Page 43 of Clinically Bewitched
“I know, right? The universe made sure we’d be together. I didn’t even request it. I just booked the flight this morning, and it put me right next to you. That’s not a coincidence. That’s destiny.”
“That’s alphabetical seating.”
“Destiny,” she repeated firmly.
I sat down in the waiting area and pulled out my phone.
Three missed calls from Fitz.
Two texts from my sister.
One email from Gabriel asking how the TED talk went.
I put my phone away.
I’d deal with all of that later.
Right now, I just needed to get through this flight without having a complete breakdown.
How hard could that be?
Very hard, as it turned out.
The plane was small. A regional jet, with two seats on each side, which meant there was no escape.
No aisle between us.
No buffer.
Just me, Athena, and five hours of whatever cosmic nonsense she decided to share.
We boarded.
She took the middle seat, 14B, and immediately started arranging things.
Her crystals went in the seat pocket. Her tarot cards went on her lap. Her hemp bag went under the seat in front of her.
“Do you want the window?” she asked.
“I have the window.”
“Oh, right. Good. You can look out and see the Earth from above. It’s very grounding, actually. Seeing how small everything is. It puts things in perspective. The universe is so vast, and we’re just these tiny little beings trying to make sense of it all and—”
I put in my earbuds.
She kept talking.
I turned on music.
She kept talking.
I closed my eyes.
She tapped my shoulder.
I opened my eyes.
“Yes?”
