Mike stands backstage, behind the curtain. He can hear the noise of the crowd growing—it's almost showtime.
He takes out his phone, for the hundredth time that night. Still nothing from Abby. He pounds his fist lightly on the wall as he thinks. Ever since the minute he laid eyes on her, he's wanted to know more, wanted to experience more of her.
Normally girls don't have this kind of effect on him—the crazy checking of the phone, the up-all-night fantasies.
"You ready, my man?"
Mike turns to see Dallas behind him. He's shirtless, ready to go out and get the crowd warmed up.
"Uh-huh," Mike says.
Dallas raises an eyebrow. "You don't sound too enthusiastic there."
"I just—I have something on my mind."
"Something, or someone?"
Mike forces a laugh. "Since when have you known me to lose my mind over a girl?"
Shaking his head, Dallas lays a hand on Mike's shoulder. "You gotta grow up sometime. It happens to the best of us. Who's the girl?"
"Hey, what girl?" Richie says, walking up to them.
"There's no girl," Mike says.
"You mean except for the one you ran off with, and made us cover for you the rest of the show?" Richie says.
"He thinks we have damn short memories," Dallas says.
Mike shakes his head. "Let's not keep these ladies waiting."
"Whatever you say, loverboy." Dallas grins and slinks out on stage.
The crowd screams, and Mike gets into character. Thoughts of Abby will have to wait.
Abby wakes up with a jolt. She looks around, confused for a moment—she's in a car. A limousine, to be more accurate. Through the fog of sleep she remembers, and turns to see Travis typing on his phone.
He looks up. "You're awake."
"I'm sorry." Abby rubs her eyes.
"Don't apologize. It's a long drive out here."
"Where are we?"
"Almost there."
Abby looks out the window—they're in the middle of nowhere. How long was she asleep for?
A couple of minutes later, the limo turns off the main road and stops at a gate. The sign on the gate says:
Private Property. Trespassers will be prosecuted.
Within seconds the gate starts to slide open, the sound of clanging metal breaking the silence.
The road beyond the gate is dark. Abby turns back to Travis.
"This is T5?"
Travis nods, but doesn't answer—he's caught up in whatever he's typing on his phone.
When the limo finally stops, Travis smiles at Abby and gets out. Abby follows him.
They're standing in front of a single, sad-looking hangar. The metal walls have strips of rust, and the building's sign has fallen from its place, now sitting face-down on the ground where piles of rubbish are strewn about.
"I don't understand," Abby says.
"Come inside," Travis says.
"In there?" Abby raises her eyebrows at the hangar.
"It's not as scary as it looks," Travis says. He winks. "I promise."
He walks over to the door and pulls it open. Abby stands behind him, peering in—it's pitch black inside. Travis feels on the inside wall for the light switch.
"Are we meant to be here?" Abby asks. "Do we have permission?"
"We don't need permission. I bought the company on the way here."
He finds the light and switches it on. He steps inside.
The hangar slowly comes to life, the light illuminating an immaculately-kept interior. The walls are freshly painted, and the room is lined with shelving and workdesks, all in perfect order.
In the middle of the hangar is a single, small plane. It's the type with a small propellor on the front, and space for two inside. It gleams white under the bright lights, and has a curving red pattern painted on the side. Near the tail is the word "Eternity".
Travis walks over to the plane, runs his hand over the pattern, stopping on Eternity.
"It's finally mine," Travis says. "All these years later and it's mine."
Abby walks over to stand next to him. He has tears in his eyes.
"Whose plane is this?" she asks.
"It belonged to a friend. And I'm going to take it home."
"Home to where?"
"Tallahassee."
Abby bites her lip, hard. She can feel her eyes widen, and she tries to force them back to normal.
"What's in Tallahassee?" she finally manages to say, her voice low. She's sure Travis will be able to hear her heart beating wildly, so she covers her chest with her hand.
"The fulfilment of a promise and the end of a long story."
"A long story…" Abby mumbles.
Travis turns to her. "Have you ever been there?"
"I lived there for a little while." Abby tries to sound calm, but she can't look Travis in the eye.
"See, there's another thing we have in common."
"You're going there now? To—to Tallahassee?" The word tastes bitter on her tongue.
Travis sighs. "No. Not now. But soon. Right after I take care of some business."
Abby nods, relieved. For a moment she thought he was going to ask her—
"I want you to come with me when I go," Travis says. "I think you're going to like how this plays out."
"I don't think I can do that. I have work."
"You work for me. Tom will do whatever I tell him to do."
"I have—" Abby panics, unable to think of an excuse. "That should be fine," she says. She needs time, to think of a reason to go. Three years ago she swore she'd never set foot in Tallahassee again, that she'd die before she did, and she intends to keep that vow.
Travis leans in, his face close to hers. "I'm glad I found you," he whispers. He kisses her, his lips soft, gentle.
Despite herself, Abby kisses him back. And at that exact moment, an image of Mike flashes into her mind.