Our flight was scheduled the next morning for 10:11 a.m. The drive to the airport was going to take at least an hour and a half to get there. We left Mr. and Mrs. Upton before the sun was even up. I was sad to be leaving the beautiful Napa Valley area, but also ready to get back home.

Barbara had scheduled a limo to take us to Oakland International Airport. It was luxurious, with plenty of space. I sat on the side seat, while the brothers sat on the main cushion by the doors. They both were obviously not much for early mornings, as they weren't very talkative. Not that I minded. I didn't have anything I wanted to say to Ryan anymore. Though Adam and I spoke briefly about how we enjoyed visiting the Upton's home, after that, the conversations trailed off, and Adam decided to sleep for a bit, while he had the chance.

I used the riding time to relax and mentally prepare myself for our flights. We were going to have to stop through Salt Lake City, since Oakland didn't have a direct connection to J.F.K. Airport.

When we arrived at the terminal, we still had just over an hour before our scheduled departure. We checked in at the counter, handing over our suitcases, including my new one filled with all the new clothes I had gotten from going on this trip. Then we proceeded through security. The lines were filled with men, women, and some children heading to various parts of the world.

When we got to our gate, Adam and I enjoyed ourselves while we waited to board the plane. We drank hot coffee and sat looking out at the passerby's and guessed if they were tourists, pleasure travelers, or on a business trip. Most of them, we figured, were on business, which we assessed based on their attire. Plus, it was a Monday morning in the middle of January, so tourists and pleasure travelers were not a common sight then.

Ryan was keeping to himself most of the time, and only adding a little snide comment here and there. He was acting extra 'Ryan-Like' towards Adam, which he had been ever since he found out I was offered to be his apprentice. Though Ryan's behavior didn't seem to phase his brother, which amused me. I could definitely tell who the older and more mature one was.

When we boarded our plane, I was assigned to the seat next to Ryan again. Adam offered to switch places with me. I assured him that it was alright and took my seat. At least I was next to the window this time, which I preferred, as I knew that looking outside during takeoff would help with my anxiety.

The plane went through the same routine as the flight over had. We listened to the flight attendant go through their usual spiel, then watched the plane soar from the ground to the clouds in the heavens. Once we reached a high enough altitude, I looked down at the clouds below us and the pure blue sky above. That was the only part I really enjoyed about flying.

"Would you like any?" Ryan asked me out of nowhere, slightly startling me. I turned to see him rattling his bottle of sleepy gummies in my direction.

"No, thanks. We're only on this flight for a few hours. Plus, I don't want it to throw off my sleep cycle since we'll be getting home right around my usual bedtime."

"Okay." He tossed them back in his bag and exchanged it for his laptop. He lifted out his tray-table from the arm of his chair, placed his computer on it, and proceeded to work on responding to emails and reproofing the construction plans.

"I'm..." he started, then stopped and looked over at Adam, who was currently watching an in-flight movie. "I'm sorry I'm going to lose you... As my assistant, I mean."

What? The nerve he had! Trying to sound like he cared. He toys with my mind, emotions, then sleeps with me, then has the nerve to say that sleeping with me was an act of revenge on Eric and me, and now he's sad to lose me as his assistant! He was all over the place.

"That was your own undoing," I said in a low voice.

"I know. If I could take back what I said to you the other day, I would." He looked up from his computer in my general direction but didn't actually maintain any eye contact. "I was just thrown when Eric showed up. Seeing him made my blood boil, and I turned into someone I hate."

"You turned into someone I hate too."

"You hate me?" he asked with sincerity.

"This is not the time or place to be having this conversation, Ryan," I insisted, glancing past him to Adam. I was glad that he wasn't paying us any attention and was very much into whatever he was watching.

Ryan didn't respond and went back to staring at his computer, while I looked back out the window. I could hear him tapping a few keys on his keyboard, then stop. The sound of the screen clicking shut made me turn back to see him staring at me with a desperate gaze. "If we don't talk about this now, we'll never have another chance to smooth things over."

"Why should I care? You certainly didn't yesterday when I tried to bring it up. Plus, what's there to say to smooth this over? You slept with me because you were getting even with Eric. And because you were mad at me for whatever I did or didn't do to you in college," I repeated what he had said to me.

"That was a lie."

"What part?"

"Most of it."

"Bullshit, Ryan!"

"I'm being honest. If I wanted to get back at Eric, then why didn't I tell him that you and I fucked?" Ryan said a little louder than I would have liked him to. I noticed that the person in front of us turned his head slightly at his words. I put my fingers to my lips to express to Ryan that he needed to lower his voice or stop talking altogether. But he continued, "And trust me, I could have said something to him when he threatened me to be more 'respectful' to you. But I didn't."

"That was probably only because everyone was there," I argued.

"I don't give two shits who was there. I'm not like my parents or brothers who care about nothing but the company and their goddamn reputation."

"Of course you're nothing like them. You don't care about anyone but yourself. You are such a spoiled brat." I felt like I was stepping past a boundary, but I didn't care anymore. If I was going to be fired after all this, then so be it. But I felt that Ryan needed to be put in his place once and for all. "I'm sorry your parents pushed you into joining a company as a fucking executive, when people, like me, work their ass off to rise up to where you are. I'm sorry that Eric screwed your high school girlfriend and turned you into the world's worst asshole. I'm sorry that I didn't remember who you were. But none of those things gives you any right to behave the way you have.

"And another thing, if you wanted to get to know me back in college, you should have tried harder. We don't all live around your wants and desires. If you wanted to ask me out then, but didn't have the balls to do it, that's not my fault. I shouldn't be punished for something I had no clue about. And yes, Eric knew what he was doing, but he was also going through fucked up things with his family.

"But you, you just wanted to toy with me and fuck me to get back at the imaginary issues you made up in your mind. You weren't lost. The fact that you enjoyed messing with my feelings and my relationship with Eric puts you on the lowest level I can imagine. This isn't high school anymore. Fuck, this isn't college anymore. You're a grown-ass adult, and you need to start acting like one. Otherwise, you're going to wake up one day, fifty years old, with women half your age in your bed, and still be miserable."

"Are you done?" Ryan asked, looking at me with an expression of disbelief and hurt.

"I could go on."

"Please don't," he urged. The flight attendant walked past us, pushing the beverage cart. Ryan looked back at her as she was starting with the row behind us and was working her way back up. He then turned to look at me again and softly said, "You're right. About everything."

"You don't have to tell me that. I know," I responded.

"Will you shut up and let me talk now?" he forcefully insisted.

Just then, the attendant reached our row. Adam lowered his Bose headphones to give her his drink order. I watched her pour orange juice into a small plastic cup with perfect iced cubes, then hand it over to him with a small packet of pretzels. He looked over at Ryan and I and gave us a quizzical look. "Are you two okay?"

"We're fine," Ryan responded abruptly. "I'll take a Jack and Coke," he ordered before the attendant could ask.

"Ryan, you're aware that it's still morning, right?" Adam asked.

"It's five o'clock somewhere," he said smugly and took the newly poured drink from the attendant, but passed on the pretzels.

"I'll just take some water. With no ice, please." I requested.

She happily obliged and seemed even happier to move away from our row. I gathered that she could feel the tension rising between Ryan and I. And Ryan and Adam.

"Vicky, are you okay?" Adam asked specifically to me this time.

I simply nodded. Adam smiled and replaced his headphones over his ears, returning his focus to his screen and slurped his orange juice.

I sipped my water and looked back out the window. As I lowered my cup to my tray table, I wasn't paying attention and ended up placing it on the edge of the table, causing it to knock over. The ice-cold water streamed into my lap, causing me to jump quickly out of my seat, which caused me to knock Ryan's arm, and in turn, his drink too fell into his lap.

"The fuck!" Ryan hollered, causing several other passengers to glare at him for his word choice.

Adam yanked his headphones back off and looked at us both. He couldn't help but burst out laughing at the sight of the two of us.

"Shit, I'm sorry," I said, trying to pat myself dry with the flimsy napkins.

The attendant came rushing back to us with a rag. Ryan took it and proceeded to wipe himself off, then handed it back to the attendant. "Where's the restroom?"

"We have one up at the front, sir, and two in the back of the plane."

Ryan looked towards the front and saw the one closest to us was occupied. He excused himself and moved towards the back bathrooms. I apologized to the attendant for spilling the drinks, which she insisted happened often. She urged me to go dry off and assured that she'd help dry the seat by the time I returned. I thanked her and walked towards the back bathrooms. Adam was still chuckling at the events that he just witnessed as he returned to his movie.

When I reached the back of the plane, both bathrooms were occupied. I stood in the little nook area waiting for one to become available. As one of the doors unlocked and opened, I went to move to give the person room to pass. It was Ryan. He and I stared at each other for a moment, then, once again, before I knew what was happening, he grabbed me by the arm and pulled me back into the bathroom with him. He quickly shut the door and locked it, causing the dimmed fluorescent lights to flicker on.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I demanded, pushing him away from me, even though there wasn't much room for him to move anywhere.

"I don't know what I'm thinking or trying to do. All I know is I want you."