Chapter Two - Missing Planes

Orli frowned when he returned to their seats and Megan was no where to be found. The flight attendant came up and Orli looked at her inquisitively when she held out her hand.

"The young lady told me to return her back pack once you have finished," she said with a polite smile, that didn't reach her eyes.

"Well, this is her seat, so I just put it down here till she returns," Orli said, sitting down and hugging the backpack to himself.

"Sir, the young lady's reseated," the woman explained, an impatient tone creeping into her voice.

"Then please, show me where she's reseated," he inquired and gave her a brilliant dimpled smile. He knew that smile never failed, and it didn't now. The flight attendant blushed slightly, then she shook her head yes.

"She is in row 37d," the woman said and straightened. Orli watched the retreating form of the woman then hugging the back pack to his chest, he stood up in search of Megan.

He found her easily enough, watching her from behind as she bent slightly over a magazine. She was in an aisle seat with five more seats attached to her right side and sharing the middle row with a family with two small children. Sitting down at her feet, hugging the back pack to himself, he propped up a leg and watched her intently, waiting for her to notice him.

With sharp eyes, Megan looked up, seeing Orli sprawled at her feet, propped up against the seat in front of her.

"You could have given the back pack to the stewardess," Meg greeted him with a frown and reached out for her belongings.

Orli nodded and moved the back pack out of her reach. "I could have, but you know ... it got me thinking," he said, capturing her gaze with his chocolate brown eyes.

They stared at each other for a few moments, before Meg relented with a sigh and pulled back, slumping into her seat with a thud.

"Okay, what has your brilliant mind come up with now?" she challenged him.

With a quick smile, he hugged the back pack. "You know ... with you changing seat, they will never be able to find your remains if the plane crashes..."

"What?" Megan asked and shot him an awkward look as if she thought he was crazy.

"Yeah, if a plane crashes they'll be checking the bodies according to the seating list. Now if you change seats and the plane crashes, your family will never be sure if it is your remains in the coffin or someone else's," he told her with a purely innocent look on his face. "You know like a fat ugly man in your coffin, being wept upon by your loved ones while you got stuck somewhere bad..."

"The plane won't crash," Megan replied tersely, wondering how she always managed to pick up the crazy ones.
I'm like a magnet, I can't seem to meet a decent man for once.

"Well we don't know, right?" Orli shot back, suppressing a grin. "One moment you are in the air, the next you are gone. Could be a malfunction, human error ..." He held up his hand and ticked off his points at his fingers, shrugged and looked up to her. "The lot!"

The children to her right began to grow restless, the little girl even starting to cry.

"Orli, shut up," Megan whispered, and shot the mother of the children an apologetic look.

"Excuse me, Miss, but could you please go back with your boy-friend to your original seats? My children are frightened!" The woman said loudly and Megan blushed.

"He is not my boy-fr..."

"See, she also thinks we should die together in our seats if the plane crashes," Orli cut in, giving the woman who shot them both a glare an innocent smile.

"I'll call the flight attendant if you don't stop scaring my children!"

"I'm sorry, he won't bother you again," Meg said and whipped around, glaring at Orli who was silently chuckling below her.

"Of all the stupid things I have come across so far, this is the most weirdest. Now go back to your seat, if you think the plane crashes."

"But Meg, honey," Orli replied, softly running his hand over the bare skin of her upper thigh. "I just don't like to be seperated from you." He gave it all he was worth, playing the considerate yet slightly deranged boy-friend.

Yanking her leg away she glared at him.

"Don't you Meg-Honey me! Now give me back my damn' pack!"

He swatted away her hands and tutted. "Megan, that is not how we play it."

'So it was a game for him?' Megan asked herself silently and frowned. 'Well two can play this game.'

"Oh sweetheart," Megan cooed and had to suppress the grimace that threatened to break her innocent, yet adoring expression. "I never knew I meant so much to you, my darling Orli." Bending over slightly she laid a hand on his chest, her fingertips brushing over the exposed skin at his throat, caressing the skin softly.

"You are so sweet," she gushed while mentally smirking at herself and the sugary sweet tone she was using. Orli's mouth gaped open, staring at her as if she had grown a second head. "Don't say something as silly as this ... you know it scares me and others..." She was now close enough to feel his breath on her face, and licking her lips softly, she tilted her head.

All Orli could do was staring at her. 'Jesus, Fucking, Christ,' he thought. 'She sounds as if she means it! She is a better actor than me, damnit!' But he liked the way she gave his name a breathy lilt.

Swallowing, he waited. 'Man, her lips are so damn near, so inviting ... and that tongue ...' Orli suppressed a groan, breathing in and getting a whiff of her perfume.

"Megan ..." he choked out, not sure if he wanted her to continue whatever she was doing or making her stop.

"Yes, my darling Orli?" Megan cooed again and that was his undoing. Reaching up, his hand clasped around the back of her neck and yanked her closer.

"You really should not tease," he growled and captured her lips. He heard her groan or was it him, he wasn't sure. All he could feel was her lips as they parted and the texture of her mouth and tongue as they started to battle for dominance.

Briefly, it struck his mind that the reporter must have a field day with him but he dismissed it with a shrug. She tasted too damn well as to break off the kiss just yet.

Later they both didn't know if the free-falling feeling was due to the kiss they had shared or the fact that the plane had actually hit an air pocket. The children screamed beside them and for a moment they just stared at each other, when they came up for air.

"Ladies and gentleman, this is your captain speaking. We apologise for the disturbance, we are experiencing a patch of air pockets. There is no need for concern ... thank you," the voice came warbled from the loudspeakers.

"Would you please leave?" the mother asked again, shooting them a look that could kill. "Not only did you scare my children but your blatant exchange of affections is nauseating. For god's sake, have you no shame?"

Still staring at Megan, Orli managed to nod his consent and he got to his feet in a fluid motion. With one hand clutching Meg's backpack, the other hand snaked around her waist as he pulled her to her feet and together they went down the few rows to their formerly vacated seats.

Megan was still in a daze and with numb fingers she fumbled with her seat belt. Orli checked that her belt was properly closed, then held on to her right hand.

With a frown she watched him from her side. Her mind was in a whirl wind. His last words to her were still pounding in her head. 'Tease? Yes, I did tease and I wasn't prepared for the consequences,' she berated herself, prying ever so softly her hand out of his firm grasp, but he held on tightly.

'What have I done?' Megan asked herself and closed her eyes. 'I'm 24 years old and I behaved like a teenager. For crying out loud, you are the stupidest cow this site of the Atlantic... Pacific ... whatever!' She tried to relax, determinedly breathing in and out till her racing heart had calmed down somewhat.

Orli watched her. The plane had already cleared the air pockets and the normal chatter had returned to the rows upon rows of people around them. She had looked genuinely frightened - if from the air pockets or the kiss he didn't know.

'Way to go, Orli,' he told himself silently, when he remembered the kiss. 'What the fuck have I been thinking? Sure, she had played along, I had even dared to do so, but had that been enough to elicit a kiss from her?'

'Of course not,' he continued this silent conversation with himself. 'You are really and truly a grade A asshole, Orlando Bloom. Not enough that you kissed her this morning, no, you had to make a complete ass out of yourself and do it again.'

Unconsciously rubbing her hand with his thumb, he licked his lips. 'Shit I can even still taste her!' he thought, licking again and acknowledging the taste. 'Strawberry lipgloss? Tastes nice ... wonder how she tastes all over?'

'WOAH. Stop it. Right here!' he told himself determinedly. 'Kissing is one thing ... kissing her all over ... Umm... better not go there.'

He was confused, genuinely confused. He didn't know her, didn't know where she came from but from the soft lilt in her accent he was positive she had at least lived in Scotland at one time. But he wanted to get her to know better, wanted to get to know this woman who was a brizzly spinster one minute and a seductress the next.

Daring a look at her again, he saw that she had relaxed considerably though the hand he held in his own was still ice-cold to his touch. Clasping her hand with both, he rubbed gently, trying to get the circulation going again and that made her look at him.

"I'm sorry," they both said at the same time and both burst out laughing.

"Did you see the face of that woman?" Orli asked with a chuckle and Megan tried hard to suppress the laughter.

"Oh God, I thought she was having a coronary," she giggled softly which elicited a smile from Orli. He squeezed her hand softly.

"I like that sound ..."

"What sound?" Megan asked, looking up at him through laughter tears.

"That sound you make when you giggle, it's sexy and kinda husky ..."

Megan blushed, trying to pry her hand away. 'Jesus, woman, you are 24 and you still blush like a teenager,' she chided herself and tried to ignore the warmth that was inflaming her cheeks. 'Don't just sit there, at least you can thank him.'

"Well, thank you," she said with a little girl's smile and both had to laugh again.

It was late afternoon when the plane landed on Sydney international airport. Orli had booked a flight over to Auckland the next morning, hating to change planes in a hurry and he just wanted to have a good night's sleep before facing the set again in two days' time. When he asked Megan when her plane had to leave, she glanced somewhat worriedly at her watch.

"Shit, if they take any longer with the luggage I'll miss my flight," she said with a scowl and tapped her foot while her eyes searched the conveyor belt for her bags.

"Pity," Orli said and pulled one of his two bags off the belt. Checking the name tag again he made sure that it was really his then waited again.

"When does the plane depart?" he asked.

"At six, and with my luck I have to race through the complete airport to reach the gate," she sighed and her eyes lit up when she spotted one of her bags. When it came fully into view she frowned. One side was ripped open and clothing was spilling out of it.

"Oh fuck," she exclaimed softly and watched helplessly when Orli hauled the suitcase off the belt onto the ground.

"This' really yours?" he asked. He had squatted in front of the suitcases and was looking up at her.

"I'm afraid so," Megan replied and bent down to examine the nasty tear. Orli stood up, and watched as she tried to stuff some of the clothes back inside the case.

"You better report that, and make sure nothing is missing," he commented and Megan checked her watch again.

'Oh great,' she thought. 'I'll never make it on time for that next plane.'

"I'm late as it is, and I don't want to know how my other bag looks like," Megan breathed, worrying her lower lip.

Orli sympathised with her but part of him couldn't suppress being happy she had to miss the plane. He didn't want to part with her just yet.

"Tell you what, why don't you file the report while I go looking for a phone. I have made reservations for a hotel room in Sydney and I'm sure they have another room for you..."

Megan looked up sharply. Orli could tell she was thinking by the look on her face. Slowly she nodded and Orli let out a breath, that he wasn't even aware of holding.

"It's a deal then," Orli said with a grin.

The next round brought forth his rucksack and another bag of Megan's but gladly enough that was undamaged. Helping her with the suitcase they made their way over to the officials and he left his gear with her and went off in pursuit of a phone.

About half an hour later they met up again. He had phoned his hotel and they had another room for Megan and when he told her, she sighed in relief.

"I think I wouldn't have had the nerve to handle that," she said and merrited him with a smile. "They went through my suitcase and I noticed some stuff missing, it was so embarrassing."

"What was missing?" Orli inquired without a second thought and only looked down at her when she didn't answer right away.

"What?" he asked as he noticed the faint blush on her cheeks.

"Umm .. personal stuff," she murmured and he stopped dead in his tracks, so that she had to back track and face him.

"Personal stuff?" he asked with a mischievious grin.

Megan rolled her eyes heavenward. "Yes, really personal stuff!"

"As in?" Orli's smile broadened when she fidgeted around.

"Some of my ... umm... underwear is missing," Meg said and flushed more profusely. "Oh for god's sake, I can't believe I'm even discussing this with you."

"Oh don't worry, Meg, my lips are sealed," Orli shot back and slung his free arm around her shoulder. "Come on," he said while stooping to pickup her suitcase again. "Let's get going. The hotel beckons and I for one really look forward to a hot shower and a good meal."

They both didn't notice the reporter from the plane taking a few snapshots of them as they weaved their way through the throngs of people towards the exit.