Untouchable

Rebecca loved Travis; and he loved her. The beginning of their flame ignited the first time she saw his face. He was charming and always had a smile on his face. Rebecca was quite the opposite. She was shy and mousy. Polar opposites of one another and yet, they attracted. The conversation started small and grew over time. Every time they talked, she wanted to reach out and touch him but she knew she couldn’t. There was a force that kept them apart even though it felt like they were in the same room. Travis noticed Rebecca right away. He would announce to people in the room to look at the beauty in the corner. All eyes would be on her but her eyes were on Travis. A warm sensation came over the two; it was a start to something that would become a beautiful disaster. Day after day, they grew close. They wanted to be together more than anything. Time and space kept them apart. After all, Rebecca lived in Washington and Travis lived in England. They would meet in internet chat rooms and video chat. Even with the distance between, the two always found a way to laugh and smile given the circumstances. Rebecca was a waitress who didn’t make very much money. Travis had a demanding job that didn’t allow for extended time off. They were stuck in limbo. Travis would stay up late into the early morning hours just so Rebecca could fall asleep. He watched her through his computer screen, yearning to touch her. To move the strands of hair off her face, to run his hand down her cheek, or to kiss her lips. Although they had never met face to face; they were madly in love with one another. They tried dating other people and when that failed, they found each other all over again. That little flicker of a flame burning a little brighter each time they reconciled. Rebecca had enough of this. She worked harder than ever; working double shifts and overtime. She finally saved enough for a plane ticket. She couldn’t believe it. Finally, after all this time, Rebecca was going to see Travis and it wasn’t going to be through a computer screen. She was going to be able to touch him. She had dreamed of this moment since the first time she opened his camera. She wanted to make it a surprise. She packed her bags and headed to the airport. Rebecca had never done anything so reckless or impulsive before. She was feeling excitement and exhilaration. She was waiting by the gate and decided to FaceTime him. She kept the phone close to her face so Travis couldn’t figure out where she was or what she was up to. Travis picked up after the second ring. Rebecca caved; she couldn’t hold it in. “I’m about to get on a plane.” Travis looked away for a minute and replied, “Beck, I wish you would have told me sooner. My job has sent me out of town for a couple of months. I got a promotion.” Rebecca smiled but it quickly faded. “I’m sorry, Trav. I wanted to make it special and surprise you. Congrats on the new job.” Rebecca’s eyes began to water. She stood up and started to walk away from the gate. Travis looked sad. “Where are you going?” Rebecca wiped her tears and answered, “I’m going home. I was foolish to think this would have worked.” Rebecca ended the call. The flame in her chest began to dim. She made her way out of the airport to wait for a taxi. There was a tap on her shoulder. “Excuse me miss but you dropped this.” Rebecca turned around and her eyes met with a very handsome man. He had black hair and beautiful blue eyes. She looked down at his hands and saw that he was holding her coat. She reached to take the coat and their hands touched. The flames exploded and engulfed her heart. She was speechless. She smiled and replied, “I missed you so much Travis.”