Page 11 of The Christmas Express

Cali

When the seat belt sign clicks off, I’m one of the first to leap up, my belongings already gathered in my arms, and the man next to me is so fed up with me by this point that he and his neighbour willingly scoot into the aisle to let me grab my bag from the overhead locker before them.

Ember is refusing to make eye contact with me any more, and the others are all busy getting themselves ready to disembark. Only Luke looks over his shoulder at me and I try to convey that I need to talk to him urgently, using only the power of my eyebrows.

I guess they aren’t that powerful, because he puts his headphones back on and looks away.

Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go. I don’t actually push the people in front of me shuffling off the plane, but I’d quite like to.

As soon as I emerge into the tunnel, I take three seconds to let excitement wash over me at the sight of Canadian flags (I’m in Toronto!

!!), and then race to catch up with Luke et al.

It’s not until passport control that I get close, but Luke is too far ahead of me in the switchback queue. Joss and I, on the other hand, keep ending up side by side briefly, before we both move forward and out of sync until the next switchback.

Joss wouldn’t be my first choice of initial confidante, but needs must.

‘Hey,’ I stage whisper to her.

She looks up at me from her phone but says nothing. I guess we haven’t magically all become besties again, then.

‘Ember’s not here for the wedding,’ I say, keeping my voice low.

‘Oh. Good.’ Joss goes back to her phone.

‘No, I mean she is, just not in the way we thought. Joss ?’

She taps something with a flourish and then drags her gaze back to me. ‘What?’

‘It’s Ember. She’s here to ruin the wedding.’

‘No way?’ The awkwardness drops for a second, and a smirk comes across Joss’s face like we’re just having a good gossip, but then she seems to check herself. ‘No, she’s not.’

‘Y-yes, she is,’ I stutter. I’m so bad at any kind of confrontational speaking, but we have to push aside our differences – just for the moment – until this problem gets resolved.

‘In a roundabout way. She just told me – she thinks Bryn still has feelings for her so she’s come out to see her, to see if they should get back together before it’s too late. ’

‘I don’t know if that’s romantic or delusional.’

With that, the line moves and she shuffles forwards quickly, as if happy to be able to break up our convo as we lose our spot beside each other. By the time we’re back side by side again, she says. ‘I’ll, um, text Joe about it.’

‘Oh good.’ I sigh. Joe was always a bit of a voice of reason. When he had an opinion of his own, that is. ‘I’m glad you and Joe are still... you know... close. After everything that happened.’

‘We’re not close,’ she replies, teeth gritted. ‘I barely see him any more.’

‘Ah. Sibling rivalry, eh?’ I do a nervous-guffaw which is quite talented considering my foot is lodged deeply in my mouth.

She ignores me. ‘Well, he reckons we should just mind our own business.’

‘We can’t do that, can we? Don’t we have to let Bryn know? Warn her?’

Joss shrugs and we meet eyes but both quickly look away, me down at my shoes, her back at her phone. After a moment, Joss adds, ‘Maybe she wouldn’t want to be warned. Maybe she does still have a thing for Ember. We don’t know Bryn any more, remember?’

The line moves forward again, snatching Joss with it and I do a giant sigh, ruffling the hair of the person in front of me. Somewhere too far behind me in the queue is Ember. I think I need to talk to her, urgently, but what do I even say to her at this point?

Ahead of me, Joss veers off for her turn through passport control, and I focus on looking calm rather than antsy and suspicious for a few minutes. Once I’m through too, I speed walk to baggage claim.

My phone dings with a series of messages just as I reach the carousel. I pull it from my pocket. Texts about the local phone service, one from Bryn, I’ll read that in a minute. Where are the others?

I find Luke again in that strange magnetic way and zoom over to him.

He’s in his headphones again, but frowning at his phone.

I don’t get a second to signal to him to take them off before he does so without noticing me, and Sara with her long violet hair strides over, parting the sea of travellers as she goes.

‘Have you seen this?’ She tilts her head to the side, holding up her phone.

Hello to you, too . ‘What?’ I say.

She focuses on me for the first time this trip and the awkward in me wants to lob out a compliment or a smile or something, but her impassive face makes my brain blank.

Luke answers. ‘Bryn’s message.’

‘I need to talk to you guys about Bryn, actually, it’s urgent,’ I stammer.

‘What the actual—’ Joss’s voice rings out beside us. ‘Did any of you know about this?’

‘Know about what?’ I ask. I give the crowd a quick scan for Ember and then open Bryn’s message. ‘Is this about the big surprise?’

I have to read it several times before it really registers what she’s telling us. ‘Wait, so we’re not getting a connecting flight? We’re not going to Vancouver today?’

‘We’re not getting to Vancouver until after Christmas,’ states Sara.

‘But, we’re in the cabin over Christmas.’ My brows furrow and I look to Luke like he might have the answers.

‘We’ll be in some cabins over Christmas,’ snorts Joe. I’d nearly forgotten he was even here, and I turn to him. We exchange nods of hello but then he purposefully steps back from the group, hiding in the shadow of his sister again.

Luke’s soft eyes run over my face. Does he know he makes my heart jump – still – when he does that? It’s like everyone else has left the terminal and it’s just me and him, once again. ‘I think this is Bryn’s big surprise.’

We’ve all received the same message, the details of the last leg of our journey spelled out, reservations attached.

We won’t be flying to the west coast of Canada.

We won’t be meeting Bryn here in the airport. We won’t be spending Christmas in the luxuriously large cabin covered in soft snow and sleeping under faux fur blankets.

I read aloud from the message. ‘ Surprise! I know you were hoping to spend Christmas in the cabin, but you’ll just have to wait a few more days.

Instead, your Canadian adventure starts here.

I’ve booked three (non-refundable!) cabins on board a cross-Canada train service which leaves Toronto tomorrow morning.

The journey takes four days, and my biggest wedding wish is that when you get here, you’re happy.

With each other. I know that might be a lot to ask, but please leave the past in Toronto, and spend your time on the journey remembering all the things we used to love about each other.

For me? Please? Sorry and love you all. Kiss kiss kiss .

‘Bloomin’ heck,’ I finish, looking at them in turn (but mainly at Luke). (My eyes keep betraying me!) ‘So, we’re spending Christmastime crossing Canada, coast-to-coast, on a train.’

I mean, in theory it actually sounds totally up my street and like a lot of fun. But, jeez Bryn. Way to try and force the reconciliation.

It’s probably a sizable train, though, right? Maybe we could take a carriage each? Not even see each other until Boxing Day? ‘Ember!’ I cry, as she walks past us and towards the exit, her baseball cap back on her head, a backpack on her shoulder, her chin dipped.

‘Ember’s here?’ Sara whirls around. ‘Bryn’s ex?’

‘Ember, stop a minute,’ I call.

Joss stands in my way. ‘Can we focus on the train situation for a second?’

‘One problem at a time,’ I tell them all. ‘She thinks Bryn still has feelings for her. She’s on her way to crash the wedding. Ember, WAIT .’

My voice can be loud when I want it to be but I didn’t mean to make everyone at baggage claim look at me – just one person. Thankfully, she stops, and turns, giving us all a tight smile.

‘Don’t go to Vancouver,’ I say, desperation in my voice. I don’t know how to stop her, but I know, I just know that Bryn wouldn’t want this right before her dream wedding. At least, the Bryn I used to know wouldn’t.

‘Just leave it, okay? Leave me to do my thing.’ Ember sighs.

‘No, this isn’t a good idea.’ I don’t know what to say, I glance around at the others, but we all share blank looks like we’re strangers, not people that once could practically read each other’s thoughts. They’re being no help at all.

‘Cali. You can’t talk me out of this,’ she says.

‘But—’

She holds up a hand. ‘No. We aren’t friends any more.’

Ember starts moving again, following the direction of a sign towards connecting internal flights.

Shiiiiiiit. I have to do something. ‘I know,’ I call out, and Ember stops again. ‘I know we aren’t friends any more. But surely we all just want to do what would make Bryn happy, right?’

‘Exactly,’ cries Ember. ‘How do you know I’m not the one who would make her happy?’

‘I don’t. You’re right. But... Please just think about it a little longer.’

‘I can think about it over the next five hours on my flight to Vancouver.’

I glance at the group behind me, and then back at Ember, impatient, but waiting to hear what I have to say, which is a good sign, yes?

I cling to that and throw out the only suggestion that comes to mind. ‘Why don’t you come with us? Travel to Vancouver with us. Turns out we’re going by sleeper train.’

‘How long will that take?’

I consider lying, but don’t. ‘Four days.’

Ember chuckles. ‘Maybe I’ll see you in Vancouver, if I’m still there.’

‘Please?’ I move towards her.

‘Cali...’

I ignore Luke trying to get my attention behind me. ‘Just take a pause, come on the train with us. If you still want to see Bryn by the end of the journey, we promise we won’t stand in your way.’ Weird gamble I’ve just made on the situation, but needs must.

Ember looks at us all, which is, frankly, brave. I don’t think I want to know what their faces are all saying right now. ‘Why would I do that? I could go right there and be with Bryn tonight.’