Hi, everyone! It's been a long time since I wrote a prompt based story but I thought it would be a fun way to push my creativity in a different direction. Please note that I haven't been on a plane in YEARS nor have I ever been to the cities mentioned in this story so please be gentle with me! In my defence, I did look into how long a flight would take to get to and from the cities I referenced. Hope that makes it somewhat better. Enjoy!
./././
Clementine tried not to glare at the flight attendant she passed as she stepped onto the plane she was taking to Macon, Georgia. It wasn't their fault Telltale airlines had overbooked her afternoon flight and forced her to wait hours for seating on an evening one. She was already tired from a week of finalizing deals for the investment company she worked for and had wanted to get to Macon in time for dinner and a good night's rest.
She tried to focus on finding her seat, holding her ticket at eye level to try and match it to a section number. Eventually, she realized her seat was towards the back of the plane but she was happy to see it was comprised of a window and aisle seat.
There wasn't a long line for the flight before boarding so she hoped that meant she'd have both seats to herself. If she really wanted to, she could pull out her work computer and try to draft a report or two. She'd taken the week off to spend time with her guardian, Lee Everett, but that didn't mean she couldn't work on a couple of cases while she was there. The work never really slowed down and she hated falling behind.
She threw her bag into the overhead compartment before collapsing in the window seat. She could make out a few of the airplanes occupying the adjacent runways and the landing strip lights that spread red dots across the dark tarmac.
She would arrive in the early hours of the morning and hoped that the americano she'd sipped an hour or so ago would keep her up until then. She'd told Lee not to bother picking her up since she was sure he was just as tired as she was. She'd grab a taxi or Lyft when she arrived since he didn't live that far from the airport.
She shrugged off her blazer and placed it on the seat beside her before pulling out her phone to find an online book to read. Absentmindedly, she twirled a loose curl that had come out of her bun as she waited for the reader application to load.
"Um, hey," a voice brought her out of her thoughts and she looked up to see a young man about her age standing in the aisle beside her seats. He was wearing a loose fitting jean jacket and dark blue skinny jeans. The orange hat he donned, covering what looked to be straight brown hair, stuck out the most to her but she was too tired to really care.
She raised an eyebrow and he quickly held up his ticket.
"Sorry, this is my…" he started, pointed at the aisle seat she'd placed her blazer on.
She gave his ticket a quick look over before pulling her blazer off the seat and placing it on her lap.
She didn't give the young man another glance as he sat down beside her. She'd been hoping to have the seats to herself but was beginning to resign herself to the bad day she was clearly supposed to be having.
The application she was waiting for froze before loading completely and she had to bite her lip to hold back a curse.
Deciding to instead listen to some music, she switched to a streaming app and picked out one of her favourite playlists. A night of nineties' tunes while staring out at the clouds seemed to be as good as it was gonna get tonight.
The man beside her had taken off his hat and placed it in a bag she hadn't noticed him carrying before. He was now holding a portable gaming device similar to the one her colleague, Duck, had been playing on a few weeks ago. She didn't want to give it any thought but the game looked interesting and she couldn't help but notice how determined he looked as he played it. His eyebrows were furrowed in concentration and his tongue was sticking out the side of his mouth as he tapped the buttons furiously.
It looked like…a racing game? She'd seen the characters before. Maybe Duck had been playing it too.
Taking it all in, she didn't notice the race had finished and the man had seen her staring at him. When she realized he was smiling at her, she almost dropped her phone.
"Wanna play?" he asked. She was still listening to a playlist but was able to read his lips before she heard his voice.
"N-no, that's okay," she said sheepishly, embarrassed that she'd been caught staring. She pulled out an earphone as he continued.
"My uncle got me this game for me as a birthday present," the man explained, "it's something to pass the time, you know?"
She nodded in response.
"I can't think of much else to do while we wait for take off," he said, looking past her and out the window.
She'd almost forgotten about that.
"We still haven't left," she said, more to herself than to him.
"Nope," the man sighed, "I heard Telltale flights are usually top notch. I guess we caught a bad one."
"Probably," she replied, biting her lip nervously. The man looked like he wanted to continue but she interrupted him before he could.
"Good luck with your game," she said with a small smile, putting her earphone in and returning her attention to her phone. She deliberately didn't wait to see (or hear) his response and pretended to be on a serious quest to find another song to play.
She wasn't a fan of small talk. If it wasn't about business, she usually tuned it out. She didn't have a lot of friends because of it but after moving around so much growing up and having a job that didn't keep her in an office setting, she'd become detached from people and social settings that didn't involve work.
Being social also made her nervous now, but she liked to think she covered that up pretty well. Lee never thought so though and always encouraged her to make friends. Truthfully, she wouldn't have known how to even if she's wanted to.
She did have a good friend from high school that she occasionally kept in contact with. Her name was Sarah Lopez and overall, she was a sweet girl. Granted, she could be pretty eccentric but she respected Clementine's boundaries and didn't mind giving her space when she needed it.
Clementine was on the hunt for another song when the flight attendant came around to give takeoff instructions. Clementine had heard it all before but tried her best to pay attention. She placed her phone in her lap and looked briefly at the man beside her to see he'd done the same with his gaming device.
A few minutes later and they were high above the ground, sailing through evening clouds and light pollution.
She played a couple of tunes before opening a game application. It was a tap-style game similar to Dance Dance Revolution and she began swiping her thumb across the touch screen to keep up with the prompts.
It was actually a game Sarah had recommended and while she rarely indulged in such things, she found it to be a pleasant way to pass the time. An hour later and she was still swiping away, listening to songs from her streaming application in the background.
She would have probably forgotten about the man sitting beside her had she not felt something leaning softy against her shoulder during a round she was losing.
She turned her head slightly to see a mess of brown spikes shifting slightly against her. She looked lower and noticed a head attached to the spiky hair.
Her neighbour was fast asleep on her arm.
Immediately, a blush found its way to her cheeks. She was so used to having her own personal bubble that she was extremely nervous knowing it had been breached. She looked down at the man's long eyelashes that twitched as he slept. His mouth was slightly ajar and she could make out the rhythm of his breaths as he lay peacefully against her. If she'd given him a real once over before, she would have realized how handsome he was.
Now she was blushing for a totally different reason.
The panic button went off inside her head and her brain was working overtime to find a way to escape. The closest thing was the window beside her but she didn't think she wanted to break it open and fly out into the night sky. Lee would surely miss her if she did.
She could wake the man up, but he looked adorable sleeping and it wasn't like his presence was offending her. She had half a mind to push him off anyway in the hopes that he would remain asleep as he shifted but that would be a bit much, even for her.
She sighed as she turned back to her game. Maybe she'd shove him if her arm went numb. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been around a sleeping man, especially one in such close proximity, outside of Lee. A strange feeling found its way to her stomach and she didn't know what to make of it. Was it strange for her to not mind him leaning against her? For all she knew, he could have bed bugs or some type of infection. She could dry clean her blouse in Macon but that wasn't the point.
It took her a minute to realize what the feeling was. Grounded. She felt grounded. Even though they were so many miles high, she felt like this was something she could get used to back on solid ground. The simplicity of having someone sleeping beside you, snoring softly in your ear. It countered everything her independent life stood for and while she didn't need it to be content, she realized it wasn't something she despised having either.
It was a lot to take in.
She tried to return her efforts to the game she was playing but couldn't bring herself to care about her dwindling score. This was deeper than she was trying to get in the early hours of the morning.
"Excuse me, miss?" she looked up to see the flight attendant with a trolley cart filled with drinks standing beside their seats.
"Um, yes?"
"What drinks can I get you and the mister here?"
Wait, what?
"Uh, well…" she struggled to think of a response as the attendant pulled out the fold out tray in front of the young man's seat and urged her to do the same.
"I'll just take a water with lemon, please. And for him…" The man was still fast asleep on her shoulder.
She sighed.
"...maybe a water and a pop of some sort?"
The flight attendant nodded and placed the drinks on their fold out trays.
"He's a cutie, hun. Great catch," she whispered with a wink as she headed to the next seat.
Clementine's eyes widened as she walked away. Was the universe just laughing in her face now? What had she done to deserve this?
She needed a distraction since the game application wasn't cutting it and she didn't think she'd be able to go to sleep now if she tried. There was a bunch of magazine and airline brochures in the pocket under her tray so she pulled out a few to skim through as she sipped her lemon water. They weren't particularly interesting but they were something to look at.
Eventually though, there was only so many tacky photoshoots and 'dream vacation' advertisements she could stomach before she was looking for something else to pay attention to.
She turned her music on and looked out the window again. There wasn't much she could make out this high up so late at night but the darkness didn't unsettle her.
She scoffed.
Hadn't her original plan been to listen to music and stare out the window? It was funny how she'd come back to that when all else had failed.
She'd started to fall into a bit of a trance when the man began to stir. She turned to see him blinking and grumbling. After a few seconds, he looked up at her with a raised eyebrow. When she returned the gesture, his eyes widened and he jumped back.
"I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed, "I-I…"
"It's okay," she replied, trying desperately to not look as embarrassed as they both probably felt.
"It's not," he replied, "I wasn't drooling, was I?"
"Well," she started, a smirk beginning to appear on her face, "maybe a little bit."
He looked mortified and she almost laughed out loud.
"I'm kidding, you weren't," she said before he could respond.
The young man sighed and shook his head.
"I'm really sorry. I hope I didn't make you feel uncomfortable."
Not exactly uncomfortable but…
"It's fine," she said with a small smile. The man looked up at her.
"Thanks," he said with a smile, only confirming to her how cute he really was.
"I'm Gabe," he said, extending a hand.
"I'm Clementine," she replied, shaking it.
"Do you live in Georgia?"
"Not anymore, but I have family there. I'm just going for a visit. How about you?"
"I live there, actually, but I was in Seattle for a convention."
"A convention?" she asked.
Gabe nodded and smiled.
"It was for artists in the gaming community. I'm a graphic designer so I love seeing what other creatives come up with."
"That sounds interesting," she admitted, "was that this past weekend?"
"Yup, I have my work equipment in my luggage so it wasn't a big deal to travel over."
"I'm glad you had a good time then."
Gabe nodded.
"What about you? If you don't live in Georgia, where do you work?"
"I work for an investment company in Seattle. It's a good job and it can be flexible too."
"An investment company, huh?" Gabe asked, giving her a mischievous smile.
"So if I had an idea that needed funding…" he started.
"...you'd have to go through the proper channels in the company and the necessary processes," she finished with a smirk.
"Oh man," Gabe groaned, pretending to be discouraged, "and here I thought you'd hook me up."
That earned a giggle from Clementine.
"Sorry to disappoint," she replied, still smirking at him.
"You don't seem sorry," he said, shaking his head.
They both laughed and Clementine realized how different this conversation was in comparison to the one they'd had earlier. She was opening up and enjoying herself. She couldn't remember the last time she's done this.
They continued to get to know each other, talking about work and growing up in Macon. Gabe had actually attended a high school close to Clementine's but they would have never had the chance to interact. They did, however, know about the same events and news stories.
Clementine didn't realize how refreshing it was to speak to someone else who'd grown up in Macon. Outside of Sarah, she was so used to her colleagues in Seattle coming from different walks of life and it wasn't like she talked to them much either.
She was having a lot of fun.
She was so deep in conversation that she almost missed the flight attendant coming back around. The woman smiled at them before explaining landing procedures and asking that they buckle their seat belts.
"That went by pretty fast," Gabe commented as he buckled his seat belt and pushed his dinner tray forward.
"Yes, it did," Clementine replied, a hint of something in her tone she didn't recognize.
It didn't take long for their plane to land at the Georgia airport, which almost disappointed her. It was early in the morning though, and her desire to snuggle in her childhood bed was increasing with every minute.
Once the plane had officially come to a stop on the runway and they'd been given the go ahead, they removed their seatbelts and began packing their belongings.
"I believe this is yours?" Gabe asked, handing her the bag she'd placed in the overhead compartment.
"Yes, thank you," she replied, taking it from him. She was still packing a few items up when Gabe cleared his throat.
"So, uh," he started, looking down and rubbing the back of his neck, "maybe I'll see you around? In Macon, I mean?" His gaze was focussed on the seat he'd just been sitting in.
She felt her heart skip a beat. They'd been having so much fun and now the energy between them felt awkward again. Had she done something wrong?
"Uh, sure, sounds good," she stammered, trying to focus on the items in her carry on bag.
"Right," Gabe said with a nod, "enjoy your week here."
She nodded in response as he walked away.
She hated moments like that. Part of her was sure they contributed to her non-existent social life.
But she was far too tired to think about that right now. The faster she could get into her bed, the better.
She stopped by the washroom before heading to baggage claim and didn't see Gabe when she finally picked up her luggage. She didn't see him at the departure terminal either and assumed he'd already left with the uncle he'd previously mentioned.
She found her taxi driver wasn't interested in making small talk at three in the morning, which she was more than grateful for. She'd probably used her social energy for the week on her plane ride alone, anyway.
Half an hour later and she was standing in front of her childhood home with luggage in tow. She still had her key so she unlocked the door as quietly as she could before stepping inside.
Lee had left some takeout food for her on the table but she put it in the refrigerator before heading upstairs. She was too sleepy to reheat it now.
Peeking into Lee's bedroom, she could see her guardian squinting back at her as she opened the door.
"Clem..?" he mumbled.
"Get some sleep, we'll talk in the morning," she whispered as she approached his bed.
"How was your flight?" he asked with his eyes closed. Clementine sighed.
"Interesting, to say the least," she muttered. Lee hummed in reply.
She smiled before kissing him on the cheek and heading to her own room.
She wouldn't have changed into pyjamas if she didn't have an extra pair tucked into her rather empty dresser drawers. She peeled off her business attire and put on the sleeping wear quickly before heading towards her bed. Lee left her room untouched for the most part but she could tell her sheets had been washed recently as she fell on top of them.
Smiling softly to herself, she allowed sleep to envelop her. She'd had a long day.
./././
She woke up to the smell of eggs and bacon a few hours later. Groaning, she got up and rubbed her face. She'd slept well enough but it would take a few days to get used to not having to wake up early for work or some other early morning task during her visit.
Stretching her arms, she climbed out of her bed and headed to the bathroom to freshen up. Everything was as she remembered except for the new toiletries placed by the sink. She smiled knowing Lee must have taken some time to prepare for her visit. He was probably more excited to have her back than he was letting on, too. She brushed her teeth with the new toothbrush and washed her face with the nicely scented soap bar he'd left her before heading downstairs.
"Good morning, sunshine!" Lee said, flipping an egg before turning to smile at her.
"Good morning," she replied, running a hand through her curls.
"Breakfast smells good," she continued, taking a seat at the table.
"Only the best for my baby," Lee replied. Clementine smiled.
"Can I help in any way?"
"No, you just sit and relax. This is your week off, right?"
"Yes, but still," Clementine replied, shaking her head. They were both so independent and she doubted that would change anytime soon.
"I'm almost done, it's okay," Lee assured. She rolled her eyes but continued to lean on the table.
"So what was so interesting about your flight last night?" Lee asked as he grabbed some plates and cutlery.
Clementine groaned. "You heard that?" The smirk Lee gave her made her want to roll her eyes again.
"It wasn't a big deal," she started, "just some guy I sat beside."
Lee froze and gave her a tilted look. She knew what that meant.
"It wasn't bad, Lee. He was really nice, actually."
"Really?" Lee asked, bringing the heaping plates of food to the table. His eyebrow was raised but she could make out the hint of a smile on his face.
"Yeah," she confirmed, "he's from here and we went to high school around the same time, too."
Lee sat across from her and started eating as she spoke.
"It was kind of nice, you know?" she admitted.
"Did you get his number?" he asked nonchalantly.
"W-what?! No, of course not!" she yelled, feeling a blush creep across her cheeks. Lee laughed out loud.
"Why not? Seems to me like you were having a good time."
"Maybe, but that's a bit much…"
"I don't think so. You're old enough to date, you know."
"Says the man who told me I couldn't date until I turned thirty," she retorted, chewing on a strip of bacon.
"Yeah, but you're five years away from that now," Lee replied, "and it's not like you're trying to find someone, anyway."
"That's because I'm working, okay?"
"Is it?" Lee asked, looking down to cut his egg open. Clementine looked away.
"Well, maybe."
"You're worth it, you know?"
"I know that, but…"
"Listen, I know it's hard out here. But I don't want you to miss out on anything that could make you happy."
"I'll keep that in mind," she replied, smiling at him.
"I'm still going to give him hell when I meet him, though," Lee said with a smile. Clementine shook her head.
"I'm sure you will but I probably won't run into him again,"
Lee shrugged. "You never know. Stranger things have happened."
She could only shrug and return to the food in front of her. Even if he was right, it didn't matter now.
./././
She spent the next few days puttering around the house and going for walks around the nearby parks. She was glad Lee had urged her to come visit, she'd needed the break more than she'd realized.
She'd replayed her conversation with Gabe a few times in her head before deciding to place her focus elsewhere. She would only be in Macon a few more days and the chances of bumping into him were slim to none.
Luckily, a distraction in the form of a dinner invitation from Sarah had forced her to switch gears anyway. Clementine wasn't a master chef, but she knew how to make a few dishes that her best friend enjoyed. Lee didn't have all the ingredients she needed, however, so early one afternoon she headed to the grocery store a little ways away.
Lee wanted a few things too, so she'd made a grocery list on her phone and borrowed his car to get there.
She beelined for the baking section when she entered the air conditioned store. There was a great box cake mix she knew Sarah would enjoy that she wanted to pick up, so she started there.
After finding it and a couple other sweet treats, she headed to the fresh produce section to grab some of the things Lee had asked for.
She was half way there when she heard a voice she thought she recognized. It was a young man's and he was speaking to another man in the aisle beside her. They were talking about a sale going on at another store and she zoned out when she looked back at her grocery list. She re-focussed on getting the things she needed, though she found it strange that she would recognize anyone's voice in Macon when she wasn't in town often.
She passed the aisle without looking into it and walked towards the dairy section. There was a lactose-free yogurt Lee liked that was out of stock but she skimmed through the other options to find something he might like. She was debating over the price of two different yogurt brands when she suddenly heard her name being called out.
"Clementine?" It was that voice again. She turned around and came face to face with someone she hadn't planned on bumping into.
"Gabe?" she asked in surprise. The smile that spread across his face made her want to blush.
What was that about?
"I can't believe it's you! I didn't think I'd get to see you before you left!" he replied.
A man came up beside Gabe and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Oh, so this is the girl you keep going on about," he said. He was tall, with a nice head of hair and a beard to match. He looked awfully familiar for someone she was sure she'd never met but she turned back to Gabe before she could ponder that thought any further.
"S-shut up," Gabe retorted, shrugging him off. The man laughed before offering a hand to Clementine.
"I'm Javier, Gabe's uncle," he said. She took the hand and shook it.
"N-nice to meet you," she replied nervously.
"How has your visit been?" Gabe asked.
"It's been fun, though I haven't done much," she admitted, placing a hand on her hip.
"Did you visit your high school?" he asked. Her face twisted in disgust.
"No, and I wasn't planning to," she replied. Gabe laughed and she couldn't help but follow suit. Javier smirked and began to walk past them.
"I have to pick up a couple of things, meet me at the front when you're done," he said to Gabe before turning to Clementine.
"It was nice meeting you, you're welcome to stop by anytime."
Gabe glared at his retreating figure before turning back to smile at her.
"Ignore him, he's…"
"...pretty cool?" she finished with a raised eyebrow. Gabe scoffed.
"More like a pain in my butt," he said. They laughed as they walked away from the dairy section.
"So, listen…" he started.
"I wanted to ask for your number before I got off the plane, but I froze up," he admitted, staring at the ground. Clementine's eyes widened, she hadn't been expecting to hear him say that.
"I felt really bad about it and didn't think I'd get to see you again to make it right," he continued. He took a deep breath as he looked up at her.
"Do you think you'd have time to hang out before you head back?"
Clementine stared at him for a second before she began to nod.
"S-sure, I'd like that," she stammered, feeling a blush returning to her cheeks.
"Really? Awesome!" Gabe replied, pulling out his phone to exchange numbers. She tried to hold back a giggle as she took his phone.
"You're such a dork," she muttered.
"My little sister says that all the time," Gabe admitted as she added her number to his contact list.
"She's not wrong," she said with a smile, handing back his phone.
"Hey, don't rub it in!"
Gabe joined her in picking up the rest of the things on her list. She filled him in on Sarah's dinner invitation and how she was making a few dishes for the occasion. That seemed to surprise him.
"So you can cook too, huh?"
"You don't sound like you believe me,"
"You seem too focussed on work to have time to spend in the kitchen," Gabe said with a shrug.
"Oh please," Clementine replied, "I'm more than my job, you know,"
"I'm sure you are," he said, winking at her. She rolled her eyes before turning back to her list.
"Dork…"
They met up with Javier at the front of the store and purchased their items before heading out to the parking lot.
"Hey, Clementine," Javier started, "we're having a family dinner this weekend. I know it's short notice, but you should come." Clementine looked at Gabe who was suddenly very red in the face.
"I don't know, I'd hate to intrude…"
"Oh, nonsense," Javier replied, "we'd love to have you, right Gabe?"
"O-of course!" Gabe stammered, laughing nervously. "But only if you want to. No pressure or anything."
Clementine smiled.
"Okay, sure. I'm looking forward to it," she replied with a nod. Gabe seemed to let out a sigh of relief and she tried to ignore the way Javier winked at her when he did.
"Well, I'll text you my address then," Gabe said with a smile.
"Sounds good," she replied.
"Well, uh…" Gabe started again, spreading his arms out slowly. She rolled her eyes before moving forward to give him a hug.
"You're so silly," she said as she hugged him. She knew her face was as red as his had been a minute ago but she tried to play it off. Gabe rubbed the back of his neck and stared at the bleak concrete below him as they pulled apart.
"And it was nice meeting you, Javier," she continued, shaking the man's hand.
"Please, call me Javi," he said with a warm smile.
As she got into her car, she took a deep breath before putting on her seatbelt. That run in had been unexpected, but she was grateful for it. Gabe was really sweet, even if he was a dork and she could see herself spending more time with him if she let a few of her walls down.
She smiled to herself as she pulled out of the parking lot and headed back to her house. As scared as she was, she wanted to see where this could go.
This visit had been full of surprises. Maybe, Lee had been right.
./././
I was extremely upset to hear that the Garcia family will mostly likely not appear in the final season of the Walking Dead. I don't understand why they couldn't have been incorporated in some form or fashion. Even with that knowledge, I'm going to do my best to keep writing Glementine fanfics. I don't want to speak on what I have in the works, but I'm definitely working on some ideas that I'm really excited about. For now, I hope you enjoyed this and have not given up on Glementine. Let me know what you think!