Part 46: Over Her Head-2

She closed her eyes. "I never was a very good liar," she said, masking her relief with what she hoped was a sense of being caught in a fib. An idea came to her suddenly and she went with it. "I haven't exactly been honest. You were right all along, Lex." She glanced at him over her coffee cup, drinking it so fast, she scalded her tongue. "Oh?" He put his laptop away and moved with the speed of a viper into the seat beside her. All the better for her plan. Come closer, said the spider to the fly. He reached out and caressed her cheekbone lightly with his thumb. She wanted to grab it and twist it until it broke. "You have the most beautiful, expressive eyes but today you look exhausted. I can tell you haven't slept a wink." "You're right about everything," she said. "Quinn and I did break up yesterday, as much as I didn't want to believe it. And the reason was—" "Yes?" He looked like a dog eagerly waiting for a biscuit to be dropped into its mouth. She could almost imagine him drooling with anticipation, and it caused her to shudder involuntarily. She masked her distaste by dropping her face into her hands and faking a sob. "He thought I was having an affair with you. He doesn't trust me at all. We're over!" She managed to squeeze out a few fake tears, buying herself some time. In reality, she had texted Quinn one simple message in the dead of night on this plane to God-knows-where: Oh, my love. You were right about everything. I'm stupid and I love you. I'm coming back as soon as I can. Don't give up on me. She prayed it was enough. She prayed for a lot of things the night before, mostly that she'd live to see him again. The thought caught her by surprise, and suddenly she didn't need to fake her tears, they were flowing easily down her cheeks, and she let them come. She hadn't heard a thing back from Quinn, what if it was too late? What if he really had given up? She felt Lex's hand on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Lucy. I hate seeing you like this, but you have to admit; it's for the best. You're a vibrant, smart, beautiful woman and Quinn's nothing but an overgrown playboy. He'll never settle down and commit. You need a real man in your life; a true partner. You need someone to take care of you." Bullshit. "Yes," she said, producing a tissue from her purse. "I suppose you're right, but it doesn't make it hurt any less." She reached her hand back in, subtly feeling around for her phone. Her terror began to build when she couldn't lay her hand on it. She'd placed it in the large inside front pocket so she could find it easily, and now it was gone. He continued to stare at her with those strange, pale eyes. She withered under his gaze, wishing he would scoot the fuck back across to his own seat. He was uncomfortably close, and she had to fight an urge to put her hands on his face and push him out of her personal space. "I think I'll just call him," she said as an excuse to pick up her purse and actively dig around. Maybe it fell out of the pocket. She dug around, her panic growing. She fought like hell to stay calm; without her phone the plan would fall apart like a paper boat in a rainstorm. "What's wrong?" His eyes were still curious and sympathetic, she had no idea if he was on to her or not. One thing was clear; he had her phone. She was thankful that before she lay down for a couple of hours of fitful sleep, she cleared the last hours of her browsing history and archived her texts. She decided to keep up the performance until she knew for a fact it was all over. "I can't find my phone," she said, feigning mild concern and pretending to look around her seat. "Really? I'm sure it's around here somewhere." "Yes, I had it last night. It's strange; I thought I put it in my purse when I went to sleep," she said. She stared at him, but he gave nothing away. In terms of poker faces, she was looking at the master. Kurt returned with breakfast; eggs, pancakes, fruit and toast. He spread everything out before them. Her stomach was so nervous, she thought she might vomit at the scent of the food. "Kurt, Lucy has misplaced her phone. It's imperative that she find it. Check her room first, and then the rest of the plane?" For a second, Kurt looked like someone had asked him to open the door and jump out. The fear on his face was soon replaced with a friendly smile. "Of course. No need to worry, Lucy. I will find it." She faked relief. "Thanks, Kurt. The last thing I need is to worry about buying a new phone on my vacation," she said, leaning back in the chair. She picked up her coffee again with trembling fingers. As if the universe owed her a favour, the pilot announced that they should strap in to prepare for some turbulence. On cue, the plane began to rumble and shake. She seized her moment. "Oh!" With a little more force than intended, she dumped her entire cup of coffee onto Lex's lap. He shouted and jumped to his feet. "My God, Lex, I'm so sorry!" She hoped the glee she was feeling wasn't showing. The coffee had cooled but was still piping hot and she relished the thought that just maybe she had burned the jerk. Lex's face went as red as a ripe tomato. He brushed at his crotch, which was now covered in a spreading stain. He gave her a look of such pure malevolence; it nearly stole her breath. Before she had a chance to react, the smile was plastered back on. "No worries, accidents happen," he said tightly. "Luckily, I have another suit just like it in the back. Let me change, and we'll continue our breakfast," he said, moving down the aisle towards the back of the plane. Suddenly, he turned back towards her. "I'm looking forward to continuing our discussion as well. There are some things I'd like to talk to you about, Lucy. And they're somewhat—personal." He smiled at her warmly, all the rage suddenly gone. "Sure, Lex," she said. He looked pleasantly surprised before continuing down the aisle. She exhaled slowly, waiting until he had gone into his room and shut the door. Before she had a moment to chicken out, she moved as stealthily as a cat down the aisle and into her bedroom, where she carefully and quietly latched the door behind her. Kurt was just sitting there on the bed, looking like a lost puppy. His face was stricken when his gaze met hers. "FBI, asshole," she hissed. "Now, give me back my phone, unless you want to go to prison like your friend, Lex."