Jilted (closed)

[heartofcourage]

"Flight 298 to Venice now boarding at Gate A19." The woman's voice over the intercom announced.

Blythe Tanner glanced up at that announcement, brushing her long brown hair out of her face. It was nearing 9pm and the flight had been delayed for a good hour so far. It was just the cherry on an otherwise horrible day for her.

At 2pm, she was suppose to marry the love of her life. Brent was strong, handsome, confident, and he made her incredibly happy. He had proposed to her 7 months earlier on a vacation to Aspen, on the ski slopes in front of a crowd of people. Her diamond ring was stunning, she was stunned, and she had quickly said yes.

He was out of her league by a mile. He had always been rich, his father the head of an international company that he had started with his grandfather many years before Brent was born. She was from a middle class family, her father a teacher and her mother a nurse. They had met at school and had been inseparable since. Well, until 2pm had rolled around.

She had gotten to the church early to get dressed. Her three best friends were there with her, helping her into the gown that she had taken months to find. It wasn't expensive, but it was her style and it made her feel like a princess. She had sat there in that room with her father by her side, waiting for the wedding planner to come and get them. It was almost 3 when the wedding planner entered the room, white as a sheet, and told her that the groom had never showed. By 3:30, the groom had been contact and his furious father informed him that everyone was waiting. Brent was halfway across the country at that point with a woman he had been seeing for nearly as long as he had been with Blythe. His family was humiliated, Blythe was stunned, and the wedding guests were left to wonder just what had happened.

To his credit, Brent's dad had invited everyone to the reception anyway. There was no sense in letting a good party go to waste. Her guests partied it up as Blythe said in one of the back rooms of the museums they had rented, silently trying to figure out what had gone wrong. She had thought they were happy. Brent had never once expressed anything but happiness at the idea of marrying her. He said she was the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes on. He told her that she would never want for anything when she was with him. It had all been a lie.

It had actually been his father who suggested that she go on the trip. Mr. Peters had always adored his son's girlfriend, even if he didn't get along with his son very often. He had sat there in that room with her, told her that he would make things right if it took him the rest of his life, and that she was going to get on that plane to Venice. He even helped get her luggage into the limo while she said goodbye to her friends and family. Perhaps a trip was what she needed to get away and clear her head.

As the second announcement was made, Blythe let out a sigh and stood up, grabbing her purse and carry on bag. She was still wearing what should have been her after wedding dress. It was all she had that wasn't already packed away in her suitcase that had already been checked by the limo driver. The blue cocktail dress was paired with sensible shoes, flats that were nearly the same color. She wanted to crawl into bed and go to sleep for the next few months, but she felt if she didn't get on that plane she would regret it.

Pulling out her ticket, she pulled the strap of her purse up over her shoulder and carried her bag towards the gate. She had to think about this in a positive manner. She had people who loved her deeply...even if the man that was suppose to love her didn't anymore.


Blythe Tanner: http://www.thesnipenews.com/wp-content/gallery/emmy-rossum_1/emmy-rossum-sweater.jpg

 

[KiwiD82]

Delays and airport stays. No matter how much he travelled, Logan Davies had never mastered the art of passing time while waiting for a flight.

In the past, he'd tried reading books, spending time at the airport bar, and even occasionally a small amount of retail therapy.

Usually, though, he resorted to getting remote access to the internet and accessing his emails to work on the business. If he could just get the damn machine to connect...

Logan Davies was an entrepreneur and a self-made man. He'd made his wealth with his own startup business, before selling it and using the money to invest in other business opportunities. That provided him with a healthy passive income, which he'd used to make a few shrewd acquisitions.

Now he was able to travel abroad, making other investments and acquisitions while making the most of the international playground his wealth had granted him entrance to.

Not bad for a guy still on the better side of 30.

Logan had been trying to find the wireless network for a few minutes when he noticed the sign on the wall. Apparently the connection was down and that was that.

With a sigh, he returned the laptop into its case. There was nothing left to do but people watch.

He was glad he did.

Almost immediately he saw her, sitting on her own in a cocktail dress. She stood out for two clear reasons.

Firstly, she was gorgeous. Long brown hair that cascaded about her face and her slender frame gave her a graceful appearance.

Secondly, she was wearing a cocktail dress. She looked stunning, but thoroughly out of place for international travel.

She didn't look particularly happy, either. Logan had smiled in greeting from across the room on the one occasion when she had looked in his direction. Her eyes were beautiful but weary. He decided she was either tired or stressed, but it didn't seem his place to approach her - especially in such a public setting.

By the time the boarding calls were being announced, Logan had already observed a few other people: a young woman with her head buried in a book; an elderly man who had nodded off during the extended wait; a family doing their best to corral their two kids.

But his gaze kept falling back to the woman in the cocktail dress, so when she rose to board, he did likewise, deliberately joining the queue directly behind her.

"Hi there," he spoke politely to get her attention, before indicating her dress. "Is this your first long haul flight?"

 

[heartofcourage]

Standing in line, Blythe nervously looked down at her boarding pass every few moments as if the piece of paper would disappear from between her fingers. It wouldn't be such a bad thing if this entire situation turned out to be a bad dream, but she knew that she couldn't count on such a childish notion. Brent was gone, with another woman, and she was about to board a flight that would take her even further away from him.

She let out a little sigh as she heard a man step up behind her and ask her a question. Startled, she turned to look at him for a moment, taking in the nice appearance of his suit and the laptop bag slung over one shoulder. It looked like he was boarding for that flight as well.

"Yeah, it'll be my first time out of the country." Blythe said in her soft spoken way, her voice barely above a whisper. "I suppose there's worst places to go for your first time though, right?"

She was trying to make a joke, the smile on her lips not reaching her eyes. She was sad, torn apart inside. She felt naked without her engagement ring on her finger. She had given it back to Mr. Peters, telling him that he should give it to Brent. Perhaps he would find a better use for it later. She hadn't known what else to do in that moment. Now she wished she had kept it for just a while longer.

"Maybe I'll see you on the flight." She said before she turned back around to face the front of the line again.

 

[KiwiD82]

Logan took what he felt was the only reasonable action: he laughed.

He could see the discomfort in her eyes but he wasn't sure what to make of it. He assumed she was just nervous about the flight.

"You're right," he responded with a genuine smile. "I've been there half a dozen times, and it never gets old."

The woman in the cocktail dress was even more beautiful close up. But she did look tired. Hopefully she'd be able to get some sleep on the plane to recover.

He nodded politely when she spoke of seeing each other on the plane, though he secretly doubted it. It was an overnight flight so they would probably sleep through. And besides, he was in first class, and she was in...

He strained to see the seat number on her boarding pass from behind, but couldn't quite make it out. No matter - if she boarded just before him, a flight attendant was sure to mention it when they directed her to her seat.

 

[heartofcourage]

Blythe handed her ticket to the woman who was scanning everyone on board. Once she had been checked in, she walked down the long hallway to the plane and handed her pass to the woman standing there at the doorway. With a large smile that made her own face hurt, the woman showed her to a seat in first class.

She was embarrassed in a way. Of course Brent had booked the best of the best for their trip. However, it was two seats side by side and one would be empty the entire time. Very quietly, she thanked the woman for her help and stowed away her purse and bag before sinking into the plush seat. She had never been in a first class of anything before. It was a bit daunting to look around at the other people who were filling the section around her. She didn't belong and for a brief moment she considered asking if she could trade seats with someone in coach.

Before she could push the button for an attendant, she heard her phone buzzing in her purse. She quickly fished it out and noticed Brent's name on the screen. He was calling her? Why now?

"Hello?" She asked softly as she answered the phone.

"What the hell are you doing? My dad said that you're going on that trip." Brent insisted, anger clouding his voice.

"He told me too, Brent. After everything you did today, it's really the least you could do." Blythe said, trying to keep her voice down.

"The least I could do? What, so now that we're not getting married, you think I owe you something?" His tone was downright nasty and Blythe found herself tearing up.

"Listen, I'm going to Venice and I have nothing more to say to you. Maybe when I get home we can sit down and talk, but right now, I want nothing more to do with you. You broke my heart. Maybe one day you'll see that I wasn't just something to be thrown away." With that, she hung up the phone, turned it off and put it back into her purse before she found herself wiping her wet eyes while trying not to show anyone else just how effected she was.

 

[KiwiD82]

Logan never managed to catch the cocktail dress owner's seat number but, as it turned out, he didn't need to. As luck would have it, they were seated just across the aisle from one another, with an empty seat between them.

He offered her another polite smile when he walked past her seat on the way to his own.

"You were right," he spoke warmly. "It looks like we're seeing each other again."

Logan was buckling his seatbelt, a flight attendant having stowed away his laptop bag, when he heard the phone ring. He tried his best not to listen. He couldn't hear the caller, and he barely heard any of his fellow passenger's words, but he couldn't ignore the emotion.

When she ended the call, he looked across the aisle to see her drying her eyes with her hands. He took the handkerchief from his jacket pocket.

"Excuse me," he spoke quietly, aware of the need for discretion.

Leaning across the aisle, he placed his handkerchief on the empty seat between them.

"Are you going to be okay?"

 

[heartofcourage]

Blythe sniffled as the sight of a handkerchief caught her attention. She turned towards the man who had been talking to her in line. Her cheeks blushed a deep red as he caught her crying over the fiance that had so suddenly dumped her that afternoon. She nodded slightly as she picked up the piece of fabric and used it to wipe her eyes.

"Yeah." She said softly, sniffling as she looked down at the makeup that was now staining his once pristine handkerchief. "I'll be alright. It's been a really bad day. I guess it all just caught up to me at once."

 

[KiwiD82]

It was impossible not to feel sorry for the poor woman. She was so upset and now she would be travelling alone. Logan would be sitting across the aisle for the next handful of hours - the least he could do was act neighbourly.

"Do you want to talk about it at all?" he asked, immediately deciding he'd overstepped the line.

Who was he that she'd want to share all her troubles? He was just a stranger on a plane.

"Sorry," he said, looking down the aisle again to check that he wasn't getting in the way of anyone else. "It's none of my business. I just hate to think that your first time in international first class will start off like this."

 

[heartofcourage]

Blythe laughed tearfully at his comment, glancing up at him with watery eyes but a smile on her lips. Her first time in international first class...probably one of her last as well. He was being kind to her and that was welcome, but she wasn't sure that she wanted to burden him with her troubles. They were as far and deep as the ocean.

"You're very sweet, but I don't want to burden you with my troubles." She said softly, offering his handkerchief back to him. "I'd probably bore you with all of the gruesome details the entire way to Italy."

 

[KiwiD82]

Logan's eyes lit up when she smiled. Even a tearful, polite, makeup-smeared smile was stunningly beautiful from her.

He'd made her smile. Whether she realised it or not, her flight experience had already improved.

"Are you sure? I forgot my book and I love a good story."

Logan took back his handkerchief, wet with tears and makeup.

"Besides, you ruined my handkerchief, so you technically owe me."

He was smiling gently throughout. He was compassionate, yes, but he was also more than a little curious.

Finally, he extended his hand in greeting.

"I'm Logan, by the way."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Blythe." She said softly as she took his hand and shook it. "It's nice to meet you, Logan."

She let out a long sigh as she glanced at the seat next to her that was reserved for Brent. It served him right if she invited Logan to take a seat next to her. He would have lost his mind, she thought to herself as she glanced up at the man that had taken a sudden interest in her.

"I guess it would be alright if you took this seat. He won't be here." She said softly, hoping that he would for the companionship and hoping that he wouldn't so that she wouldn't have to tell him the reason that she had been crying.

 

[KiwiD82]

"Blythe," he echoed.

It matched her, he decided. A beautiful name for a beautiful woman.

"Well, you have the distinct honour of being the only Blythe I've ever met," Logan spoke truthfully, before adding a grin. "That automatically makes you both my favourite - and my least favourite - Blythe!"

He laughed softly, before unbuckling his seatbelt when she invited him to join her. Logan wasn't sure who "he" was, but no doubt that would be covered in the ensuing story.

"I'd be honoured," he smiled, stepping across the aisle and sitting next to Blythe.

It wasn't a bad spot to be - sitting in first class next to the beauty in the cocktail dress.

 

[heartofcourage]

"My mother loves Blythe Danner. I guess she thought it would be funny to give me that name considering my last name is Tanner." She said with a shrug as he commented that she was the first Blythe that he had ever met. "It could be much worse, I guess."

She watched as he unbuckled his belt and traded seats, giving her a smile as he took his new seat. She looked at him for a long moment, noticing that he was very handsome and very sharply dressed. This was a man that was use to making these long, expensive flights. He dressed and acted the part perfectly.

She was about to speak again when the attendants came over the intercom and started to go through their speech before the plane backed from the terminal. This was it. There was absolutely no turning back now. Two weeks away from the mess of her life and she would be spending it in Venice. There could have been much worse places that they could have chosen, she thought to herself as she gripped the armrest tightly between her fingers. She was a little nervous about flying, but she supposed that people did it all the time, multiple times a day. There was nothing to worry about.

 

[KiwiD82]

"I'm not sure Gwyneth is much better," he mused in response to the Blythe Danner reference.

Logan allowed his attention to be captured by the flight crew. He had been on hundreds of flights, but he always took note of the safety instructions. It was the one aspect of flying that he refused to become complacent with.

He looked across at his new travelling partner and saw how nervous she was. Her hand was gripping the armrest so hard that her knuckles were white.

He leaned over to her and held out an open palm.

"You'll be fine," he whispered. "Take my hand and we can takeoff together."

 

[heartofcourage]

The hand that appeared in Blythe's field of vision startled her for a moment. Then she remembered that Logan had moved to the seat next to her and then he whispered that she could take his hand. She forced her fingers from the armrest and wrapped her hand around his own, gripping it tightly.

"I'm sorry. I don't fly very often." Blythe whispered softly as if it were a big secret. "This is probably my third time on an airplane."

"Guess I should have picked a shorter flight, huh?" She tried to make a joke as the pilot announced that they were ready for take off.

 

[KiwiD82]

Logan felt Blythe's hand in his own and he gripped it firmly, hoping to help put her at ease.

Air travel was a matter of course for him, so when she whispered about not flying much, he let out a light chuckle.

"I had a sneaking suspicion," he whispered back, as if to keep the secret.

Both of them were pushed back into their seats as the plane accelerated down the runway. Being an international flight, it was likely a larger plane than Blythe had ever been on.

"It might be a less stressful takeoff if you look at something that relaxes you, rather than out the window or part of the plane itself."

 

[heartofcourage]

As they were both pushed back into their seats, Blythe glanced over at Logan as he told her that it helped if she looked at something else other than out the window. That statement made her laugh, a smile curling her lips as she reached over to close the window cover so she wouldn't see the ground falling further and further beneath them.

"There. Problem solved then." She said, relaxing the grip that she had on his hand as the plane slowly climbed and finally reached altitude.

"How long does this flight normally last?" She asked him suddenly, having no idea.

It had been Brent's idea to go to Italy. She had wanted to go to Florida, but he had won out and booked their tickets before she could even really argue.

 

[KiwiD82]

Logan laughed as Blythe closed the window. Even whilst terrified, the girl had wit.

He let her hand escape as the plane settled into cruising altitude, then let out another chuckle at her next question.

"You really are quite new to this, aren't you Blythe," he grinned. "It should say on your boarding pass - but it's a little over 8 hours. So we'll land late morning Venice time, but your body clock will think it's 5:30 tomorrow morning."

Logan turned in his seat to face Blythe more directly.

"So it might pay to get some sleep if you can manage it," he added. "Otherwise you'll be stuck with my company."

 

[heartofcourage]

"My...well...I'm not sure what he is at the moment." Blythe said softly, waving her hand in a dismissive fashion as she tried to explain why she was on a plane, terrified, and heading to a place that she had never been before. "Ex, I guess. He's the one that booked this trip. I wanted to go to Miami but he insisted that Italy would be so much better."

She gave Logan a soft smile as he turned towards her and told her that if she didn't sleep then she would be stuck with his company. There were worst things she could have been doing right in that moment, she thought to herself. She could have been sulking in the back room of that museum while a party went on in the front.

"How often do you fly? You seem so calm and collected about the whole thing." She murmured as the attendants began to walk around the cabin, offering drinks and refreshments to everyone on board.

 

[KiwiD82]

Logan listened patiently as Blythe spoke of her reasons for flying to Venice. A breakup of some sort was involved - presumably the reason for her tears - and she hadn't even wanted to go to Italy at all.

"If you don't mind me saying," he continued, still whispering as though they were sharing secrets. "Your ex-boyfriend knows nothing about relationships to let you go."

It was a rather forward thing to say, but he did so with a cheeky grin that he hoped would enable him to get away with it.

"But he does know about holiday destinations. Venice is magical, I promise you."

Logan turned to the nearest flight attendant and ordered a gin and tonic, before turning back to answer Blythe's question.

"It's just habit. I fly almost as much as I drive. The more you fly, the more relaxed you'll feel."

He took a sip of his drink, before returning the conversation back to where it had come from.

"So tell me, Blythe," he said, his tone and facial expression conveying genuine curiosity. "How is it that you're here, and not the boyfriend who planned this trip and actually wanted to go to Italy?"

 

[heartofcourage]

Blythe gave him a small smile as he told her that Brent knew nothing if he had let her go. It made her feel good that someone else found her to be worthwhile, even if she did have to wonder just what Brent saw in this other woman. There had to have been another woman. Probably multiple other women that she had never been aware of. It made her sad to think that while she thought that they had the perfect relationship, it had been built on a faulty foundation.

She ordered a Diet Coke as the attendant asked what she wanted and then she thought about what to say as he asked about why she was there and Brent was not. It wasn't a simple story, but it was the truth and that was what she decided she was going to tell. It was important to always be truthful, no matter what.

"He was my fiance, actually." She said as the attendant came back with the drink and left the two of them alone. "We were suppose to get married this afternoon and he left me at the altar. His father is an amazing man who told me to come on the honeymoon on my own. It's already been paid for, so I figured why not? It beats hiding in my apartment for a few weeks, right?"

 

[KiwiD82]

Logan's face dropped as soon as Blythe began explaining her story.

"Oh! I'm so sorry," he gasped. "I had no idea. Forgive me for being so forward earlier..."

Logan quickly took another sip of his drink as he tried to regather his thoughts. Her heartbreak was big and very recent. The conversation risked descending into an awkward silence, which would no doubt make the following eight hours painful for them both.

"So," he began, still unsure of what to say, and just hoping he wouldn't upset her further, "I take it you had plans for the honeymoon? I mean, apart from the obvious..."

Logan blushed. He was making things worse.

"What I meant was what plans are already in place for you in Venice? Are you going on any tours, or anything like that?"

if they had been in Venice at that moment, Logan may have considered jumping into one of the canals. It would have been far less embarrassing than the train wreck he was turning their conversation into.

 

[heartofcourage]

"There's no need to apologize." Blythe said quickly. "You're not the one who left me at the altar."

She hated the sudden awkward turn that this conversation had taken. Logan was searching for another form of conversation, but she had to admit that she did like the fact that he was still trying. He could have given up right then and there, returned to his seat, and left her alone for the rest of the flight.

A blush formed on her cheeks as he mentioned her honeymoon, asking if she had plans besides the obvious. Well, the obvious that he mentioned was now out of the question. She wouldn't have touched Brent with a ten foot pole even if he had decided to show up out of the blue.

"No. I hadn't really thought about Venice at all." She admitted. "I was too busy with the wedding plans to think too much about my honeymoon."

 

[KiwiD82]

"Ah."

Blythe's response wasn't what Logan had expected. He'd assumed tours would be booked, dinners for two, exclusive getaways...

"Well, we can't have you wandering Venetian streets aimlessly," he whispered again.

Logan knew that intentionally getting lost in Venice was one of the city's charms...but it wasn't the only thing to do.

"I'd highly recommend a tour of some kind. Perhaps we need to make a plan, you and I."

He took a sip from his drink, placing the glass down gently on his tray.

"I won't let you leave Venice without truly experiencing it," he added with a grin.

 

[heartofcourage]

"That's very kind of you, but you don't have to waste all of your time on me." Blythe said, looking at him with a sincere gaze. "I'm sure that you have your trip all planned out. I'll just ask around at my hotel and go where they tell me to go."

She felt bad that he was going to change his plans to accommodate her and her troubles. It was very sweet, but he didn't have to do all of that just for her.

"Maybe I'll just relax in the hotel room for a few days." She said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Sleeping in and room service sound like a plan too."