Chapter Text
Lisa packed, unpacked, and repacked the same 5 types of shirts, wondering if they were dressy enough. She was pacing around the room, unclear on what to bring in her little blue suitcase. They were only going to Ireland for the weekend, but she had never gone away on a girls' trip before. She was also petrified to finally meet the one and only Michelle Connor. 'I hope she likes me,' she thought to herself, fiddling with her ring band. Carla noticed her chaotic energy when she entered the room but didn't say anything. She dropped a mug of tea into the bedroom and left her be. Lisa sipped on her mug while revisiting her holiday essential list. Finally, after deciding on her outfits, she folded them neatly into the right-hand side of the case, with nightwear and underwear placed on top of the pile. On the left-hand side of the case, she put her 2 comfy boots, slippers in case the hotel didn't have any, and a pair of heels if she was feeling wild. She laid out her toiletries in the bathroom and keys, wallet, sunglasses and passport on her bedside locker to pack the morning of. They were not going until midday tomorrow, so Carla said she would pack her bag when she woke up.
The next morning Lisa woke up at 6am sharp. She sat up alert in the bed impatiently waiting for Carla to wake up. The brunette wriggled in the white sheets, noticing Lisa was not cuddled up beside her. She fluttered her eyelids open, eyes still hazy, and groaned.
Lis, what time is it? Why are you awake so early?
'It's 6.15am; we need to get up and get ready. You haven't even packed your bag,' she replied, baffled.
'Babe, we are not flying until 3pm; we have plenty of time,' she muffled back, covering her head with the duvet. Besides, you are already packed; I just need to throw a bag together. 'It won't take me long,' she added.
Lisa sighed and left the room.
Carla woke back up at 8am and decided she best get up before Lisa returns from her morning run and kills her. She made a quick coffee and got her suitcase from the back of her wardrobe. She already kind of had a list of what she needed in her head, unlike Lisa, who had an actual colour-coordinated travel list. She threw in some outfits, underwear, and toiletries. If she forgot something, she could easily buy it there, she thought to herself.
Lisa returned and greeted Carla with a morning kiss.
Have you made a start on packing while I was out? the blonde asked eagerly.
'Yes, all done,' Carla smiled.
Already? Lisa responded, mouth open with shock.
Yeah, Lis, I told you it wouldn't take long; it's only 4 nights away.
The blonde smiled; she knew what she was like to travel with – a nightmare. She was really type C: detailed, orientated, logical, and prepared, whereas her girlfriend was easygoing and just showed up to places without thinking twice about it. She wished she was like that, but she wasn't. She knew Carla loved her for who she was and accepted every part of her but sometimes got in her own head about it. Wow. 'Lisa, can you relax? It's just packing,' she thought to herself.
A few hours later they arrive at the airport after Lisa double-checks they both have everything, asking Carla if she has her passport with her multiple times, which she says yes to every time. Carla noticed her pause for a second when walking inside; the airport was crowded, and she could see the blonde setting into panic mode. Carla held her free hand out to her to hold and wheeled her suitcase with the other. They both only had a 10 kg bag, so they didn't need to check it in; they went through security, and boarding passes were scanned pretty quickly. They had plenty of time to spare, so they got some food and drinks to pass the time.
They boarded the plane at 2.45; takeoff was for 3pm. Carla put the suitcases in the department above them. A young girl in her 20s was sitting at the window seat. Carla sat in the middle seat, and Lisa on the aisle. Carla had only sat down, and she was already yapping to the woman beside her; she mentioned she was flying home to Dublin, and Carla asked her for some good recommendations for things to do. Lisa sat back in her seat, silent. She didn't want to disturb Carla chatting but was starting to feel more anxious.
Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon, and welcome on board flight 702. This is Captain Tom speaking. Our flight time today will be 1hr and our estimated time of arrival in Dublin is 4pm.
They buckled their seatbelts and listened to the flight attendant give the safety talk. This always made Lisa feel a little bit safer in some ways; she liked being prepared for anything that could go wrong. It put her mind a bit more at ease, but she hated that it was also printed on the back of the seat in her face for the whole flight; she couldn't focus or take her eyes off it. She began to play with her ring, twisting it around and around to try to soothe her nerves, her left leg tapping the carpet beneath her.
'Carla', the blonde, whispered softly to get her attention.
'Yes?' she responded but soon realised when she turned to face her from her jittery movements why she had called her.
'Sorry,' the blonde replied, voice shaky.
Hey, it's ok to have a fear of flying; lots of people do. Your feelings are valid. She took her hand into hers and gave it a gentle squeeze of reassurance. She then continued. We are taking off now, but you are safe, and the airline prioritises passengers' safety.
As the plane ascended, the blonde shut her eyes tight, her breathing becoming more shallow, squeezing Carla's hand with a firm grip. Once they were up in the air, she let go of Carla's hand. A few moments later, after Lisa had settled slightly, she scrambled in her bag and realised she had forgotten her headphones, which sent her into a spiral. How could I have managed that? 'I packed the night before and double-checked the list,' she thought, angrily to herself.
You ok, love? Carla asked, noticing her chaotic energy.
'I forgot my headphones. Lisa responded, shaking her head. She felt silly saying this outloud especially when she was so anal about her holiday list and nagging Carla about how she would forget stuff if she packed at the last minute.
'Babe, it's ok; you can take mine.' Here she smiled while handing her the headphones.
'It's fine; you are using them,' the blonde replied, as she didn't want to be any more of an inconvenience than she already felt she was.
I don't need them now; honestly, I'm going to read a bit of my book.
Lisa took the headphones and listened to some music for a while. Carla read her novel.
Ladies and gentlemen, we're experiencing some turbulence. Please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts.
Lisa removed one earbud and asked Carla what was happening. Carla explained the pilot mentioned there may be some turbulence due to the bad weather but reassured her she was safe. Lisa removed the other earbud and immediately began to hyperventilate. The flight attendant noticed and came over straight away to offer assistance. The woman crouched down in the aisle and listened to what she needed. Carla introduced herself to let her know Lisa was not travelling alone and that they were ok for now but thanked her. The attendant left them be. Carla tried a few different things, as this was not her first rodeo flying with Lisa. Carla set up some breathing exercise videos she had downloaded on her phone incase of emergency. Lisa put the noise-cancelling earbuds back in, closed her eyes and tried to focus on her breath. It wasn't really helping, so she tried to focus on the 3 3 3 rule. This seemed to work and brought her breathing back to a semi-regular rhythm.
She held Carla's hand for the rest of the 20-minute flight. The flight attendant was a lovely young girl who checked in again after noticing the blonde was a bit more relaxed, bringing her over a little package with an eye mask, a bottle of water and earplugs, and added some skincare products (moisturiser and cooling gel pads) and a proper nude Dior lipstick, not the tester one from the airline trolley, which the passengers normally had to pay for.
Everything ok? she asked gently.
Yes, sorry. Lisa responded. mortified.
All good, nothing to be embarrassed about; it's a regular thing we see with people flying. I am not sure if you will be flying back with us also, but I just wanted to give you this little gift bag with some stuff that might help for your next flight. The young woman smiled.
Lisa thanked her, shocked by the gesture. She closed her eyes again as they began to descend. The landing was smooth sailing, and everyone clapped once they reached the ground. Lisa let out a sigh of relief.
'We made it, love; you are ok,' Carla reassured her again.