Forever and a day

 
  Brie Jenkins mentally slapped a hand on her forehead. She didn't need anyone; not even her sharp tongued best friend, Jessica, telling her she was a world class idiot. She had already done the honors, along with some other adjectives her mother won't be proud to hear her 'baby' say.
 
  Without thinking, she turned her head back to look at the primary cause of her misery, jolted and turned her head back to the front immediately. Norman York's, handsome, sexy and cold hearted, devils smoky blue eyes met hers, she could swear her heart shifted position.

  Brie cursed silently and bent to pick up the map that had slipped from her fingers. The son of a bitch still had as much effect on her as he had the night she'd humiliated herself and begged him to love her the way she loved him. She closed her eyes and shook the unwanted memory out of her head. She could feel his gaze boring holes through the back of her skull and reading everything in her jumbled up brain. A feat that shouldn't and wouldn't surprise her.
    He read her mind as easily as one would read the morning paper over breakfast.
 
    How was she going to cope with his piercing gaze every where around her for the next two and a half weeks? Staying in the same hotel with him?

    She cursed again, this time loud enough for a girl with a mop like hair next to Brie reward her with an annoying glance. Brie gave the girl a quick apologetic smile and concentrated on the map every body in the plane was studying. Well except for Brie, and the devil staring at her from behind.
 
  Why hadn't she just turned her back and withdrawn from the excursion the moment she saw Norman boarding the Institutes plane? Why couldn't she just say she had a headache or stomach ache ache or gout? Anything to save her from the humiliation she was sure to get before the excursion is over? Brie asked herself angrily and was thinking of giving herself another mental slap when she felt the plane shake. She looked around, confused. Maybe a storm was coming, she told herself and then she'd sleep so she'd be spared the agony of remembering how much of a heart breaker Norman was.

  Then she scoffed in disgust. Then hell would freeze over. She had seen the rejection in his smoky eyes even before he told her their relationship was just a brief affair to him. She wasn't going to kid herself; she had been plagued with the hatred in those eyes months after that unfortunate day, no storm from heaven would make her forget it today. Or the next few days they were going to spend in each others vicinity. And with the way 'almighty karma' was known to mess with peoples lives and emotion, Brie was absolutely sure she and Norman were going to be fixed in the same group when they got to the site.

  She must have made a sound again, because the girl with the mop like hair raised her head from the map she'd buried her nose in and looked at Brie warily.

  "Could you stop making those disconcerting sounds?" she asked staring at Brie through pinched eyes shielded by copper rimmed glasses. "I'm trying to get some stud... Lord, what is that?"

  Something that seemed to be lightning struck outside rocking the plane violently and throwing a couple of people out of their chairs

  She glanced back automatically, Norman wasn't staring at her anymore. Fear, like it was in the rest of the passengers was also etched on his face. It pleased her to see that something could ruffle Norman's calm persona. She couldn't seem to have that effect on him, even though he always had her nerves frayed and her stomach knotted. When the plane dipped low suddenly, Brie wondered at the absurdity of her thoughts. People were screaming, panic was so thick in the air one could slice through it with a knife, and all she could think of was how Norman made her feel!

  Something glowered outside,  Brie looked through the window but couldn't see what it was then suddenly someone cried from the back,
 
    "The plane's on fire, Lord a mighty!"

  Chaos erupted. The plane dipped forward again, and those that had risen from their seat hoping to run to God-knows-where tumbled forward.
 
  A cool voice strewn with fear came out of the speaker.

  "it's obvious we now have a problem here. Everyone should try to get secure behind his/her seat belt..."

  "Are you freaking crazy? The planes on fire!" a red-haired boy sprawled on the floor bellowed.

  The voice droned on "...beneath each of your seats is a parachute, bring it out and instruction would be given out in a few minutes on how to put it on. Please do not panic, everything is going to be fine. Captain Holt is trying to get us close to the shore as possible..."

  Brie looked out of the window again and she whimpered. Below them was just this large mass of sea. They were going to crash and die. God! People were scrambling in their chairs trying to get their hands below it as far as possible. Brie also brought out her parachute and she strapped it on like the voice from the speaker instructed.

    Then she heard the worst line.
An emergency door was going to be opened and they should all jump out orderly.

  Orderly? Brie shrieked in her mind. This wasn't some queue into a bus! They were fucking flying in the air and now... She bent over suddenly and started throwing up. They were going to die! Brie felt her eyes burn and tears spilled from it. She was going to die alone. A loner!

  Maybe she should talk to Norman. Tell him she had forgiven him and remind him of how much their relationship meant to her. They could even kiss. That wouldn't be a bad way to end her 23 years on this planet. Spirited, she unfastened her seat belt and rose up. The cool voice was bellowing for everyone to get ready, somebody -a girl- was screaming for her daddy, another person had fallen in his own vomit. Shit! Brie's eyes touched Norman and then a wind from hell blew in.
 
  An emergency door had been opened; Hairs went askew, papers and maps flew out.  The calm ones amongst them were jumping out. She couldn't move towards him further but she saw his eyes seek hers too. His face was white as sheet, but his eyes held hers as he crawled to her mouthing 'jump'.

  The plane dipped again, she looked at the opened door and then at Norman. He was moving away from the emergency exit. What the hell was he doing. She moved faster to his direction, they clasped hands like it was the most natural thing in the world and then continued for the door.

  "On three" Norman shouted breathlessly. "We go together"

  Brie looked at him and nodded. She was with him, he was holding her hands like his life depended on it. Nothing could be better.

  Then he counted. "1... 2.... I love you Brianna... 3!" he pulled her with him and they jumped out.


                      ***********************************

   
  Brie gasped and struggled to hit the surface of the sea. She loosened the straps around her, drew a large breadth of air into her oxygen starved lungs and moved in quick precise strokes away from the parachute that tumbled around her. Her arms ached and she swallowed more water than she'd had in her entire life, but she moved on. When she felt her feet hit the ground she grinned in triumph and gave herself a mental pat on the head.
 
  Other people had already made it to the shore, she looked through but couldn't find Norman. Then she remembered.
  Norman couldn't swim!
 
  Hours later, Brie had to ask herself where she got the energy that pulsed through her veins. She plunged back into the deep blue sea and buried her head in. She didn't see him, so she lifted her head out and checked for him amongst the floating parachutes. No luck.
  "Norman!" she shouted, swallowing water as she did, but she didn't care. "Norman, Where are you?" She kicked, diving, her arms pushing obstacles on the way, struggling to find him. She surfaced to snatch a breadth, then dove back again.
 
  Norman, please. Please God. Norman. She chanted like a prayer in her mind. He wasn't anywhere, It was so dark she couldn't see.
  Norman couldn't die! No he wouldn't. She lifted her head and coughed. Tears burnt her eyes. Her head felt light and blood pounded hard in her ears. She felt herself slipping, then she felt an arm close around her, lifting her back to the surface. Someone held her, pulled her through the planes of the sea.

  Choking, and retching, soaking colder than she'd ever been in her life, Brie came face down on the soft sand. she couldn't open her eyes but she managed to open her mouth.

  "please.. go .. get... Norm... Norman" She coughed and felt strong hand pressing her back. what was he waiting for? "Norm.. go get..."
    "Shhh, I'm here pretty."
 
  No voice had sounded that sweet, that welcome in Brie's ears. She opened one eye tentatively, and there he was, kneeling by her side. His eyes were filled with fear and concern, Bries heart lurked in her throat.
  "You brought me out?"
  Norman nodded somberly and sat next to her.
  "I hear your scream after you jumped back inside the water. I was already at the shore looking for you. then i heard your voice." He rubbed his face wearily "I thought I'd die. I saw you go... down... Lord, Brie, Why did you do that. Why did you go back?"

  Brie tried to sit up. "I though you were in there. But as usual, I made a total fool of myself. You said you couldn't swim. you never go to beaches or pools."
    Normans throat was tight and he tried to force the tears back. Brie had almost died because of him. "My brother drowned when i was Fifteen years old. I couldn't get to save him in time. I think i developed a phobia for too much water, i couldn't go near a beach or river... it reminded me and... it... hurt. You could have died because of that lie, Brianna.."

  "No, I went back because i loved you. Even if i knew you could swim, I'ld still have gone after you."

    The tears streamed down his face now. "I'm so sorry Brianna. I've been a fool. I didn't want to care for you as much as i cared for James. I couldn't bear to love you that much. the hurt after his death was just too... intense. i couldn't go through it anymore. But I do. I lied through my teeth to you that day and I hurt the both of us, 'cos i was a coward. I love you Brie, I never stopped."
 
  A little bird seemed to soar in Brie's chest. She looked at him, words failing her, but he continued.
  "I know better now. If you still want me Brie, I'll spend the rest of my life loving you and showing you how i cant live without you."

  It was Bries turn to cry, she raised her weak hands to his face and brushed away his tears. "I never stopped loving you too. And yes, You're given the permission to love me forever. And a day extra." She added.

  Norman smiled. "Forever and a day"

  They held each other and watched as the moon gave way to dawn.