Bad Luck Isn't Always So Bad

"Seriously?" Harper groaned, looking down at her suitcase. Not even five minutes in the airport and she had already ripped the handle off her suitcase.

"Great." Earlier, stepping out of the cab, she had broken one of the heels off her boots.

So Harper stood in line to check in for her flight with a broken suitcase and one boot with a heel and one without. She was hoping to find some duct tape after checking in but while waiting in the enormous line, she realized they probably didn't have any because it looked suspicious.

The line moved slowly. A little too slowly for Harper's liking. She pulled her ipod out of her purse and put the device on shuffle. Repeatedly pressing the "next" button, and unable to find anything she liked, Harper put it away.

When she got to the desk, the woman was more than rude.

"I'm sorry, we don't have a seat for you." The words shocked Harper.

"What? I've already paid. I got confirmation. I picked my seat!" Her frustration was not unique. It was Christmas Eve and apparently the airline thought it still needed to overbook. She heard cries from other disgruntled flyers all around her.

"So what are you going to do to fix this?" she demanded.

"All our other flights are full and because of the weather some are canceled." The woman was less than accommodating and acting quite annoyed.

"What about a voucher so I can get a hotel room?"

"We don't do that."

"What am I supposed to do?"

"We have a flight tomorrow at 4pm. I can book you to that."

"Am I guaranteed a seat?"

"No, as I told you before, we cannot guaran-"

"This is bullshit. Is there anyone else I can talk to?" The woman rolled here eyes and stalked off, returning with a man.

"What's the problem?" the man with glasses and an air of hostility asked.

"Your employee here is telling me that I'm going to be spending the night in the airport and wont give me a voucher so I can sleep in a hotel." The man nodded.

"Sorry, that's our policy."

"You can't get me anywhere near the east coast? It's Christmas. I don't know if it means anything to you, but it means something to me and I'd really appreciate it if you could help me out." The man's expression didn't flinch.

"Everything is booked until tomorrow. You are welcome to wait at your gate."

After arguing for another five minutes, Harper finally decided to just stay in the airport until another flight opened up or be first in line for the 4pm flight. She rearranged her suitcase so she had a spare change of clothes in her carry-on. She said goodbye to her suitcase and hoped it wouldn't get lost.

Knowing her luck, it would.

But the only sure thing about luck is that it will change.

On her way to the terminal, Harper found a sports bar.

"Yes! Someone up there loves me!" she muttered.

Sitting down at the bar, she ordered a rum and coke and looked at one of the menus. Half an hour later, she was on her third drink and through a burger. She was working on her order of fries.

"You might want to slow down there." A young man around her age slid in beside her at the bar.

"Huh?" she asked curiously.

"You got screwed by the same airline I did. And I think we're going to be waiting for the same flight. And I saw you here. Figured I'd come say hi. I'm alone, you appear to be alone. Trying to make the best of this situation."

Harper smiled.

"Alex," he said, holding up his glass.

"Harper." She clinked his glass with hers and offered him some fries.

"Thanks." They sat in silence for a few moments, watching the television that was showing footage of the winter storm occurring all over the US.

"So I was thinking," he started. Harper turned to face him.

"I've got my laptop and they have free wifi. Wanna watch some movies? I'm sure they have vending machines around here somewhere with good junk food."

"That sounds fantastic."

They paid their bills and walked to the terminal.

"So where are you heading?" he asked.

"Philadelphia, you?

"Baltimore."

"Newark is such a dumb location to be sending us. This whole situation is crap."

"Agreed." They found the terminal and right across the way there was a Starbucks and vending machines.

"There is a god," Harper said, heading straight for the coffee vendor.

Latte in hand, Harper found Alex by the vending machines. They picked out some snacks and made themselves comfortable on the floor. Leaning against a pillar, they used their jackets as cushioning and Alex pulled out his laptop.

"So what do you want to watch?" Harper shrugged.

"We can cycle through all the genres. Let's start with comedy. I think we need it." Alex started naming off titles.

"Should we go with something we've seen or haven't seen?" Harper interrupted.

"I say seen. What are you thinking?"

"Happy Gilmore." He laughed.

"Right on."

For the next few hours, they goofed off and watched movies. It was as if they had known each other for years. Both were attracted to each other on a higher level though. They had too much in common but were different enough to intrigue each other.

"There is an opening on flight 141 to BWI terminal 2."

"That will get you home, won't it?" Harper asked the young man sitting next to her.

"I'd feel bad leaving you here, just when we were starting to have fun. I'll tell you what, if we can both get seats, I'll find a way to get you to Philly."

"Let's go!" They quickly packed up and walked briskly to the terminal.

Of course, there was a line. By the time they reached the desk, the flight was full.

"This is such an unlucky day," Harper whined. "First my shoe, the suitcase, the flight. And no freaking way out of here."

"Look on the brightside; you're stuck with me!" Alex exclaimed.

"Yet another thing to add to my list of bad luck." They grinned at each other and walked back to their original terminal. As they walked, Alex's hand brushed Harper's one more than one occasion. She took the bait and connected their hands. From behind her hair, she saw him grin. The rest of the walk was silent, but not an unpleasant silence.

"So what's next on our movie agenda?" Harper asked, removing her hand from his to sit down.

"I don't know. Scary?" he suggested.

"Sounds good."

Harper leaned slightly into Alex as they started to watch Paranormal Activity. He put his arm around her and the both readjusted so that she was leaning against his chest, his arms around her and her arms covering his, their hands intertwined.

Over the course of the movie, Harper felt Alex jump a few times. She laughed and made fun of him for being scared of a cheesy movie.

"It was scary!" he whined. She shook her head.

"If the lights were out, I could give you a little credit. But in full lighting? In an airport?" He still pouted.

"Fine."

They moved on to a cheesy romantic comedy, and then to drama and finally foreign. They took turns dozing off in between and soon the sun was rising.

"Harper?" Alex whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Breakfast?"

They had a nice breakfast in another small restaurant. Filled with pancakes and other breakfast foods, they walked back, hand in hand of course, to the spot they claimed as their own. They glared at a couple that was going to sit down before them.

The rest of the morning they played card games. Harper won most of them.

"You're cheating!" he accused. They laughed every time she won and he lost.

"I'm just really good," she said.

They started listening to music.

"I like this song, who is it?" Harper said.

"Me. And my band," he said sheepishly.

"I like it. I'll have to buy your cd."

They spent the rest of their time listening to music, joking around and surfing the internet.

3pm rolled around and the terminal started filling up. However, Alex and Harper were the first to be on the list. By 3:40 they were sitting on the plane, waiting for it to take off. They arranged their seats so they could sit next to each other.

"I hate this part," Harper said as they ascended. He gave her a questioning look.

"My ears popping." She pulled out a piece of gum and offered him a piece.

The flight was much like their time together. Cuddling, goofing off and watching movies. When the fasten seatbelt sign came on, both Alex and Harper felt their stomachs flip flop. It wasn't due to the descending of the plane. They knew their time together was dwindling.

The plane landed and they walked to the baggage claim hand in hand.

"So, I guess this is it," Alex said once they found Harper's very beat up, not lost, suitcase.

"Yep." She popped the "p" and looked up at him.

"Well, you have my number." She nodded as their eyes met.

"Yeah. And Alex?" Harper said as he turned to leave.

"Merry Christmas." They had both forgotten the holiday.

Alex walked back over, taking her into his arms.

"Merry Christmas Harper," he said, brushing his lips lightly across her cheek. He didn't pull away though. His lips met hers in a light, soft, innocent kiss.

"Let me know when you're heading back," he whispered when they pulled away. "We could coordinate flights."

Harper smiled. It turns out her luck had changed after all.