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I got the windows seat, thank the lords. There’s only two seats in this row so I guess I couldn’t have gotten the middle seat but the aisle isn’t exactly my favorite either. I’m reading some book Powder recommended to me, all I know about is that it’s about sad ocean lesbians.
My row partner sits next to me and I glance up, about to say something about how I mumble out the words to help me comprehend what’s actually being said and possibly get in a fight about how valid dyslexia is. I’m too taken aback to say that though because she’s so hot. All I manage to say is, “Hi.”
“Hi,” she says, smiling awkwardly. She has a gap between her front teeth and she’s so cute. “I’m Caitlyn.” She’s British in a kind of posh way and I’ve never had a thing for accents but damn, I love her voice.
“Vi.” I swallow before saying, “I’m gonna read aloud, not too loudly but I’m dyslexic so it helps me, I hope you don’t mind.”
“I’m going to be listening to music anyway so I won’t mind. And I have noise canceling headphones. That’s a really good book though, I read it when it came out and it’s brilliant. I won’t spoil anything but I’m sure you’ll love it.”
“Are you assuming that I’m not homophobic?” I grin and she shrugs, tugging at a loose strand of hair.
“I don’t like to make assumptions but you have that haircut and you just have the right… vibe. I’m gay so I suppose it’s just gaydar.”
“Well, I’ve certainly never fucking kissed a man,” I grin at her.
She sits down and buckles herself in though we won’t even get the person over voice com telling us to do it for a good few minutes.
I could definitely have a worse person to sit next to.
There’s half an hour left before the flight is over when I’m getting tired of the book. It’s really good but I really don’t want to start sobbing on a plane and I can tell that’s where it’s heading. I look over to my seatmate and wonder if annoying her is worthwhile but she takes off her headphones first.
“How are you doing?” she asks, rubbing the back of her neck.
“Fine, I’m just looking forward to being on the ground again,” I shrug.
“Not a fan of flying?”
“No, this is only my second time doing it so I’m not really used to it, I guess.”
“I’ve flown places for most of my life so it doesn’t really affect me anymore, I suppose.”
“Wanna get to know each other?” I ask, hoping she says yes way too much. “Talk, I mean.”
“Sure. My name is Caitlyn, what’s yours?”
“Vi, stands for violence.” That makes her roll her eyes, though it doesn’t seem to put her off entirely. “What’s your favorite color?”
“Purple. What’s yours?”
“Red,” I say, shrugging. “What was your childhood nickname?”
She hesitates for a moment before saying, “Well, my father calls me Caity but he still calls me that so I don’t really know.”
“My sister calls me Fat Hands.” She looks at me with a frown and I say, “I’m a boxer. Why are you going to Massachusetts of all places?”
“My friends are there. I have a flight tomorrow to head back home, to England, I mean, and I’m going to celebrate the holidays with them. What about you?”
“Visiting my sister for the holidays, she’s at MIT. She’s a genius, really is. Practically got a full fucking scholarship and she’s working her ass of for this.”
“Oh, one of my friends teaches at MIT. Viktor, or Professor Novák I suppose. Jayce is finishing up his grad program there too but he doesn’t teach.”
“I think Pow has him. Grumpy vaguely European asshole who looks like a Victorian orphan and is probably one of the smartest people you’ve ever met?” I say and she chuckles, nodding.
“I hope she likes him, he can be a bit of a hardass but he’s one of my closest friends.”
“Oh, she loves him,” I say, snorting as I think about her enthusiastic phone calls. “So, do you speak any other languages?”
“Yes, I speak Mandarin.” She pauses before adding, “I’m half Chinese. I don’t know how fluent I am, it’s been a bit since I’ve been to China but yeah, I speak Mandarin.”
“I speak ASL. Or I know it, I don’t know if it’s really something you speak.”
She hums before asking, “Favorite food?”
“There’s this one place where I grew up, Jericho’s, that I would sell my fucking soul for. I don’t know how it hasn’t closed down yet, has to be some sort of money laundering, but it’s fucking fantastic.”
“I’ll take anything from dim sum, I adore dumplings. What are you thinking about the book?”
“I’m really enjoying it, I only got into reading recently but I really like it, you know? My whole life, I’ve never read or even tried to because it’s always been so hard for me but then I got diagnosed and realized I’m not dumb, I’m just dyslexic. My sister got me into audiobooks and I fell in love with it, I guess. I don’t read physical books that often but it’s a pretty cover, I guess.”
“I get it, to a degree. I got diagnosed young but it made me interact with the world around me differently, I’ve only just started to really find my group. I’m autistic, by the way.”
“Whats your job?”
“I work at this non-profit gym, I don’t really have qualifications but no one there does but I’m buff and I’ve taught myself a lot about it. Biology and physical sciences, that kind of shit.”
“That sounds fun,” she nods. “I’m a PI, I was actually in New York for a case I was working on. I live in Massachusetts, Boston to be exact.”
“What kind of cases do you work on?” I ask and she starts talking, sounding incredibly enthusiastic and I hang onto every word.
“We’re snowed in,” Caitlyn tells me, frowning. “We won’t be able to get out for at least an hour apparently.”
“Wanna spend that hour together?” I ask, smiling.
“That sounds lovely,” Caitlyn nods, pulling her suitcase towards the shitty airport seats. “I’m just going to text my friends really quickly, I hope you don’t mind.”
“Yeah, I’ll have to tell my sister too,” I say, following after her. When we’re done, I ask her about her favorite shows.
Two hours later, I want to talk to Caitlyn for the rest of my life. She has so much to talk about, so many interesting views on things and she’s just so smart. I know about her family and she knows about mine. We talk about our hobbies and our fears in life and maybe we’re going too fast but hey, we’re lesbians.
She pauses in the middle of the sentence, saying, “I got a text from Viktor, I hope you don’t mind.”
“No, go for it,” I say, gesturing for her to continue.
She smiles, biting her lip a bit before saying, “Mel’s here to pick me up, I have to get going. She’s not always the most patient.”
“Can I get your number?” I blurt out as she stands up.
She turns to face me, pausing for a moment before holding out her phone. “Of course, Vi.”
I type in my number and smile at her. “I’ll see you later, Caitlyn.”
“Bye, Vi,” she says, tugging on her scarf before she turns around. I smile a bit as I watch her leave, hoping I do actually get to see her again.
Me: hi caitlyn
Caitlyn: Hi! I was going to text you but I was worried that I would be coming on too strong
Me: no, your chill
Me: i love double texters, you can never be too much
Caitlyn: Well, I’m glad for that. So, what are you doing today?
Me: im grocery shopping right now, prepping for winterfest dinner
Caitlyn: Are you a good cook? My dad tried to teach me but I’ve never been particularly good, I’m a much better baker
Me: Yeah, I’m a pretty good cook
Me: I’d love to cook for you at some point
Caitlyn: I’d love that too