Page 29 of Just Like You (Square Mile Rogues #2)

Kieron

I walked into the galley in the middle of the night to find him perched on a jump seat with a cup of tea on the floor and his iPad on his lap, swiftly stabbing words into the screen.

“Hey,” he said softly.

“You’re busy,” I commented, as he tipped another jump seat down with his foot, motioning for me to take a seat.

“Want another glass of wine?” he asked, now nodding to the girl who was loading food into the oven in the galley. “Janey will get you one.”

“Better not.” I smiled. “I need to go into the office and work today. I promised Juliet to be there, so I will.”

“Babe,” he said softly, and the way he looked at me? I melted. Boneless and weary.

“I need to have a nap, just wanted to see you.”

“I’m right here.”

“That guy, Chris, he hasn’t stopped all night. I keep seeing him run around with paperwork.”

“He’s collating all the bars. Customs papers and all that.”

“And Elina, who served me? Never stopped. Kept going and kept smiling. How do you do it? I just know that I couldn’t do what you do. I would be punching the living daylights out of the guy in 9E by now.”

“I almost punched you once, remember? You were being a dick.”

Agreed, and I might have blushed.

“Sorry,” I mumbled.

“Don’t. You’re just you. And sometimes? We’re allowed to be dicks. As long as we know we are.”

“Eloquently said.” I smiled. “You going to take a break?”

“Not yet. Have things to do still. ”

“When we land.” I cleared my throat because I… We hadn’t discussed this.

“Will you wait for me? So I can say goodbye to you properly?” He interrupted.

“I was hoping you could come home with me. Sleep in my bed so that I have something to look forward to when I get off work.”

“You’ll be exhausted.”

“And you will be hungry.”

“You know me well.”

“I could bring you…you know. Food. Look after you.”

“I need to do laundry and repack my bag. Sort my life out.”

“You can do that from mine. And if you need to go back? As I said. I have a snazzy car.”

“You manipulative little shit.” He laughed. “What have you hidden in my bag this time? I don’t dare to look.”

“You still have the Patek on your arm. We need to get that adjusted for you.”

“Ki.” He sighed.

“And I will show you the rest of my watches. You’ll like them. My favourite is a white gold Rolex with an olive-green face. It’s stunning.”

“What are you like, bribing me with pretty things.”

“I know.”

“How will I ever learn to live with you? You open your mouth, and I lose my spine. Well, you fucked my spine to splinters earlier.”

“I am right here and can hear you,” this Janey girl said, laughing. “So can the guy in 1A behind you.”

“Sorry, lovely.” He grinned.

“Don’t worry.” She continued. “Jules here has told me all about your sex-a-thon. Like I couldn’t hear the walls shaking in my room, and I was two doors down from you.”

“Damn.” I grinned.

Shame? I had none.

“I like how you guys have no secrets.” I had to say it, as they both laughed.

“We’ve never met before and will probably never meet again,” Janey said, handing Julian another cup of tea.

“Also?” he continued. “We have to bond really quickly on board. So sharing something personal and usually inappropriate helps. Janey came on board, shook my hand, handed me a cup of tea and told me she hated kids and wanted a poodle.”

“Oh dear.” I smiled. “And what was your contribution to that conversation?”

He rolled his eyes, and Janey did too.

“He told me he’d met the love of his life and was dragging him out to Brazil to get seen to by his monster cock. ”

Yeah. I swallowed whatever liquid I had in my mouth and almost choked on my laughter.

“Damn,” I said, and Julian just smiled.

“We have no secrets here. Part of the job.”

“I’m beginning to see that.”

“And if you want the tea?” Janey squeezed herself down on the single jump seat as Julian moved to make space. The two of them huddled together like naughty children.

“Chris shagged Emma in economy, right down the back of the bar last night. They didn’t even make it to the room, and Emma now has all the regrets, won’t even look at him.

What complicates the matter further is that the First Officer thought he had it in with Emma, and now he’s got the hump and she’s just hiding in the back galley wanting to sink through the floor. ”

“Oh, Emma.” I sighed. I had no idea who she was, but hey?

“I’ve had words,” Julian put out there. “I’m not expecting any drama. If Chris and Thom in the flight deck want to have some kind of catfight? They can sort that at home, off my patch. Whilst on this heap of shit plane? We keep it civil.”

“Also?” Janey grinned evilly. “Thom is married. Yeah. Slight complication here and yeah.”

“The guilt trip is real.”

“The regret is real.”

“Good tea. ”

“I always make the best tea.”

I suddenly felt exhausted. I still smiled. Gosh.

“I work in an office in the city. I thought we were bad.”

“How bad can it get?” Janey waved her hand in the air.

“I mean? Crew-life is Drama central. But do tell. Our lips are sealed. We may be right gossip mongers, but we keep secrets well. I mean? We look after the world’s celebrities, and we never ever spill the beans. But with our crew? God help us all.”

“You want gossip?”

“Yesssss!” Julian drawled. “Entertain us.”

“How about…my boss shagged her risk analyst and they got engaged, and then he shagged his best mate on his stag night? It all came out in the wash.”

“Oh…” Both of them. Like a little choir of glee. I had to laugh, suppose I could provide tea as well. Juliet. Loved her to pieces, but that fuck-up had been one hell of a tea party. We laughed about it now, even though I still hated Bash. Or maybe I didn’t quite hate him. Maybe.

“The new account manager?” I continued, hoping I wasn’t saying too much.

“Youngish, naive and sheltered, straight out of uni, and he is not even trying to be discreet about shagging everything that moves. He’s currently got his eye on the receptionist. She’s…

got a dick but presents and identifies as female.

The guy doesn’t know, despite the resident office shit stirrer giving him every hint under the sun.

That will not end well, and the receptionist?

Oh God, she is loving every little bit of his awkward attempts at flirting .

“That…”

“Will end in tears. Even I have started to try to pry him off her. Not good.”

“And I thought we were bad!”

“Yeah, and then we have the resident oversexed account manager who won’t stop until he has had a piece of everyone in the office.”

“Has he had a piece of you?” Julian grinned.

“Regrettably,” I admitted, feeling my face flame as Janey howled. “And I feel terrible telling you, but it was one of those moments where my life flashed before my eyes. He was on top of the photocopier, and I was…yeah. And there was my boss walking in on us.”

“Oh God,” Janey howled, clapping her hands. “This is the kind of stuff I live for. Sat on a jump seat at four in the morning getting the best gossip. If I see your name on my roster again, Jules? Bring this guy. He’s good.”

“I’m embarrassed to admit it, but your work life is fabulous compared to mine.” No lie, I was quite enjoying this…cling-on business.

“At least, you have fun.”

“Maybe I do,” I admitted. “And…it’s the people who make it worthwhile. I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else because despite the absolute bullshit that goes on in that company? I like it. Love my boss. And I have a PA who takes no bullshit, no prisoners and threatens me on the daily. ”

“Sounds fabulous. Julian here, threatening Thom earlier, was gold.”

“And I missed it?” I shrieked.

“And on that note? Kieron? Go to bed. I have things to do, and in a minute, I will have full carnage here if I don’t rein things in.”

“Okay.” I grinned.

“Love you,” he mouthed.

“Love you too.”

“And when we land? Get off and wait for me outside Customs. You’re mad, but I might take you up on your crazy offer. The thought of waking up to food is very tempting. Tea, toast and can I get marmalade this time?”

“Your wish is my command.”

“You two,” Janey mused. “So cute.”

“I know.” I grinned. Then I went to bed. Because? Yeah.

Happy. What a funny thing that was. But I was, truly. Bloody happy.

I sat in my seat watching us surf the top of the clouds on landing. The sun gave everything a rose-tinted tinge, and the surrealistic reality of me sitting there, seemingly floating above the world, gave me both a sense of peace and some…weird feelings.

Like whatever I had done in the past? Was now being soothed by…

insight. What a strange concept it was, but the thoughts in my head were new and frightening.

Like something had finally cl icked in my head, and I finally understood the universe.

I had a sudden urge to text Juliet and tell her I’d discovered peace and understanding and wanted to hear the laughter that would follow her response, where she’d probably threaten to have me locked up or send me to the HR appointed therapist. Nothing she hadn’t threatened with before, but this time it might actually be warranted.

I was happy. I understood, very clearly, what was going on here.

Because I had grown up so incredibly loved.

Cared for and moved around in what had been a soup of maternal instinct and drug-infused delusion.

And I had loved it. It had, in a very misguided way, been the perfect way for a young boy to live.

Then it had all been snatched away, and I couldn’t look back in anger.

Not anymore, because I was right here making the same choices.

Just fewer drugs. More structured planning.

Some kind of sense floating hazily in the background.

I had wanted this. All my life I had wanted to belong, and in this strange environment with Julian by my side?

I belonged. I was me, through and through.

No longer masking irrational anger or pretending to be something I wasn’t.

Because deep down? I was just this guy who needed someone.

I was not a lone wolf. I wasn’t perfect.

But I needed people around me, and now I was at a point in my life where… it suddenly made sense.

I had Gina. The two of us both finally in a place now where we worked. No ifs, no buts, no weird guilt trip of missed connections and awkward encounters.

We fit. And we worked .

I loved my job. I strangely really liked it, despite the idiots working there and Juliet being constantly on my back. I needed that. And I was grateful.

And now?

I was getting married to a guy I’d known for what? Three odd weeks? Perhaps four?

And he was definitely a drug. My drug of choice. Perhaps I was being obsessive and over the top, and my sensibilities were screaming at me, but there we were. This felt right, and I was going to run with it, and whatever other people thought, I didn’t care.

Gina would laugh. Juliet? She’d tease me and then probably send me totally inappropriate flowers. Leave me weird notes with little threats on. Send Faye to annoy me. Hug me when nobody was watching.

I loved when she did that.

Damn it, now I was sat here with tears in my eyes, right in public with strangers watching, but I couldn’t help it. My chest was spasming with feelings, a weird mix of happiness and grief.

I wondered, if my mother could see me now, would she be proud of who I’d become? Would she have laughed? She’d had such a fun laugh, and she’d often been happy. I remembered her happy.

Strangely, hoped she still was however that worked.

I had so few memories from back then, having blocked out most of it in grief and anger.

Now though, I felt it. I felt a weird sense of pride in myself, that I’d made it this far.

Built a life for myself and become…this me.

Someone who lived freely and without fear.

I was just me. An d I didn’t want to change that, instead I wanted to build on it.

Become a better person. Calmer. More satisfied with the world around me.

Less alone.

Happier.

Goddamn it. I smiled to myself and just allowed myself to feel. And the next thing I knew? A crew member was tapping my arm, telling me we’d landed and that I had to get off because the cleaners needed to get on. Also, here was Julian, laughing at me.

“Babes, you need to get off. We’ve got things to do.”

Did we? Had we?

“Come on,” he said. “Get off, you big oaf, and meet me outside Customs. I’ve been promised tea and a bed for the night. Remember?”

I did, and I hastily gathered my stuff, my phone in my pocket. Bag. God. What was I like?

“Love you,” he said quietly. “Now get off. See you in a bit?”

Yeah. Absolutely.

“Love you too,” I replied. And then? Life. What a bloody circus this was.

I had to laugh at myself, walking up the jetty, pressing my phone to my ear.

“Kieron,” she said in my ear .

“Juliet.” I grinned.

“I hope you’re on your way.”

“I’ll be there in two hours sharp. Just walking off the plane.”

“Great.”

“And…I have news.”

“Fabulous. Did you get him pregnant? Have you been headhunted? I’ll bloody shut that firm down if they come for you again.”

“Nah.”

“Then what? Don’t keep me guessing here.”

“I’m getting married.”

She howled with laughter. I just hung up, because. Yeah. Life.

Insane. But maybe I was as well, and I truly didn’t care.