Between Hearts: A Romance Anthology

by Alexander, Erica

  Maybe I do know what I'm doing here in the park tonight. I'm out here saying goodbye to old ghosts and thinking about finally putting Zack first. He deserves to be with someone that can do that for him and I want it to be me. Briggs may have been my first crush and two years ago tonight my first kiss. And he was most certainly the first boy that ever shattered my heart into a million tiny pieces. But that's in the past. Zack has earned the right to have my whole heart. He was my first date, my first boyfriend and I want so badly for him to be my first love. I want to be able to feel that, to embrace that. I want so desperately to give him all the pieces of my heart and see if he can put them back together for me. I've held back all this time, but I want to move forward. I need to feel. I need to finally bury the past because Zack looks an awful lot like my future.

  Briggs

  The crowd is getting restless, the sound filtering back here to the dressing room. Any minute now, the lights in the bar will dim and the noise will ratchet up to a deafening roar in anticipation of the band hitting the stage. Each show we play, the crowd seems a little bigger than the last. Word of mouth about our music is spreading. And we’re getting booked into clubs that wouldn’t have looked twice at us six months ago. Declan is across the room, revising the set list for the third time. Nate and Derbin are huddled in the corner slamming a beer and a shot each, some kind of pre-show ritual they decided on a few months back. Me, I can feel the nerves squeezing my chest, the fear always stronger back here than it actually is on stage. It's worse than usual tonight because it's my birthday and I'm sure Declan will have the whole crowd sing to me before we're through. So I do the one thing that always calms my mind and slows down my racing heart: I pull out my phone and open the picture. Even after all this time, it still gives me a sense of peace. This is my pre-show ritual.

  One more year. One more fucking year.

  I don't know if she'll ever forgive me. Honestly, I can't see how she could. I promised her I wouldn't abandon her. I swore I wouldn't lose touch again. And then I disappeared on her, just like I did the first time. No goodbye. No explanation. Poof. Just gone. Broke my own fucking heart.

  Every single day I question that decision. What if she needs me? What if something happens to her? Every day I think about making a different choice. But then I remind myself that I did it for her. I did my best for her. I chose her. I chose to put what was best for her ahead of what I fucking wanted. And I hope like hell, when I can finally go find her, she understands. I hope. Because it's all I've got.

  I hear it then, the sound I've been waiting for, dragging me from my memories. The swell of crowd noise signaling the start of our set, and with a nod from Declan, I swipe the picture closed and follow the guys to the stage.

  To Be Continued…

  About the Author

  KA is a voracious reader, an avid music fan, a frequent concert-goer, a silly mom, a zealous blogger & a virgin author.

  She wrote her first story in 5th grade, then took a 30 year hiatus from writing. After becoming single for the first time since High School, she realized that over the years she had somehow given up all the things that made her… her. So she decided to figure herself out.

  First, she went to her first concert in fifteen years and loved it (yes she is now the old lady in the mosh pit). Then one of her favorite bands (The Avett Bros) tweeted that they were featured in a book and everyone should buy it. (Slammed by Colleen Hoover). So KA read it and her love for reading was rekindled. Consequently, her blog was born.

  Through talks with friends and writers she soon discovered that having characters running around in her head with complete personalities, detailed histories, intricate futures and interesting conversations was, in fact, not the norm. That “normal” people don’t drive around making themselves cry and laugh while they watched entire scenes play out in their head. So with a little encouragement, a few missteps and a crap load of support, she is publishing her first short story.

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  AuthorKAStalter@gmail.com

  Flight of Destiny

  Catherine Mae Brown

  Edited by

  Jess Molly Brown

  Chapter One

  Cassandra Devane closed her eyes and let her head hit the back of her seat in Business Class. She was always ambivalent about flying but today she just wanted to be anywhere else in the world. If she could twitch her nose a la Samantha from Bewitched, she’d be sitting in Central Park feeding the squirrels while sipping a hot chocolate and unsuccessfully talking herself out of a chocolate croissant before heading to work for a few hours. Her close-knit group of friends teased her endlessly about always having a sandwich bag of nuts in her purse, but she couldn’t pass a squirrel or chipmunk and let them go hungry. She pulled her hair out of its ponytail allowing her long chestnut hair to flow down her back. Her Kindle beckoned, but she didn’t think she was quite relaxed enough to lose herself in the latest New York Times Best Seller.

  She rummaged through her purse to find a piece of grape bubblegum and began to chew it as she mentally checked her tote: Kindle and recharger, smartphone and recharger, tablet and recharger, notebook with a few pens and pencils, candy bought at an exorbitant price inside the airport, work file that she was not going to look at on the flight, the perfume ad to remind her what her assistant wanted from duty-free, sun and eyeglasses, comb and stash of personal medications, her large cashmere scarf that doubled as a blanket and finally, the inexpensive fold-in-half flats that had saved her on multiple occasions. All the essentials were there. Her smile widened as she imagined the scowl that would be on her mother’s face if she was traveling with her. She would say, “A rational person would check the essentials before she actually left her house, not when it was too late.”

  Satisfied, to find nothing missing nor her mother around to criticize, Cassandra put her ponytail holder on her wrist, smoothed her hands down her jeans and tapped her fingers to an imaginary beat. She tossed her head back against the headrest and closed her eyes. A man cleared his throat. Cassandra opened just her left eye, but all she could see was black denim. She opened her other eye. There was a giant standing beside her. A stunningly handsome giant with deep blue eyes and a gentle smile.

  “Hi, I’m in the window seat. I’m praying you’d switch places with me. I need every inch of leg room I can get, and the aisle frees my left leg,” he said, joining his hands together as if in prayer.

  “I request the aisle seat because I’m always out of my seat. If it’s not the bathroom I need, I’m stretching my legs. People hate to move for me,” Cassandra replied, still appreciating his British accent and stunning good looks.

  “If I promise I’ll get up for you, even if you move every five minutes would you consider switching?”

  “Pinky swear?” Cassandra extended her right pinky.

  “Pinky swear,” He responded thoughtfully and hooked his pinky with hers.

  The size of his hands did not go unnoticed. “How tall are you?” She moved over to give him her seat.

  Ben settled down into the aisle seat,“A smidge over six-five. How short are you?”

  Cassie was a little surprised by his question but figured it was only fair to answer him. “A tiny smidge under five-four. I fall into the good things come in small packages category.”

  “I’m sure you do, you are certainly pretty and seem to have an agreeable personality.”

  “Why thank you. And you certainly are tall and a smooth operator. Tell me do you always get what you want?”

  “Most of the time. What’s your name, seat partner?”

  “Cassandra.”

  “Good to meet you, Cassandra.”

  “Actually, I prefer Cassie. What’s your name, shorty?”

  “Ha, Ben.”

  “Ben as in Benji, Benjamin or…”

  “Benedict I prefer Ben.”

  “Benedict is a stately name, I like it.�
��

  “Cassie, this is going to be a very long trip if you insist on calling me, Benedict.”

  “Fine, I’ll call you Ben but for the record, I find Benedict Cumberbatch both talented and pleasing to the eye.”

  Ben rolled his eyes, “I look nothing like him. What do women see in him anyway?”

  “You are joking, right? You sort of remind me of Tom Hiddleston.”

  “I may have tried to convince a few pretty girls that I am him, but sadly they don’t seem to believe me.”

  Cassie chuckled and playfully slapped him on the knee “Good lord, your legs are long! I guess you can’t sit criss-cross applesauce.”

  “I can, but it is very uncomfortable.”

  “You are all leg.”

  “You look taller sitting down but beside me, you look tiny. Can I buy you a drink?”

  “Cute. You want to buy me a free drink on this flight?”

  “If we were sitting in the airport I’d ask you to the bar. There is this energy between us, and I’d like to explore it. I think you’d make a fine friend Cassie.”

  “Hmm, is London your final destination?”

  “Yes, I was just here on business for a week. What about you?”

  “Going to meetings in London. How about we get to know each other better and if I don’t want to parachute off the plane in two hours you can buy me a drink in London? I’m staying at the Savoy, and I’m partial to the American Bar.”

  “Cassie, may I be so bold as to suggest that if you are still sitting beside me in seven hours, you have dinner and drinks with me on Wednesday?”

  “Wow, you don’t waste time! Your two hours started ten minutes ago. l have a meeting until five on Wednesday.”

  Ben picked up her right hand and gave it a chaste kiss. “It’s good to know that you have some confidence in our potential to be friends. I can pick you up at say six in the lobby.”

  Cassie laughed,“You may just have yourself a date, Ben.”

  “I promise on my parent’s lives that I’m not a serial killer.”

  “I hope not,” Cassie said hoping the most interesting man she had met in ages didn’t turn out to be a dud.

  Before she knew it, they were in the air, and Cassie was doing a small scale perfect mimic of the flight attendant’s safety announcement which was making Ben laugh. She elbowed him telling him to be quiet before he got them in trouble or she’d be forced to stop his private in-flight entertainment. The attendant gave him a dirty look so he turned his laughter into a big grin. Cassie fake adjusted her air mask at chest level so she wasn’t visible and leaned over to whisper to Ben, “Do you have your imaginary mask on?”

  “Yes, I’ve just secured it, and I’m breathing normally.”

  “So tell me five things about you, Ben.”

  “Hmm… I’m a Structural Engineer and Architect. I’m thirty-five and an only child. I grew up in London, and I am single. Sassy brunettes get me hot and bothered. I smell your grape bubblegum and want a piece.”

  Cassie laughed, pulled her tote out and handed him a piece. “Sarcasm is my default setting. I enjoy Drunken Gummy Bears. I’m thirty-three and have an older brother who is a pain in my ass. I always carry peanuts in the shell to feed hungry squirrels and chipmunks. I use to strip down to my underwear in college for high-quality chocolate.”

  Ben’s blue eyes smoldered and turned gray with lust as he turned around to face her fully. “Tell me what are Drunken Gummy Bears and do you prefer dark or milk chocolate?”

  Cassie grinned before replying,“Dark chocolate and you soak gummy bears in vodka for two days then add them to your vodka or just eat them on their own. So you are older than me, you have a decent job, and I turn you on.”

  “I was going to bring you flowers on Wednesday, but now I’m going to bring you the best dark chocolates in London.”

  Cassie figured that if the attraction between them continued she’d actually know more about him than the last guy she brought home from a bar.“We can drink my bears and if the chocolate is that good you’ll see just how flexible I am. I have to admit drunken bears, dark chocolate, and Ben would be the best Wednesday I’ve had in ten years.”

  “Cassie in lingerie would be the best…day…ever!”

  Cassie closed her eyes and opened them slowly hoping she wasn’t stuck in some fantastic dream over the Atlantic. Piercing blue eyes and a wicked grin on a chiseled face told her that she wasn’t dreaming. She was in fact, setting up the possibility of a one night stand on Wednesday evening. Her mother would have heart failure if she knew what her daughter’s feisty side was up to. Bianca, Cassie’s best friend, would never believe her boldness.

  Licking her lips, she did an inventory of what was in her luggage. Cassie had the perfect dress, but better lingerie was required. The problem was that there was no time during the day to visit Agent Provocateur. Perhaps the concierge at the Savoy could help her out. Cassie realized that she was zoning out on Ben when she should be flirting with him.

  “Ben,” she began just as he said, “Cassie.” He gestured at her, “You go first.”

  “I’m enjoying flirting with you and want to learn more about you, but I need to check in at work. Could you give me about half an hour?”

  “Sure, actually do you know what time you need to be at work tomorrow? I was thinking we could have a late night snack or breakfast together.”

  “That sounds lovely. Let me find out and I’ll get back to you when I’m done.”

  Cassie took her tablet out of her tote, plugged it into the in-flight power and took advantage of the WiFi. While she was waiting to be connected, she pulled up her schedule. The plane was due to land around nine, and her first meeting was at ten-thirty Monday morning. She’d be exhausted tonight, so breakfast seemed the better choice. Cassie checked, and Ben was engrossed in a book. She pulled up the Agent Provocateur website and browsed until she had to do a double-take. She found the perfect set that deserved to be under her dress. She carefully copied the information and pasted it into an e-mail to the concierge. Cassie thought breakfast was a good idea. The more she got to know Ben, the less nervous she’d be about setting up a one night stand.

  “I have time for breakfast tomorrow, Ben. Melba opens at six –thirty. How about I meet you there at seven? I usually get scones with clotted cream and a tea or coffee. I’d have to leave at nine thirty to make it to the office on time. I think I get a full English breakfast free, but it’s always too much for me to eat. We can split that if you want more or try it on Tuesday.”

  “How about we do Melba tomorrow and Kaspar’s on Tuesday?”

  “Sure. So you are familiar with the Savoy.”

  “Yes, I’m a fan of the pastries at Melba, and I entertain clients there sometimes.”

  “Tell me, Ben do you want to do a written twenty questions? We can pick ten each.”

  Cassie tore out a page from her notebook and handed him a pen. Fifteen minutes later, Ben returned the page with his ten questions and his responses. She smiled and added her answers.

  Favourite colour: Blue Purple

  Favourite drink: Beer Vodka

  Favourite animal: Elephant Squirrels and Chipmunks

  Favourite author: Jeffery Archer J.K. Rowling

  Salty or Spicy: Spicy Salty

  Favourite season: Fall Fall

  Favourite preserve: Orange Marmalade any Marmalade

  Favourite crisps: Salt and Vinegar BBQ

  Sleep in or early riser: Early Sleep

  Walk or Run: Walk Walk

  Cassie then gave him her notebook to read and answer. She liked that he smiled after reading every one of her questions and stopped a few times to genuinely think about it.

  Favorite ice cream: Chocolate Rum Raisin

  Favorite fruit: Blueberry Strawberry

  Drugs: only when needed (over the counter) same

  Favorite sound: Waves Wind chimes

  Modern or Impressionist art: Impressionist both

  Favorite Childhood Mem
ory: Taking the train up to NYC and having my first afternoon tea at The Plaza then my mom bought me the Eloise books. Going to the London Zoo the first day of summer vacation and the last day of summer vacation until I went to University.

  Favorite food (I’ll permit 2 answers): Pizza and Seafood Permit, how non-draconian of you: Steak and my mum’s tomato soup and cheese toastie

  Favorite musical group: U2 U2

  Favorite time of day: Twilight Dusk

  Shall we get the future awkward moment over and kiss: Yes Hell Yes

  Ben gave her a minute to read his responses and knew by the smirk on her face that she’d read his final answer. He took Cassie’s notebook from her, closed it and placed it in the seat front then picked up her left hand and kissed it. Cassie looked up at him in confusion, and that was when he gently cupped her face, slowly leaned in and left a long soft kiss on her lips. “Such exquisite lips, I wouldn’t grow tired of kissing them.”

  “Ben?”

  “Yes,” Ben replied breathlessly.

  “You need to move, I need the bathroom.”

  Ben chuckled, undid his seatbelt and quickly stood up. Cassie squeezed by him and went to the bathroom. She decided to put her hair back in a ponytail and then made her way back to the seat. “I’m going to stretch my legs. Care to join me?” She smiled when Ben agreed, and they went to the very back of the plane to the galley.