Chapter 449

Boarding the plane didn’t come with any issues, though I did notice Brittney, Blake and Viv boarding with the First Class crowd. I hadn’t gotten any lucky upgrades this time, so I didn’t have a shot at ending up sitting next to any of them. I had splurged a little to get one of the emergency row seats for the extra legroom though, so I passed by the three of them about halfway through the boarding process.

Viv spotted me first, flashing me another knowing smile and a cocked eyebrow as she sat in the aisle seat. Britt and Blake both noticed me as I was just getting to their row, Britt sitting next to Viv at the window, and Blake sitting in the opposite aisle seat. The two women both broke into nervous grins, and Blake boldly gave her lower lip a little lick as she made eye contact with me. I just grinned back as warmly as I could to the two of them.

I ended up sitting in the aisle of the emergency row, and had an empty seat between me and the older guy who took the window seat. The gaggle of older ladies ended up passing me on their way to the back of the plane and broke into another round of cackling laughter, and a couple of them ‘happened’ to grab my bicep or shoulder on the way by for ‘support.’ That left me smiling and shaking my head, but the guy in my row shot me a ‘WTF?’ look.

Takeoff went without a hitch, and I was left with the prospect of a long flight ahead- two and a half hours.

And two very pretty women who were hoping for some illicit fun.

I hadn’t made up my mind about whether I was going to have sex with Brittney or Blake once the plane levelled out and the seatbelt lights blinked off. A few people almost immediately got up from their seats on the flight, one of them to dig into the overhead bins, and two of them heading for the washrooms.

The fourth person to get up was Vivian, and she didn’t head towards the washroom at the front of the plan. She came strutting down the middle of the plane towards the back like she was on a fashion show catwalk. When she made eye contact with me, I immediately got the feeling that something had ... changed. She wasn’t glaring, or grinning, or anything. She was just as gracefully neutral, maybe a little amused, as earlier, but I just got that vibe that something was different.

She stopped right next to me, flashed me a small smile, then turned her attention to the guy in my row. “Excuse me, sir?” she asked politely. “I was wondering if you’d give me a couple of minutes alone with my friend here? I’m having a bit of a panic moment and could use his help.”

The guy took one look at Vivian and cleared his throat, mumbling that he’d be happy to give her a few minutes. I ended up standing to let him out of the aisle, and he wandered towards the front of the plane to wait in the small line for the washroom. Viv ducked into the row and took the middle seat, so I sat down next to her.

“Hi again,” I said, a little confused. “Everything OK? Is something going on with Blake or Brittney?”

When Viv looked at me again, I could tell that even though she was fronting that same polite warmth and confidence, she was looking deeper. Trying to figure something out. She was even a little ... Not scared, but concerned. “Everything’s fine,” she said. “I was just putting my phone on airplane mode earlier, and it reminded me of something. Do you have a ... weird app on your phone?”

“Sorry?” I asked, blinking. “A... weird app?”

“You’d know what I meant if you had it,” Viv said, her eyes tightening a little. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” She started to stand again.

“I don’t,” I said. “But my fiancée does.”

Viv stopped, half out of the seat. “Your fiancée has a ... weird app.”

“She does,” I said slowly, my heart racing.

The stunning, slender goth sat back down, both of us watching each other carefully. I immediately got the impression that Vivian had never run into someone else who knew about the App. And to be fair, neither had me or Cassidy, at least directly.

“I don’t-” Viv started, but came to a stop and pressed her lips together, pursing them and swallowing.

“The AMA?” I asked, needing the confirmation, and she nodded. “We ... met someone, about a week and a half ago,” I continued. “Who had a Perk that my fiancée hadn’t purchased or applied or whatever, so I’m guessing I’ve had about that much time with the idea of there being other users with it, but you haven’t.”

Viv shook her head again, opening her mouth slightly, but still wasn’t sure what to say.

“How long?” I asked her.

“Um- three years,” she said. “Well, three and a half, now.”

“It’s been around seven for Cassidy,” I offered.

“Fuck,” Vivian breathed out, then looked around quickly to make sure no one was listening to us. “And no one can see it on her phone, right?”

“Not even me,” I said, shaking my head in frustration. “I’d have been worried she was having delusions or something when she told me, if it hadn’t come with some other big, undeniable admissions.”

Viv blinked, then leaned back in her seat, and I realised she was tearing up. Thick, juicy beads welled in her eyes, and she sniffed hard and wiped at them with both hands before they could spill over to run mascara down her alabaster cheeks. “Fuck, I thought maybe I was crazy,” she whispered. “But it’s all been real, so I had to guess I wasn’t.”

I swallowed hard. That was one thing Cassidy hadn’t mentioned struggling with, but maybe she’d just been more ready to accept the magic before she realised what it was doing to her, and had struggled much more after.

“You’re not alone,” I told Viv, and reached to try and take her hand to offer some comfort, but as soon as I touched her, she pulled it away.