Aria Graice - 47. Chapter 47

The inside of the plane came as an enormous shock to Drew. It seemed much bigger than it had from the outside. Gone were the rows of seats he’d come to expect, and in their place were luxurious sofas and recliner chairs, with highly polished wooden tables and stainless steel trim. The back and the front were curtained off. Aria excitedly informed him that there was probably a bedroom at the back and a kitchen/bar at the front. Drew was happy to take his word for it. He collapsed on a pure white sofa and closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes, Jay and Ceriann were seated on an identical sofa on the opposite side of the plane and Aria was dancing barefoot on the plush white carpet while Amara watched with a curious expression of longing. It tugged at Drew’s heart because he knew Amara dearly wanted to be dancing with his brother but was nowhere near up to it. He reached out to catch Amara’s hand and tugged him gently until Amara sat next to him, when Drew wrapped him in an embrace while they watched Aria, who had his eyes closed and an expression of bliss on his face.

Eventually, Aria collapsed next to Drew.

“The carpet is so amazing,” he gasped. “It’s like dancing on clouds.”

“We’ll be dancing through them soon,” Jay said, their eyes shining.

Ceriann looked excited, too. “I’ve never been on a plane before.”

“What? Never?” Drew stared at her. “Yeah right. You’ve been all over the world.”

“Mostly by car or on foot, with a boat or two here and there. I’ve never been in a plane.” She thought for a moment. “Although I did get a ride on a helicopter once. That was cool.”

“I’ll bet,” Aria said. “That would be really exciting. I’ve never been on a helicopter.”

“Yes you have,” Amara said. He was still smiling but he looked exhausted. He had very little stamina these days and had pretty much worn it out.

“When?”

“Tombs of the Pharos Two: Ten days in the Desert. They were filming in a helicopter and the sound man took us up to see the sets from above.”

“Oh yeah. But we were…what…six?”

“Around that. I remember though. That was the time Father taught us to ride camels.”

“Well, he didn’t exactly teach us, he just sat us up there and told us not to fall off.”

“We didn’t fall off though.”

“Only because we had people catch us. It’s bloody high up there.”

“It is. I prefer horses.”

“Do you remember that elephant?”

“Oh God, don’t.”

The twins continued to chatter, flinging sentences back and forth like a game of ping pong. Drew loved to watch them when they really got into it. They lit up. But this time, Amara couldn’t keep up and the delighted reminiscing petered out quickly. It was just as well really because the hostess appeared.

“What have you two been up to this time?” she said fondly.

Aria lit up. “Hello Jan. Don’t pretend you don’t know. It’s in all the papers.”

Jan laughed. “I know better than to believe everything I read in the press.”

“Only you.” Amara smiled at her and it was clear both twins knew her fairly well.

“You must be Drew,” she said with a bright smile. “You’re one thing I was glad to read about. These two deserve someone to take care of them.” She grinned. “They need it too.”

“You’re not wrong there,” Drew said. “People keep telling me what a handful they are and I’m not about to disagree.”

“Hey,” Aria said and hit him with a cushion.

“I rest my case.”

Jan patted Drew’s arm. “Don’t worry, they’re worth it.”

“I know.” Drew smiled at his boys and his world went soft when they smiled back.

“So, did Alexei say you could come on this plane,” Amara asked, “or are you cheating on him?”

Jan laid a hand on her heart. “As if we would do something like that,” she said, looking horrified, then she grinned. “Your grandmother arranged it. She wasn’t quite sure how you’d react to all the secrecy and thought you’d like some familiar faces at this end.”

The twins thought about it, sharing the twin look. They nodded in unison. “Yes, we like it,” Amara said, “but we’re a little worried that grandmother thought we might not take this well and went ahead and did it anyway.”

Jan’s smile was understanding. “It must be difficult for her to suddenly have two grown men in her life who she doesn’t really know. I would imagine that to her you are still the children she once knew. She’s really old, you know,” she finished with a laugh.

“Yes, she is,” Aria said picking up the jibe. “Very old. Even older than Drew. Even older than Jeff. Maybe not as old as Ceriann.”

“Hey, you cheeky monkey. I’m not as old as Jeff. How old do you think I am? No, seriously, how old do you think I am?”

Aria, Amara and Jay dissolved into helpless laughter while Jeff and Drew merely smirked. Ceriann looked furious. If she were in a cartoon she would have had smoke coming out of her ears and nose. Then, as if a switch had been flipped, she laughed. “I guess everyone looks old to babies,” she said. “And children need to play.”

“We are not children,” Aria said indignantly.

“You are to me,” she said. “Since I’m so old.”

Jan chuckled. “I’ll let you get on with it,” she said. “I’ll just go check how Captain Stewart is doing. Put your seatbelts on because we’re all ready to go once final checks are done.”

Indeed, only minutes after Jen stepped through the curtain at the front of the plane, a voice came over a loudspeaker. “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. We will be taking off in a few minutes. Could you please fasten your seatbelts.”

Everyone scrabbled to find the seatbelts, half hidden in the plush furniture, and it seemed like only moments later before the engine began to throb and the plane vibrated gently.

“Make sure you’re buckled up because we’re about to go.”

Aria bounced in place excitedly. “I love this part. It’s my favourite.”

“It’s not mine,” Jay said, looking a little pale.

“I’ll reserve judgement,” Amara said. He looked pale and nervous.

Drew kicked mentally kicked himself. True, Amara was well on the way to healing, but he wasn’t there yet. His ribs were still painful and, due to the infection, his wound was still raw and painful. He was tender and sore and bumpy rides were likely to be uncomfortable. He could only hope that Lady Jane had checked with Amara’s doctors before making arrangement. Knowing her, she probably had. Probably.

For now, their biggest worry was the seatbelt. Amara had obediently clicked it into place but it clearly hurt. Drew couldn’t see a way to avoid it though, the alternative being to go without a belt and that wasn’t an option. The best he could do was loosen it a notch.

Although it galled him to be helpless, all Drew could do was hold Amara’s hand. He couldn’t even draw him close because leaning to the side made it worse.

Aria, sitting on Drew’s other side, caught the tension and quickly snapped into seriousness. “Are you hurting, Mara?”

“The seatbelt isn’t fun, but it’s okay. It won’t be for long.”

Aria undid his belt. “I’ll go tell Jan.”

The engine throbbed and the plane began to move.

“Sit down, Aria. I’ll be okay.”

“It’s fine.” Aria began to walk toward the cabin.

“Aria, stop.”

“It’s too late, Aria,” Jay said. “Sit down and buckle up. You’re not helping anyone right now. You’re just upsetting Amara.”

“But he’s hurting.”

“I hurt all the time,” Amara said pragmatically. “I can handle it. Please sit down.”

Aria glanced at the front of the plane, then at Amara, who had his hand outstretched toward him. Then he sighed and sat down.

“You can’t protect me from everything, Aria, like I can’t protect you from everything. We just do the best we can and when we can’t we suck it up.”

“I don’t like sucking it up.”

“Well, it’s not a party for me, but we’ve got to do it. Just think about where we’re going and what it’s going to be like when we get there.”

“I can’t,” Aria said sulkily. “I don’t know where we’re going.”

“Then we can be going anywhere. Where would you like to go?”

“I don’t know,” Aria was sliding into a full-scale Aria funk and that was never pleasant. Aria did not do well when he couldn’t do something he badly wanted to do, and when Amara was concerned, taking care of his brother was always what he badly wanted to do.

“I’d like to go to Swizerland,” Jay said. “Or maybe Austria. I love to ski.”

“I don’t think grandmother would be sending Amara skiing, Jay,” Aria said scornfully.

“He could sit in the lodge drinking spiced wine and ordering everyone around,” Jay said, painting such an amusing picture in Drew’s head he laughed out loud.

“It’s not funny,” Aria said stubbornly. “It wouldn’t be fair. Grandmother wouldn’t send us somewhere we could have fun but have to leave Amara behind.”

“True,” Jay agreed.

“Besides,” Aria said, “if we were going somewhere cold, grandmother would have said to take warm clothes and coats.”

“Fair point.”

“I’d like to go to India,” Ceriann said, surprising no one.

“My old bones wouldn’t say no to somewhere nice and hot,” Jeff said.

“That would be nice,” Amara agreed, a faint smile on his face, that fell away moments later when the plane picked up speed and launched into the air. He made a strangled sound and squeezed his eyes shut. His grip on Drew’s hand tightened until it was painful, but Drew didn’t care.

The throb of the engine grew more intense as the plane, like a giant cat, crouched ready to pounce, a surge of energy, a feeling of pressure and they were in the air. As soon as the plane evened out, without waiting for anyone to mention seatbelts, Aria was out of his and helping Drew undo Amara’s. Well, if Drew were being perfectly honest, helping was not entirely the right word, because he wouldn’t have fumbled so much with the buckle if Aria’s small hands hadn’t got in the way so much.

Nevertheless, Amara was freed and he slumped against Drew with a moan.

“Are you alright?” Drew asked snaking an arm around his waist and holding him gently.

“I’ll live. I’ll take a pain pill if you’ve got one though.”

“Jan,” Aria yelled and she appeared as if by magic.

“Oh my goodness, what’s going on?”

“We all forgot about Amara being ill and the seatbelt hurt him. Do you have a bed in the back?”

“Of course. Haven’t you noticed this one is even fancier than Alexis’?”

“I haven’t really had a chance to look,” Aria said, frowning at her, although it was an Aria frown which was as cute as any normal person’s smile.

“Do you need some help?” she asked Drew, who was supporting Amara as he got to his feet. Amara tried to wave him off, protesting he could manage on his own, but the plane tilted slightly as it banked and he almost fell, catching himself with a hiss. After that, he allowed Drew to steer him, Drew’s bigger body all the support he needed.

The bedroom at the back of the plane was not much bigger than the one on the bus, and like that one it was almost entirely taken up by the bed. This time, however, it wasn’t dark and claustrophobic because there were windows on either side through which bright sunlight was shining. Amara sat heavily on the bed, but instead of lying down he stared out of the window.

“It’s almost worth the pain,” he said, his gaze far away.

Drew sat next to him. The plane wasn’t flying very high, at least to Drew’s mind, and they could see a large town slipping by underneath. All around it spread a patchwork vista of fields and fluffy woods and copses. A large river snaked its way through the middle, dotted with small boats and mainly bordered by trees. They were so low, they could make out cars and trains, but not quite close enough to see people.

“Where are we?” Amara asked.

Drew shook his head. “I have no idea. Not too far from London, I think. Somewhere in the South of England maybe.”

“Where do you think we’re going?” Amara finally lay down, propped up on a huge mound of fluffy pillows in pristine cases.

“Somewhere warm, I hope. Although, I’ll take anywhere away from the paparazzi.”

“I second that,” Aria said from the other side of the bed. He too was staring out of the window.

“Can you draw the shutters?” Amara asked. I know you want to look out Aria, and I don’t mind if you want to go outside to do it, but the light is giving me a headache.”

“You have a headache? Are you alright? You’re not getting ill again are you?”

“I don’t think so. It’s just been a long day and I’m tired and hurting. I’m sure I’ll be fine if I can sleep for a while, and I can’t do that with the windows uncovered.”

“Fair enough,” Aria said cheerfully. “I was just hoping to guess where we’re going. I don’t suppose it matters because we’ll find out when we get there.”

“That’s true.”

“Do you want me to leave?” Drew asked.

Amara blinked at him. “Why would I want you to leave?”

“Well, there’s not that much room and I don’t know if you’d be comfortable with both of us in there with you.”

“As long as you don’t start wriggling about too much, I’ll be fine. I’d rather have you here, if you don’t mind.”

“There’s no need to ask. If you want it, you’ll get it, and whether I mind doesn’t matter.”

“Of course it matters,” Amara said frowning. “Why would you think what you want doesn’t matter?”

“That’s not what I meant. This is for you. You’re the one who needs help right now. Another time I might be sick or injured and I’ll expect you to put your comfort next behind mine. Being equal doesn’t mean being the same all the time. We all have to do things we don’t necessarily want to do sometimes, and that might mean going without something I want, so you can have something you need.”

“I don’t think I entirely understand what you just said.” Amara frowned.

Aria laughed. “He means that you get special treatment when you’re ill but you’d better not get too used to it because when you’re better it’s a free-for-all.”

“Ah, that I understand. Come on then, let’s get comfortable, and does someone have those drugs I asked for.”

“Yes sir,” Drew said, grinning. I’ll just get some water.

Drew came awake with someone bouncing excitedly on the bed next to him. For a moment, he was entirely disoriented, then he gradually focussed on the tiny cabin, the bed, the bright sunlight though the window and Aria, his pale blond hair lit to fiery gold by the sun, who was practically vibrating with excitement.

He turned when he heard Drew and clapped his hands, grinning. “We’re in Greece,” he said. “Look at the islands. Look how blue the water is. Oh my God, Drew, look. Look there. It’s a pod of dolphins. Dolphins are welcoming us. Maybe we can swim with them. It would be good for Amara.” He paused and gazed up at Drew with his wide, shining eyes. “That’s right, isn’t it? Swimming with dolphins is good for you when you’re ill.”

“That’s my boy,” Drew said coming up beside him and kissing his hair. “One minute, hanging Christmas trimming on sheep and the next riding dolphins.”

Aria chuckled. “Is Amara still asleep? Should we wake him?”

“I’ll go see how long it will be before we land. Let him sleep as long as we can.”

Aria nodded. “Drew.”

Drew turned at the door, startled by the grim seriousness in Aria’s tone. It was a note he’d only heard a few times and he’d come to dread it. “What?”

“I was so scared when Mara was ill. I thought he was going to die. I hate that he’s still in pain. It kind of hurts me too, and I’m still so scared because he’s not strong anymore and I…I really don’t think I could live without him.”

Drew was about to turn back, when Amara reached out a lazy arm and grabbed Aria’s wrist, tugging.

“Come cuddle me stupid. I’m not going anywhere, and who says I’m not strong.”

Drew smiled and withdrew, leaving them to it.

Out in the main cabin, everyone was as excited as Aria. Even Jeff was peering out of the window with an excited Jay pointing things out to him. Of course, they’d spotted the dolphins, too.

“How are things in there?” Ceriann asked when she spotted Drew.

“They’re having a twin moment. Everything’s fine. Aria is about to explode but I’m sure we’ll all survive it.”

“I don’t know about that,” Jay said. “Aria loves Greece. The twins even speak a little Greek.”

“Oh. Do they come here often? I haven’t heard them talking about it.”

“Not really. I think they used to when they were little. They talk about it all the time though. They’re nuts about the history and stuff. I know they’ve been at least a couple of times, to Athens for sure, although I’m not sure if they’ve been together.”

“What do you mean not together?”

Jay paused and frowned at Drew. “You know, right, that this whole time, since you’ve been around, has been about the party and all the shit that went down around it. This is not the way it usually is. Amara’s on tour a lot and Aria hates the scene and has his own work, so they’re apart a lot. That’s partly why they’re so…intense.”

Drew’s gut churned. “I didn’t know that. Wait. Yes I did. Alicia told me when I first started. It’s just never really come up so I haven’t thought about it. No, that’s not true either, we have talked about when Amara’s away on tour. I guess I just never thought it through. I didn’t know it would be for such long periods of time.”

“Most tours last for at least a couple of months.”

“Wow, and Amara doesn’t come home at all?”

Jay shrugged and grinned. “He might, now he has someone to come home to.”

“He’s always had someone to come home to,” Drew said, frowning.

“Yes, I know, but he’s always known he always would.”

“What?” Drew frowned at Jay, his brain in knots.

Jay laughed. “Just look at the dolphins Drew.”

The plane flew down over sparkling, crystal clear waters, toward a small, mountainous island. Over pods of dolphins, schools of fish and the shadows of sharks. Over coral reefs that painted dark patterns in the turquoise waters. Over pristine white houses, clustered around a tiny quay.

Drew missed it all, bar occasional glances, because he was utterly focussed on Amara and ensuring the landing was as pain-free as possible.

It might have been the continuing effects of the pain killers, or perhaps Jan was able to fasten the seatbelt differently, or maybe it was just plain excitement but Amara coped much better with the landing and was as eager as everyone else to get out of his seat and off the plane.

When the door opened, they spilled out with exuberant cries. Drew and Jeff were the last to leave. For a moment, as he stood at the top of the steps, Drew was blinded by light on water and it took him a moment to be able to make out anything more than a blur. Then he almost fell down the steps because at first glance it appeared that they hadn’t landed at all. He closed his eyes, shook his head and opened them again.

“Jeez,” Jeff grumbled at his shoulder, “give the old guy a heart attack, huh?”

Drew chuckled and carefully descended the steps, reminding himself that they were not, in fact, still a hundred foot over the ocean, but at least twenty feet away from the edge of a cliff.