Lost in Flight Read Online Free

with a still single and miraculously ugly Riley, but that hadn’t happened.  None of it had happened – not the new hot husband, or children, or ugly Riley and there was nothing civilized about last night.
    Christina decided that whatever happened from here on in, she would never, ever drink that much again.  This was it.  Line in the sand, bottom of the barrel, the only way is up and all other such meaningless self-help terms. 
    It did make her wonder how many times anyone who had ever drunk too much and acted like an idiot in the history of the world had promised the same thing?  She was pretty sure it was way too many times to count and they had probably nearly always gone back for a repeat.  Her next course of action fell on some critical questions.  Did she: 
a)                  Confront - apologize? 
b)                 Avoid - pretend it never happened, leave the country; or
c)                  Join a convent?  Like the Carmelites where they don’t speak?
     
    The more she thought about it, the more Christina came to the conclusion a) was the best option and the mature thing to do, except she didn’t want to. Apologizing to Riley was something she never enjoyed.  They’d been at war for the better part of a decade and humble pie was hard to swallow at the best of times, especially when followed by a cup of cold vomit.  If she had a choice, she’d crawl over cut glass naked, which is pretty much how she felt anyway.
    Over the course of the next few hours, Christina talked herself internally into some kind of frenzy.  She was hedging toward b) or c), but without joining a convent.  The avoidance/confrontation dilemma went through her head until she gave herself a headache and decided it was time to let it go. 
    Christina decided to put on some music to try and block out the noise in her head.  Going through her family’s music collection, she rediscovered her high school favorite, Hole’s “Celebrity Skin.”  She’d once sung in a high school band with Riley and her brother.  They’d actually done quite well for a garage band.
    She’d been recruited to sing the popular angry girl music of the time and shared lead vocals with her brother.  They had lived and loved the grunge scene.  Riley had played guitar and he was pretty good - although not as good as Johnny, but Johnny was gifted.
    Listening to the music was like a trip down memory lane for Christina.  She didn’t sing in public now because it belonged to her past, but when she put on Hole’s “Celebrity Skin - Make me over” she found herself singing along without missing a beat.  Right now, she needed angry girl music because she was an angry girl.  She was also a shame-filled, dirty, slutty, and contrite girl. 
    Hole played at that volume was the reason she didn’t hear the knock at the door until it become a loud, repetitive banging.  Turning the volume down, Christina made her way to the front door.  She opened it to find Riley standing there dressed in faded jeans, a white t-shirt with a black shirt over the top only partially buttoned up. 
    He looked like he’d just got out of the shower and he was wearing some aftershave that really smelled good.  Christina willed herself not to go bright red or show her shock, but failed dismally on both counts.  Riley looked at her with a warm smile. 
    “Hey, I found some of your stuff.” 
    In his hand he had her handbag, which he gave to her immediately and then asked if he could come in.  Against her better judgment, she opened the door and let him through.  Riley took his shoes off, which she told him was unnecessary because as far as she was concerned he was not staying, but he did so anyway. 
    Riley’s appearance and easy manner annoyed her.  He didn’t appear uncomfortable in any way, as if it was somehow normal for them to be standing here talking to each other after all these years.  Like they hadn’t done