We Only Want What's Best by Carolyn Swindell

Author:Carolyn Swindell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Affirm Press
Published: 2023-02-16T00:00:00+00:00

THE CHILDREN

9 hours 09 minutes to destination

Seb makes his way slowly up the aisle, keeping an eye open for flight attendants likely to challenge him if he tries to breach the class barrier. Around his neck are his headphones and in his hand an offering of expensive chocolates he’s purchased for Zahra.

He walks easily through the three sections of Economy, then pauses at the curtained threshold into the main section of Premium Economy, scanning for Zahra. He presses on past those six rows. The next curtain swings back into place behind him, too heavy to remain open for long. He pauses, awaiting a challenge. There. He can see the top of Zahra’s head, and that other girl, the young one. No one else. Not even Keely. Twelve seats in this section, and they have it all to themselves.

It’s a bit different to where he’s sitting – and much more likely he’ll get busted if he’s seen in here. The main Premium cabin looked full – must have been forty people in there – and it would be easy to get lost in the crowd and remain unnoticed by flight attendants. Here, though, there's lots of space and only three girls occupying it.

Perhaps he could keep going – walk past Zahra’s father and see if he looks up from his work or whatever he’s doing long enough to recognise his good mate’s son. See the double-take. That would be fun – for about a second, before Glen went full apeshit, with fatherly shouting and a puffed-up chest. That will all happen, but it can wait for LA. For now, he just wants to see Zahra.

‘Za?’ he speaks softly. The seat next to where he’s standing is empty. The new girl, Becky, is in the middle seat. On the far side, next to the other aisle, is Zahra. Neither girl notices him, immersed in whatever they have on their screens.

He steps in front of what must be Keely’s footrest. Her seat is empty, but has the slept-in look of hours of flying. He’s relieved not to have to deal with her hostility. She’s never been a supporter of his relationship with Za, and made it clear at the airport that she wasn’t happy to see him.

Seb looks over his shoulder, half-expecting the diminutive girl to be standing behind him. Keely is short but powerful, both in personality and physically. She has a gymnast’s body and is often called upon to use it as a platform for Zahra in the concerts Seb used to be in with them. Not lifting – just things like Zahra stepping on to Keely’s bent knee.

And it’s given her an unnatural sense of ownership over Zahra.

Whatever, she’s not here now, he thinks.

As he steps in front of the other girl, she looks up and gasps in surprise, then elbows Zahra’s arm.

Zahra rips the headphones from her head and moves to stand.

Becky pauses her movie and drops her headphones from her ears.

Zahra speaks. ‘What do you want, Sebastian? I’m watching a movie.

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