He looked up and resorted to his habitual shake of the head to flick the hair out of his eyes. As his sight focused again, his gaze met the almond shape of bright green eyes. He didn’t look away in a hurry as she did, embarrassed by the intimacy of the moment.
He fumbled trying to thread his belt through the tight loops of his chino trousers and barely suppressed a smile as he risked a glance towards her while she hopped from one foot to another fitting one black boot and then the other and zipping them up her calf under the long skirt with as much grace as she could muster under the circumstances.
She’d never seen him before but she now felt compelled to lift her gaze and quickly take in the clear blue eyes framed by the laughing lines which were clearly used to working all day. She noticed his dark tousled hair falling into his eyes as his tall frame bent down to pick up his shoes.
The feeling of heat spreading inside him made him sense her eyes upon him and he breathed in deeply before looking up again to meet them. This time, she paused a second before letting her gaze drop with one delicate movement.
She’d glimpsed the flash of gold on his fourth finger before burying his hand under his jacket. This didn't surprise her, she’d got used to men of her age being married, but it wasn’t often that she felt a tinge of disappointment. He oozed charm through his expression, his eyes and the smooth movement of his hands. The slight ascent of the corner of his lips showed a mouth prone to smiling.
When they were both fully dressed and they’d arranged their clothes to hide the previous disarray, they each picked up their belongings with slow, lazy motions making the moment last that little bit longer, knowing it was never to happen again.
A cold, impersonal voice interrupted their thoughts, 'Please move on quickly, people are waiting.’
At that, they both looked at the security guard in surprise and then indulged in one more surreptitious glance at each other before parting in the direction of their respective boarding gates.
Oooo, loved this! Surprise endings are my favorite. I've recently started reading flash fiction and it's a lot of fun writing it. Great story here, Sarah!
ReplyDeleteAHHHH! Aren't you the tricky one - I totally didn't see the ending coming. Love it!
ReplyDeleteSo clever! I was convinced they'd been up to you know what until the last few lines! Very well done.... and he was gorgeous! :)
ReplyDeleteI loved the ending... I'm with Talli, you're sneaky!!!
ReplyDeleteFriday Flash is awesome!
Thanks Laura, Talli, Mandy and Jen. That means a lot to me. I love reading them too. There are incredible ideas out there.
ReplyDeleteOoh! Loved the fab twist at the end, toots. Good job!
ReplyDeleteHa - that's great! For an even shorter burst of creative fun, y'all have a go at www.paragraphplanet.com. I do it now and then as a quick writing exercise.
ReplyDeleteExcellent misdirection there, Sarah! I didn't see them being in an airport coming at all. Very cleverly told.
ReplyDeleteLove this story. Wasn't expecting the ending at all... and I'm usually good at sniffing out twists!
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