Flirting With Random Guys In Airports - A Boone/Paulo Sideways!World Fic, pt.1
When he woke up that morning, the sun shone just a little brighter. He stretched his arms out and lingered in bed for a few minutes, wondering what had changed. Then he remembered. It was over. He was free. She'd been as beautiful as ever, maybe more so if that was possible, but it wasn't the same.
"I'm done, Shannon," he'd said. She wasn't the same girl anymore. He saw nothing sweet or fragile beneath her petulant stare. The girl he once would have done anything to protect (to possess?) was gone. She didn't need saving. Maybe she never had. Her face fell. He never left without a fight.
"So you're just gonna leave me then?" she said, as though she still didn't understand.
"Stay here with him, leave with me. It's up to you. I'm not doing this again. We're not kids anymore. I'm tired of your games. And I'm not as stupid as you think I am."
"I-I never thought that," her voice broke.
Still, he felt unmoved. He turned and walked out the door. "Boone! Wait!" he heard her cry after him. Still, he knew he wouldn't see her at the airport the next morning. And he felt the strangest thing - relief. He was free, and it felt strange because he couldn't quite recall the feeling. Hard to label.
The Sydney airport felt less crowded than when he'd arrived. Strangers smiled at him. He was mellow, picking up a sandwich and humming to himself as he scouted out a table. Finally, he found an available chair next to an attractive young couple. The girl was tanned and blonde in a short sundress, and the guy had warm brown eyes and dark hair and was...extremely handsome, Boone couldn't help noticing. "Can I sit here?" he asked, gesturing at the empty chair.
The guy smiled up at him. "Yup, be my guest." His dark eyes held Boone's blue ones.
"Thanks," he replied, their gaze still locked.
The blonde looked from one to the other with a look of mild curiosity than went back to examining her perfectly manicured fingernails, already bored. She reminded him vaguely of Shannon.
"I'm Paolo," he said, "This is Nikki."
There was something so hauntingly familiar about his face, but Boone couldn't place it.
"So, anything interesting happening in the world?" Boone gestured at Paolo's newspaper.
He flipped it over. "Same old, same old, you know." He was flexing and unflexing his fingers nervously, looking down at the table.
Nikki shot him an annoyed look. "You'll have to excuse him. He's quitting smoking. He gets all anxious and jittery sometimes."
Boone nodded and began digging into his sandwich. Even food seemed to taste better today.
"What's the celebration?" he asked, gesturing to their glasses of champagne.
"When you're in love, everyday is a celebration," Nikki said smoothly, batting her eyelashes at Paulo.
I wouldn't know, Boone thought to himself, but he smiled anyway.
The two began kissing and laughing as though he wasn't even there, and he looked away awkwardly, yet he could feel eyes on him and when he looked back, Paolo was staring right at him as he stroked Nikki's golden hair, her face nuzzled into his neck. He felt something like an electric current pass through him and for a second he remembered...something, but then it was gone, leaving only a haunting sense of deja vu.