Coming off the jet bridge, Klaus strolled through the terminal, his bag and book in hand. A few steps behind him, the chubby man from earlier caught sight of him walking carefree. Veins bulged on his forehead as the scene fueled his frustration, only adding fuel to the fire.
"When I get my hands on you, you're gonna wish you kept them lips shut," he spat, words laced with venom.
Oblivious to the angry marshmallow behind him, Klaus stretched his legs and slung his bag over his shoulder.
"Can't wait to lie in bed," he yawned. "Gonna sleep like a log."
With his maroon sweater blanketing his torso comfortably, Klaus felt extremely tempted to take a nap, but planning to have a good night's rest, he powered through his drowsiness—just barely. Along with his sweater, he wore extremely loose black sweatpants paired with light brown sandals.
The chubby man began to approach him, eyes glued on him like a predator's on prey.
Unfortunately for him, fate seemed to have different plans for him.
A small shadow slid in front of him and blocked his path.
Not to his surprise, it was the 'fucking flight attendant.' His lips deepened into a frown. Although he could've easily pushed her aside, the two towering figures on either side of her rendered that thought useless.
The two burly security guards loomed over him like a dark rain cloud.
The attendant stared at him before stating, "We're gonna have to ask you two to follow us."
His brows furrowed at the two guards, weighing his options, and decided it wasn't worth the hassle. It wasn't like he had a chance to begin with; 9.9 times out of 10 says it would've been a one-sided beatdown, regardless of whether it was 1v1 or 1v2.
His jaw clenched while his grip tightened until his knuckles turned white.
The flight attendant smiled, seeing this, she was not one bit afraid of the man in front of her. 'I could get used to this,' she grinned.
"Fine," he muttered. "Lead the way, yeah?"
"Sure, just follow me," she responded, walking towards the east corridors.
One guard walked beside her while the other lagged in case they tried to run. He wasn't really worried about the man; judging by his weight, he wouldn't be able to get far before collapsing.
His eyes were fixed on the woman wearing a grey hoodie, tightening the drawstring as if she were trying to disappear from the face of the earth. But despite her efforts, a few locks of blonde hair escaped from the hood, matching the other passenger in the lavatory.
Klaus, on the other hand, continued to the baggage claim, completely unaware of the problems he had caused for both himself and them.
He reached the baggage claim, popped his earbuds back in, and waited patiently for his suitcases to come through.
Indie music played softly in his ears as he quietly sang along, tapping his feet to the rhythm. His singing drew a few nearby looks, but they didn't linger as they grabbed their things and moved on. Not long after, two matte-black suitcases appeared on the conveyor belt, marking the next step in his journey.
'There we go.'
His small frame walked over and hauled his suitcases from the conveyor belt with some effort.
Standing at 5'9" and about 140lbs, he was neither the buffest nor the tallest of men, but because of his job and high metabolism, he never found the need to work out.
Bzzzzt, Bzzzzt
Just as he was leaving, his phone rang.
♫ Baby, you made me believe ♪
♫ I can fall in love at first ♪
♫ Sight how you- ♪
Klaus briefly hummed along to the familiar ringtone before slipping his hand into his pocket and grabbing his phone to answer the call.
"Hey, babe~" A sweet voice came from the speakers. "Have you landed yet?"
Klaus's expression changed, his deep-set eyes creased at the corners, and then broke into a big, genuine smile.
"Hey, Elaine, and yeah, I just picked up my bags from baggage claim," he responded, his voice rid of any prior drowsiness.
"Great," she replied. "I'm parked near the end—can't miss me."
"Alright, I'll be out soon," he said before ending the call.
Klaus slipped his phone back into his pocket as he made his way outside with his suitcases. His smile radiated as his mind wandered, anticipating their long-awaited meet-up.
The two met on a dating app while they were still in their junior year of high school. At the time, a nationwide pandemic made all in-person contact unsafe, leading to a brief period of online schooling.
Being on opposite sides of the country, the two decided to stay friends despite their feelings. But as the months passed, those feelings began to develop into something more. Calls began to last longer than before, venting to each other became easier, and laughter came more naturally.
After a few talks and clarifications, the two decided to take their relationship to the next level.
Although a little shaky at first, things worked out well because they always discussed their problems, rather than escalating them.
Klaus, being quick on the uptake, told her he'd move to Belleview as soon as he finished his MLIS. However, after completing his degree, it took him a year or two to save enough money and find a suitable job.
But now here he was about to meet the supposed love of his life after years of FaceTime and phone calls.
As he approached, the automatic doors slid open, and he greeted the moment with an even bigger smile than before. His eyes swept across the area, settling on a black Jeep that matched the description his girlfriend had given him.
Although he kept smiling, a strange feeling knotted in his stomach as he made his way to the car. It was like walking down an empty school hallway; the world around him seemed to fade away, and the only sound was the soft steps of his footsteps on the concrete in the stillness.
Butterflies fluttered in his stomach as he approached the car, his heart pounding in his chest. He watched nervously as the door clicked and slowly swung open.
He said with a playful smile, "Come on, stop being dramatic and hurry up out here, loser."
But as soon as it came, that same playful smile quickly faded.
In the passenger seat of the car sat a pretty, petite brunette, her lengthy hair braided down her back in a single braid. Her hazel eyes were framed with lovely eyelashes and sleek eyebrows that naturally drew attention. Her nose was small and pointed.
But just below it, a pair of pink lips smeared with red lipstick immediately caught his eye.
His gaze flickered to the driver's seat, all color draining from his face. Sitting behind the wheel was a young man wearing gold-rimmed aviator sunglasses, with his hair slicked back in so much gel that it was still visible from the outside. You could sense the arrogance coming through as he stared at Klaus with apparent disdain.
His lips were smudged with the same lipstick Elaine always wore—the exact shade she had asked his opinion on before boarding the flight.
Klaus's stomach tightened as his heart sank. He glanced back at Elaine and met her gaze, confusion spreading across his face. Unwilling to believe what he was seeing, Klaus approached her gently.
"What's going on, Elaine?" he asked with what he thought was a smile. "Who's he?"
There was no answer.
She only smiled and turned towards the driver's seat with lust-driven eyes. Her lips parted as she pressed them against the man's, kissing him intimately while leaving Klaus there looking like an idiot.
Taking a second to gather his thoughts, Klaus took a deep breath through his nose before exhaling.
"Is this some sick joke?" he asked calmly, though his eyes betrayed him, staring daggers at the duo.
Elaine gently pulled back from the kiss, a string of saliva still connecting their tongues. She looked into Klaus's eyes and tilted her head slightly, flashing a playful smile.
"I guess you could say that," she chuckled.
Klaus's jaw clenched, and his fingers balled up into a tight fist. For a brief moment, anger clouded his vision, yet somehow, he pulled back.
"Are you laughing, right now?" His voice now void of any prior delicacy, "What is this about, Elaine? Did I do something wrong?"
The two laughed as they stared at Klaus with a mixture of pity and malice.
"I didn't think he'd actually come," the man said, clearly amused.
Elaine shook her head, completely ignoring his question, "No, I knew he'd come."
"Isn't that right, my little Silas?" she asked, gazing into Klaus's eyes.