft and yet she felt a thrill at his touch. A sort of connection between them... like the sense of peace she had felt upon takeoff when his had had been placed reassuringly over her own. It was ridiculous, she knew. "Business yes, but I'm afraid I'm going a lot further than LA," she laughed. "I change plans in Los Angeles, hoping my connection is on time, and then head to Honolulu where I am detained for fourteen hours." At that thought she rolled her eyes. "From there I am on to Sydney for a nine am Monday morning business meeting."

Matt's eyes lit up with delight. His beautiful seat mate would be his traveling companion all the way home to Hawaii. That is, if they had they same connecting flight in Los Angeles. "What do you do that you are flying halfway around the world?"

"I-I'd rather not say," she stammered. She wasn't embarrassed by her job, she liked it very much, but her boss had told her specifically that this trip was on the QT. If they could land this account, her company would be one of the top ones in the country.

"Ah," he smiled and her heart flipped again. Steven's smile. No, no, she must not think like that. Steven had been gone for nearly eighteen years. "Government. Don't tell me." He put up his hand. "The US is now considering imports of kiwi fruit in mass quantities."

Sabrina giggled. "Kiwi's are from New Zealand, not Australia."

"Oh right," he ran his left hand through his fine brown hair and she noticed there was no wedding ring. "I was never good with geology." He wiggled his eyebrows at her to let her know he had intentionally come up with the wrong word.

Sabrina smiled again, wider this time, her straight white teeth flashing. "I like you Mr. Matt. You make me laugh. This will be an enjoyable flight I'm sure. I don't like flying," she admitted softly.

"You seem to be doing fine right now."

"Oh yes... the actual flight I have no problems with. It's taking off and landing."

"I had noticed the earlier death grips," he laughed and then without a conscious thought he touched her hand in a casual manner. "I'll be here for you Sabrina. No worries."

As she stared into his eyes, she heard her brother's voice again. Tears started to fill her eyes and she looked away from him.

He pulled his hand away and said softly, "I'm sorry. I don't mean to intrude on your space."

"It's ok... honest," she said, but still couldn't bear to look at him. "You just remind me of someone."

"You said that before. May I ask whom? And I am hoping that it is a good memory."

"Bittersweet," she answered. "My older brother. He used to tell me 'no worries' all the time."

The way she had said it, Matt knew without a doubt that her brother was no longer around to tell her not to worry. "I'm sorry," he said. "How long?"

"Almost eighteen years now." She wiped at her few tears with her fingertips. "You just look so much like him. I haven't cried over him in years."

"Desert Storm?" he asked. Her face showed shock, but she nodded and he continued. "My father was killed there. I was only seven."

Sabrina now reached over and her right hand grasped his left. They had a common bond: death of their loved ones in the same war. They sat in silence for a short time, still holding hands, each lost in their own thoughts.

Soon, her book was forgotten and she turned to the young man beside her. She started to look at him more closely and realized that even though he wore a striking resemblance to Steven, there were certain features that were very different. His skin was much more tanned and Matt had a cleft in his chin. His nose was a bit thinner than Steven's had been. Seeing the differences helped her to get over the emotional hurt she had first felt when she'd gazed upon his face. His eyes, though the same pale blue, were closer together.

"So, where are you headed, Matt?" she asked. She noticed their hands were still clasped, but she felt a comfort from him and so did not try to break the bond.

"I'm heading to Kauai. My family lives there. My little sister and my grandmother share the same birthday so I am heading home to visit them."

"What's your connection in Los Angeles?" When he told her the flight number, she was ecstatic. "That means we will be flying together most of the way," she grinned. "If you don't mind my company."

His left hand squeezed hers lightly and he replied, "Nothing in this world would delight me more, Sabrina."

The rest of the flight into Los Angeles passed with chatting about favorite movies and music. They debated in length about "Independence Day" as being a modern day classic. She was adamant and he kept shaking his head in disagreement. "It's not real! It can't happen!"

She laughed loudly as her blue eyes sparkled. "Do you think Matt that in this vast universe of which we are only a tiny molecule of existence, that we could be the ONLY intelligent life out there?"

His eyes grew solemn and he looked deeply into her eyes. "Right now," his voice was barely a whisper. "There is no one in my existence but you." Sabrina rarely blushed but she did so feverishly now.

What the hell? Matt had never ever been called romantic, not by any of his ex-girlfriends. So what kind of nonsense had just sprouted from his lips? In truth though, he had said the words honestly. The six hour long ride across the country had seemed like only a few minutes in her company. He definitely felt a connection and hoped that she felt it too.

"Ladies and gentlemen," a disembodied voice stirred him from his thoughts. "Please prepare for our landing in Los Angeles. Thank you for flying with us and have a pleasant stay in LA or wherever your final journey takes you."

What was he doing? What was he feeling? This stranger... this beautiful, captivating, bewitching stranger... was boggling his mind in a fascinating way and he longed to know more about her. He wanted to know everything about this woman that made him smile and laugh one minute, ready to weep with passion the next. He saw her face move forward, filled with tension. Her right hand was now gripping his like a vice as the plane began its descent. Her breathing was shallow. Matt squeezed her fingers tightly back, but not too tight and leaned closer. "It's ok, love. I'm here."

His term of endearment sent Sabrina's heart racing even more. She closed her eyes and felt his thumb rubbing the back of her hand. His soft whispers of comfort were breathlessly tickling her neck. She wasn't as frightened anymore as she was getting aroused. There was definite sexual tension between them. This young man, he couldn't be anymore than 25, was heightening her senses with every smooth stroke and every caressing word. "Have you ever been to Kauai, Sabrina? The warm air, the soft breeze, the swaying palm trees? I will show it to you. Imagine us on the beach... me holding you, caressing you, touching your soft skin. We have no cares in the world. It's only you and me. No one else exists. I will show you my home, my tropical paradise. You can hear the surf as I wrap you in a warm embrace. Nothing will harm you. I am here for you. I will be here for you always. Caress you, hold you."

"Matt?" she whispered, her voice ragged.

"Yes, Sabrina?"

"Please stop. You aren't relaxing me." His smile disappeared. "You are turning me on instead." His grin returned.

The plane touched down and her grip tightened around his hand. The air brakes screamed outside, slowing them dramatically. Soon they were coasting into LA's terminal and her breathing returned to normal as she loosened her grip on his hand, but he wouldn't allow her to let go completely. Fate on an airplane had brought this woman into his life and he wasn't about to let her go anytime soon. They sat in silence, fingers laced together, while the other passengers disembarked.

They stood up and for the first time in several hours, their bodies were not connected in some way. She got her bag from beneath the seat in front of her and he retried his from the above compartment. He guided her to be in front of him, following the happy family from Georgia. Sabrina had instantly felt the loss of his touch and as soon as she was in the aisle ahead of him, she reached back. Matt's hand instantly latched on to hers and the sense of 'right' returned.

They walked off the plane and found that their flight was on time, leaving in a little over an hour, so Matt suggested grabbing a late lunch. "My treat!" he said.

Sabrina laughed and agreed. Her stomach was rumbling, as she knew his must be also. It was after five in the evening back home in Baltimore. "Lunch, hell," she laughed again as it was so easy to be with him. "Dinner!"

Matt agreed. His continental breakfast this morning at the hotel had worn off long ago, but he hadn't noticed the hunger pains until now. His thoughts in the last six hours had been completely about Sabrina. They walked into Ruby Tuesdays with their hands still clasped. "Two, please," he told the hostess.

"When is your flight?" the hostess asked.

Matt quickly did the math in his head to convert to local time. "3:45."

"I will seat you in the preferred section then," she smiled. Sabrina and Matt followed her to a table beside a window where they could look at the palm trees in the distance across the tarmac. It was bright and sunny and looked incredibly warm for a February afternoon.

They placed their order and Sabrina smiled, as she looked outside and the sunny landscape. "It's probably thirty-two degrees back home."

"Oh yes," Matt laughed and agreed. "With at least six inches of snow on the ground!"

Sabrina looked into his pale blue eyes, which were no longer haunting, but now comforting. "Where do you live?! Western Maryland?" The grass was brown around her apartment complex outside of Baltimore, but they had no snow on the ground.