Coma

California was just what Emma needed. The sun, the beach, and her two best friends helped her spend a few moments not worrying about Mark. She knew he was in good hands and that if anything happened, they would call her immediately. Emma even managed to get a tan on her normally pale skin.

“Ems, are you going to be okay sitting by yourself?” Amelia asked for the fifth time. The plane ride from San Francisco to Baltimore was jammed packed, forcing the three friends to split up.

Emma sighed. “Yes guys, I’ll be fine sitting by myself,” she repeated. “I’m not five.”

“Don’t get an attitude with me missy!” Shelby yelled. She was about to say something else when someone bumped into her. “Hey! Watch where you’re going you fucker!” she shouted at the older man who accidently bumped into her.

“She doesn’t mean that sir,” Amelia said, apologizing for Shelby. “We’re just going to sit down now. See you when we land Ems.” Amelia pushed Shelby to the front of the plane before she could say anything else. Emma laughed quietly to herself and headed to the back of the plane.

Emma clutched the armrest tightly as the plane took off; she always hated take off and landing. After they were successfully in the air, she sighed and looked at her left ring finger where her engagement ring sat.

“He doesn’t deserve you,” the man sitting next to her said. He had been staring at the woman next to him for the past fifteen minuets out of his peripheral vision. He didn’t know her, but he thought she was extraordinarily beautiful. He liked that her strawberry blond hair curled lightly past her shoulders and how she kept one side tucked behind her ear. He liked her simple outfit that; a vintage looking blue dress that had little pink flowers all over it, a grey cardigan that was almost as long as the dress, and a pair of tan boots with long white socks made her look stunning in his opinion. One thing that he didn’t like was her sad expression as she stared at her engagement ring.

“Excuse me?” Emma said, looking at the man next to her. He appeared to be a tall, tan, well built man. He had short, light brown hair that went in different directions and sky blue eyes. Subconsciously, Emma thought he was gorgeous.

The man smiled widely as the woman next to him turned her pale green gaze on him. “He doesn’t deserve you,” he repeated, still smiling.

Emma narrowed her eyes. “You don’t know me or my fiancé to make that judgment,” she said curtly.

The man continued to smile. “Sebastian Wallace, some people call me Bass*,” he said, sticking his hand out.

Emma’s good manners kicked in. “Emma Graham,” she said, shaking his hand. “So Sebastian,” she preferred that over Bass, “what makes you think my fiancé doesn’t deserve me?”

Sebastian’s smile never faltered. “If he deserved you, he would be sitting next you right now and you wouldn’t be sighing sadly at your ring.”

Emma’s eyes narrowed once again. “For your information,” she seethed, “my fiancé happens to be in a coma; so unfortunately, he can’t be sitting next to me.”

Sebastian shrugged. “Sorry to hear that,” he said sincerely. “But, even if he wasn’t in a coma he still wouldn’t deserve you.” He continued before Emma could object. “For one, you don’t even like the ring he picked for you; he obviously doesn’t know you very well,” Sebastian stated what he observed.

“How would you know I don’t like this ring? And I guarantee that Mark knows everything about me.”

Sebastian pointed to Emma’s ring. It was a platinum ring with three, large diamonds. “Mark doesn’t know you very well because that ring is way too flashy for you. You like simple things, not flashy things.”

Emma didn’t want to admit it, but Sebastian was right. Often, she thought the ring was too flashy but she loved it none the less because Mark gave it to her. “Why do you think you know so much about me? How can you tell I don’t like flashy things?” Emma asked.

“Just by your outfit,” Bass answered. “You like vintage things over newer items. You’re shy and reserved at first and always well mannered. You care about the people you love with everything you have and you obviously love your fiancé Mark,” Sebastian said that last part bitterly, thought it went undetected by Emma. Emma couldn’t believe that this complete stranger had basically pin pointed her exactly. “Am I right?” Sebastian asked when Emma didn’t say anything. Emma huffed and crossed her arms, turning away from Sebastian. “That’s what I thought,” Sebastian said smugly.

“So,” he said after a few minuets of silence, “do you live in Maryland or are you just visiting?”

Even thought Emma wanted to ignore Sebastian, she for some reason couldn’t. “I live here; I was just vacationing to California with friends. What about you?”

“I’m moving to Maryland.”

“Are you originally from Cali?” Emma asked.

“Nope,” he said, popping the p, “I’m from Wichita Kansas.”

“Were you just visiting to California?” Emma asked, confused.

“No, I lived there for the last two years.” Sebastian was happy that she was asking questions.

“Then why are you moving to Maryland? Your job?”

“Every two years,” Sebastian said, “I pull out a large US map I have and pin it to a wall. I then put a blindfold over my eyes and throw a dart. Wherever it lands, that’s where I move to.”

Emma was speechless. “Are you serious?” she asked finally.

Sebastian smirked. “Yes I am.”

“How do you afford to move every so often? How can you just up and leave everything you know to start over in a place where you don’t know anyone?” Emma was baffled that someone could do that; she had never lived outside of Maryland.

“I get jobs and save my money,” Bass said. “As for the not knowing anyone, I know people in some states, in others I don’t.”

“So do you even have a place to live? A job?”

“Nope,” Bass said, again popping the p, “I normally just hope for the best when I move.”

Emma didn’t understand how someone could be so free and do things like that. She was slightly jealous. “What was your job in California?”

“I was a surf instructor,” Sebastian said, smiling as he remembered the smell of the ocean.

“How come you don’t talk like a surfer then?”

“Dude, that is so stereotypical, dude,” Sebastian said, laughing at Emma, who blushed slightly. “What about you? What do you do?”

“I am the head chef at the restaurant I own in downtown Baltimore,” Emma said, smug.

Sebastian whistled. “Wow, impressive. You own your own restaurant and you’re how old?”

“Twenty two,” Emma asked, looking at Bass, waiting for him to answer.

“Twenty three.” The plane ride passed quickly as the two asked each other questions and they slowly got to know one another. They both didn’t notice that the plane was practically empty because they were still talking.

“Emma? Would you like to leave sometime soon? I figured you’d be the first person off the plane,” Shelby said, slightly snippy. Both she and Amelia had gotten off the plane, figuring Emma would follow. But when she didn’t, they went back to look for her.

“Oh, sorry guys,” Emma said, getting up to get her suitcase out of the over head compartment. “Guys, this is Sebastian Wallace, Sebastian, this is my friends Amelia Ryan and Shelby Stover.” Amelia shook hands with Sebastian while Shelby just waved. “It was nice meeting you Sebastian,” Emma said as they all walked off the plane.

“Like wise dude,” Bass said, causing Emma to laugh. Both Amelia and Shelby eyed Emma weirdly before they shot each other a look. “I hope I’ll see you again,” Sebastian said, talking normal.

“You might,” Emma said, smiling. She waved to Bass and turned to follow her friends. Sebastian smiled and waved as he watched Emma walk away, knowing he would see her again, he could just feel it.