Air travel reminds us who we are.” – Don DeLillo

A/N: a Valentine’s gift for all of you <3 Oh and advance Happy Lunar New Year :)

OC- Alice

11:56 P.M. – HongKong International Airport

Alice always loved airports.

She loved the sound of wheels rolling against the floors as she trudged through the terminal with her carry on baggage. She loved the pace of people walking pass her: some moving slowly with the loads of their luggages whiles others in a hurry to catch their respective flights. She loved the smell of coffee and bread wafting through the air where a nearby bakery—or in her case, Starbucks, stood to cater to today’s travellers.

Every airport looks different, each having its own look and identity. Alice would know, having traveled almost half the world in the twenty-two years of her existence. Working as a photo journalist gave you some perks in keeping your on a plane or train as easily as 1 + 1.

Some countries have huge airports with long runways, maze-like waiting areas, and high glass windows that not only give you a view of planes in action but let’s the light seep in during the day; making the whole place so bright it gives people an excuse to wear sunglasses indoors. Other airports are so small you were forced to adjust your time an hour earlier just so you can get a good seat near your boarding gate.

But if there was one thing Alice was sure of about airports, it’s that they all have one thing in common:

It's the one place where you’re neither here nor there. You just seem to be suspended.

Alice smiled as she grabbed her bag from the conveyor belt after being scanned at the checkpoint. The HongKong International airport was one of the best one’s she's been in; a huge infrastructure with high ceilings filled with boutiques and restaurants for travellers to enjoy. She had just finished her latest assignment five hours ago and before she could even begin to enjoy the HongKong night life let alone the comfort of her hotel room, her boss had already called in and set her for another assignment in Paris, France. She didn't have the strength to complain (not that she ever did) considering that Paris was already so close to her home: London.

Alice sighed as she fished her phone from her pocket to check for the time if she received any messages. There were only a couple of emails from her boss which she promised she would look at once she has gotten some sleep. It was currently half past 12 A.M. and she could feel her bones starting to ache from exhaustion. Her black coat hung loosely on her arm while her other hand held her camera bag. The past couple of days showed bad weather with the temperature dropping to its lowest. According to the news, it was the lowest in sixty years!

Alice was glad she had brought an extra thick coat despite the fact that she knew HongKong didn't get too cold.

But this time with the winter season in full swing, it actually did.

Putting her phone back into her pocket, her eyes surveyed the terminal for the board schedules, wanting to find a seat where she could wait patiently for her flight's departure. Upon finding it, she approached the board and began to search for her flight gate number.

Alice always loved airports.

But the sight of her flight number alongside one word in blazing red made her love lessen just a bit.

Flight BA127 - Destination Paris -

Cancelled.

~~~

"Ladies and gentleman, your attention please. Due to severe weather conditions, there is a minor change in schedules for flights BA--"

Alice sighed heavily as she sat down on one of the chairs, leaning heavily on her thighs and trying to ignore the throbbing in her head.

Delayed and cancelled flights were her worse nightmare.

She hoped she would be arriving in Paris on time. Take the early morning to sleep in the hotel before going to her destination where she had to cover an interview for one of their publication’s latest stories.

But considering the delayed flight, her morning sleep-in might have to wait. Having asked the air travel staff, her flight wasn't due till seven in the morning. That means she had roughly seven hours to wait for her flight.

Great, she thought grumpily. What am I supposed to do for seven whole hours?!

The flight gates were yet to be announced and so Alice made her way through the terminal, finding the least crowded space she could find.

There was a wing far from the boutiques with rows of vacant chairs, a couple of minutes walking distance from customs. Alice sighed as she surveyed the area, spotting a cafe in the corner near a closed boarding gate. The smell of freshly brewed coffee invaded her senses and though she was more of a tea person, coffee didn’t sound half bad at the moment.

"Two shots of espresso. Non fat milk, please." Alice ordered and the young man on the counter gave her a smile. She caught sight of his nametag: Xiumin.

"Will I make that a venti for you?" He inquired and she shook her head.

"Grande would be good."

"That's 33.70." Xiumin said. "And your name is?"

"Alice."

"Like in Wonderland?"

Alice chuckled, "That joke is really getting old."

"Nah. You have to admit it doesn't." Xiumin grinned as he wrote her name on the cup. "So, going home?"

"In seven hours." Alice grumbled as she rummaged for some cash in her bag. "Cancelled flights are the worse."

"Oh yeah, I heard about the cancellations. Sorry."

"It's not your fault." She shrugged before placing the bills on the counter.

Xiumin took the bills and counted. "I need 50 cents more."

"Hold up." Alice said as she rummaged for coins in her pocket. She counted then cursed, mumbling how she's 10 cents less from the amount she needed.

"Wait, I think I have here somewhere--" Before she could finish, a hand appeared at her side and placed a single coin on the counter. Alice paused and stared at the 50 cents in front of her before turning to look over her shoulder.

The words died on her lips as a cute guy with dark hair--fringe concealing his forehead, stared at her with slightly widened eyes. A gray scarf hung around his neck and Alice couldn't help but find it adorable how it was practically wrapped up around his nose.

"Um...you didn't have to--"

"It's fine." The guy mumbled as he shrugged. He removed the scarf from his lips, revealing lips painted with a small smile. Alice was going to protest more but Xiumin had cleared his throat, calling her back to attention.

"Your drink will be at the pick up counter." He handed her the receipt and pointed to the right side of the stall.

"Thanks." Alice mumbled before daring to look behind her. She nodded once and the guy returned it with a nod and a soft smile. Alice couldn't understand the heat creeping to her cheeks as she moved towards the pick up counter.

"Good morning, sir! What can I get for ya?"

"Grande. Hot chocolate."

Alice couldn't help but smile after overhearing. The moment she realized that she just eavesdropped, she wiped the smile off her face and grabbed her phone, pretending to be busy.

"Your name for the cup?"

"Kai."

Kai, Alice repeated in her head, thinking how it was a nice and unique name.

Upon realizing that she had eavesdropped once again, she shook her head and scolded herself. Although a part of her was defending herself, saying that it's not that she thought the guy was cute (well he is... but that's not the point!). It was pretty hard not to eavesdrop when you were the only two customers there within a fairly secluded and empty area.

"Non fat double shot espresso for Alice!"

Alice jumped at the call, giving the barista a slightly incredulous look for practically shouting her name out for the world to hear. It's not like the place was crowded, and she was standing just an arm's length from the counter.

"Sorry." The barista muttered and Alice sighed, giving him a tight smile before taking her drink and walking away.

She found her feet moving slower than it usually does, as if stalling her departure the way her flight just did.

Because maybe she was waiting for another order to be yelled out...

Maybe, just maybe… 

She just wanted to hear his name again.

~~~

Time seemed to move slower when you were waiting. Alice found it really unfair how right now, time seemed to be moving a pace slower than that of a turtle's compared to when she's watching her favorite TV show where time moved faster than a freight train.

She huffed as she closed her laptop and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She had probably reviewed all her her photos in the past hour and still--she had six hours left till her next flight. She opted for sleep, but she couldn't seem to swallow the idea of closing her eyes when her stuff was out in the open, filled with expensive gadgets such as her MacBook and camera lenses.

She had already finished her coffee and was debating whether to get another one or not. If she did, she would have to make small talk with Xiumin again and as nice as he was, Alice wasn't in the mood for chitchat.

She felt a thud behind her seat but ignored it, deciding to browse through her phone instead. As she reached out for her bag, her stomach growled.

Her face reddened as she held her stomach, unbelieving it would make such a loud sound. She thought back to the last time she had a meal and was horrified when she realized she haven't eaten since lunch.

"Hey."

Alice felt a nudge on her arm and looked down, surprised to see a cereal bar; the fruity flavoured one which she used to eat in between shoots when her schedule was packed. She lifted her eyes and caught sight of a hand holding it to her before twisting around to look behind her.

She was surprised to find the same guy from the cafe, giving her a small smile as he offered the treat.

Kai, she found herself thinking; unsure how she still remembered his name so clearly. 

"You want it?" He asked and though he had asked meekly (and looked incredibly cute in that grey scarf), Alice was not stupid--or pathetic enough to take random treats from strangers.

Even if the stranger was awfully cute and yes... that's my favorite flavoured cereal bar.

"No, I'm fine thanks." She said just as her stomach growled once again.

Sh*t.

The guy kept a straight face on, although Alice could feel him trying to suppress his laughter. "I have more." He added. "It's totally fine."

"No I'm--" growls. "Fine." She gritted her teeth, wishing she could get her stomach to shut up. She turned back around and crossed her arms, like it would somehow suppress the monstrous sounds her stomach was making.

"There's a convenience store on the left wing." The guy said before retreating his hand along with the cereal bar. Alice felt mildly disappointed. "The chicken sandwich is pretty good."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Alice wished she could sink deeper into her seat because her stomach had just humiliated her in front of a really cute guy and it looks like it’s not done yet. 

Not to mention her little attitude towards him was completely unlike her--downright rude--and the guy was probably just trying to be nice.

"I'm sorry." She blurted and immediately pursed her lips, unsure why she even said that.

"It's okay." She heard him answer and the understanding in his tone was too much she wondered if it was even real.

"No, I was a . Sorry. It's just been a long night." She huffed.

"Delayed?"

"Cancelled."

"Same."

"Sorry."

"You should really stop apologizing." He half chuckled and Alice found herself smiling.

"Sorry--oh." She snorted and the next thing she knew, they both burst into chortles. There wasn't really anything funny but Alice couldn't seem to stop herself from laughing more and he did just the same.

Once they got a hold of their giggles, he reached out his hand. "Kai."

Alice twisted in her seat and took his hand before giving it a firm squeeze.

"Alice." She replied with a smile.

"I know."

"How do you know?"

He shrugged, "Hard not to when the barista sounded like he was announcing your drink to the whole terminal."

Alice laughed, "He really should tone it down."

"Just a little maybe." Kai grinned before looking down on his lap. "Sure you don't want that cereal bar?"

Alice looked at him and sighed, "Actually, I think I want more than just a cereal bar."

~~~

The two ended up on one of the stools near the window of 7Eleven, a half eaten sandwich and a couple of large Slurpees on their table.

Alice wasn't sure how it happened but Kai had asked to come with, telling her that he needed to buy something as well. They made small talk on the way there which Alice found nice since it made her drowsiness disappear. From the few minutes they’ve talked, she found out that he was her age as well, already graduated and working. “Family business”, he answered when she asked him what type of work he does.

It didn't take long before Alice was chattering about her favorite books and TV shows, and Kai telling her about his pet dog; the two strangers instantly hitting it off.

"So you're a photographer." Kai asked as he sipped his Slurpee. Alice nodded.

"What do you photograph?"

"I'm a photo journalist, so it varies." She answered. "People, events, landscape’s. It depends on the story."

Kai let out an impressed hum. "Sounds really cool."

"How about you?" She asked as she wiped with a napkin. "What do you do?"

Kai his lip before answering, "Family Business. I guess you can call my current job as an apprenticeship."

"And you're in HongKong for work?" He shook his head. 

“I came to visit someone.” he replied. "You?"

"Work. I had to cover and awards show." She sighed as she leant her cheek on her hand. "Events always take a toll on me to be honest."

"But you love what you do, right?"

Alice paused at his question and thought. Of course she loved her job. Photography was a passion very close to her heart and it was even her father who had introduced her to the world through lenses.

Alice liked seeing pictures; seeing things the eye would often overlook. She liked how pictures captured the tiniest smile on people's faces, the light manifesting in hues of orange and pink as the sun sets, and even the way it showed cities as more than just a majesty of tall buildings and unending traffic but an image of how far the world has gone; right into an age of technology and advancements.

It was a magnificent thing to capture the word and then place it on a piece of paper; to capture memories and keep them forever.

"Yeah..." She mumbled before nodding to make it more convincing. "Yeah, I do."

"But?"

Alice frowned at the question and looked at him. "What do you mean ‘but’?"

"You sounded like you had more to say. Your expression," Kai pointed at her face. "It looked like you had something else on your mind."

"You read expressions now?" she grinned.

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