Heal

Chapter 2: Kind Stranger, Who Are You?

Chapter 2: Kind Stranger, Who Are You?Milo stood in the queue as he waited patiently for his turn to get personal details on the ticket changed. He scanned the small piece of paper with flight information for passenger Jasper Kranc. He still couldn’t comprehend what happened, but the need to get away from England was replaced by the need to find the mysterious man and express his gratitude. This excitement and energy was bubbling underneath his skin making it impossible to stay still. He bounced on his heels, clicked his tongue, and annoyed the office workers enough to open the second line and invite him to the front. Formalities were finished in less than thirty minutes, which gave him time to get some food and water.

When his last paper bag ended in the trash can and his stomach felt perfectly full, the realness of the situation settled heavily on his shoulders. He could feel the plastic chair digging into his back, the bright lamp flickering, and the air full of scents, which was already a bad sign for someone as anxious as him. What made him feel worse were wandering eyes that stopped on him for too long for comfort, evaluating whether he was too young to travel alone.

Before anyone could ask, he got up to grab extra snacks that would hopefully appease any stranger. He still had some time before boarding the plane and getting very desired answers.

* * * *

Liam made himself comfortable on the plane. He put the luggage safely in the storage place, took off his jacket, and settled in the seat with a book in one hand and the water bottle in the other.

He was fully prepared to not have a mental breakdown on the plane, thank you very much. As the neurotic person he was, he prepared a bunch of options to occupy his mind during the flight, while trying to avoid all possible triggers. He knew that listening to music wouldn’t lift his mood like it usually did, but would rather lead to the secret playlist of his that forced tears out of his eyes even on his best days. He couldn’t look at the darkening sky and not fantasize about lying in his bed and hugging his dog, Merry, as if nothing happened.

He knew he couldn’t look at the beautiful sunset and not think of what he left behind.

A loud thud coming from the middle part of the plane grabbed his attention. The young man he’d gifted his ticket to looked at him with an embarrassed expression as he stood up rapidly and gathered all the snacks after his spectacular fall. He was clearly embarrassed as Liam snorted loudly in the relatively quiet plane. Liam didn’t know he still could feel enough joy to do that.

As the young man finally approached Liam, his face was tight with focus. Liam tried to make himself one with the wall as the other plumped on the seat with all his might and let the snacks fall on both of their laps.

“It’s a prepayment,” the young man said with a small cheeky smile that contrasted his timid demeanor. His front teeth had a small gap that Liam found charming, in a boyish way.

Liam blindly grabbed one of the packages and looked directly at his companion with one eyebrow raised. “If you’re so adamant on paying then the ticket was a little more expensive than those snacks.” He took one crisp and watched with satisfaction as the young man blushed.

“I know. That’s why I said prepayment,” dark-haired man replied.

Liam watched him take his earphones out of the backpack and untangle them with steady hands. They settled into a relative silence of munching, wriggling and shifting. Liam realized he was being watched. He said nothing about it, but proceeded to do everything in a slower and exaggerated manner anyway, assuming the young man had never traveled by plane before and subconsciously sought guidance. In no time they were in the air and Liam’s ears hurt from the shift.

“Here, it’ll help.” Liam offered the young man a pack of chewing gum as he assumed the other was in the same situation.

“Milo.” The brown-haired male cleared his throat awkwardly. “My name’s Milo.”

Liam noticed how a slight blush overtook his round cheeks. He felt a desire to embarrass the awkward young man even more.

“Smooth, really smooth,” Liam snickered softly. “I’m Liam. It’s nice to meet you. So, tell me, Milo, how old are you?”

“I turned eighteen a few months ago.” Milo replied, although he looked like he didn’t want to answer the question.

Liam understood, as the other probably didn’t want to share such an intimate detail with a stranger. He redirected the conversation to something that really caught his attention.

“You don’t look eighteen though. How’re you so tall?” Liam asked in a joyful manner and he felt both of them relax at the unobtrusive question. He didn’t approach difficult questions or pry into matters that Milo looked uneasy about, guiding the conversation easily. He wasn’t being kind, but he simply didn’t want to be asked questions or think about anything beyond this plane himself. His brain, maybe as a protective mechanism, classified everything he left behind as an extraordinary topic that wasn’t to be discussed.

They had an easy conversation, full of laughter and snarky comments which were sometimes lulled into a comfortable silence. Liam didn’t mention Milo’s young age or his apparent desperation to get away. Similarly, Milo didn’t mention his companion’s bloodshot eyes or Jasper Kranc’s extra ticket, no matter how much he may have wanted to know if those two were connected.

“Your musical taste is pretty good, Moo.” Liam seemed proud of the new nickname for his younger companion, ignoring the way Milo glared at him. “Do you dance?”

“I always liked the idea of dancing, but my parents wanted me to play football and maybe get a scholarship, so as a matter of a compromise, I played football for the whole high school,” Milo said.

“Did you get any sports scholarships for all this effort?” Liam asked and the atmosphere shifted rapidly. He realized Milo was quite bad at hiding how he felt and his face reflected all the internal turmoil the younger one seemed to experience.

“Yeah, I did.” Milo changed the subject. “Do you dance?”

Liam saw the lifeline, which could lead him out of this awkward situation, and grabbed it with the power of the thousands of suns.

“Yes, dancing’s my hobby and, since graduation, also a part of my job.” He smiled proudly and Milo’s eyes widened comically.

“You dance professionally?”

“No, I’m a fitness instructor in a studio in London”.

“Really? What type of classes do you teach?” Milo leaned closer towards him.

Liam wondered why he seemed so interested, since he didn’t consider his job that unusual, despite loving it with his whole being.

“I teach a little bit of everything. Zumba, hip-hop, Pilates, or yoga. It’s a pretty flexible position. Sometimes I even take over my friend’s gymnastics classes.”

“What’d you recommend for a guy who’s sometimes too lazy to reach for the remote?” Milo asked and looked offended as Liam snorted obnoxiously.

“Well, I have an amazing class with kids of ages six to eight, so I’m sure you’d fit right in,” Liam said, feeling a sharp pain in his chest at the memory of his favorite group of students. They never failed to make him laugh, even when little Jake got a stomach flu and passed it on to his team members. All his students would probably be assigned a new teacher soon.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Milo stated, bringing Liam back to reality. The reality without London, his studio, or Jasper.

“Don’t you dance at the parties?” Liam asked, curious as to why this pleasant-looking football player was so socially inept.

“I don’t really go to those…” Milo opened his mouth to say something more, but the flight attendant’s nasal voice effectively prevented him from confessing anything else.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we’re nearing the airport and will be landing in approximately thirty minutes. Please, take your seats and prepare for the landing.”

Both men put their jackets on, cleaned up the area around them, and settled back to enjoy the rest of the journey. A question started nagging on Liam’s mind until he could no longer ignore it.

“Moo, where are you going to stay for the night?” Liam noticed Milo fidgeting which only ensured him that the young man had no accommodation in mind. He wanted to scold him for being reckless like that, relying on the kindness of strangers. The other part of him couldn’t help but see Milo as the stray that needed care, love and attention, maybe a peck or a hug from time to time. He opted for a mix of both. “Moo, you can’t just be alone in the unfamiliar city, especially at night,” he started slowly, as if speaking to a spooked animal.

“I’m going to find a place to stay,” Milo mumbled, gazing at his own intertwined hands. “I have money.”

For some irrational reason, Liam felt responsible for the other man. Milo had probably meant to make arrangements for his accommodation on the plane, but Liam distracted him and made him forget about it. With guilty conscience and without being asked, Liam craved to help him.

“It’s the middle of the night and it’s really dangerous,” Liam argued back, trying to catch eye contact, but the younger man aggressively deflected his attempts.

“I fail to see how it’s any of your business,” Milo replied.

Liam tried to ignore the obviously bratty tone that was used purely to push him away. He gathered all the patience he had from his yoga classes and breathed deeply.

“You’re right. It’s none of my business, but I can’t let you go on your own like that. I booked a room in the hotel. Let’s go together and see if they have a free room for you. If not, you can stay at mine for the night.”

For a split of a second Milo looked like he wanted to cry.

“Thank you, but I can’t possibly…” Milo replied with a weak voice. Judging by the look on his face, he was distressed, probably torn between following a stranger to his hotel room or arriving in a city he didn’t know without a place to stay for the night.

Liam instinctively wanted to soothe the younger man’s sorrows, the way he always did when someone near him was in need of emotional support.

“I’m not doing it for free. I’ll write everything down and you’ll pay me back when you can. Until then, you’ll carry my bag and do small things for me. How about that?” Liam suggested.

“Okay,” Milo replied.

Liam wondered if the younger man even considered the possibility that he might be in danger. After all, Liam could be a murderer. Just because he was taking care of Milo without expecting anything in return didn’t mean he was a good person. Liam wasn’t sure if pity, sympathy, or something else pushed him to offer a hand to this young man, but he felt it was the right choice.

* * * *

In a small flat in London, Liam’s friends gathered. William, a tall and skinny writer, looked out the window knowing there was a plane up there heading to Thailand. The sky was dark as the late afternoon turned into an evening. William felt tension, thick and heavy in his guts, that hadn’t left ever since Liam made his decision to board the plane.

When did our lives become like that?

William wanted to ask Liam, his amiable best friend, but he wasn’t there. It was a good question. According to the plan, today Jasper and Liam should’ve been happily married. Instead, Liam would be on the other side of the world in a few hours, while Jasper was nowhere to be found. William’s duty as best friend was to find Jasper and make him realize the consequences of leaving the love of his life at the altar.

William man gasped as someone grabbed his shoulder and brought him out of his clouded mind. Jessie, bossy and pretty, smiled at him in a gentle way that didn’t entirely reach her brown eyes. William wanted to take strength from her, rely on the stable hold, but being the rational pessimist he was, he knew that this was only the beginning of their troubles.

Simon—bearded and sturdy—stepped into the room and looked at them with blood-shot eyes. William quickly jumped away from Jessie in surprise, embarrassed at the fact he was the only one who needed to be comforted.

“Let me know when you stop staring at each other, ‘cause I have some news.” Simon quirked an eyebrow at them.

Before William could protest and explain that he wasn’t crying or anything, Jessie asked, “What news?”

“I think I found Jasper.” Simon’s voice intensified the tension in the room and William stepped over to his side. He stared at the phone screen with wide eyes, unsure if he recognized the location. He could hear Jessie making a quick call, confirming that Jasper had checked into this hotel. In less than an hour, they were in the car, ready to face the situation as soon as possible.

Simon drove, stroking his beard absent-mindedly. William looked out the window and imagined scenarios in which they all happily played in the park and walked their dogs together like the perfect group of friends they were. He felt Jessie leaning on his shoulder, clearly exhausted, and he wondered if he could’ve done anything to prevent this disaster of a wedding.