Once I was back on my feet, I swayed for a moment but the hand holding mine steadied me. I shook my head to clear my confusion and then the man in front of me became clear. I dropped his hand instantly. ‘Oh, it’s you,’ I said stupidly, as I realised it had been Jake Richards who had not only witnessed my epic fall, but who had had to help me get back up.

Awesome start to our trip.

‘It’s me,’ he confirmed. I was unable to read his expression but he must have been pissed off. ‘Shall we pick up your things?’ He was wearing a suit, which felt kind of crazy for a long-haul flight, and his hair was as immaculate as ever along with his perfectly styled stubble. I must have looked completely chaotic to him in my knee-length, polka dot dress and cowboy boots, my auburn hair wild after leaving it to dry naturally. I felt it too.

‘Oh.’ I looked around at my belongings strewn across the floor and could only hope the pencil topped with a rubber penis that I had kept from a friend’s hen do last year was not in Jake’s eyeline.

‘Here.’ He held out my notebook with Hayley’s instructions in and the aforementioned pen. ‘Your favourite?’ he asked, his mouth pursed as he handed them over.

‘No! Oh my God…’ I yelped and snatched the items from him then grabbed my bag, hastily stuffing them in. Jake edged backwards from me and I couldn’t blame him wanting to make a swift escape if he could. Grumpily, I bent down and hurriedly collected my other things before he could see anything else embarrassing. Once the floor was clear, I turned around. ‘I think I’ll just go to the ladies,’ I said, trying to sound dignified when I had proved I was anything but.

‘I’ll be over there with coffee,’ Jake said, striding away with his usual confidence. I watched him go with dismay. My plan to start off with him having everything in hand had failed completely.

‘Why am I incapable of not embarrassing myself in front of this man?’ I muttered aloud as I shuffled off to the bathroom to try to compose myself. I had no idea how I’d ever turn around his opinion of me now. But I supposed when you hit rock bottom, the only way is up. So, maybe by the end of this trip, I could convince him that I was an actual functioning adult.

I walked into the loos and looked at my reflection, my hair standing in all directions, my face still red, my make-up sliding off it, my dress strap hanging down on one side, and the penis-shaped pencil sticking out of my bag, and decided that I had my work very much cut out for me.

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