"Ready?" Edward asks, reaching for the handle on my suitcase so he can wheel it along.

"Ready." I nod in the affirmative.

We had already said our good byes to Jerome and my friends earlier and are now making our way towards the rows and rows of allotted seating space to commence the hour long wait before departure. Unsurprisingly, the place is packed full of people from varying backgrounds. Edward, eagle eyed, leads us in a zig zag march past several staring faces and to two vacant seats at the end of a row. I hear a baby crying about two rows behind me with its mother desperately trying to pacify it and groan inwardly. This is going to be a long wait.

The baritone voice of an announcer booms over the powerful sound system and I watch as in a flurry of activity several people bundle themselves and their belongings out of the space. Not long after, their vacant seats are overtaken by new travellers.

Somewhere down the line, I spot a little girl sucking on a candy bar and attempting to pull her mother in the direction of a toy shop. An unconscious smile plays at the edge of my lips as I watch this pig tailed child confidently state her case over and over as her mother refuses her the luxury of an overpriced new doll. She reminds me of a younger version of myself except in my case, my mother probably would have given in from the first instance so there would be no need for an ensuing deliberation.

"You alright Emma?" Edward asks, nudging me slightly with his knee. "You kind of spaced out there for a minute."

"Yeah, I'm fine." I reply, plugging in my ear phones as a not-so-subtle sign that I do not wish to engage in further conversation.

After what seems like an eternity, the same baritone voice blares the announcement of our flight over the speakers and we make our way towards the required gate.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome on board Flight UA19 with service from New York to Naples, Italy. We are currently third in line for take-off and are expected to be in the air in approximately seven minutes time. We ask that you please fasten your seatbelts at this time and secure all baggage underneath your seat or in the overhead compartments. We also ask that your seats and table trays are in the upright position for take-off. Please turn off all personal electronic devices, including laptops and cell phones. Smoking is prohibited for the duration of the flight. Approximate flight time is eleven hours thirty minutes. Thank you for choosing Air Italy. Do enjoy your flight."

The air fills with a cacophony of seatbelts buckling and several mouths muttering. Soon enough, the seven minutes is up and the Captain instructs the cabin crew to prepare for take-off. I suddenly feel very exhausted and soon find myself drifting off to sleep as a flight attendant orchestrates the safety instructions.

"Excuse me, would you like a drink?" the voice of a female cabin crew member awakens me.

I opt for some coffee and she proceeds to walk me through the dinner options until I am al sorted out. Beside me, Edward, who has been awake the entire time, opts for the fish option paired with a hearty glass of white wine. We eat in silence and soon enough I drift off again, the satisfaction of my meal weighing me down.

The sound of the cabin crew making their way down the aisle as they return used dishes to the trolley jerks me awake. I look beside me to see Edward's handsome frame peacefully asleep, his lips curled in a smile from what I presume to be a pleasant dream. There are only a couple of hours left of our flight so I decide to watch a few movies to pass the time.

The first one I pick is a musical of sorts and after a few minutes of struggling to enjoy it, I give up altogether and begin looking for something else to watch. I have never liked musicals. I relax as the lucky option comes on, my eyes transfixed to the screen until the credits roll in. Suddenly feeling the need to relieve myself, I make my way towards the toilets where there is a two man line. As we stand waiting, the guy in front of me tries to engage in conversation and I do my best to be polite while making it obvious I am not interested. When I return to my seat, Edward is still asleep so I resume my movie journey, munching on some ice cream which I'd saved from earlier.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we will now begin our descent to Naples International Airport. The weather looks good and with the tailwind on our side we are expecting to land in Naples approximately fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. Please make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position. Make sure your seat belt is securely fastened and all carry-on luggage is stowed underneath the seat in front of you or in the overhead bins. If the weather cooperates we should get a great view of the city as we descend. Thank you."

I look up from my scree which has undoubtedly gone blank due to the announcement. Rubbing my sore eyes, I take a swig out of my water bottle. The hours have flown by so fast and I can barely believe we are almost there. Beside me, Edward comes to and repeats the very steps I just created – rubbing my eyes and drinking a sip of water. The look of disorientation causes a chuckle to escape my lips as he takes in the announcement.

"Everything okay?" he addresses me, seemingly recovered from his long nap.

"Yeah, all good."

"I need to use the bathroom." He replies, staring directly over me.

"Oh." I get up out of his way so he can go; inwardly groaning when he returns and I have to repeat the process.

"Is it good?" he points to my screen.

"It's alright." I smile back at him and he chuckles because he knows that an 'alright' movie in my books would most probably be amazing to everyone else.

I am just about to defend my rating when the roar of the engine gets louder and I feel the impact of the tyres connecting with the tarmac. An announcement from the Captain interrupts.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Naples International Airport. Local time is 11:15am and the temperature is 19oC.

For your safety and comfort, please remain seated with your seat belt fastened until the Captain turns off the Fasten Seat Belt sign. This will indicate that we have parked at the gate and that it is safe for you to move about."

I zone out as he talks about safety, belongings and deplaning assistance.

"On behalf of Italy Air and the entire crew, I'd like to thank you for joining us on this trip and we are looking forward to seeing you on board again in the near future. Do have yourself a wonderful stay. Thank you."

Hey lovelies,

thanks for stopping by! 

I know I said I would put up five chapters but I've decided to take it a bit slower as there are only about five chapters left of this book.

I do hope you like it so far.

Next update will be on Monday