Rayna wakes when the sunlight begins to stream in through the window in her room. She doesn't want to get out of bed. She doesn't want to face the day or the struggles that it may hold. She doesn't want to face her divorce or her feelings about Deacon. Instead of getting up, she crawls further under the blankets. She uses them to shield herself from the world. Her phone starts to ring. She ignores it. It rings again. She groans. It rings a third time. She picks it up and looks to see who is calling.
"Hello," Rayna says into the phone in a falsely cheerful tone.
"Rayna, where are you? We are scheduled to be on the plane in an hour. Are you getting ready?" Bucky questions.
"Don't worry. I'll be there," she tells him. "I'm gonna go finish getting ready. See ya soon."
She doesn't wait for his response. She slowly makes her way to the closet and begins to get ready for the day. She knows that she won't be able to avoid Deacon on the plane. They will be in close proximity for the three-hour flight. She knows that it will be hard to keep her emotions in check for such a long period of time. They haven't talked about the kiss that they shared in the elevator and Rayna knows that she won't be able to think about anything else while they are on the plane.
When she enters the bathroom, she is thrown off balance by the sudden images of him in her mind: images of him pushing her against a bathroom door, setting her on a bathroom counter, and pulling her down onto a bathroom floor. Hotel bathrooms remind her of him. This one is obviously a lot nicer than the other bathrooms that she associates with the memory of their past life together, but the sentiment is still there. They remind her of the fact that they could never control their passion. They were desperate for each other. The memories of their love haunt her as she attempts to get ready.
She looks into the mirror and wonders where the time has gone. She knows that everything has changed. Every decision that they have made in the past twenty years has shaped them, for better or for worse.
When she is finished packing, she heads down to the hotel lobby. She sees Deacon sitting in one of the chairs. An excited woman is towering over him, showering him with compliments. Even though she hates to admit it, Rayna always notices when any woman steps within five feet of Deacon. She doesn't try to be a hypocrite but she can never help the twinge of jealousy that rises in the pit of her stomach. She sees him smiling at the woman and talking with her enthusiastically. She walks over to them. Deacon looks surprised to see her.
"I don't mean to interrupt," she starts. The lie slides off of her tongue before she can catch it. "But I think we should be headin out toward the plane, Deacon."
Rayna feels silly for being unable to control her impulse to break up the conversation but she hates the thought of seeing him with another woman. Usually, she can control herself better but her emotions have been going haywire since the kiss. Now that Teddy has asked for a divorce, her usual reasons for staying away from Deacon no longer apply. She can't ever remember feeling so many conflicting emotions at once. If life was simple, she would ignore her misgivings and express her love for Deacon, but life isn't simple. She is worried about the girls, the divorce, her career, and many other things. How would reigniting a romantic relationship with Deacon solve any of her problems? It wouldn't. It would probably only create more problems for her and for her family. Rayna sighs. No matter how much she loves him, she knows that it is not a good time to be starting a relationship.
Deacon smiles apologetically at the woman and tells her goodbye.
"What was that, Ray?" he asks.
"What do you mean?" she questions innocently.
"Nevermind," he answers before walking away to grab his bag.
Rayna knows that he wants to say more but for the past 13 years they have been stuck in an endless cycle of leaving everything that might cross a line left unsaid. She watches him as he reaches down to lift up his bag. The way his muscles strain makes her pulse quicken. The images of him loving her are still fresh in her head and seeing his strong arms pick up the heavy bag only makes it worse. She feels an urge to escape but this time she wants him to be her escape. He starts to walk away but Rayna calls after him.
"Deacon, wait!"
He looks back in surprise. She is surprised too. She doesn't know what has gotten into her. The wall that she has built around her heart over the years is crumbling. She is confused. Her conflicting emotions are driving her crazy. She is no longer acting logically. She is acting on impulse and giving into the desires that she has buried for so long. Deacon lets Rayna catch up to him. They begin to walk together.
"What's up, Ray?" he asks, trying to mask his curiosity.
"I was just wondering… do you think we can talk in private when we get back to Nashville?" she asks boldly.
Rayna doesn't know where the words came from but she hopes desperately that he will agree. She doesn't know what she will say to him if he agrees but she knows that she doesn't want to be away from him when they get home even if it complicates things.
"Sure, Ray. What do you want to talk about?" he questions.
She hesitates.
"I just need to talk to you," she tells him.
He smiles. He contemplates her words. He is overwhelmed with emotion at the thought of her needing him.
"Okay. Here, let me help you with your luggage," he offers.
She pushes the handle of her suitcase towards him. His hand brushes hers as he reaches for it. They both smile at each other cautiously.
"Thank you," she says gratefully.
They walk together in silence towards the car that will take them to the plane. Both of them are lost in their own thoughts. When they reach the car, they slide into the back seat. When they are settled in, the driver begins to drive toward their destination. It is the first time in weeks that they have been in each other's company for more than a few minutes. There is an obvious tension between them. Deacon is unsure of how to act. They have avoided the topic of the kiss and of the text message that she sent to him afterwards, but both of them know that it is the only thing either of them can think about right now. Rayna wishes she could just reach over and kiss him right now. She knows it would be amazing but she can't stop worrying about the consequences. Deacon notices the way that Rayna is looking at him. He recognizes the look in her eyes. He knows that his eyes are reflecting the same emotions back into hers right now. He is overcome with the urge to kiss her. Just as he leans forward to fulfill his desire, her phone rings, breaking them from their trance.
"It's Bucky," she says.
"Answer it," he tells her.
She looks at him apologetically as she picks up the phone.
"Yeah, Buck," she says.
Deacon watches her while she talks. His eyes drift to her lips and he has to remind himself that he cannot act on his desires.
"Listen, Rayna, there has been a delay. Juliette had an emergency and had to take the jet. We won't be able to fly you or Deacon back to Nashville until tomorrow," he informs her.
"Thanks for letting me know, Bucky," she says as she hangs up.
Rayna turns to Deacon.
"Looks like we'll be here for another night," she says.
Deacon looks confused.
"Why, Ray? What's going on?" he asks.
"Juliette took the jet. We have to wait until tomorrow to fly home," she explains.
She tells the driver that they need to return to the hotel. They sit in silence contemplating the change of events.
"Well, what do we do now?" Deacon asks.
"I guess we make the most of it," she tells him.
"Well, Ray, why don't we go somewhere nice to eat tonight? We can enjoy the free time in the city and relax a little bit," he says.
"I don't know if that's such a good idea," she answers.
"Oh, come on. Nothing will happen. It'll be fun. I know you could use some relaxation with everything that's going on," he tries.
She appears to be thinking the idea over in her mind. Deacon is hoping desperately that she will agree.
"Okay," she says. "I guess that sounds nice."
Deacon smiles. He thinks that staying another night might not be so be bad after all.