Lost in Flight Read Online Free Page B

which made her smile.  He was wearing her robe and some black socks, which made her grin.  
    Riley looked at her and raised an eyebrow.  “Pretty, I know.”  Coming to stand beside her, he asked.  “What are you doing?” 
    “I’m hungry.  Do you want something?”  Christina made eye contact with Riley and he made a face at her, grabbing the eggs and grinning. 
    “Omelets?” he asked.
    She nodded, surprised.  “Since when do you cook?” 
    He grinned.  “Since ages ago.   Go sit down.  I got this.” 
    Christina watched Riley cook and frowned.  He’d never cooked when they were together.  Well, he had.  She should be more explicit:  he’d never cooked very well when they were together.  The term “goop” came to mind.
    By nature, Riley was quite a taciturn man, but Christina gave him props for making small talk and keeping away from inflammatory areas.  They talked about her sister, Gabby, and how she was progressing in the hospital, for probably longer than was necessary, but it was safe.  They stayed silent for a bit, looking everywhere else but at each other, and when they broke the silence they ended up speaking over the top of one another.  Both proceeded to have an ongoing “you first” discussion until the food was ready and they ate in silence. 
    Christina’s mind had drifted off into calculating how many hours she’d been in bed today as opposed to out and whether that was scandalous or not.  It took a moment for her to realize that Riley was speaking to her, and she had to ask him to repeat himself.  He grinned.  “I said you look different.” 
    She shrugged.  “Well time waits for no-one, Riley.”  
    His eyebrows drew together.  “That’s not what I meant.  I always imagine you with black hair and it’s weird seeing you without it.” 
    Oh yes, the black hair phase.  She’d spent most of her teenage years and their time together with dyed hair.  She’d let her hair return to its natural color when she went to college.  A lot of kids went the other way experimenting with their appearance and reveling in their newfound freedom.  Christina took a different route, eradicating the evidence of her youthful rebellion and blending in with the general wildlife.
    She stifled a yawn and laughed.  Christina didn’t do well on broken sleep and got cranky – a fact Riley knew well.  He stood up, cleared the table, and then urged her back to bed.  They lay facing each other without saying anything and up close Christina could see the faded scars on his lip and eyebrow.  He’d got them in fights at high school and they were part of the history they’d shared together.
    She traced her finger down his tattoo, which covered the freckles on his shoulders and back.  She’d always liked his freckles and used to count them.  He had 33 and they were etched in her memory of him, as clear as any other of his defining features that made him – him.
    The tattoo now covered part of them, which for some reason, made her sad, as if some essential part of him had been erased.  He smiled.  “Do you like it?”  When she gave an unconvincing, “Yeah,” he laughed. 
    Up close the tattoo was a lot more detailed than at first glance.  There was a circle on his shoulder with the sun and some kind of bird in it.  It looked like an eagle, but she wasn’t sure.  “Is that an eagle?” 
    He gave an enigmatic smile and shook his head.  “No” and wouldn’t elaborate any further.  Instead, he reached over held her face and placed his mouth on top of hers, ending all conversation.
     
     

Chapter Three – Departures
    Christina, Shanwick, The Present, Sunday 7 October 2012
     
    Christina woke up alone in the bed and automatically looked for Riley.  When she heard him in the shower, she stretched, and allowed herself a big grin.  The sun was streaming in the window now and she couldn’t believe how well she felt.  The bathroom door opened and Riley came