Foul Ball

Friday came far too quickly, and yet the week seemed to drag on for far too long. Mostly I was worried about Macey, worried that the fatigue and loss of appetite was something much more sinister than she was trying to make it out to be. We wouldn't know anything until the results were back, of course, so I took Macey's advice to think less about the results and more about the weekend we would be spending in Michigan. And not just Michigan...

"Detroit," Macey said as we took our seats in the airport near the loading gate to wait. "My parents live just outside of the city."

"Isn't Detroit, like, the most dangerous city in the world?" I asked, munching on an overpriced bag of peanuts bought from the gift shop.

"Something like that," she confirmed. "But I don't remember much danger growing up. Melanie and I went to a good school, had good friends, decent teachers. It's the fear of crime that makes people so afraid of the city." "No wonder you are the way you are," I told her with a gentle smile. "Detroit girl, born and raised."

"I wear it like a badge of honor," said Macey, pulling out her cell phone as it began to buzz in her pocket. "It's my mom," she said, putting it to her ear. "Hey, Mom."

"What time will you be in tonight, sweetheart?" her mom asked on the other end of the line. She wasn't on speakerphone, but I could still hear her well none the less.

"Not until late," Macey said. "We don't land until after ten, and then we're going straight to the hotel."

"The hotel?” her mother said, voice rising. Macey shot a desperate look at me, and I grimaced. "You're staying in a hotel? Why?"

I cringed, knowing that Macey hadn't disclosed those plans since we'd made them a couple of days earlier.

"Jayce and I would like our privacy, Mom. I'm sure you can understand that." Macey sighed heavily and I reached for her hand, cradling it between mine, knowing that if she were to get through this weekend, she would need my support. "Listen, Mom," she said. "I'll text you when we get in tonight, and we'll stop by the house in the morning once we're ready for the wedding. Okay? Does that work?"

I didn't hear what her mom said on the other end of the line this time, but I didn't care to. I was here for Macey and Macey alone, and I'd do everything in my power to make sure this weekend went as smoothly as possible, just for her. "Hello, Mrs. Britton!" I called loudly, drawing in stares from passengers waiting to board around us. "I can't wait to meet you!"

Macey flushed an even deeper shade of red, sinking down in the seat, wrinkling her nose at me. "Yes, Mom," she said into the phone. "That was Jayce. He says he can't wait to meet you." She paused as her mother said something, then her eyes flickered back to me and she whispered, "She says that you should have convinced me to stay at the house with them."

"Like I can convince you to do anything you don't want to do," I said with a laugh, and Macey grinned.

"I gotta go, Mom," she said into the phone. "We're going to board soon. I'll text you tonight. Love you guys. Bye."

Shaking her head, Macey slipped the phone back into her pocket with a heavy sigh.

"Hey." I nudged her in the arm, linking my hand with hers. "We can do this, yeah? You can do this."

"It's going to be so weird," she breathed. "I only lived in Michigan for two years after Mel died. The house, our friends, her bedroom, our life...everything there reminds me of her. Everything."

"As it should. She was your twin sister, Macey, and you loved her. But maybe this trip is just what you and your parents need to bury the hatchet, so to speak. She seems to want you there pretty badly. That's good, right?"

"It's never good with my mom," said Macey. "More than likely she only wants me there so she can remind me what a disappointment I am. That's her favorite thing to do."

"Fuck her," I said, loudly enough to draw a few more snarky looks from the people around us. I turned to Macey, forcing her to meet my gaze, and held her lower arms between my hands. "You are perfect," I said. "And you are wonderful, and beautiful, and funny, and charming-and if your mom can't see that, fuck her."

"Yeah," Macey said, and for the first time all day long she smiled. "Fuck her."

"Flight one eighteen, non-stop to Detroit, Michigan is now boarding," the nice lady behind the counter said over the loud speaker. Still holding Macey's hand, I stood up and pulled her to her feet so we could get in line and wait to board. "Fuck her," I said again, quieter this time and in Macey's ear. "We've got this, baby. Don't you forget it."

The line moved fairly quickly, and Macey and I found our seats near the back of the plane where most of the privacy was. I figured since the flight was over six hours long, we could try to sleep if we wanted to.

"Are you ready to see Detroit?" Macey asked as the other passenger's settled into their seats and shoved their carry-on luggage into the compartments above their heads. "If you don't expect much, you won't be disappointed."

"I don't get out much," I told her honestly. "Colorado born and raised, so this is a treat for me, Macey. I'm excited to travel with you, and this is our first big step as a couple." I said as Macey traced her finger up and down the skin of the palm of my hand until I lusted for her touch. "If we can survive this, we can survive anything. Isn't that what they say?"

"Something like that," Macey said with a grin, clicking her seatbelt into place as we waited to take off. "That is especially the case for us, I think, since it's my parents. Truly, if you can make it through them, you can make it through anything." She settled back into her seat, still holding my hand in hers, and closed her eyes, resting her head back against the seat. A few minutes later the flight attendants did their announcement and safety lecture, and before I knew it we were suspended in air, flying over the water, headed into a whole new world...for me, at least.

"Are you okay?" Macey asked, her hand tightening around mine. "You look a little pale."

"I've only flown once or twice in my life," I admitted as my stomach did roundhouse flips in my throat. "I forgot how it feels, like my stomach is being lifted into my chest."

"We could have drove, I suppose," Macey said with a small smile. "It's only, like, a two-day trip."

"I'll stick to flying, thanks." It helped that Macey kept a hold of my hand, and by the time the flight attendants came around again serving mini water bottles and bags of pretzels, my stomach had seemed to settle some.

"How are you feeling?" Macey asked, glancing over her shoulder at the bathroom door to see if it was vacant. "Do you need a puke bag?"

"Nah, much better, thanks." I looked over my shoulder to see where she was looking. We weren't far from the bathroom, which was good, but I realized all too soon that it wasn't the toilet she had to use.

"Ever heard of the mile high club?" She asked, lowering her voice as one of the attendants passed us by. For a moment I had no idea what she was talking about, and then it dawned on me.

"The mile high club?" I repeated. "Are you serious?"

"As serious as I've ever been," Macey said with a sly grin that made my heart flutter in my chest and threaten to expand. She leaned into me, one hand resting gently on the bulge in my jeans. And then, just like that, she unbuckled her seatbelt and went to the bathroom, throwing one last glance over her shoulder at me as she stepped through the door and shut it behind her.

"Shit," I mumbled, facing forward to see if anyone was staring suspiciously at me. I was glad that we were in the back of the plane...less people to sneak by during the walk of shame. For a moment I considered staying where I was and not joining Macey in the bathroom, but despite my hesitance, I refused. I wanted Macey, every second, every moment that we were together, I wanted her more. And this was an opportunity, silly as it was, that I didn't want to someday regret. Trying to play it cool, I slid out of the seat and walked down the rest of the aisle towards the bathroom. No one was back here currently, as all the flight attendants were at the front of the plane gathering garbage from the rows, so I knocked lightly on the door. After a mere second it swung open and Macey pulled me inside with a giggle, covering my mouth with hers to keep me quiet.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" I asked as she worked at the buttons and zipper on my jeans. "What if we get caught?"

"What are they going to do, drop us from the sky?" teased Macey. She was fearless, this girl, and I loved it.

Succumbing to her charm, and to the feel of her body against mine, my fingers trailed down Macey's bare skin, forcing a shiver that erupted down my entire body and back up again. A low moan escaped her lips, and she closed her eyes, taking in the moment that neither of us wanted to end. It was small in the bathroom, smaller than I ever could have imagined, but it didn't seem to matter to either of us as I pushed Macey up against the wall. Her legs wrapped around my waist as my pants fell to my ankles, and she slipped her own down so that I could push my body into hers, drawing in a shuddery breath from Macey. I hadn't put on a condom, but I knew she was on birth control, so there was not a single moment's hesitation between us.

"Oh god," she moaned, throwing her head back against the wall, fingers digging into the skin under my shirt, driving me forward, faster and faster until we were trembling, sweaty, hot for each other. I put my hand over her mouth to keep her moans from reaching the passengers on the plane, and this seemed to only turn her on more. I molded my body to hers, and Macey gasped with pleasure, eyes rolling back in her head as she pulled my head into her chest and ran her fingers through my hair.

It didn't take long for either one of us to finish, as there wasn't much time to spare or room to take advantage of, but the quick fuck left both of us breathless and shaky and satisfied as we dressed quickly, still tangled in each other's arms, giddy over the thought of just becoming members of the mile high club. I no longer cared what anyone might or might not think. Their opinions didn't matter. Only she did. Only Macey did.

"I've always wanted to do that," Macey breathed, fixing her hair in the mirror. "And it didn't disappoint."

"Truth be told, I never even thought twice about it," I said with a shrug. "But damn, girl, that was worth it. I'm glad we did it."

"You go first," Macey whispered, pushing me towards the door. "And I'll come out a minute after you do so nobody gets suspicious."

"Honey, if nobody is suspicious already then that merely means we're on a plane full of idiots," I said, and Macey giggled again, still flushed red from moments ago.

"Just go," she said, pushing me gently out the door as I opened it. "I'll be there in a moment."

Smiling awkwardly at the flight attend who stared at me my entire walk back to our seats, I settled into the chair and hunkered down a bit, trying to pretend that I hadn't just fucked my girlfriend in the tiny bathroom in the sky. I reached for the complimentary mini bottle of water and took a sip, and a moment later Macey emerged from the bathroom as well, her head down and her hair framing her face as she made the walk of shame from the bathroom and back to our seats. She looked humiliated and embarrassed, and if no one had suspected what had happened when I came out, I knew they certainly would now.

"Worth it?" I whispered, leaning over to brush my lips against Macey's ear. She giggled and shied away, patting at me playfully.

"Worth it," she said, making a checkmark in the air. "Join the mile-high club, check."